ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MAY 2020

ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MAY 2020

ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MAY 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 DCYF ECEAP and COVID-19 ..................................................................................................................................................... 1

Welcome New ECEAP Staff ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Portable Background Check Exemptions ................................................................................................................................ 2 Eligibility and Child Application Changes ................................................................................................................................ 2

ELMS News .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ELMS Recruitment, Eligibility and Enrollment Online Training ............................................................................................... 4 Teaching Strategies GOLD® ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census ..................................................................................................................... 5 DCYF Training Opportunities and Events ................................................................................................................................ 5

COVID-19 Family Support Staff Weekly Webinars .............................................................................................................. 5 COVID-19 Education Staff Support Weekly Webinars ........................................................................................................ 5 ECEAP Recruitment, Eligibility and Enrollment Webinar .................................................................................................... 5

Other Training Opportunities .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Early Achievers Coaching Framework Training ................................................................................................................... 5 New Enhanced ECERS-3 Deep Dive Trainings ..................................................................................................................... 6 Haring Center Individualization & Positive Behavior Supports Internships ........................................................................ 6 Circle Time Magazine .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Cultivate Learning Coach Online Community of Practice ................................................................................................... 6

Resources ................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Health, Trauma and Resilience ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Early Math and Numeracy .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Early Childhood Education .................................................................................................................................................. 7

Important Dates

By June 15: ECEAP Financial Disclosure Certification due.

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

Amended contract deliverable requirements: Due to COVID-19 service disruptions and other factors during the 2019-20 contract year, the Self-Assessment, including Customer Satisfaction Survey, the Service Area Agreements and the spring checkpoint in GOLD® by Teaching Strategies® are not required.

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 – MAY 2020

Updates DCYF ECEAP and COVID-19 ECEAP providers statewide are rising to meet the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank you for your unwavering commitment to serving children and families furthest from opportunity in creative, responsive and unprecedented ways.

Service Delivery Guidance While the situation is fluid, through June 30 ECEAP providers may:

Choose to keep classrooms open while following the Department of Health (DOH) child care guidance.

Provide modified services in place of classrooms closing to continue receiving payment (see ECEAP Q&A, Under “Continuing Operations”).

Use ECEAP classrooms, resources and staff to serve non-ECEAP priority population children in partnership with K-5 and other community partners. (see ECEAP Q&A, Under “Continuing Operations”).

Each contractor and site must determine how much can reasonably be provided to a non-ECEAP classroom serving prioritized populations while still providing required modified services.

Learn about subsidy payments (if applicable) on the DCYF COVID-19 Early Learning and Child Care webpage.

Support Resources and Professional Learning Opportunities Two online forums are available for early learning providers. One is for ECEAP and Head Start education staff. The Education Staff Support During COVID-19 Basecamp provides an online space for staff to connect about continued educational supports to children and families. Basecamp provides a place and time for education staff to:

Share ideas, strategies and resources that support in-home learning.

Support each other regarding shared challenges and struggles.

Access links to professional development opportunities.

Participate in weekly webinars on emergent topics in response to community needs. The second basecamp is specifically for family support staff and it builds upon the existing Mobility Mentoring® forum. At the end of March, ECEAP directors received an invitation to join the basecamp forums beginning in April. Directors are welcome to forward invitations to any appropriate ECEAP or Head Start staff. Joining the group is optional and participants may remove themselves at any time. Please email the ECEAP inbox at eceap@dcyf.wa.gov to be added to the Basecamps.

Ongoing Communication As this situation unfolds, DCYF ECEAP will continue to provide updates and guidance. While moving through this evolving situation as we partner together, please don’t hesitate to reach out to DCYF ECEAP staff with questions, concerns and ideas. Contact eceap@dcyf.wa.gov, your CQI Specialist or Karin Ganz at any time.

