Early Learning Coalition
of St. Lucie County
Your Champions of Early Education
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July 2021 Provider News:
Resources for your Childcare Center!
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REMINDER: Weekly Provider Update Calls
every Wednesday at 12:30 pm
through Zoom
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Don't forget our weekly provider call every Wednesday at 12:30. These calls are voluntary: just our way to stay connected, answer questions and give any updates. We hope you can join us; the instructions to join remotely is sent to you in a Zoom meeting invitation every week and you can participate on your phone or your computer. Our past provider meetings are listing in archive on our website, in the provider's section.
Remember, we will update you regularly on any information you need to know that is coming from OEL or the state DOE, so watch your emails for updates!
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JULY IS NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH! |
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National Ice Cream Month is celebrated each year in July and National Ice Cream Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in July, in the United States. The celebrations were originated by Joint resolution 298 in the United States Senate, which was sponsored by Senator Walter Dee Huddleston of Kentucky on May 17, 1984 and Joint resolution 543 in the United States House of Representatives, which was sponsored by Representative Kika de la Garza of Texas on April 11, 1984.
The resolution proclaimed the month of July 1984 as "National Ice Cream Month" and July 15, 1984, as "National Ice Cream Day". It was signed into public law by President Ronald Reagan on July 9, 1984 with Presidential Proclamation 5219.
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INFORMATION ON PARENT CO-PAYMENTS
Beginning on July 1, 2021, families participating in the School Readiness Program will resume paying the parent copayment as established by the Early Learning Coalition prior to the copayment waiver period.
If you have any questions, please call our office at 772-595-6424. Thank you.
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The Health Department works closely with Safe Kids Coalition. Our local Safe Kids Coalition Program Director Ronda Cerulli can arrange water safety presentations for children ages 3-5 years.
Water safety presentations includes story time, interactive materials, water props, and discussions. Water safety handouts will also be provided for parents. She can also arrange to do other safety presentation like car seat safety, fire safety, etc. Any childcare providers interested should contact her directly to schedule presentations. Her contact number is 772-462-3501 and her email address is Ronda.Cerulli@flhealth.gov.
Two-thirds of Drowning Deaths occur between May and August: Safe Kids Treasure Coast reminds parents of top tips to keep kids safe around water this summer
St. Lucie County, Florida — As the weather heats up and more children and families head to pools and beaches, Safe Kids Treasure Coast wants to remind parents and caregivers to keep an eye on their kids and actively supervise children at all times when they’re in and around water.
Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1-19. On average, about 1,000 children die each year due to unintentional drowning and more than 5,000 are seen in emergency rooms for injuries from near-drowning incidents. Already in 2021, two children in St. Lucie County have died as a result of drowning.
“A drowning child cannot cry or shout for help so simply being near your child doesn’t always help,” said Ronda Cerulli, coordinator of Safe Kids Treasure Coast. “Whether it’s a trip to the beach or a dip in the community or backyard pool, you can ensure that swimming is as safe as it is fun by following a few basic safety tips starting with keeping your eyes on your kids at all times.”
Studies show that although 90 percent of parents say they supervise their children while swimming, many acknowledge that they engage in other distracting activities at the same time such as talking, eating, reading or taking care of another child. Even a near-drowning incident can have lifelong consequences. Kids who survive a near-drowning may have brain damage, and after four to six minutes under water the damage is usually irreversible.
Safe Kids Treasure Coast recommends the following 5 tips to keep kids safe in and around water:
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Give kids your undivided attention. Actively supervise children in and around water, without distraction.
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Use the Water Watcher strategy. When there are several adults present and children are swimming, use the Water Watcher card strategy, which designates an adult as the Water Watcher for a certain amount of time (such as 15-minute periods) to prevent lapses in supervision and give parents a chance to read, make phone calls or take a bathroom break.
