Understanding the emotional lives of children and how they manage their feelings can be a difficult task some days. Enjoy this resource from "Zero To Three" that uses the movie “Inside Out” to elevate the importance of the emotional lives of children. This article provides a critical message to parents about the importance of helping children learn to understand and manage their complex emotions—starting from day one.

Click the picture below for a link to the article, "Inside Out: A Film for Parents of Young Children, Too."

If there were children in your center who were recipients of Christmas gifts, care of Jellyfish Health, please send us any feedback (and/or pictures) you received from parents and children. We would like to share these wonderful stories with our new corporate sponsor. No names of children or parents will be used. Please email your stories and/or photos to Sallie Brosnan at sallie.brosnan@elcnwf.org by January 20.

According to www.history.com, New Year’s Resolutions started nearly to 4,000 years ago by the ancient Babylonians. Instead of making promises to gods, as the ancient Babylonians did, we like to make those annual promises to ourselves. Some of the most well-known resolutions are to eat healthier and to exercise more. Attached are some healthy food choices for children as well as ideas for some simple exercises you can do with the babies in your centers.

LINK:  Food + Exercise Health Literacy Fliers

Teaching Strategies GOLD assessments for the Winter 2016/2017 are due January 31, 2017. Be sure to check the “TSG Transfers” class. This is a temporary folder and children should be moved to their appropriate classes as soon as possible. A preliminary review found many children still in the “TSG Transfers” class, and some providers established new accounts for children which resulted in duplicate children.

If children were assessed earlier in the Checkpoint period, please review your ratings of your children to see if it still accurately reflects their current developmental level. Children two or more steps down from the colored band in four or more areas will be reviewed during the Developmental Assessment Task Force (DATF) meeting the following month. If there is no concern about a child, that child should be within or above the colored band for his/her age. The Coalition’s TSG data is often reviewed and analyzed by OEL, so it is important that TSGs are correct.  If you have any questions about TSGs or colored bands, please submit it to redline@elcwnf.org. 

We are excited about Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! occurring the week of January 23-27.  Attached you will find the flyer that contains information about the books of focus as well as enrichment activities in which you can engage children in your center.  To encourage Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! activities, we are holding a door decorating contest.  You can use “From Head to Toe” (for ages birth – 3 years old) or “I Don’t Want to be a Frog” (for ages 3 5 years) to theme your door.  You can use an external door to your center or an internal classroom door.  More than one door can be decorated per center and entered in the contest.

Attached please find the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Flier regarding services available for free income tax preparation from January 23 - April 17 in Bay County.  VITA will also be available in Jackson and Washington Counties this year, and a flier will be included in the BLAST when it has been made available.  

Please hang THIS VITA FLIER in your center for any who might need assistance with income tax preparation.