ECEAP’s Response to COVID-19 Recognized This article on the DCYF website describes the exceptional efforts that are being made by ECEAP providers across Washington. Your immediate response and consistent provision of vital resources to families and communities is outstanding and profoundly appreciated.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MAY 2020

Welcome New ECEAP Staff

Please join us in welcoming two new DCYF ECEAP staff members starting May 1: David Johnson is joining the DCYF ECEAP team as the Early ECEAP Manager. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team. He’ll be building upon the exceptional foundation that Isidro Rodriguez and Cathy Garland of the Head Start Collaboration Office started and that DCYF ECEAP will now begin to implement. David’s career in early learning began as a Teacher Assistant in 1991 in Albany, NY. Over the next 12 years, David held a range of roles in Head Start as a teacher, transportation coordinator and director. During his time as a Head Start and Early Head Start (HS/EHS) director, he led the efforts of a uniquely responsive center within a housing program for families experiencing homelessness. In 2004, David became HS/EHS Director with the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation in Seattle. While there, he co-created and facilitated an indigenous, culturally-based policy council structure and oversaw projects integrating Native American storytelling and curricula. In 2009, David joined Neighborhood House where he held the roles of Parent Child Home Program Coordinator, Program Manager and Director of Child Development.

Read more about Early ECEAP on DCYF’s Head Start Collaboration Office webpage.

Jessica (Jess) Hansen is ECEAP’s new Administrative Assistant 3. Jess has 11 years’ experience in administrative support and coordination in both the private and public sectors. She spent nine years in the private sector medical field where she managed multiple work teams, complex schedules and gained invaluable customer service experience. In particular, she takes pride in successfully coordinating committees, boosting morale for her teams and organizing philanthropic efforts within those teams. Jess has extensive knowledge of multiple technical administrative systems and tools. She has experience creating policies, procedures, professional correspondence, meetings, budgets and metrics management, and organizing travel arrangements. Jess also has two years of administrative experience as a public servant in which she conducted bill analysis, engaged in Lean methodology activities and managed invoicing.

Portable Background Check Exemptions DCYF is renewing exemptions for Portable Background Check implementation for ECEAP staff in school districts and ESDs for the 2020-21 school year. This exemption is for non-classroom staff with unsupervised access to ECEAP children who are already required to have an active OSPI background clearance prior to working with children. This exemption will end on July 1, 2021, unless another extension is approved. The DCYF Portable Background Check continues to be required for ECEAP classroom staff in school districts and ESDs. Additional information about Portable Background Checks is available here.

Eligibility and Child Application Changes Priority Points are updated for the 2020-21 ECEAP Program Year and the new priority point document is available. Please take the time to review the major changes in the priority point system. Some of the changes include new research-based risk factors or updates to previously existing risk factors, removal of priority point caps and an additional points section that increases priority, but does not make children eligible or allowed for enrollment. Keep an eye out for the bi-annual Recruitment, Eligibility and Enrollment Updates Webinar in May 2020 for more information.

The downloadable 2020-21 ECEAP Combined Prescreening and Child Application form is available on the DCYF ECEAP website in English and the Spanish. If a 2019-20 version opens, please clear your browser cache then open that link again. The separated prescreening and application forms will be available in August.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MAY 2020

ELMS News The 2020-21 school year is now available in ELMS. Please check the ELMS’ News page for more information. Summer Classes

Remember that ELMS treats school years distinctly. The 2019-20 school year ends on June 30.

Between June 23 and July 10, exit continuing Working Day children in ELMS. Use the last class day of June as their last day attended. Set up summer sites and classes in ELMS for the new school year by July 1.

Enroll continuing Working Day children in the new school year of ELMS, using the first class day of July as their expected start date.

Children who are age-eligible for kindergarten this fall may enroll in summer ECEAP only if they were enrolled in ECEAP during the previous school year.

ELMS will not allow summer enrollment for a child who will be 5 years old on August 31, unless they attended before June 30.

You must exit them by the start date for public kindergarten that fall.

Make sure all summer classes are full and each child has an actual start date in ELMS by July 31. Summer Director Contacts

This month, please make sure summer contact information for ECEAP Directors is correct in ELMS, so DCYF staff can reach you if there is critical new information during the summer.

