We all have a role to play in helping prepare Weld County’s children for the future.
|
|
Remember to look for your license number embedded in each newsletter! You could be the next winner of a Human Bean gift card!
If you find your number call 970-304-6184.
Greetings!
|
|
Thank you for your continued support! February is upon us! We hope you have gotten over your holiday food coma and are back in your normal routine (we know it has been a challenge for us). We have lots of opportunities and offerings coming up, so there's something for everyone. We hope to see you all at Love to Learn later this month! Happy February!
Cheers!
The Promises for Children Team
|
|
Saturday, February 22- DoubleTree by Hilton Greeley at Lincoln Park
8:30 a.m- Check- In/ Breakfast
9 a.m-4 p.m. Training
$10 per person (includes light breakfast and lunch)
|
It takes two! A fresh perspective on challenging behaviors.
Please join us for a Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) training. Through a series of hands-on activities, discussion and feedback, participants will gain a working knowledge of the application of TBRI® principles. This
1690087 evidence based model discusses trauma-informed interventions that encourage healthy social development in children. Post-data shows caregivers’ stress levels decreased. There were also significant decreases in their children’s various behavioral problems, such as aggressive behavior, attention problems and negative attachment behavior.
Please register at www.UnitedWay-Weld.org/L2L
This training is open to everyone in the community for $10.
However, it is free to child care providers; this includes foster/adoptive families.
Please contact Tessa@UnitedWay-Weld.org or call 970-304-6189
for a code to attend this training for free.
|
|
Saturdays 9-Noon
March 7-May 16
@ First Congregational Church, "Hope" Room
2101 16th Street, Greeley
|
Are you having a baby? Are you a new parent and want to know more about parenting? If you are pregnant or have a baby under 1 year old come learn more about parenting with other adults! You could win baby items like diapers and car seats!
Provided by United Way of Weld County, Best Start for Babies helps parents create an environment where babies can thrive! Best Start for Babies is a series of 10 classes that provide education and support for you to feel more confident in your ability to respond to your children in
healthy and positive ways.
The program is available at no cost to parents who are pregnant or have a child under 1 year of age. Classes are offered in English and Spanish. Free childcare and a meal are included.
For more information or to enroll contact Amelia Ritchhart at
970-304-6174 • or email amelia@UnitedWay-Weld.org
|
|
Colorado Educator Loan Forgiveness Program
|
The Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) Educator Loan Forgiveness Program is now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The deadline for applications is February 21, 2020.
Program participants will be eligible for an annual payment of up to $5,000 towards their qualified loan balance and may be eligible for an annual payment for up to five years.
To qualify, you must be employed as a licensed teacher, principal, or Special Service Provider (SSP).
Learn more and apply here
.
|
|
Early Care and Learning Resources
|
|
"Working with an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant" Now Available on the Colorado Shines PDIS
This course provides an overview of working with an early childhood mental health consultant, including what benefits the consultant can offer to you as a provider, to your program and to the families and children in your care. The course also reviews when to contact and how to find an early childhood mental health consultant.
This course counts towards Level 2 and Social/Emotional clock hours. Log into the
Colorado Shines PDIS
to get started!
|
|
Standard Precautions Training Available online in 2020
|
|
The Office of Early Childhood is excited to add a new option for standard precautions training. Beginning early 2020,
Standard Precautions, Including Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and Immunizations
will be available as a free, online course on the
Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System
.
A Spanish version of the course will be available in the Spring of 2020.
This course will meet both pre-service and annual requirements for standard precautions training. Stay tuned for more details!
|
|
We are looking for a family child care home provider to serve on the early childhood council. Are you interested in supporting and collaborating with other community members to advocate for children and families in Weld County? The Early Childhood Council meets once a month for 90 minutes, 10 months out of the year. We realize that this is a challenging time to meet, but to eliminate some of the barriers we are offering a stipend and mileage. You are also allowed to attend the meeting via web chat or phone call.
If you are interested, please contact Adriana Carrillo at acarrillo@unitedway-weld.org for more information.
|
Do you work with families? Are you worried about the dangers that smoking can have on a child? Have you wanted to confront a parent in this situation, but didn't know how? If this is you, join United Way of Weld County and the American Lung Association to learn more!
|
GETTING COLORADO’S CHILDREN OFF TO A STRONG START
|
What children experience and learn from birth through third grade lays the foundation
for their success. No matter the role we have in kids’ lives – whether as first-time parents,
teachers, childcare providers, or involved relatives, friends or neighbors – we all play an
important part in their development.
The Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines offer practical tips that
everyone can use to help our children get off to a happy and healthy start. Colorado’s early
childhood advocates and experts spent countless hours creating these Guidelines, which
reflect the latest national research and broadly accepted strategies currently used statewide.
|
AS CHILDREN DEVELOP, PAY ATTENTION TO THEIR:
• Physical health • Feelings and behaviors • Problem-solving and learning
KEEP IN MIND:
The Guidelines describe how a typical child develops but it is important to understand
that each child learns and grows at his or her own pace. Since all children are different, caregivers should talk with a health care provider or other trusted professional about any questions or concerns.
