The Office of Early Learning has compiled resources and information to help families who have been affected by Hurricane Irma. Included in this information are different types of information to help children feel safe after a Disaster.

You can find these resources on our web page Helping Your Child Cope After A Hurricane , including guides on how to discuss the disaster with young children, health and safety information for evacuees returning to damaged housing, and ways to help children feel safe after the emotional distress they've experienced. You can also find a  Pinterest board with more resources. 

We encourage providers to share the web page with families who may have questions about how to care for their child's needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. If our staff can be of any assistance, please contact us.

In your service,

Lynne

Source: Florida Office Early Learning, September 2017 Early Learning Update

Click below to read an important press release issued by Gov. Rick Scott: "Gov. Scott Activates Emergency Bridge Loan Program for Small Businesses Damaged by Hurricane Irma." If you were affected and you need these resources, read through the release and use the links to apply for services.

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.

Blank monthly rosters for VPK and School Readiness are located on the Coalition website under the "Providers" tab. If you are a School Readiness provider, choose " SR for Providers " in the drop-down menu. If you are a VPK provider, click " VPK for Providers " in the drop-down menu. On each page, there is a listing of forms and information specific to your program. There, you will find the blank rosters for each month. Click below for a direct link to the "SR for Providers" and "VPK for Providers" pages that house the rosters you need. Also included below is a detailed instructional guide with screenshots of the website for clarification. Email redline@elcnwf.org if you need further assistance.

The Coalition is required to conduct monitoring activities to ensure the accuracy of payments of the monthly reimbursement requests submitted by School Readiness providers. If it is determined through monitoring of the attendance documentation that a provider received an improper payment, a payment adjustment is required to correct the improper payment.

Read the document below to learn more about the Florida Administrative Code (Rule 6M-4.500) that addresses child attendance and provider reimbursement.

Coalition staff will continue visiting School Readiness programs to complete School Readiness Contract Monitoring (SRCM). Providers receiving on-site monitoring and desktop reviews will receive an SRCM Notification Letter via email including:

School Readiness providers will be monitored using the statewide SR Provider Contract Monitoring Tool, Form OEL-SR 20M. PLEASE read the entire email, and OPEN the attachment letters in your SRCM Notification Letter. Some providers have not read their email in its entirety, and important information has been missed concerning additional items folder on the Coalition Document Exchange. If you have questions, please email redline@elcnwf.org.

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

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.

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.