ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MARCH 2020

ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MARCH 2020

ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MARCH 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

Celebrating Joyce Kilmer, ECEAP’s Retiring Data and Analysis Manger ............................................................................. 1 Welcome New ECEAP Staff ................................................................................................................................................. 1 ECEAP and Licensing Update ............................................................................................................................................... 1 DCYF Draft Strategic Plan .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Early Learning Facilities (ELF) .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Teaching Strategies GOLD® ................................................................................................................................................. 2 ELMS News .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Child Care Basics ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census ..................................................................................................................... 2

DCYF Training Opportunities and Events ................................................................................................................................ 2 Regional Partnership Summits ............................................................................................................................................ 2 New Directors Webinar ....................................................................................................................................................... 2

Other Training Opportunities .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Cultivate Learning Coach Online Community of Practice ................................................................................................... 2 New Enhanced ECERS-3 Deep Dive Trainings ..................................................................................................................... 2 Early Achievers Coaching Framework Training ................................................................................................................... 2 Circle Time Magazine .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Haring Center Individualization Internships ....................................................................................................................... 2

Resources ................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Dual Language Learners ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Early Math and Numeracy .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Early Childhood Education .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Health .................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Other Resources .................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Important Dates March 2: New Directors Webinar

March 6: Successful ECEAP Expansion applicants notified.

Within six months of hire and every three years thereafter, lead teachers must complete Teaching Strategies GOLD® inter-rater reliability certification.

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).

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 – MARCH 2020

Updates Celebrating Joyce Kilmer, ECEAP’s Retiring Data and Analysis Manger Please join us in celebrating Joyce Kilmer’s many contributions to ECEAP and the early learning field as she transitions into well-deserved retirement. With nearly 30 years of state service focused on early learning, Joyce made a profound difference for children and families in Washington State. Following many years working in the community college system, for the past 15 years she tirelessly worked to strengthen and expand ECEAP. During this time, the program grew from serving 6,000 children to become one of the most respected pre-school programs in the country serving 14,000 children and their families furthest from opportunity. This expansion is set to continue with a commitment from lawmakers to serve all eligible children by the year 2023.

One of the reasons that ECEAP is nationally recognized today is the way we are able to tell ECEAP’s story and share the experiences of thousands of children and families. Without Joyce’s leadership in the development of ELMS, the creation of reports such as the annual ECEAP Outcomes Report and the responses to ongoing data requests from stakeholders, the ECEAP story would not have been told. We are exceptionally grateful for the foundation she built and the legacy she leaves. In retirement, she plans to thoroughly enjoy family, friends, gardening and traveling.

Welcome New ECEAP Staff Please join us in welcoming Sara Schwartz Jewell (pronouns: they/them) as DCYF ECEAP’s new Data and Analysis Manager. We are grateful to have their expertise, knowledge and focus on equity in their work. Sara began their new role on January 13 and worked closely with Joyce Kilmer until the end of January to ensure a sound transition. They began state service in 2015 and worked at Clover Park Technical College and the Department of Corrections before finding their professional home at the Department of Early Learning and DCYF. Sara came to ECEAP from DCYF Office of Innovation, Alignment and Accountability and is based in Olympia. Prior to state service, they worked in school districts and for social service non-profits. Sara’s professional experience revolves around using data as a tool to tell compelling stories of under-represented populations and to drive change for those furthest from opportunity. In their free time, Sara is learning to love gardening at their new house and continues to enjoy cooking, reading, painting and supporting the local arts.

ECEAP and Licensing Update DCYF ECEAP held a webinar on February 6 that outlined proposed changes in ECEAP licensing requirements and coordinated monitoring efforts. The coordinated monitoring proposal between DCYF Licensing and ECEAP and the webinar slides are also available. If you have questions, please contact your assigned CQI Specialist

DCYF Draft Strategic Plan On February 11, DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter shared information and a link to the first draft of the agency’s strategic plan The plan will be the focus of DCYF’s efforts for the next five years. It is centered on the children, youth and families DCYF serves, and was constructed based on research related to child outcomes, numerous meetings held both internally and externally and material in the bill creating the agency several years ago. DCYF welcomes feedback from community stakeholders on the draft plan. Following input from internal and external stakeholders, the strategic plan is set to be finalized later this spring.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MARCH 2020

Early Learning Facilities (ELF)

Progress with ELF The competitive ELF grant enables ECEAP contractors and childcare providers to expand, remodel, purchase or construct early learning facilities and classrooms. The program is collaboratively managed by the Department of Commerce and DCYF. The grant selection committee uses the current ECEAP Saturation Study, information on ‘desert’ child care zones and the Facilities Needs Assessment (2016) to prioritize and allocate funding statewide.

The first round of ELF grants in 2017-2019 provided $5.6 million to 16 organizations and $4.2 million to nine school districts. In the second round of grants for 2019-2021, 39 organizations are being funded a total of $17.2 million. Both rounds of the ELF grant combined will fund the creation of approximately 2,070 early learning spaces for children.

Types of eligible recipients include:

Family home child care providers

Child care centers

Developers of housing or community facilities

Community and technical colleges

Educational service districts

Local governments

Federally recognized tribes in Washington

Religious affiliated entities

School Districts ELF grants for school districts open in spring 2020. Further information will be provided by the Department of Commerce and DCYF ECEAP if interested.

Technical Assistance ELF grant recipients are eligible to receive technical assistance from DCYF ECEAP throughout the facility development and child care licensing processes. Technical assistance resources are also being compiled for a new webpage on the DCYF website.

