Mid-State Regional Key
A Leader In Community Services
Greetings!

Welcome to the Mid-State Regional Key STARS Newsletter!!
Check out our MSRK Contact List & Facebook Page !!
Interested in Moving to STAR 2 or 3? Would you like support from a peer? Then the Mentoring program may be right for you!

We have two different types of STARS mentoring.

START UP – Would you like some help moving to STAR 2? Consider signing up for the START UP Mentoring Program. Please review the application and if you are interested in receiving help from a mentor, complete and return the application to be considered for the program. 

Rising STARS – Have you considered having a mentor help you as you work towards moving to a STAR 3? Why not sign up for the Rising STARS Mentoring Program. Please review the application, and if interested, complete and return the application to be considered for the program.
Shine the Light on Quality - STAR 1 Event

On Saturday, November 18th, join us at Nook Sports to learn more about the supports you have as a STARS provider to increase and highlight your quality. There will be free training sessions to help you meet STAR 2 standards, free resources, and free lunch! See the Event Flyer for all the details!
Enrollment Calculation Tool Released

The STARS Enrollment Calculation Tool (ECT) assists you in accurately determining enrollment, as a full-time equivalency (FTE), for individual children, classroom sessions, and as a whole. This form is required for STARS Designation and Renewal. It will assist the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) in identifying the number of children impacted by the continuous quality improvement efforts of STARS participating providers. Calculating the FTE for individual children, classroom sessions, and as a whole has many benefits that include making budget projections, creating staff schedules, and maintaining the your enrollment. For providers eligible for STARS Financial Awards, this tool will assist in determining the size of the provider’s Award. Please see STARS Financial Award documents for specific requirements and amounts.

Get Smart Competition for Young Artists & Writers

CALLING ALL CREATIVE KIDS! Draw a picture, design a poster or write a story about keeping healthy! Visit the  Get Smart Competition website  for the contest flyer, drawing template, guidelines, and consent form.
Upcoming Changes to PD Registry Benefits You

Early childhood professionals, your voices have been heard! In response to feedback and to meet the growing needs of Pennsylvania's early learning workforce, the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announces the PD Registry will undergo a redesign in the coming months. The goal of the redesign is to build a system that is easy to navigate, seamless, reliable, and intuitive. The PA Key Registry team is excited for the opportunity to ease the burden of course entry and course searches and will be providing support throughout the process. 
 
The new registry will be live early 2018. Watch for announcements in future editions of the PA Early Ed News for scheduled online demonstrations and opportunities for support, such as:
  1. More intuitive course entry and training event scheduling for instructors.
  2. Easy payment options for both practitioners and program directors registering staff.
  3. Google Maps for location of trainings.
  4. Sorting and filtering capabilities for courses-online, face-to-face, webinar, etc.
  5. One stop shopping--portal and registry will be combined into one comprehensive system. 

Pediatric First Aid Schedule - Anne Dodds
 
United Way Lancaster 10/18/2017 from 4-9:30
Penn State Co-op Gettysburg, 10/23/2017 from 4-9:30
Penn State Co-op Northumberland/Sunbury 10/30/2017 from 9-3
United Way Carlisle 11/07/2017 from 9-2:30
Penn State Co-op Gettysburg 12/21/2017 from 4-9:30
Sleep for Infants & Toddlers - Kim Alloway

I don’t know about you, but I am one of those people that really needs my 8 hours of sleep a night. Otherwise, I might be cranky & irritable. Do you know what the American Academy of Pediatrics sleep recommendations are for infants & toddlers?
  • Infants 4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
  • Children 1 to 2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
  • Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
Now think about this.....if your little ones aren’t getting the recommended sleep, could this be a possible answer as to why they are cranky, or their behavior is challenging? Asking a child’s family and caregiver how their child slept the night before, and even asking how many hours, should be a question that gets asked EVERY day. Here is an article for further thought !
Homework in After-school Programs Part 1 - Rhea Simmons