To do this, go to the ELMS Staff tab, search for the director and click “Edit” to check that personal phone and email are up-to-date.

Staff Who Are Not Returning

Set ELMS to the 2020-21 school year (do not do this in the school year the staff person worked for you).

Open the Staff tab, find the person, and click “Edit.”

Then click “Delete” next to the roles they are leaving.

Open the Admin tab, find the person and click “Inactive” to remove their ELMS access. Ensuring correct roles in ELMS If you are unsure which role to give someone so they can accomplish needed tasks in ELMS, email elms@dcyf.wa.gov. Please do not “fake” a role in ELMS. The following roles have specific staff qualifications or training requirements and should only be assigned in ELMS when it is the person’s real job description:

Lead Teacher

Assistant Teacher

Family Support Staff

Eligibility/Enrollment Staff

Health Advocate

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MAY 2020

ELMS Recruitment, Eligibility and Enrollment Online Training The updated online Recruitment, Eligibility and Enrollment training is now available. Per ECEAP Performance Standard PDTR-10, eligibility and enrollment staff who verify ECEAP eligibility must:

Complete a DCYF ECEAP Recruitment, Eligibility and Enrollment training, either in person or online, and maintain certificates of completion.

Complete training on contractor eligibility practices, eligibility fraud prevention and the importance of protecting program integrity and public trust.

Staff must complete the entire online training and pass the quiz with a score of 80% or higher to receive credit for completion. Certificates are now available to print for your records. Eligibility and enrollment staff can register and access the training here. Staff are not currently required to take this training if they have already met the standard. We do encourage those staff to take it as a refresher course. A recent participant in the updated training offered this feedback to DCYF ECEAP: “This is a very thorough training. I am planning to show all of our family support staff as a refresher at the next Professional Learning Community!” – ECEAP Contractor Staff

Teaching Strategies GOLD® New and Ongoing Resources from Teaching Strategies® (Note: Resources are also posted and updated in the Education Staff Support During COVID-19 Basecamp)

Healthy at Home: A Toolkit for Supporting Families Impacted by COVID-19 is a free resource to support learning at home. The toolkit provides access to English and Spanish content created in partnership with pediatricians and mental health experts on prevention and care. This resource can be shared with parents and its content will be updated weekly.

Classroom Connect – You’ll find all educator resources here in one place.

Studies At Home weekly videos have been posted on the Teaching Strategies® Facebook page.

Teaching Strategies® is offering a subscription to its new smartphone app, ParentPal™, free for families through June 30, 2020. This resource is an all-in-one personal parenting coach offering tools to help families nurture their children to thrive socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively.

Teaching Strategies GOLD® Technical Assistance

Due to call center closures related to COVID-19, technical assistance is only available by email until further notice.

Email del.wa@teachingstrategies.com with GOLD® issues or 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 Professional development (PD) resources are free for ECEAP users and accessible through teacher GOLD® accounts on the Teaching Strategies® Home Page. Unlimited access to all online PD in Teaching Strategies® is available for ECEAP users through October 2020. Upcoming webinars and new online resources provided by Teaching Strategies® are posted in the “Messages” section after logging in.

Free Best Practices Webinar Series for educators and families, every Tuesday and Thursday through May.

Virtual Professional Development provides access to evolving PD models to support you now.

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 – MAY 2020

Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census Washington is making progress toward an accurate count and had a 59% self-response rate at the end of April; however, there are still many counties with less than 40% self-response. To support full participation in the census, the Census Bureau has an online response rate map that is updated daily to show self-response rates across the nation. The map can be filtered to state, county, city, congressional district, municipality, tribal area and more. Excellent resources are available to help with this effort:

Complete Messaging Toolkit: A complete package for online communications made by the Spokane Complete Count Committee which you can download, copy and paste into your online newsletters and social media.

The bureau also offers toolkit and press kits to help community leaders encourage responses and improve upon their 2010 response rates.

