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December 16, 2013
Consultants Connection
In This Issue
Using the Lending Library
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Dear Great Start to Quality Providers,

This is your weekly touchpoint with the Great Start to Quality Consultants! The focus each week will be a shared topic that will provide support to each of you in your daily work with young children and families.  Enjoy!

Dawn and Heather
Quality Improvement Consultants - Eastern Region

 

Using the Lending Library in your program

In every Consultant's Connection newsletter we send, we have a section showcasing one of our many lending library resources.  The Great Start to Quality Resource Center has several resources available to teachers, home visitors, parents/grandparents, and anyone else who spends time with children.  The items are FREE to borrow and can be checked out at several locations throughout the region.  As Quality Improvement Consultant's we are more than happy to bring along items when stopping in for a site visit or passing by on our way to another site other than your own.

Some of the programs we are working with have accessed the materials and have some good things to say:

I LOVE the Cares Bags! My program calls them Weekend Workshops. We give parents the bag that pertains to a skill their child is trying to master. The parent and child enjoy the item over the weekend and throughout the week. Then they get a new weekend workshop for the next week! 
-Ms. Vernee', Loving & Learning Family Daycare 
 
We sent flyers home to the parents with information about the lending library, it's different drop off and pick up centers throughout or county, which made it easy for parents to pick up and drop of bins and bags.  We also brought a variety of bins and bags to our open house so our parents could have an actual hands on experience with the materials. 
-Teresa Fleming, Woodrow Wilson Elementary GSRP Associate Teacher
 
We Love The Lending Library and will use the materials again in the future!!!!! 
-Staff at Port Huron schools
 

The material used were very helpful and informative. Wonderful for staff meetings!

-Director, Saint Clair county
 

There are many items to use for parent information. Making copies for parent tables and using material for newsletters.  

This is a wonderful resource that every teacher and director should utilize.

-Kelli Williams Algonac Preschool/Childcare Program


How can you use the resources available in your program?  Programs have found a variety of ways to utilize the items as administrators, teachers, and to share with parents.  We have included a list of some of the ways that lending library resources have been used in other programs as a reference for you.  Please share with your Quality Improvement Consultant any additional ways you have used the resources within your program!

Administrators
  • Borrow the High Scope videos focusing on specific PQA items.  Use the information to share with staff at a staff meeting.
  • Borrow the High Scope videos and assign specific staff members to view the video and share with staff during a staff meeting.  Assign videos to staff depending on their individual goals.
  • Borrow curriculum books and/or videos to distribute to staff members as tools for furthering their understanding.
  • Borrow the sets of curriculum books to review and make a decision about which curriculum may be best for your program prior to purchasing and implementing.
  • Review the ASQ as a possible assessment tool for the program.
  • Borrow PQA booklets to review prior to receiving a visit for STARS.
Teachers
  • Check out the resource books for additional ideas to do in the classroom to include on lesson plans.
  • Borrow the experience bins to enhance the theme of study with new materials.
  • Borrow the High Scope videos focused on PQA items that meet individual goals.
  • Borrow curriculum guides to gain a better understanding of your program's curriculum model.
  • Use the CARES bags during parent teacher conferences as a resource to provide families for those children needing more practice on some skills.
  • Borrow PQA booklets to review prior to receiving a visit for STARS.
  • Use the story stretchers at large group time to enhance the literacy experience for the children.
  • Have the items on display and available to be borrowed during GSRP enrollment open house.
To Lend to Parents
  • When a specific skill could use some additional practice, check out the CARES bags which are designed to focus on individual skills with fun activities.  Lend these CARES bags to the families to practice at home for a few days.
  • When studying a specific topic, send home the experience bin with a family each night to practice skills within the study topic at home too.
  • Borrow the resource books that generate ideas for activities to do with young children that can also be done at home.
  • Share the story stretchers with families to use at home.
Interested in learning more about Great Start to Quality?

Take advantage of monthly webinars hosted by Great Start to Quality!  The webinars will keep you informed about Michigan's tiered quality rating and improvement system.

