ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – JANUARY 2020

ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – JANUARY 2020

ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – JANUARY 2020

The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is Washington’s pre-kindergarten program that prepares 3- and 4-year-old children furthest from opportunity for success in school and life.

Contents (Ctrl + click to follow the link) Updates ................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

ECEAP Request for Applications (RFA) ................................................................................................................................ 1 ECEAP Reports ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 ECEAP and Licensing Update ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Changes in Car Seat Laws .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Governor’s Budget Released ............................................................................................................................................... 2 DCYF Helps You Find Eligible Children ................................................................................................................................ 2 Child Restraint Training Update .......................................................................................................................................... 2 Access to Physicians ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 Mental Health Consultation Director Opening ................................................................................................................... 2 ELMS News .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census ..................................................................................................................... 3 Community Funded ECEAP ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Teaching Strategies GOLD® ................................................................................................................................................. 4

DCYF Training Opportunities and Events ................................................................................................................................ 4 Mobility Mentoring® Essentials Training ............................................................................................................................ 4

Other Training Opportunities .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Circle Time Magazine .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Cultivate Learning Coach Online Community of Practice ................................................................................................... 4 ECERS-3 Reliability Initial Observation Training .................................................................................................................. 4 Pre-K Classroom Assessment Scoring System Observation Training .................................................................................. 4 Early Achievers Coaching Framework Training ................................................................................................................... 5 Haring Center Individualization Internships ....................................................................................................................... 5

Resources ................................................................................................................................................................................ 5

Important Dates Within 90 days from each child’s class start date, enter health screenings, well-child exams and dental

screenings in the Early Learning Management System (ELMS).

January 14: feedback due from ECEAP contract priority point workgroup representatives.

January 29, 4 p.m.: Due date and time for ECEAP Request for Application (RFA) submissions.

February 1: Complete request for client data in ELMS. Email Non-disclosure and Data Disposition forms to ECEAP@dcyf.wa.gov.

Questions? Email questions about newsletter topics to eceap@dcyf.wa.gov or your Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Specialist. For additional information about ECEAP or the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), please visit our Contractor webpages.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – JANUARY 2020

Updates ECEAP Request for Applications (RFA) DCYF released the ECEAP Request for Applications (RFA) for the 2020-21 contract year on Monday, December 2. Current and potential ECEAP providers are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications are due Wednesday, Jan. 29, by 4 p.m.

RFA materials are available on DCYF’s ECEAP Expansion webpage.

Webinar for tribal applicants on January 14 from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. provides an opportunity for dialogue about changes related to tribes.

Webinar for applicants on January 15 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. to discuss RFA materials and answer questions. Please email questions to the RFA Coordinator at eceap@dcyf.wa.gov.

ECEAP Reports DCYF recently released the following ECEAP reports:

The ECEAP Outcomes Report shows the difference ECEAP made in 2018-19 in child development, kindergarten readiness, child health and family resilience and well-being. Though there are only six months between ECEAP’s November and May developmental assessments, with ECEAP’s comprehensive approach ECEAP children make far more than six months of progress in their learning and development during this time. Children who participate in ECEAP are more likely than other low-income children to be ready for kindergarten in the six domains assessed in The Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) and be up-to-date on well-child exams, dental screenings and related treatment. Additionally, families partnering with ECEAP make substantial gains in resilience and economic security through participation in Mobility Mentoring®.

The 2019-20 ECEAP Saturation Study estimates the numbers and locations of eligible children in Washington State who are not yet served by ECEAP or Head Start. It divides the state’s school district geographic areas into seven priority groups for ECEAP expansion. This study is one of the factors used to determine the allocation of new ECEAP slots.

The brief 2019-20 ECEAP Caseload Forecast Report, based on the work of the state Caseload Forecast Council, explains the estimated need for a total of 18,769 ECEAP slots for the 2022-23 school year when ECEAP becomes an entitlement for all eligible children. This means in addition to the 662 slots already funded for 2020-21, another 4,107 slots are needed.