DCYF Training Opportunities and Events COVID-19 Family Support Staff Weekly Webinars

May 1, 10 to 11 a.m. register via GoToWebinar.

May 8, 10 to 11 a.m. register via GoToWebinar.

May 15, 10 to 11 a.m. register via GoToWebinar.

May 22, 10 to 11 a.m. register via GoToWebinar.

May 29, 10 to 11 a.m. register via GoToWebinar.

COVID-19 Education Staff Support Weekly Webinars

May 6, 1 to 2 p.m. register via GoToWebinar.

May 13, 1 to 2 p.m. register via GoToWebinar.

May 20, 1 to 1:45 p.m. register via GoToWebinar.

May 27, 1 to 2 p.m. register via GoToWebinar.

ECEAP Recruitment, Eligibility and Enrollment Webinar

This is the spring webinar for staff who enroll families into ECEAP. The focus is on new information for the 2020-21 program year.

May 14, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Register here.

Other Training Opportunities 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. to 5 p.m. via Zoom.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MAY 2020

New Enhanced ECERS-3 Deep Dive Trainings

University of Washington Cultivate Learning has extended the Environmental Rating 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:

May 14-15, register here.

June 4-5, register here.

Haring Center Individualization & Positive Behavior Supports Internships

This two-day training is free for Early Achievers coaches and is now available online via Zoom. Coaches will deepen their knowledge in several areas related to individualizing instruction, supporting social-emotional learning and addressing challenging behavior for young children with disabilities, and those who learn and behave differently.

May and June dates available.

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 This is a series of Webinar Communities of Practice (WCP) for Early Achievers coaches and other relationship-based professional development specialists. Webinars are the fourth Monday of each month from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Recorded webinars are available through the Coaching Companion. The next webinar is on Monday, May 18. Email Samira Noor for more information.

Resources Health, Trauma and Resilience

Centers for Disease Control Updated Child Care Guidance The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides updated guidance for child care providers, including options for barrier protection during the COVID-19 screening process prior to entry.

DCYF COVID-19 Resource Guide DCYF recently created a resource guide to help parents and caregivers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The guide is intended to help parents, caregivers and their families understand, manage and respond to the stress and uncertainty of an infectious disease outbreak.

Guide to Well-Being During Coronavirus This excellent guide for individuals, families and educators is provided by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

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ECEAP REMINDERS & LINKS – MAY 2020

Food and Nutrition COVID-Related Resources In a recent eNews issue from the National Child and Adult Care Food Programs Sponsors Association, information was shared about national waivers issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Read the March 20 post for details.

Supporting Children Experiencing Trauma This video explores the ways Head Start programs are uniquely positioned to deal with the impacts of trauma. It discusses trauma-informed approaches for early learning programs to increase the ways they serve children. This includes understanding the prevalence of trauma, recognizing its signs and symptoms and knowing how to respond.

Stress and Resilience: How Toxic Stress Affects Us and What We Can Do About It Watch this video to learn more about what “toxic stress” is, how it can affect children and families and ways to respond. This Center on the Developing Child’s website offers resources for parents including free activity guides.

Helping Children at Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress provides guidance on how to support children during the COVID-19 pandemic. While emergency measures requiring children to remain at home are critical, boredom and frustration can be common during this time. Consider different approaches to better manage homebound periods for children and families.

A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus In this article, experts from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network share their recommendations for educators supporting students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early Math and Numeracy

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) NAEYC’s Math at Home Toolkit offers fun and easy math activities that can be done at home. Math Activities at Home The Development and Research in Early Math Education program shares resources to support children at home with math activities.

Math at Your Fingertips! Easy Counting Activities Using Number Gestures

10 Family Card Games That Support Early Math Skills

Math in the Everyday Activities of Latino Families: Doing Math the Mayan Way!

Easy Recipes That Will Get Your Family Talking About Math

Early Childhood Education

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.

Balancing Online and In-Person Learning for Young Children The University of Texas shares some principles of early childhood learning that could help shape how parents, schools and districts approach daily or weekly support for children and families.