"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads." - "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," by Clement Clark Moore

Most children, and adults too, have a difficult time getting to sleep due to all of the holiday excitement this time of year. Illinoisearlylearning.org has some great tips for you to use with preschoolers for making bedtime less of a battle...hopefully! 

Click here for the "ZZZs, Please! Bedtime for Preschoolers" Tip Sheet.

VPK Providers -

Please submit your December attendance rosters once your program closes for the holidays. You DO NOT have to wait until the third business day in January to submit if your program closes for the holidays. This will allow the Reimbursement Team the opportunity to process your attendance rosters ahead of time.

Don’t forget to keep all VPK forms current and up to date with any classroom changes. All changes must be reported within 14 calendar days, and should be submitted through the Provider Portal.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Krystal Whitsett at 850-747-5400 Ext. 104 or via email at krystal.whitsett@elcnwf.org.

Healthy Start's Car Seat Program, funding by the Bay Health Foundation, offers car seats and installment education to families with a documented need and completed referral form from a Healthy Start Community Partner.  The program is offering infant and toddler car seats, so no booster seats are available.  Families in Bay, Franklin, and Gulf Counties quality for this program.

We are community partners with Healthy Start, so if you have a family in need of a car seat, please contact Mandy McDavid at 850-747-5400, Ext. 108 or email her at  amanda.mcdavid@elcnwf.org.  Please do not reach out to Healthy Start directly as they need to have a referral from the Coalition first.  

As requested by Executive Director Lynne Eldridge, please send an email to the redline email address ( redline@elcnwf.org) with the title "Training/PD." In that email, please offer suggestions on types of training you would like to see as well as incentives for attending/implementing professional development. Additionally, send emails to the redline anytime you observe someone in your center implementing a good practice they learned during a training/professional development opportunity. Brag on your staff and coworkers! We want to hear from you about what's working, what's not, and what suggestions you have. Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Effective December 22, 2016 the Coalition will no longer see customers at the Chipley location. Customers can still be seen at the Marianna office according to scheduled office hours for walk in and scheduled appointments. Any questions regarding this change should be sent to redline@elcnwf.org.

Coalition offices will be closed on the following days during this holiday season:

Did you know that you have just 2 minutes to escape your home once a fire starts? Working smoke alarms reduce the risk of death from a home fire by 50 percent.  If you or someone you know needs a smoke alarm, call the Red Cross today at 850-763-6587 to schedule a free installation.  

If you would like to share this flyer in your center or another community location, please find the link HERE.

As young children begin to develop self-control, challenging behavior is common and expected in the years from birth to 3.  Please share this excellent resource with your parents on the subject of behavior and the young child.

 

Zero to Three: Challenging Behaviors article link