ECEAP and Licensing Update We appreciate the consistent feedback from contractor staff about ongoing concerns as part of licensing requirements in DCYF’s aligned standards. At the director’s meeting in October, a status update was provided about the K-12 Pathways workgroup. At that time, universal waivers and variances were being considered to address the anticipated negative impacts of meeting licensing requirements. Since then, DCYF ECEAP and licensing staff began developing a proposal that more heavily emphasizes a coordinated monitoring approach to lighten monitoring impacts to ECEAP sites. DCYF ECEAP and licensing anticipate completing a final proposal for ECEAP licensing requirements to DCYF leadership in early January for final decision-making. A webinar is planned later this month to share final decisions related to ECEAP licensing requirements, effective July 1, 2020. Our intent is to support timely decision-making for impacted ECEAP contractors and subcontractors engaged in planning for the upcoming year.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – JANUARY 2020

Changes in Car Seat Laws Updates to Washington’s child care seat restraint law RCW 46.61.687 are effective as of January 1, 2020. Information is available online in multiple languages about the law’s important changes.

Governor’s Budget Released In Governor Inslee’s proposed supplemental budget there is a designation for 50 of the 600 new enrollment slots in the 2020-21 school year to be available for children in foster care regardless of start date in the school year. The current two-year budget adds 1,200 enrollment slots in total. The proposal also includes $2.2 million from the state’s general funds for targeted support services and more teachers to help children with different abilities thrive in preschool.

DCYF Helps You Find Eligible Children Annually, DCYF provides interested ECEAP contractors with the names and addresses of DSHS client families with children who may be eligible for ECEAP. To receive this information, please do the following:

The ECEAP director or director’s designee (one person per contract) enters zip codes in ELMS. To do so, please use the following steps:

o In ELMS, go to the “Locations & Classes” tab. o Click the “Service Areas” link next to your contractor name. o Review and/or add zip codes from which you recruit children for ECEAP. o Answer YES to the question, “Would you like to receive this information for families residing in the zip

codes entered below?” o Enter the name and email address of the person who will act as the contact person for your contract. o Click “Save.”

Complete a Statement of Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure form for each person who will have access to this confidential information. By February 1, email all completed nondisclosure forms to eceap@dcyf.wa.gov.

If you received data last year, complete the Certificate of Data Disposition form and email it to eceap@dcyf.wa.gov by February 1.

Child Restraint Training Update As you are aware, WAC 110-300-0106 (9) requires providers who use child restraint in their program to complete a department approved child restraint training prior to using this practice. Currently, there is no department approved child restraint training. As of October 1, 2019, no early learning provider will be determined out of compliance with this requirement for not completing approved child restraint training. At this time, DCYF will not be providing additional recommendations or approvals on allowable training. Relatedly, the child restraint reference in WAC 110-300-0490 is intended to speak to programs that are working closely with families and other licensed professionals to develop individual care plans (ICP) to meet these specific needs. For questions about this, please contact your licensor.

Access to Physicians The state Office of Financial Management compiled data on numbers of physicians in each county of Washington. See the report here. For each county, you can see the number of physicians per 100,000 population (page 20), the numbers of family/general practice physicians (page 36) and the numbers of pediatricians (page 46).

Mental Health Consultation Director Opening Child Care Aware has posted a job announcement for an Infant-Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Director. This person will lead a statewide team and supervise the regional implementation of IECMHC as funded through 2SSB 5903 in 2019. Applications are due by January 20. The position will remain open until filled.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – JANUARY 2020

ELMS News Due dates:

Within 90 days from each child’s class start date, enter health screenings, well-child exams and dental screenings in ELMS.

DCYF released changes to ELMS on December 11, including:

On the Monitoring tab, you can now review the status of your well-child exams, dental screenings and developmental screenings. We will add more features in the coming months.

When you enroll a child in a class, you see simplified steps all on one pop-up page.

You now request approval for new sites in ELMS instead of on a paper form. To find it, click the Locations & Class tab, select Sites in the submenu bar and click the blue “New Site” button.

You now request approval for new classrooms in ELMS instead of on a paper form. To find it, click the Locations & Class tab, select Classes in the submenu bar and click the blue “New Class” button. Follow the steps to determine if the form is needed.

For assistance, email elms@dcyf.wa.gov.

Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census In the 2010 Census, children under the age of 5 were undercounted by 4.6 percent – or 1 million children – the highest undercount of any age group. This is not a new problem but it can hopefully be remedied in the 2020 Census beginning April 1. Katy Kaltenbrun with the US Census Bureau is our primary point of contact for information and resources.

