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.

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.   

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.

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.

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:

Email: service.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.

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).

Sponsored by the Committee for Children, Early Childhood Investigations is offering a series of FREE webinars and recorded sessions on social-emotional development and principles introduced in the the SecondStep early childhood program. Material contained is researched-based for social-emotional learning designed to help children succeed in school and in life.

Follow the two links below to register for the live webinars. Certificates and CEUs are available for these webinars; door prizes will be awarded as well. The blue button links to the Early Childhood Investigations Webinar page and includes links for the comprehensive list of webinars and several recorded sessions available for viewing at your convenience. 

Wednesday, May 24 (1:00 p.m. CST): "Help Young Children Cope with Stress and Trauma by Becoming an Ally: Bridge the Relationship Gap," by Sara Langworthy

Wednesday, September 13 (1:00 p.m. CST): "Trauma-Informed Early Education Classroom Design: Designing Child and Family-Friendly Spaces for Recovery from Trauma," by Ileen Henderson"

Attached please find fliers for Girls Night Out (GNO) in Washington and Holmes Counties. Anyone is welcome regardless of the county in which they reside. Pre-registration is required, so please use the button below to email Traci Corbin with the Florida Department of Health in Washington and Holmes Counties. You can also call her at 850-638-6240 Ext. 121. 

• Holmes County GNO Event: Thursday, May 18, from 6 - 8:30 p.m. @ New Smyrna Assembly of God (Bonifay)
• Washington County GNO Event: Friday, May 19, from 6 - 8:30 p.m. @ First Baptist Church (Chipley)

The guest speaker is Tosca Reno, and there will be food and shopping opportunities.  

The next three classes in the four-part VPK Math Training series are 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: Patterns, Measurement and Data"
   Thursday, May 18, 2017, from 2-5 p.m. CST (PC Coalition Office), ID: 7387
  
• "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.