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 Resources are free for ECEAP users. Access via teacher GOLD® accounts through the Teaching Strategies Home Page. Upcoming webinars and new online resources provided by Teaching Strategies are posted in the “Messages” section after logging in.

*New* GOLD® Winter Reports Support for Administrators webinar.

Saving Time Using GOLD® (November 2019) is a helpful resource for teachers.

Teaching Strategies GOLD® two-part blog (one and two) focuses on dual language learners, the Home Language Survey and individualized instruction.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MARCH 2020

ELMS News DCYF released changes to ELMS in February:

The Mobility Mentoring Goals by Child Report now displays the date for discontinued goals.

The Child Demographics report has a new Homelessness section that shows the subtotals of the housing status categories selected on the Child Applications.

The Monitoring Dashboard Report, Chart 1 Children Attending Class has new Reserved Slots categories. o Reserved Slots (Past) are a count of children with expected start dates in the past. o Reserved Slots (Future) are a count of children with expected start dates in the future.

View a list of children assigned to Reserved Slots by selecting the “View Details of Reserved Slots” button on the Monitoring tab, Enrollment subtab.

Child Care Basics In January, DCYF ECEAP, Head Start and school districts created a joint agreement about Child Care Basics training. DCYF Professional Development recently sent an email about this agreement to ECEAP contractors. It allows you to use alternative trainings that meet the WAC 110-300-0106 requirements instead of Child Care Basics. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was attached to the email. Programs may use the MOU in staff personnel files to attest that a sufficient alternative training was completed. This change is effective for the current school year. Further work with DCYF Professional Development and Licensing is planned to develop a longer term solution.

Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census In the 2010 Census, children under the age of 5 were undercounted by 4.6%– 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 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 to learn more. Help promote Census jobs.

DCYF Training Opportunities and Events Regional Partnership Summits Save the date for this year’s Regional Partnership Summits. Join DCYF staff from Early Achievers, Licensing and ECEAP, as well as Child Care Aware of WA and other partners at your region’s summit. This is a great opportunity to strengthen relationships, learn about collective work, establish clear goals, brainstorm and be inspired. Invitations are coming soon.

March 31: Region 3 in Everett

April 7: Region 4 in Des Moines

April 16: Region 5 in Fife

April 21: Region 6 in Lacey

May 21: Regions 1 & 2 in Moses Lake

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MARCH 2020

New Directors Webinar This webinar will cover topics such as ELMS information and reports, recruitment and enrollment and resources to support your work. We’ll also demonstrate reports, features and links to enable you to work smarter, not harder.

March 2, 1 - 2:30 p.m. Register here.

Other Training Opportunities Cultivate Learning Coach Online Community of Practice The new series of Webinar Communities of Practice (WCP) for Early Achievers coaches and other relationship-based professional development specialists began on Sept. 23, 2019. Webinars are the fourth Monday of each month from 3 - 4:30 p.m. Recorded webinars are available through Coaching Companion. For more information, email Samira Noor.

March 23, 3 - 4:30 p.m.

New Enhanced ECERS-3 Deep Dive Trainings University of Washington Cultivate Learning has extended the Environmental Ratings Scales - Third Edition (ERS-3) training into two parts. Each part is delivered during one full day of training.

Part 1/Day 1: Core Concepts (required to participate in Reliability Training)

Primary aspects of the ERS-3 tool that must be understood to reach reliability. Part 2/Day 2: Applications and Best Practices (optional and strongly encouraged)

Coaching strategies and SMART goals to help attendees apply their learning and to support best practices for use with educators.

Upcoming training opportunities:

Part 1 and 2: April 23-24, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Yakima.

Part 1: May 14, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Vancouver.

Part 2: May 15, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Vancouver.

Early Achievers Coaching Framework Training This two-day training introduces coaches to the Early Achievers Coaching Model, highlights its guiding principles and explores the foundations of Practice-Based Coaching. Participants learn to use specific tools and apply tailored strategies to coach early childhood educators. This is a required training for ECEAP coaches. Participants are responsible to arrange their travel, accommodations and meals.

May 6-7, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Wenatchee.

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.

Haring Center Individualization Internships This two-day internship at the University of Washington’s Haring Center is a unique training opportunity for Early Achievers 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.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MARCH 2020

Resources Dual Language Learners National Association for the Education of Young Children Visit the NAEYC website to access a full range of resources that support young children who are learning a second language while continuing to develop their home language. Find articles, books, blogs and events to increase your capacity in this area.

Early Math and Numeracy Five Ways to Share Math with Kids Watch this 15-minute TED Talk by Dan Finkel to learn simple, useful strategies for teachers and parents to share playful mathematical thinking with children.

How to Play in Nature: Math Ideas for Teachers View this 5-minute teaching video, to discover how to plan activities that use nature to teach children math concepts and skills.

Early Childhood Education

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

March 2, 12 - 1 p.m.

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

Health

Coronavirus Information Review information about the Coronavirus on Washington State Department of Health’s webpages. A related factsheet is available in 11 languages.

Other Resources

Tax Credits and Free Tax Preparation Services for Families with Low Incomes The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) are among the largest Internal Revenue Service (IRS) public benefits for low-income households. The non-refundable CTC may reduce a family's taxes by as much as $2,000 for each qualifying child. Up to $1,400 of the credit can be refundable for each qualifying child as the Additional Child Tax Credit.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $56,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program offers free tax help for all taxpayers regardless of age or income. To locate the nearest VITA or TCE site, visit the VITA Locator Tool or call (toll-free) 800-906-9887.