Weekly Provider Blast
March 29, 2017

Lynne's Message

Dear Providers,

You should have received an email from the Florida Office of Early Learning (FOEL) reminding you that federal legislation reauthorizing the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) includes new health and safety requirements for child care providers that receive CCDF funding. School Readiness (SR) is part of the CCDF funding, and the new health and safety requirements apply to any provider that receives SR funding. Friday, March 31, 2017, is the date that School Readiness Health and Safety Pre-Service Training Requirements become effective. Please make sure that all employees have completed one of the two pre-service training requirements options by that date (either the Early Learning Florida Health and Safety modules or the required subset of DCF courses; exams included). As a convenience, all required training is offered online.

For more information click on "Link to Pre-service Training Requirements" below in the blue bar. If you have questions, please email redline@elcnwf.org.

In your service,

Lynne

OEL Provider Portal Accounts Needed

We only have 20 providers who are now completely active on the OEL Provider Portal. Remember that we will use the OEL Provider Portal for School Readiness and VPK contracting for 2017/2018. In order for you to complete a contract, you MUST have an active account.

Once you register for an account, you will receive an email from OEL about your status. This status will not come from a staff member at the Early Learning Coalition, so be sure to check your email for updates. If you are still having trouble, please do not hesitate to send a redline@elcnwf.org request so a staff member can further assist you. If you have not yet signed up, now is the time!

Below please find buttons with links to the “Quick Tips for Provider” flier and the "EFS Modernization Provider Portal User Guide."

5th Annual ArtKidDoo

The 5th Annual ArtKidDoo will be held on Saturday, April 8, in Chipley at Shivers Park from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. There will be opportunities for children to paint, color, dance, mold clay, as well as create jewelry and musical instruments. Some of this year’s performance highlights include cultural dances, martial arts demonstrations, and a visit from a puppeteer. Sponsored by your Washington County Public Library, “The Sleeping Beauty” will be performed by the Stevens Puppets in an engaging 45-minute performance with traditional Old World style costumes and music from Tchaikovsky. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be prepared by Community South Credit Union.  

Below is linked a electronic copy of our 2017 ArtKidDoo Event Flier. Please include this flier in your social media (if you use it to communicate with parents) and print copies to hang in your center and/or send home with families. There is a Facebook event page available through the Coalition's Facebook page (@ELCNWF), so please share with your friends and families.

Florida New Hire Reporting Center

Following up from our last monthly Provider Face-to-Face Meeting, please find information below about reporting newly-hired and re-hired employees to the Florida New Hire Reporting Center. If additional information is needed, the links below provide “Help” features.

Federal and state laws require employers to report newly hired and re-hired employees. This information is used in the early detection and prevention of unemployment fraud. If further information is needed, you may be contacted to provide your company’s State Unemployment Tax Account number; the start date (not the hire date); whether the employee is working full time or part time; weekly earnings for specified weeks; and the reason for job separation if appropriate.

Approved Holidays for 2017/2018 Fiscal Year

The Coalition Board of Directions approved the following holidays for the 2017/2018 Fiscal Year during the March 2017 Board Meeting:

  • Fourth of July
  • Memorial Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Christmas Day
  • Labor Day

Documentation for TSG Assessments

We are 6 weeks into the Spring Checkpoint Period for 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 developmentally, and use ratings to plan activities to scaffold that child into the next level of development. If that is done, it is expected that a child not remain stagnant. Additional documentation and higher rating levels are probable before the TSG is finalized in the last 2 weeks of May.

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 just committed to memory. There are many types of documentation, including:

  • Samples of a child’s work 
  • Photographs
  • Anecdotal comments written by the teacher 
  • Activity checklists 
  • Transcriptions of a child’s discussion
  • Recorded conversations 
  • Videos 

This information should be archived 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.

April VPK Courses Offered

In April, we will provide three of the required VPK courses for programs on probation. All the courses will be held at the Marianna Coalition office (4636 Hwy 90, Suite P., Marianna, Florida 32446). To register for the courses listed below, visit the DCF Child Care Training Website and enter the appropriate course number. 

  • “How to Administer the VPK Assessment” (Course ID: 7338)

            April 17, 2017 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

  • “VPK Assessment Instructional Implications” (Course ID: 7339)

           April 24, 2017 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

  • “Integrating the Standards: Phonological Implications” (Course ID: 7340)

           April 27, 2017 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Uploading Monthly Reimbursement Documentation

When uploading your monthly rosters, please make sure that rosters, sign-in/sign-out sheets, and back‑up documentation get uploaded into the correct file under “SR or VPK Reimbursement.”

Each month, you will need to create a new file with the correct date in which you will place your monthly rosters and supporting documentation in the correct billing group. This will ensure that reimbursement specialists are able to locate your documents for payment processing in a timely manner.

Please do not call reimbursement specialists during processing to request updated rosters. Rosters are sent out as close to the end of the month as possible. Be sure to look over your rosters when you receive them for any errors. 

Remember to always check what you upload to the portal to ensure that all the appropriate documentation is uploaded to the billing groups. If you have any questions, please send a request to redline@elcnwf.org.

Get Moving Today! Monthly Activity Calendars

Spring is coming!

The first official day of spring this year is March 20, 2017.  The weather is warming up and everything is turning green.  Shed your winter coat and get started on this list of fun ways to enjoy the spring season.  The monthly "Head Start Body Start" calendars* at the Let's Move website are full of daily ideas for you and your children to get moving and enjoy this wonderful season.  A PDF copy of the March calendar is included in the button below, and the Let's Move website includes calendars for each month of the year.

*Calendars developed by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education Recreation and Dance + the National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play,  2012

FREE Breastfeed Bay Service Training Course

Breastfeed Bay is offering a service training for owners, administrators, and employees of childcare facilities on the subject of breastfeeding. This activity has been approved through the Department of Children and Families, and 2 hours of training will be offered. The FREE course will be offered on Saturday, April 1, from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Auditorium of the Florida Department of Health in Bay County, 597 W. 11th ST, Panama City, FL 32401.

Breastfeeding has many health benefits for mother and baby, and it is our hope to partner with you to help support breastfeeding mothers who have returned to work. Please feel free to call 850-747-5775 if you should have any questions.

PFP + MMCI Update

Performance Funding Project (PFP):  Things are progressing quickly for providers who are a part of the Performance Funding Project. The deadline is approaching for the Benchmark 3 deliverables to be uploaded. Remember that all Benchmark 3 deliverables are due by March 31, 2017, but please do not wait until the final day to upload deliverables. If you wait until the deadline to upload your deliverables, you will receive a delinquent notice from OEL.

Making the Most of Classroom Interactions (MMCI): Both of the MMCI cohorts are moving along well, and both groups have completed 14 of 20 required hours of training.

Children's Week "Hanging of the Hands"               

Thank you for all who provided hand art for the annual "Hanging of the Hands" event in the Florida Capitol to celebrate Children's Week! We took over 1,000 individual pieces of hand art and between 50-60 feet of children's artwork from Northwest Florida. Above is a picture taken on Sunday, March 26, in the Capitol Rotunda.