If you are participating in the Rotary Read Aloud program for the 2017/2018 school year, we would like to invite you to a training on Thursday, September 28, from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. During this meeting, we will provide important program information and updated materials for the take-home book/activity program. If you plan to attend, please RSVP via redline@elcnwf.org so we can follow up and prepare materials for you.

What is it? How does it work?

With the start of the new school year, there have been some Redline questions regarding Voluntary Prekindergarten Specialized Instructional Services (VPK SIS). VPK SIS is an additional option for parents of 4-year-old children with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Parents can choose VPK SIS instead of a traditional VPK childcare center or school with the option of choosing one or more services approved by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) (such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.). Different specialists have different rates, so it is conceivable that a student in VPK SIS may receive fewer hours of service than students in traditional VPK. Attached a fact sheet from the Office of Early Learning that explains VPK SIS more in depth so that you can share with your parents.

Vehicular heatstroke is one of the leading causes of death among children. It only takes 10 minutes for a vehicle's temperature to rise over 20 degrees - even with the windows cracked. With windows closed, if the temperature outside is 60 degrees, the inside of your car or van can reach 110 degrees. Babies and young children are especially susceptible to heatstroke. A child dies when their body temperature reaches 109 degrees.

With these facts in mind, the Office of Early Learning is running a social media campaign throughout the month of September to raise awareness of the risk of vehicular heatstroke. The campaign will use #doublechecktheback to remind parents, child care providers, and caregivers of the importance of double checking the backseat when traveling with a child.

Follow the link below to learn more about the Office of Early Learning's #doublechecktheback social media campaign and helpful resources for parents.

Monique Gorman from the Gulf Coast Children's Advocacy Center will present during a training hosted by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Panama City on Saturday, October 28, from 9 - 11 a.m. The event is free and open to everyone, but the coordinator needs a head count to prepare the facility in advance. Please email Lynne Fleming at goodshepelc@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to attend.

The Robust Role of Dads

Dads are more involved in their children’s lives than ever before, and there is a growing body of research on fathers and their influence on children’s development. The latest research confirms what babies and toddlers have always known: Daddies matter. Being there for your child helps you build the kind of strong, loving relationship that is the gift of a lifetime for your little one.

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1910-the-robust-role-of-dads

https://www.zerotothree.org/daddymatters3

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1675-how-do-you-model-appropriate-behaviors-for-your-child

http://www.fldoe.org/schools/family-community/activities-programs/parental-involvement.stml

Father’s Brains Respond Differently to Daughters than Sons

Fathers with toddler daughters are more attentive and responsive to those daughters’ needs than fathers with toddler sons are to the needs of those sons, according to brain scans and recordings of the parents’ daily interactions with their kids. Fathers of toddlers also sang more often to their daughters and spoke more openly about emotions, including sadness, possibly because they are more accepting of girls’ feelings than boys’, according to the study, published in the American Psychological Association’s journal  Behavioral Neuroscience ^® . Fathers of sons engaged in more rough-and-tumble play and used more achievement-related language (e.g., words such as proud, win and top) when talking to their sons. Fathers of daughters used more analytical language (e.g., words such as all, below and much), which has been linked to future academic success. If fathers are more present and attentive to daughters and open to expressing emotions, that may help girls develop more empathy than boys, so fathers of sons could take the same approach as fathers of daughters, Mascaro said.



http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/05/fathers-daughters.aspx

Many parents (and some teachers!) are intimidated by math. If this sounds like you, spend some time reflecting on how you use math in daily life. The two-page guide below was provided by the Child Care Resource and Referral team with the Office of Early Learning, and it includes information for providers and parents to become more comfortable with teaching and encouraging math practices in young children.

If you provide your parents and/or teachers with a monthly or weekly newsletter, consider sharing these helpful resources with them. Email redline@elcnwf.org if you have additional questions about training or resources available for math education.

Our next fundraiser event will be at the Red Elephant in Panama City on Hwy. 77 on Wednesday, September 27. FIFTEEN PERCENT of net sales of patrons who identified themselves "with ELC" will be donated to the Coalition for match. If you choose to attend this ALL DAY event, please say, "I'm here to support ELC!" when you place your order in the restaurant or via phone for carry out.

Please see the attached flier for more information, and PLEASE share this flier on social media and anywhere you are able to post.

When sending a question to the Redline, please include your full name, the name of your center, and a detailed message so we can better answer your questions or concerns. 

Please review the contract documents submitted to ensure that the instructors listed on the OEL-VPK 11A are correct and that the form lists everyone who is in the VPK Classroom.

Changes to forms OEL-VPK 10 (VPK Director), OEL-VPK 11A (Classroom Instructors), or OEL-VPK 11B (VPK Calendar) must be made within 14 CALENDAR DAYS to be in contract compliance.

We will start VPK monitoring this month (September). 

Attached please find a link to OEL's September 2017 edition of "Early Learning Parents' Pages." If you would like to view any past editions of "Early Learning Parents' Pages," click here.