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Professional Development Welcomes Two New Instructors
Meet Melissa Schulte and Danyel Burgett
We are excited to expand our staff with the addition of two instructors - Melissa Schulte and Danyel Burgett, who collectively have more than 40 years of experience in early care and education. Melissa will primarily have professional development responsibilities in New Castle County with Danyel supporting Kent and Sussex counties. Be sure to look for them in an upcoming learning session.
Following is a brief bio of each instructor.
Melissa brings close to 25 years of experience in the early child care field. She began her career as a teacher before transitioning to roles in administration for Early Child Care Learning Centers.
In addition to working at a center, Melissa spent part of her career as an adjunct professor for Delaware Technical Community College and as an educator with Poly Tech Adult Education. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware
 Danyel Burgett joins Joy Rowe and will have professional development responsibilities in Kent and Sussex Counties. Danyel has close to 15 years of experience in education. Most recently, she spent seven years living abroad supporting her husband's military career while there she held various roles in education including working as a teacher and principal. Prior to her family's deployment, Danyel taught in Texas.
Danyel has an undergraduate degree in communication design and a master's degree in education.
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Early Childhood and Toxic Stress Leadership Seminar
Register Now!
Friday, June 21st
9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
501 S. College Avenue
Newark, DE
Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn about the impact of trauma and toxic stress on the brain of a developing child from the leading experts.
This quality assured session will include featured speaker Teri Lawler who works in the Trauma-Informed Practices and Social and Emotional Learning group of the Office of Innovation and Improvement for the Department of Education.
Following the keynote, there will be a panel discussion including questions and answers with other leaders in the field.
By attending, you will get 4 quality assured hours. Please note the training is considered advanced.
Register by clicking
here.
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Professional Development Planning
Trainings by County - Printable Versions
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Children's Book Week 2019
Celebrate With Us!
Sign Up Deadline - Friday, April 5th
Children's Book week is fast approaching. The event is April 29 - May 5. Don't miss out on this opportunity to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the longest running national literacy initiative in the country.
Sign up
here to have a guest reader come to your program and share a story. Then we'll donate the book to your library. The deadline to sign up is Friday, April 5th.
Please note to participate you must be a licensed child care provider in Delaware.
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We're Here For You and We Hear You!
302-831-3239
Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions regarding Professional Development, whether they are related to credentials, navigating the new website or learning sessions - we're here for you.
Be sure to l
eave as many details as possible so we can be responsive to your needs.
Please allow two business days to respond to your inquiry.
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Keep up with our Quality Assured training sessions by following us on Facebook.
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Provider Spotlight: Wilmington Head Start, West 3rd Street Center
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Learning and Love Team Up for Success
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You can't help but smile when you visit the Wilmington Head Start Child Care Center located on West 3rd Street.
In classroom 4, a four-year old wanders up to his teacher, Miss Jennifer and says with all sincerity, "I love you with all my heart." Miss Jennifer Wynn and Miss Elizabeth Burton are just one of the center's team of teachers, all whom have created a safe, secure and loving atmosphere where learning thrives.
This sentiment is a reflection of the very strong relationships between children and teachers at this center.
"It all starts with engaged teachers, " said Cindy Gibbs, the education specialist and curriculum coordinator that has been working with Wilmington Head Start programs for more than 25 years. "We have devoted teachers and a supportive staff which results in our teachers having confidence; therefore, they are willing to try new things and grow in the classroom."
"Here, the teachers support each other and encourage each other," added Cherise Moore, center manager. "We are a big family."
In addition to the strong teaching staff, both Cherise and Cindy credit their program's success to PATHS®. The PATHS curriculum is a comprehensive program for promoting emotional and social competencies and reducing aggression and behavior problems in young children while simultaneously enhancing the educational process in the classroom.
This is the center's second year working with the curriculum and according to Cindy, "We are already seeing positive outcomes. The activities we do from PATHS quickly bonds the teacher and the child."
Finally, their work with Delaware Stars is another component of what makes this center effective. "Working with Stars holds us accountable," said Cindy. "Stars helps us implement and attain that teacher and child interaction."
"Stars has taught us that there is always room for improvement," added Cherise. "Because of Stars, we are always striving to better take care of children and their needs."
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| Curriculum & Assessment (C&A) Support |
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"Making a Difference" Presentation - "Screening Tool vs. Formative Assessment: What is the Difference"
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The "Making a Difference Conference" is quickly approaching. This year's program will feature several presentations from Delaware Stars Curriculum and Assessment (C&A) team.
A C&A Technical Assistant will address the distinction between a screening tool and formative assessment in the session "Screening Tool vs. Formative Assessment: What's the Difference." This professional development delves into
how these two resources are used simultaneously in programs and how they can support each other.
Additionally the conference will include options
to learn more about how to intentionally use curriculum and assessment together as an ongoing system. The sessions are:
- "Interpreting and Utilizing TS GOLD Data" - This workshop will look at utilizing the GOLD Class Profile Report and the Individual Report to plan for children.
- "Using Assessment Data to Inform": Family Child Care participants will look at a variety of assessment resources, Teaching Strategies GOLD, Redleaf FCC Curriculum Development Assessment, and FunShine Express Child Progress Reports, to learn how to be purposeful in planning for children's learning experiences.
- "Using the Project Approach in a Multi-Age Setting" - This workshop will support Family Child Care providers to create engaging experiences using opportunities for children to investigate topics.
If you are not registered for these workshops, don't worry. Delaware Stars Curriculum & Assessment Technical Assistants are available to work with your program and help you based on your philosophy and needs.
The following box provides contact information. Don't hesitate to reach out.
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Stars Resources
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Curriculum & Assessment (C&A)
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Technical Assistants
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Stars has a team of C&A Technical Assistants that are available to support you in all aspects of curriculum and assessment.
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Contact Jen Potts at 267-438-4042 or at jpotts@udel.edu
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"Community Conversations" Dates Set |
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Upcoming Engagement Opportunities with State Agencies Scheduled in May
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Don't miss out on upcoming "Community Conversations," opportunities to engage with representatives from the Delaware Office of Early Learning, Department of Education; the Office of Child Care Licensing and the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.
This is your chance to ask questions and hear firsthand the latest on important topics such as:
* Early Learning Budget and Funding
* Governance
* Office of Child Care Licensing Regulations
* POC/Market Rates
* Early Childhood Mental Health
* Dedicated Q&A Time
Details are included in this
flyer.
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News from Delaware First
Online Application Update
As you know, in November,
Delaware First transitioned to an online application. This was done to improve efficiency in application processing and put you in control of your qualifications documents. While paper applications are currently still being accepted, this will change very soon.
As of August 1, 2019, paper applications for Delaware First certificates will no longer be accepted by the Department of Education. All educators must apply online after this date.
To assist you with this transition, please take the necessary steps now to establish an online account and apply. This link includes the process for applying online for qualification.
If there are any questions, please call the Delaware First Office at 302-735-4236.
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News From Purchase of Care (POC)
CoPay Changes
As you may know, d
ue to changes in federal regulations the state was required to recalculate the parent co-payment in an effort to eliminate barriers to employment and/or access to childcare. The monthly co-payment will now be determined based on a percentage of the family's gross income and household size.
Included here are the
rates. For a better understanding of the new structure and how to administer, click
here for Frequently Asked Questions.
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Finally, it's officially spring. Check out the calendars of activities and events for the next couple of months and plan your outings. Please note more activities have been added to the April calendar.
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