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Teach kids not to swim alone. Whether you’re swimming in a backyard pool or in a lake, teach children to swim with an adult. Older, more experienced swimmers should still swim with a partner every time. From the first time your kids swim, teach children to never go near or in water without an adult present.
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Learn CPR. We know you have a million things to do, but learning CPR should be on the top of the list. It will give you tremendous peace of mind – and the more peace of mind you have as a parent, the better.
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Be extra careful around pool drains. Educate your children about the dangers of drain entanglement and entrapment and teach them to never play or swim near drains or suction outlets.
For more information about drowning and water safety, please visit www.safekids.org.
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National Kitten Day
July 10, 2021
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Adopt a kitten! (or foster if you can't adopt)
If you cant adopt a kitten and commit to being a kitty parent for a furry pal you can also foster kittens. Feral kittens need human socialization to be adopted out, and staying with a cuddly human is much more fun than staying at a pound before they find their 'forever home'. So if you can't adopt fully, help out in the adoption process, and maybe a kitten will end up staying with you in the process ;-)
Volunteer to help kittens at the ASPCA
The ASPCA always needs help socializing feral kittens! Human contact is great for the kittens and makes them adoptable, since they wont be afraid of humans. Besides the benefit to the kitten, playing with kittens is also fun and good for you too, and besides, you'll feel great volunteering too!
Make plans to host an Uber kitten delivery if available in your area
Make sure your boss/significant other is ok with kittens arriving right to your doorstep, because Uber delivers adoptable kittens once a year. Not only will you have a blast, but one might just end up staying with you. Plus the $30 “snuggle fee” actually goes to local shelters, doing good, while feeling good, thats the best way to do it!
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL KITTEN DAY
Checking out kitten photos is actually good for your mental health
If you love kittens as much as the next person, chances are you’ve snuck in a few peeks at kitten photos throughout your day. Research shows that people who take short breaks to look at cute animals are more productive throughout the day. So go ahead look at those photos of kittens today!
Adopting a cat or kitten is good for your health
Besides looking at photos of kittens, having kittens and cats around is good for your health! Having a cat around can risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced risk of heart attack, reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduces stress, improved mood… need we go on?
Kittens are great for children!
Having children grow up with cats can reduce the risk of developing allergies and asthma later in life. Besides teaching them how to care for another creature, it encourages empathy, and can aide in learning and the development of a socially rounded and well adjusted person.
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TREASURE COAST KIDS EXPO - JULY 17, 2021 |
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Visit the Treasure Coast Kids Expo at the MIDFLORIDA Event Center on Saturday, July 17, 2021 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM to learn, shop, and play! The event is FREE and indoors!
Sharing information, Having Fun
The Kids Expo is your one-stop shop to best family-friendly products, services, and resources in the area. The event is loaded with important information for parents and caregivers!
Kids can have fun in the Boundless Gymnastics activity zone, get their face painted, grab a balloon animal, meet some of their favorite characters and more. Mamas to be can get their belly bumps painted!
Get Connected and Register
Become Involved
Want to feature your family-friendly business at this fun community event? For vendor information or any questions, please email info@touchofmagicevents.org.
We can’t wait to see you!
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ONE GOAL CONFERENCE IN JULY |
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The One Goal: Building The Future Together "Putting Families And Children First" Conference brings together early education and care providers and leaders from around the state. It is designed to share information on best practices in the field and to build common frameworks of knowledge and understanding to assist in unified planning for young children and their families.
Participants have formal and informal opportunities for learning and sharing and can get continuing education units (CEU). Benefits to attendees and their programs include increased knowledge of local, regional and state issues, opportunities to learn about or share information on exemplary early education and care programs for children and their families, and cost-effective networking with key leaders in the field. Click the link in the graphic below for more information!
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Resources for families with young children
affected by hurricanes
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The Office of Early Learning has compiled resources and information to help families who have been affected by hurricanes. Children have an especially difficult time adjusting after a disaster. These are some of the resources on how to discuss the disaster with young children, health and safety information for evacuees returning to damaged homes and ways to help your child feel safe after the emotional distress they have experienced.