The next webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18th
1:00 - 2:00
Did you miss a webinar?  You can view recorded webinars anytime at: 


If you haven't already, please sign up for the Great Start to Quality listserv at http://greatstarttoquality.org/.  Click the "Sign Up" link at the bottom of the home page to get updates and answers to frequently asked questions.


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Need help with the Great Start to Quality STARS system?
Please contact the Resource Center's support team.
  • Toll Free support is available: 1-877-614-7328
  • Our Quality Improvement Specialists are available to help you! 

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Training on the New Child Care Center Licensing Rules

The Licensing Rules for Child Care Centers are changing effective January 2, 2014. Licensing consultants will be providing training on the new rules. See the list at www.michigan.gov/michildcare-training > Training Resources of scheduled training sessions.If you do not see a session in your area, keep in mind that training sessions are still being scheduled. The list will be updated as training sessions are scheduled.



 The PQA...
 
The PQA, Program Quality Assessment is the assessment tool identified by the Great Start to Quality program to be used when assessing a program/provider.  The standards listed in the PQA have identified high quality program practices for all children. 
 
Infant Toddler PQA:
Many of the indicators can be enhanced through the use of the resources available!
 
 
Preschool PQA:
Many of the indicators can be enhanced through the use of the resources available!
 
Family Child Care PQA:
Many of the indicators can be enhanced through the use of the resources available!

 

***Check your PQA booklets for all Level 5 Indicators***

 

 


Pinterest Find of the Week....
                   
         

Create a small lending library space for the parent and families by using a rain gutter on the wall.  Books can face forward and encourage browsing.  With only a small space available, the program will need to rotate selection regularly which should encourage participation.  Could include information about the lending library in a newsletter and accept requests for certain types of books.  Borrow resources from the Resource Center to share with families! 
 
Looking for Training? 


Below is a list of trainings offered for each county.  Trainings are being added often so for more detailed information and to register, go to:

 

Arenac/Bay Counties:

 

  

Huron County:

 

Creative Curriculum Intentional Teaching
Shooting for the STARS:  SAS computer lab open house

Lapeer County:

 

Creative Curriculum Intentional Teaching

 

Saginaw County:

  

Schedules and Routines
Recognizing and Preventing Lead Exposure in Children

Saint Clair County:

 

Conscious Discipline #2:  Skills of Encouragement and Assertiveness
Shooting for the STARS:  SAS computer lab open house 

 

Sanilac County:
 
Shooting for the STARS:  SAS computer lab open house 

 

Tuscola County:

  

Shooting for the STARS:  SAS computer lab open house

Mail Correspondence and Online:

 

Using and Extending the Lending Library Materials

Safe Sleep & Shaken Baby Syndrome
Behavior Expectations and Rules
Schedules and Routines
 
Have you visited your Lending Library lately?
 
The Eastern Resource Center's Lending Library is a FREE educational resource available to parents and early childhood professionals. We offer themed bins and CARES bags full of learning materials to enhance your classroom or childcare environment for children birth to age 5! Stop by your local Lending Library to check out something new today!  

  

Not sure where your local Lending Library is located?  

  • Click on "Great Start to Quality Resource Centers". 
  • Click "Eastern Resource Center" on the map to find the Lending Library near you!
 
Featured Lend
ing Library Resource
Story Stretchers
 
 
Story Stretchers include a quality book to share with children along with an activity idea for extending the book across multiple areas of development.  All the items included can be checked out at your local Lending Library. These items are FREE for you to borrow and use with the children in your care. What a fun and exciting way to temporarily add new items to the classroom without breaking your budget! For a list of all the available items that can be borrowed, contact the Resource Center.
How to contact your Consultant:

  Dawn Kalkman
  (Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac, St. Clair, Tuscola)
  Email:  dkalkman@sisd.cc
  Cell:  989-280-1103

  Heather Rousseau 
  (Arenac, Bay, Saginaw)
  Email:  hrousseau@sisd.cc
  Cell:  989-284-2250