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a monthly e-newsletter for Delaware's early childhood and school age programs
 
 



    July 2019
 
 
You're here for Delaware's children and families. 
We're here for YOU! 
"Play for Development and Learning PLUS"
A Provider's Perspective
Hear firsthand from Lynne Portlock, a family child care provider, about the value of her experience from attending the "Play" training session.  She especially found the coaching portion of the training helpful for implementing strategies effectively.

Play for Development and Learning PLUS - Testimonial
Play for Development and Learning PLUS - Testimonial

Coaching is a "PLUS" for Training Follow Up
We've heard from you that the follow up coaching included with the "Play" workshop was helpful in improving practice.  

Thank you for your feedback.  Because of your input, we have expanded several of our trainings to include the "PLUS" follow up coaching.  Be sure to check out these learning sessions:

With the training calendar recently updated, now is the time to develop a professional development plan.  A plan will help keep you accountable to your goals.

June's Coach's Corner - a monthly blog for the early care and education community, provides some useful tips on how to plan for your professional development.

To further facilitate planning, we have provided training by county for the next couple of months. 



New Forms Available for Quality Assured Curriculum Approval
To make our Quality Assured approval process more efficient, we've both streamlined and updated the curriculum approval forms available here.   

Please note there is no longer a fee to submit a curriculum application for review.

Summer Hours 
Please note that Professional Development is currently on a summer hours schedule.

The schedule is:

Monday - Thursday  8-4:30 p.m.
Friday  8 - 12:30 p.m.

Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions.

Contact us at 302-831-3239 or by email   Institute-Early-Childhood@udel.edu.

Be sure to l eave as many details as possible so we can be responsive to your needs.   Please allow us two business days to respond to your inquiry.
Keep up with our Quality Assured training sessions by following us on Facebook.


Provider Spotlight:  Delaware Tech Georgetown Campus Child Development Center
In Pursuit of Quality - A Job Never Done
Setting goals for continuous quality improvement for the best outcomes for children is the rallying cry for staff at Delaware Tech's Georgetown Campus Child Development Center.  

"We are never done with our goals," said Christiana Roberts, the center's director. "We are always interested in learning about the best research-based practices because our kids deserve it."

More than 90 children benefit from Christiana and her team's steadfast commitment to quality. The site includes six classrooms serving infants, toddlers, and preschool ages. The students are family members of the college's faculty and staff in addition to children from the surrounding community, including students funded through ECAP.

The center also serves as a lab school for students studying early childhood education. "Our teachers serve as mentors to the students, often our teachers are graduates of the program," said Sonya Magana, curriculum coordinator. "Because of our affiliation with the college, we share teaching methods - all which align with Stars."

The Delaware Tech Georgetown Campus Child Development Center has participated in Delaware Stars since 2012 and achieved a Star Level 5 in 2014.   "They are a model Star Level 5 program," said Alyssa Stein, Stars Technical Assistant. "They strive to be a Star Level 5 program every day."

To read the entire article click here.
CORRECTION!
In the last issue of REACH, we inadvertently referred to our "Provider Spotlight" program as Little Scholars Child Care Center.  Please note that the correct name is Little Scholars Center 1.  

Our apologies to the great staff at the center who continue to be committed to providing quality care.
Verification Trend - Standards for Observation and Assessment
Challenges with LO2(ECE) and LO1 (FCC/LFCC)
This spring we have seen a pattern of programs struggling with verification of the Delaware Stars standard for observing children's progress on an ongoing basis and documenting progress at least twice annually (LO2 for ECE and LO1 for FCC and LFCC). To note, successful verification of this standard is needed to meet the informed planning essential standard  (LC3 for ECE and LC4 for FCC and LFCC), which is a requirement to verify at Star Level 5.

As you know, observing children and reflecting on teaching practices is critical in high-quality care.  Every child is unique in a variety of ways, and children grow and develop at different rates across the developmental domains. Developmental trajectory, temperament, learning style, family situation, and culture all impact development and learning. Ongoing, objective observation and a collection of children's work provides examples that show children's progress and skill development over time. Observations and their documentation offer teachers the needed information to assess children, develop individualized goal plans and create responsive lesson plans and experiences for children.  This position statement from NAEYC underscores the importance of curriculum and assessment.  

To verify on the Delaware Stars standard for observing children's progress on an ongoing basis and documenting progress at least twice annually, programs must show:
  • Evidence of observation and documentation as part of the instructional cycle:
    • Forms or templates for teachers to use for observation and documentation, such as progress notes
    • Professional development for staff on observation and documentation - at least one teacher in each age group served need to attend
  • Evidence of all of the following in the sample of children's files: 
    • Ongoing (at least monthly) observations including progress notes, anecdotal notes, checklists, running records, etc.
    • Use of observation collection strategies that show children's growth and development, including photos, video clips, samples of children's work (drawings, writings), etc. that have been compiled and updated at least twice annually.
For support with any of the Delaware Stars standards, please contact your Stars TA. 
Stars Resources
Curriculum & Assessment (C&A)
Technical Assistants 
Stars has a team of C&A Technical Assistants who are available to support you in all aspects of curriculum and assessment. 

More details are included here.
Contact Jen Potts at 302-463-8128 or at jpotts@udel.edu

Helpful Events and Articles to Support Your Work
CARE Training for Parents and Caregivers
A free training on Child Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) is being offered on Saturday, July 27th.  Learn about effective strategies for connecting with your children, redirecting problematic behavior, and establishing limits through positive feedback.

Details are included here.

Self Care for Providers
We know that teaching and caring for young children is incredibly demanding, leaving little time to take care of yourself.  This NAEYC article provides practical tips for self care targeted to family child care providers but are helpful for all early care and education professionals. 
Reminder - Capacity Grant Deadline Information
The next deadline for programs applying for the Capacity Grant through Children & Families First is noon on Friday, August 2, 2019.  Stay tuned for another deadline for the last quarter of 2019.

Providers can find the application, along with detailed eligibility requirements and the grant guidelines at:    www.cffde.org. Questions can be directed to Andrea Prettyman  or by calling 302-233-6475. 


Summer Fun
July and August Activities
Be sure to check out all the free activities offered at your local library.  From story times to building with legos, the libraries offer something for all age groups.  
Please note more activities have been added to the July calendar.



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Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood
Delaware Stars for Early Success
Professional Development Department
Main (302) 831-3239 | Fax (302) 831-4223
Visit PD at www.dieecpd.org
Visit DE Stars  at: www.delawarestars.udel.edu