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In July, Khan Academy will host "Camp Khan Kids", a fun, free 4-week virtual summer camp for children ages 2-8. The camp guides parents and children in a playful educational journey using Khan Academy Kids materials.
Each week in July, teachers and parents who are signed up for the Khan Academy Kids app will receive an email announcing the week's themes and a self-paced schedule of suggested activities for reading, learning, and playing. Weekly themes include Dinosaurs, Animals, Science, and more!
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Now, Post a Teacher Ad with DCF! |
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The Department of Children and Families’ Child Care Program Office now offers a tool for Child Care Facilities to advertise available positions. How To Post An Ad: Use the following steps to post your ad:
- Enter your exact Child Care License Number
- You are taken to the employment database
- Choose "Make Director Ad" or "Make Staff Credential Ad"
- Create the position summary
- List position requirements
- Specify dates to run
- Input provider contact information
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DEL Resources for Providers |
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The Director Toolkit
This resource was developed to assist early childhood program directors, mentors, coaches and instructors in planning professional development goals for continuous program and instructional improvement.
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Learning Circles Social Studies Calendar for July 2021 |
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DEL Parent Pages to Share |
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For more information from Division of Early Learning visit: Parent Pages. |
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Overwhelmed by Change? Turn to 3Ts |
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3Ts Development for Providers helps children succeed at early age |
Remember: even when things are uncertain, YOU are helping to build the brains of the children you care for and are preparing them for success just by talking and interacting with them. Your class day is full of opportunities to use the 3Ts and help your children understand changes going on in the world. Learn more at the3Ts.org. Also available in Spanish at las3Cs.org. AnyTimeIs3TsTime #3TsFlorida #PNCGrowUpGreat
Here is a free professional development series for you and your staff – which is a perfect in-service training opportunity! This resource shares easy-to-remember strategies and features videos of caregivers using the 3Ts in everyday situations.
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REMEMBER all VPK certificates and sign in/out sheets must be either faxed or emailed by the due date. We cannot work on your submitted attendance till I have the sheets. Failure to do so can result in non-payment for the child(ren).
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Sign in/out sheets must include your provider name and the name of the child that is printed on the VPK certificate. Please do not use nicknames or any other names. Only the name the name the parent entered on the certificate.
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All expired documents (licensures, credentials, background screenings, etc.) must be up to date and approved in the Portal. If not, payment cannot be processed past the expiration date.
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Remember all your new enrollments must be submitted and approved in order for you to submit attendance for that child(ren).
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If you have any enrollments that were not paid due to being submitted after reimbursements were closed or not providing the sign in/out sheets, please submit those at this time also. Per contract you only have 60 calendar days to report any discrepancies.
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If you were closed due to COVID-19 all changes to your VPK calendar need to be submitted and approved prior to submitting your attendance. You should of received instructions from me pertaining to VPK.
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Review your Registration Fee queue in the portal under Manage SR Enrollments and submit eligible children for payment.
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Paid absences will be up to 10 days only, this is, 3 unexcused days and 7 more with a doctor’s note. Documentation is now required for absences beyond 3 days. Please see the document below for guidance on how to record your SR absences.
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If you see any discrepancies on your holidays or closure dates, let us know before submitting attendance. This requires a change in your profile and approval, to be reflected correctly on the attendance roster.
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2021 Back To School Sales Tax Holiday |
Consumers can purchase qualifying back-to-school supplies exempt from tax during the 2021 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. Passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the sales tax holiday begins Saturday, July 31 and extends through Monday, August 9.
ITEMS EXEMPT FROM SALES TAX:
- Most school supplies selling for $15 or less
- Clothing, footwear and accessories selling for $60 or less
- The first $1,000 of the sales price of computers and accessories (when purchased for noncommercial and personal use)
For a full list, please visit:
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www.elcslc.org
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