Weekly Provider Blast
December 7, 2016
Lynne's Message

Dear Providers,

School Readiness providers are contractually required to notify the Coalition if a child in your care has not been at your center and you HAVE NOT heard from the family regarding the absence of the child.

Many of you are using the on-line Child Absence Reporting to report absences under five (5) days or reporting when you do know why the child has been absent for five (5 )or more days. This is not necessary.Please do not use the on-line absence reporting feature to report anything other than absences over five (5) days and you HAVE NOT been able to reach the family to find out the reason why they have been absent.

Although Coalition staff will be providing technical assistance to programs who report incorrectly, completing the form only when necessary and required will help the us more efficiently concentrate on those families who need to be moved off services to make room for families who do need services. If you have any questions regarding the correct way and/or reasons to complete the Child Absence Reporting form please submit them to redline@elcnwf.org.

In your service,

-Lynne

School Readiness Provider Monitoring Tool, Form OEL-SR 20M (2016-2017)

The School Readiness Provider Contract Monitoring for 2016-2017 in is full effect. We have monitored several programs, and we will continue the process each month throughout the fiscal contracted year (2016-2017). Notification letters will be sent out to inform you of when we will be visiting your program. In the letter, it will specify what documents you will need to upload to your provider portal for a desktop review before we visit your program. The letter will also identify requirements for the 5-year child records check as well as information we will be reviewing when we are on site. For your review, when completing the monitoring tool, Coalition staff will be using SR Provider Monitoring Tool, Form OEL-SR 20M
Documentation for TSG Assessments

We are a few months into the Winter Checkpoint Period for Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) Assessments. During this time, teachers observe and document children’s learning and complete preliminary ratings based on what is observed. These are preliminary evaluations that teachers should use to note where a child is performing developmentally; teachers should then use those ratings to plan activities to scaffold that child into the next level of development. If that is done, it is expected that a child will not remain stagnant. Additional documentation and higher rating levels are probable before the TSG is finalized in the last 2 weeks of January. It is important that documentation accurately reflect the child’s skill level and progress. 

Documentation should be physically recorded in some sort of fashion and not simply committed to memory. There are many types of documentation, including: samples of a child’s work in different stages of completion, photographs, anecdotal comments written by the teacher, activity checklists, transcriptions of a child’s discussion, recorded conversations, videos, and more. This information should be included in the child’s file or portfolio for easy retrieval and review.

Planning documentation methods and occurrences while developing lesson plans for the next week helps this task become typical and routine.

"Barely Hanging On: The Acrobatics of Funding High Quality Care for Young Children" 

Funding quality care for young children is challenging. Read stories from San Jose, California, about how they face the challenge of funding while still providing quality care. Click HERE to read more in the "New America" article "Barely Hanging On: The Acrobatics of Funding High Quality Care for Young Children."  

Provider Portal User Guide and Reminders

Be sure that you set up your provider account for the OEL Provider Portal if you have not done so already. Click HERE for a step-by-step user guide detailing how to set up your account and the next steps you should follow to update your information. If you have questions about OEL's Provider Portal please send them to redline@elcnwf.org.

If you do have access to your OEL Provider Portal account, make sure your documents are up to date. Check your 2016-17 Contract folder on the Provider Portal. Several of these documents expire, so it is up to you to upload the new documents. Remember when naming the documents to reference the "School Readiness Contract Documents - Naming Directions" to keep the upload process easy and organized. When you upload new documents into your 2016-2017 Contract folder, an email notification will be sent automatically to notify the Coalition that your documents are current. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Terri Riley at 850-845-0734 ext. 2425.

Helpful Hints for Cold & Flu Season

Cold and flu season is here! There are a few simple things we can all do to lessen the spread of these illnesses. Handwashing is easy to do and is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many infections. Please read the attached information sheet for more tips and ideas on how to reduce the spread of the cold and flu this season. 

Priority Placement Q&A 

Click HERE to download a copy of the Priority Placement Q&A flyer to use when speaking to parents. If you would like, print a copy of this flyer and hang it in a place in your center where parents are sure to see the information. The flyer explains how priority placement works, how long to wait before reaching out to the Coalition, and what to do while waiting.