STARS News

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 !!

PD Registry Transition Tips

Did you take the first step towards the new registry? The new system launches in February 2018!

Update Your Profile

Make sure your profile information is accurate, especially your email address! Click on the PA Keys Portal button on the left menu.

Attach Yourself to a Facility

Attach yourself to the child care facility/facilities where you are currently employed. If you are not employed with a child care facility, select other organization . This can also be updated by clicking PA Keys Portal on the left.

Use Course Catalog Credits

As of 12/31/17, all course catalog credits must be used to purchase courses. If you think you are unable to use the credit, send an email for a refund.

Complete Online Courses

If you are enrolled in an online ITERS or ECERS course, complete the course by December 31, 2017. Other less common online courses also need to be completed by this date.

Complete Course Evaluations

Complete any course evaluations by December 31, 2017 to ensure proper credit for the course is awarded.

Print Transcripts

Your transcripts will transfer into the new system, but if you anticipate needing these files before then, either print a copy, or save an electronic version for your records before January 15, 2018.

Save Professional Development Plans

In the new PD Registry, professional development plans will be available by early summer. In the interim, print or save an electronic version of your current PD Plan before January 15, 2018. Current professional development plans will no longer be available after the February 2018 transition.

To stay up to date, subscribe to the PA Early Ed News .

Do you have questions? Get answers! E-mail us or call 1-800-284-6031.

STEM Crafts for the Holidays

Why not add a little learning to your holiday crafting? With a little pre-planning, your holiday activities can be both scientific and fun!

Coding Ornaments- Children can make these ornaments based on binary computer code using beads in holiday colors. Start with short holiday words like bell or star. Children can also create their names. The truly ambitious can create beaded garlands to decode.

Another fun and scientific craft is making borax crystal ornaments . Kick up the science in this craft by using regular table salt or even sugar instead of borax and compare the results.

Happy crafting!

New CACFP Training Opportunities

USDA's Team Nutrition is hosting a new webinar series, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays . The webinar series will feature a variety of topics related to the updated CACFP meal patterns. Webinars will be held on the third Thursday of each month and are great for state agencies, sponsoring organizations, CACFP providers and program operators, and others who work with CACFP. An English webinar will be held from 2:00-2:30 pm ET and a Spanish webinar will be held from 3:00-3:30 pm ET. Please visit the CACFP Halftime Webinar page for more info. All webinars will be recorded and made available at a later date on the USDA Team Nutrition website .

UH-OH! Look what came out of your medicine box !

Any medicine that makes its way to your facility should be in its original container. The medicine prescribed by a health professional will have a label by a pharmacist. It should include:

the child’s first and last names;
the date the prescription was filled;
the name of the health care provider who wrote the prescription;
the medicine’s expiration date;
the instructions for administration, storage, and disposal;
and the name and dosage of the medication.

Over the counter medications must be in the original container as sold, labeled by the parent with the child’s name and specific instructions given by the health professional.

Medications should not be used beyond the expiration date. A good practice would be to check the expiration dates when you check your first aid kits.

The medications should be organized and stored away from food and at the proper temperature. A small lock box can be kept in the refrigerator to hold medications.

Documentation that each dose has been administered should be filed, verifying the child’s name, date, time, name of medication and dosage amount given with the initials of person administering the medication. This should be kept with the medication orders from either the physician or health professional.

Cold Weather Safety

Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of cold weather. Share these tips with families and staff to keep children safe, healthy, and warm this winter.

Cold Weather Safety 2017

New Fingerprint Services

The commonwealth recently transitioned to a new vendor for digital fingerprinting - IDEMIA.

Pre‐registration is required. Once registered, you may walk in during a location’s posted hours of operation, but scheduling an appointment may lead to lesser/no wait times.

In order to pre-register for a FBI background check and/or find a fingerprinting location, applicants should access www.identogo.com . IDEMIA uses service codes when identifying the authorized purpose for why an applicant is being fingerprinted. This ensures applicants are processed for the correct purpose and agency.

Service codes are a required field for all pre-registrations, and the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) codes are provided below. If an applicant does not have a service code, this information will also be available on KeepKidsSafe , under “GET A CLEARANCE.” In addition, a service code look-up tool is available on the PASafeCheck website by following the registration question prompts.

If you have additional questions, please contact IDEMIA by phone, toll free at (844) 321-2101.

Child Care Services Program Service Code Form

Family Child Care Home Service Code Form

DHS Volunteer Service Code Form

Individual great then or equal to 18 Years in Family Home

Employee great than or equal to 14 years contact with children

Foster Parent Service Code Form

Show Your Gratitude

Wondering how you can share your gratitude with staff this season? Using SharedSourcePA of course! Enhance the benefits package you offer staff by ensuring they are taking advantage of money savings programs including health care savings and special discounts on everyday items! Build a custom report to share with each staff member, highlighting these opportunities, using the Sample Benefits template. Other benefits could include MyVIP Savings , Telemedicine , & Teacher Discounts .

Early Childhood Degree Directory

This national directory developed by NAEYC highlights all available early childhood professional preparation programs to helps students, policy makers, and researchers make informed choices.