Homework can be a great way to help children develop organization, responsibility and success in school. Almost all after school programs indicate homework time is an integral part of their programs, and many automatically include homework time in their schedules. But for some programs, homework time can also be a source of frustration for parents, staff and children alike. This can come about when a program’s homework policies are not aligned with the program vision, and priorities .
What parts of your program are integral to your program’s overall vision and mission? For some it may be academic achievement, for others, spiritual growth and still others physical activity. By clarifying and defining your programmatic thrust, you can determine the role homework should play in it. Even programs that are centered on academic improvement should keep in mind that there are many ways to provide academic support. Math games, Reader’s Theater, STEM or active learning experiences allow children to apply what they have learned in school. They also provide the added benefit of providing children the opportunity to collaborate, problem solve, and develop social emotional skills such as patience, tenacity, good sportsmanship and empathy. Most would agree that engaging children in these types of activities is worthwhile. However when time is limited, programs often forgo these types of activities to provide time to complete isolated homework assignments.
Clarifying the program vision and goals around academics is one of the first steps in developing homework policies and practices. The needs of children, parents, and the ability of staff to meet those needs are also important to developing homework policies. Those issues will be discussed in upcoming articles.  
Got Challenging Behavior?

Unfortunately, many children do not have the skills to overcome
these behaviors. An important role for early childhood educators is to facilitate children’s social emotional development so that children have the skills and foundation they need to be successful in school. The CSEFEL sessions can help educators understand the importance of relationships in preventing challenging behavior, as well as provide effective strategies for teaching children the skills that will benefit them throughout life.

Here are some other PD opportunities that may also assist in these areas:

PennAEYC Members, thank you for your patience and dedication!
NAEYC and PennAEYC are working harder to ensure their members have access to more career-enhancing benefits than ever before! As part of this exciting new step, NAEYC is implementing some major technology upgrades to allow YOU easier and faster access to the benefits you need to support your work with young children.

NAEYC is currently experiencing a high volume of inquiries and requests for assistance.The Customer Care Team is working as quickly as possible to address all calls and inquiries. Thank you for your patience as they actively transition to this new system. If at any time you have questions or issues accessing your NAEYC member benefits, submit a question through the ' Contact Us ' form, and we will address your need as quickly as possible!
Join us for a STARS Networking Meeting!        Email to RSVP  

Moving up in STARS  October 11th from 9-11 at Messiah Daycare in Elliotsburg - with Michaelle

Moving to STAR 2 October 17th from 6:30-8 at Lebanon CCIS - with Stephanie Spitz

ERS Workgroup October 19th from 10-12 at Lewistown Children's Center - with Michaelle & Beth Simon

PD Registry Workgroup October 24th from 9:30-11:30 at CAECTI - with Corrie & Paula Alcock

Church Based Workgroup October 25th from 9-11 at First Church of the Brethren in York - with Carrie

POI Workgroup October 26th from 10-12 in Lycoming Co (location TBD) - with Erica & Patty Carroll
Other Community Meetings & Events  

ECE Coalition Meeting  October 11 at 1:00 at BLAST IU in Canton  RSVP here

Clinton County LICC October 25 at 9:30 at Infant Development Program

Kindergarten Transition Conference  October 26  in Harrisburg  Register Here

PennSACCA Conference  November 10 & 11 in Harrisburg  Register Here

Family Engagement Conference  November 14 in Harrisburg  Register Here
Professional Development Updates    Register on the   PD Registry 

Professional Development Highlights

Credentials & Higher Education
Job opening at Creative Kids Daycare
3150 Grenway Rd Dover Pa. 17315
We currently are looking to hire an Assistant Group Supervisor to work with various age groups. Looking for DHS required 2500 hours and child care experience. Please contact Miss Tania to set up interview. Please bring resume' and clearances if you have them. 717-764-8008
Thank you for all you do for children, families, and your community by being part of the STARS program!
Sincerely,
Mid-State Regional Key/Child Care Consultants
(717) 854-2273 or (800) 864-4925    info@childcareconsultants.org