Heatstroke is one of the leading causes of death among children as they are more vulnerable to heatstroke than adults. As we have seen by statistics gathered over the past 20 years, even great parents can forget a child in the backseat of a car. Although parents and caregivers need to be vigilant about leaving children alone in cars—for any number of reasons, for any amount of time, and at any time of the year—they need to be extra vigilant in the summer months. Bystanders can also help protect other children if they see a child alone in a car.
 
You can review an important checklist of things to do to prevent a child from suffering heatstroke after being left alone in a hot car at this website. Keep your children, as well as other children under your care, safe this summer!

Reference: Information provided by the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care

We will attend the Downtown Panama City's Rotary Meeting on August 15th to share the successes from the 2016/2017 school year and encourage new Rotarians to sign up for the 2017/2018 school year. If your program is in Bay County and would like to become a partnering program, please email us today using the "Email the Redline!" button below. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

On August 17, Sonic Drive-In on Hwy 77 in Lynn Haven will host a Sonic Night benefiting the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida. Ten percent of proceeds will be donated to the Coalition. There will be face painting and other activities available under the pavilion. We will meet with parents interested in VPK and School Readiness services.

Paper fliers will be available at this Friday's Face-to-Face Meeting. An electronic file is attached below as well as a link to the Calendar of Events page on our website that includes a downloadable version of the flier. Please provide the flier to your families, friends, and share on social media. We appreciate your support!

Attached please find a checklist for all providers offering the VPK Program in 2017/2018. Please make sure you submit COEs as soon as possible so your September reimbursement process is not delayed. 

If you have any questions, please email redline@elcnwf.org. 

Click below for the Florida Office of Early Learning's July edition of "VPK Snapshots." Included in this edition is information about non-traditional art materials to use in the classroom, the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS), and information regarding the Transition to Kindergarten Focus Group.

At this time, we have 80 paper contracts submitted, and only 70 are complete.

 

You must build your VPK Classroom in the NEW OEL Provider Portal prior to school start if you have not already done so. At this time, only 50 providers have submitted their VPK Classroom information in the NEW OEL Provider Portal.

The most common mistakes are not assigning all Lead, Aide, and Substitute Instructors on the VPK Classroom page and failing to upload the documentation that the Lead Instructor has viewed the DVD (or taken the class) on “How to Administer the VPK Assessment."

 

Please click below for important tips to ensure that your program is ready for the 2017/2018 program year.

You are invited to be a part of a statewide social media campaign: My First Day of VPK. This campaign will help promote Florida’s VPK Education Program. My First Day of VPK will highlight the start of the new school year and offer families of 4-year-old children helpful tips as they begin their new adventure into preschool. Since VPK programs start on different days around the state, the campaign will begin in August and run through the beginning of September of the 2017/2018 school year. To help make the day memorable, there are two My First Day of VPK signs for children to hold when families take start-of-school photos. Then, families can use this special hashtag (#1stDayVPK) when posting their child’s pictures on social media sites. OEL will feature #1stDayVPK-tagged pictures on their social media pages throughout the campaign. Your local Coalition will feature these images as well, so make sure you tag us, too!  (We are @elcnwf on Instagram and Facebook.) Below you will find other resources and can download the sign using the links for OEL and your location Coalition. Help us spread the word and invite families in your Coalition, school district, or region to be part of the fun.

OEL developed a Facebook frame to use with your #1stDayVPK pictures. Directions for the Facebook frame are below or on the #1stDayVPK pages for your Coalition and OEL. You can also check out our Facebook page here or by clicking on the Facebook icon below.

(Also included below is OEL's July 2017 edition of Parents' Pages.)

Visit OEL’s “Statewide Initiatives” page here to view the rules with proposed changes. Rule names and language is located on the left side; opportunities for live workshops and webinars are located to the right. If you are interested in signing up for a workshop webinar, click on the link provided to visit the registration page for the webinar you choose. Below are the following rules with changes being considered.

• Rule 6M-4.700, Child Performance Standards
• Rule 6M-8.602, Performance Standards for Children Participating in the VPK Education Program
• Rule 6M-8.605, VPK Staff Development Plan for Programs on Probation (POPs)
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While on this page, look at the top for the header called “Upcoming OEL Workshops & Hearings.” Click on the link at the top of the page (Sign up to be notified when there is an upcoming workshop or hearing.) to sign up for email alerts about upcoming changes in rules.