These are ways that ECEAP staff can help facilitate a complete census count: Put signage up for families to see in English, Spanish and 11 more languages. Send texts or emails to families with information on the importance of counting all children, a one minute video

and information on confidentiality in English and Spanish. Train ECEAP staff to be Census Ambassadors to help reach out to families and answer questions. Contact Katy

Kaltenbrun to set up a one-hour training for staff. Set up a Census Hot Spot/Kiosk at ECEAP sites on April 1 so parents can respond to the Census when they drop-

off or pick-up their children. Contact Katy Kaltenbrun to learn more. Help promote Census jobs.

Community Funded ECEAP In 2017, the unmet need for high-quality early learning opportunities led to the creation of Community Funded ECEAP (CFE) in Senate Bill (SB) 5107. CFE uses the same structure and contract as ECEAP, except alternative funding is provided by local governments, school districts, institutions of higher education and/or nonprofit organizations. This change creates an opportunity for communities to expand existing ECEAP facilities or fund new sites.

Visit the CFE webpages for more information about the process to start CFE-funded sites and email questions to Grace Ssebugwawo at eceap@dcyf.wa.gov.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – JANUARY 2020

Teaching Strategies GOLD® Teaching Strategies GOLD® Assistance

Call the dedicated GOLD® phone line for ECEAP at 844-854-4653 for simple issues, such as log-ins and general teacher questions.

Email del.wa@teachingstrategies.com with GOLD® issues or for requests for additional portfolios. Include details such as ELMS child IDs, teacher names and class names. You may include elms@dcyf.wa.gov as an email recipient for additional support.

Teaching Strategies GOLD® Professional Development

New! Free recorded webinar available for teachers: Saving Time Using GOLD®. Access via teacher GOLD® accounts through the Teaching Strategies Home Page.

Read part one and part two of the Teaching Strategies GOLD® blog about dual language learners, the Home Language Survey and individualized instruction.

DCYF Training Opportunities and Events Mobility Mentoring® Essentials Training All ECEAP contractors are required to designate a lead staff or agency coordinator to attend a two-day Mobility Mentoring® Essentials train the trainer. This training is for lead staff who have not yet completed it. After completing this training, lead ECEAP staff are required to provide Mobility Mentoring® training to family support staff.

January 15-16 from 8:45 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Green River Community College in Kent.

Other Training Opportunities Circle Time Magazine Visit Circle Time Magazine, an accessible, friendly and fun professional development web series focused on early learning in action. Receive STARS credits by completing knowledge checks at the end of each episode.

Cultivate Learning Coach Online Community of Practice The new series of Webinar Communities of Practice (WCP) for Early Achievers (EA) coaches and other relationship-based professional development specialists began on September 23. Webinars are the fourth Monday of each month from 3 - 4:30 p.m. Recorded webinars are available through Coaching Companion. The next webinar is on January 27. For more information, email Samira Noor at smoh2009@uw.edu.

ECERS-3 Reliability Initial Observation Training This training is intended for EA coaches from ECEAP who are seeking reliability in the tool. Coaches must have completed an ECERS-3 Deep Dive Training from the University of Washington’s Cultivate Learning to attend this training. Participants are responsible to arrange their travel, accommodations and meals.

January 21-23, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Seattle. Email eceap@dcyf.wa.gov to register.

Pre-K Classroom Assessment Scoring System Observation Training This two-day training focuses on the importance of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) including the framework, dimensions, observation note-taking and coding to support reliability.

February 4-5, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Seattle.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – JANUARY 2020

Early Achievers Coaching Framework Training Coaches are introduced to the EA Coaching Model in this two-day training that highlights guiding principles and the foundations of Practice-Based Coaching. Participants learn to use specific tools and apply tailored strategies as EA coaches of early childhood educators. Participants are responsible to arrange their travel, accommodations and meals.

February 12-13, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Seattle.

Haring Center Individualization Internships This two-day internship at the University of Washington’s Haring Center is a unique training opportunity for EA Coaches. The internship focuses on content related to individualization and inclusion of children with different learning and behavioral needs into early learning and care settings. Internships are available from January through June 2020. There is no charge to register for this internship. Travel, lodging and per diem costs will be reimbursed.

Resources Little Scientists – Exploring Technology with Preschoolers In this episode of the Explore series, learn about simple tools and strategies to foster preschoolers’ comprehension of cause and effect. Participants will learn strategies that encourage all children to explore technology, including using art to understand technical concepts and gain related skills.

January 7, 12 - 1 p.m.

Office of Head Start’s Upcoming Events Visit the Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center to explore and register for upcoming training and technical assistance events.