Weekly Provider Blast
May 24, 2017

Lynne's Message

Dear Providers,

There are two important announcements about our June Coalition Connection Face-to-Face meeting I would like to share. First, I am thrilled to let you know that Office of Early Learning Director, Rodney MacKinnon, is scheduled to speak to us at our June meeting. Second, our meeting will take place at the Coalition Office in Panama City (located at 703 West 15th Street), not at Trinity Pentecostal Church. I hope you will make a special effort to join us.

We will begin our meeting at the usual time, 9:00 am. Please bring your favorite summer food dish to share with each other. We will send out additional reminders as we get closer to the date.

Thank you for all you do each day.

In your service,

Lynne

Spring TSGs/Updated Website

The checkpoint due date for Spring TSGs is May 31. MyTeachingStrategies has updated their website, so if you have not visited this website in a while, we suggest you do. It has a new look, and navigating takes a little practice.

During the next 2 weeks, teachers should make final determinations about how to rate children based on each of the objectives and dimensions. While reviewing the Winter TSGs, Coalition staff noticed that some teachers had already finalized their Spring TSGs. During a checkpoint period, children continue to grow, learn, and develop. Finalizing TSGs early and not going back to update them can produce distorted and incorrect results. The Office of Early Learning reviews our data, so it needs to be as accurate as possible. Please remind teachers to review, update, and finalize TSGs by May 31.

 "Early Learning Parents' Pages" (May Edition)

Please find the May 2017 edition of "Early Learning Parents' Pages" attached. Featured in this month's newsletter is a helpful article titled "Is it negotiation or manipulation?" which discusses some helpful hints for working with preschoolers at difficult transitional times like bedtime.

End-of-Year VPK Attendance Monitoring

Each provider must maintain either a VPK Student Attendance or Child Attendance and Parental Choice Certificate form for each child in the VPK Program. Parents are required to sign and date this form on the last school day or after verifying attendance during the prior month. As a reminder, please upload either the OEL-VPK 03 (S) form with sign-in/sign-out sheets or the OEL-VPK 03 (L) form for the end of the 2016-2017 School Year with May rosters or soon after you conclude VPK.   

May Reimbursement Processing

Reimbursement Folders: Please create a new folder each month to upload your attendance documentation. Do not upload your documentation on the first page. 

Documentation: Documentation such as doctor’s notes or Rilya Wilson must be submitted at the same time as the attendance rosters (before 5:00 p.m. on the third business day). If not, an adjustment must be submitted through the Child Care Payment Adjustment Form (via Survey Monkey) and the Coalition Document Exchange (formerly provider portal).

Memorial Day: If you plan to close your center for Memorial Day, please mark your attendance rosters with an “H". As a reminder, Memorial Day is included in the board-approved holidays.

Verify Uploads: Remember to always check what you upload to the Coalition Document Exchange to ensure that all the appropriate documentation is uploaded to the billing group. If you have any questions, please send a request to redline@elcnwf.org.

VPK  Program Deadlines 

As VPK providers begin to close out their school year programs, please consider the specific deadlines you must meet to contract for the next program year.

ASSESSMENTS: Providers MUST complete the VPK Assessment Period 3 (AP3) on each of the children enrolled within the last 30 calendar days of the VPK class schedule AND submit the information no later than 15 calendar days after the last day of the VPK class schedule. If a provider fails or refuses to implement the VPK pre‑ and post‑assessment or engages in misconduct, the provider may become ineligible to offer VPK for 5 years.

ATTENDANCE: Pursuant to 6M-8.305 F.A.C, providers must verify the annual cumulative attendance of each child enrolled in the provider’s VPK program. Every provider must complete this process before they receive their final VPK payment.

CONTRACTING: The VPK contract process will look different through the OEL Provider Portal. Please ensure that you have registered for an account and that your provider status is “Active.” Being active in the OEL Provider Portal ensures you will be ready to take the next steps as the contract process for VPK will become available June 30, 2017.

If you are interested in becoming a VPK Provider for the 2017/2018 program year, please send an email to redline@elcnwf.org. Expressing your interest in a timely manner guarantees staff can reach out to you about program requirements and gathering information about ordering VPK assessment kits and other necessary items.

OEL Help Desk Contact Information

If you need to contact the OEL Help Desk to open a service ticket regarding your OEL Provider Portal account, please use this phone number and email address as soon as you identify an issue:

Emailservice.desk@oel.myflorida.com

Call: 850-717-8600

Note: If you already have an active ticket, please follow up with the OEL Help Desk to get regular updates on the progress of your ticket. If you need additional support, please email redline@elcnwf.org.

Health Literacy: Hearing Resources

One of the most joyous moments for a parent is when their child begins to talk. It does not take children long to advance from making cute gurgling sounds to using language for describing what they want. It is important for children to hear the sounds of letters and words correctly. If a child has any form of hearing loss, their speech can be affected. Hearing loss can be frustrating for both the child and the parent. Hearing screenings are just one of the many services offered by the Coalition, assisting in the growth of healthy children, parents, and the relationship between them. Below (blue button) you will find a "Speech Sounds by Age" flier detailing information about the sounds a child should make by the corresponding age (flier courtesy of: Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (PAEC) and the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resource System (FDLRS).

The following link helps demonstrate what it might sound like for a child experiencing a form of hearing loss (red button).

Next Classes for VPK Math Available

One class remains this month in the four-part VPK Math Training series. This course is registered on the DCF Child Care Training site, so please sign up today if you are interested. Below please find the course name, identification number for the DCF Child Care Training site, training date, and time. This class is designed for preschool teachers and is not developmentally appropriate for your infant and toddler teachers. Please make sure only preschool teachers sign up for these trainings.

  • "Early Mathematics for Early Learners: Shapes and Spacial Relationships"
     Tuesday, May 30, 2017, from 2 - 5 p.m. CST (Chipley Coalition Office), ID: 7388

If you have questions or have trouble signing up for these courses, please send an email to redline@elcnwf.org.