Children between nine and 18 months old are ready to explore their world and are becoming more mobile. They show strong attachment to the adults in their lives and a fascination with their peers. They practice communication by babbling and they understand and can respond to a growing number of words.
|
|
Promote the 2020 Census among young kids and families with a new toolkit!
|
By Sarah Hughes
Early childhood providers and others who work with young children and their families have a critical role to play in making sure young Colorado children are counted in the 2020 Census, and
a new toolkit
is here to help. The U.S. Census Bureau and other organizations have put together lots of resources to help providers promote the 2020 Census among families with young children, but these resources can be hard to find and aren’t always in one place. The new
Early Childhood Census Toolkit
compiles links to these materials, including flyers to share with families, FAQs about the census for providers and even a 2020 Census activity booklet for young children, all in one convenient document. The toolkit also includes sample language that can be used in newsletters, as well as social media posts to share about the 2020 Census between now and next summer.
|
|
Funding Available for Family Child Care Homes in Colorado
|
|
|
|
To address the declining number of licensed slots within family child care homes and to improve quality within home-based learning environments, the
Buell Foundation
granted funds to the
Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance
(ECCLA) to provide facility improvement funding to family child care homes. This opportunity is intended to help family child care homes start up, expand, or maintain consistent operations, increase capacity, and reduce the number of family child care homes closing their doors due to financial restrictions.
Applications for the first round of funding are due by April 3, 2020. ECCLA will host three optional technical assistance webinars for applicants on January 30, February 20, and March 19. Register for a webinar, download the application, and review frequently asked questions
HERE
.
|
|
Are you interested in getting your Child Development Associate Credential?
|
|
United Way of Weld County’s Promises for Children now has resources available. With two different options available to you, either in-person classes or online, we have a format that can work for everyone.
Providers Advancing School Outcomes is our in-person classes, which is available in English and Spanish. English is 4 hours on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Spanish is 8 hours on Saturdays. In just 15 weeks you can obtain all the training needed to apply for your CDA. Over this time you will meet other child care providers, develop supportive relationships, learn about resources, enter to win quality improvement items, and grow your knowledge on caring for children.We will also offer an online option through CDA Stars. This is a start and stop approach so you can have the ability to complete this on your own time. The online option would be the bestchoice for someone who wanted to be more independent in their journey to getting their CDA.
|
|
To hear more details or discuss cost for the online or English version of the class please contact Tessa at tessa@unitedway-weld.org or call 970-304-6189. For more details or to discuss cost for the Spanish in-person version of the class please contact Lorena at lorena@unitedway-weld.org or call 970-304-6183.
|
|
Looking for ways to improve your child care area? OR
Do you want to become licensed but money is a barrier?
|
Are you looking to increase the quality in your child care? Are you looking to become licensed? Don’t let cost be a barrier to high quality, health and safety, or pursuing licensure! Promises for Children currently has funds to aid providers with their various needs such as health, safety, professional development, quality improvement, and more. Have you been cited for something in your home? Do you have some health and safety or quality improvement materials in mind that could make your day to day a little more manageable? Reach out to us!
Who qualifies? EVERYONE!
|
|
|
|
Join
Healthy Child Care Colorado
and
Delta Dental
for a free training on February 29 for early childhood professionals. Learn hands-on activities that can easily be replicated in your program to promote good, early oral health habits.
The Summit will be focused on the Five Basics of Oral Health: Baby Teeth are Important, Water for Thirst, Tooth Healthy Foods, Brush/Floss/Swish, and Going to the Dentist.
Learn more and register here
.
|
|
Is there an outstanding child care provider in your community? Colorado Shines turns five in February and we want to highlight the great work of providers across Colorado.
Whether the program you have in mind is a Level 1, 2, 3, 4 or a Level 5, we want to hear from you! Nominees will have the chance to be featured on the Colorado Shines Facebook page, our newsletters and our website.
|
|
Healthy Child Care Colorado- Professional Development
|
|
Healthy Child Care Colorado offers innovative and hands-on trainings to teach strategies that can be put into practice right away. All of their trainings are approved by the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Human Services.
|
|
UNC Greeley Treasure Chest program
|
|
An early language and emergent literacy development program for children and their caregivers. The
program is run by UNC graduate clinicians in the Speech-Language Pathology Program.
|
|
|
|
LEAP, Colorado’s Low-income Energy Assistance Program, helps eligible Coloradans with winter home heating costs.
|
United Way of Weld County is partnering with Weld County to spread the word about Colorado’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP), a federally funded program that helps families, individuals, seniors and those with disabilities pay a portion of their winter home heating costs. LEAP is not intended to cover all costs of home heating for qualifying participants, but rather to help alleviate some of the energy burden associated with the colder winter months.
|
|
Congratulations for reaching a Colorado Shines Level 4!!
|
|
|
|
Text Your Openings
Looking to fill your
child care openings?
Colorado Shines Child Care Referral will refer families to your program.
Text 'CC OPEN' to 898211
|
|
|
|
Northern Colorado Children's Festival
Saturday April 11th, 2020
|
JOIN US FOR A DAY OF FUN, FOOD,ACTIVITIES, COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND ENTERTAINMEN
T
Family activities, food,
hands-on arts and crafts,
health and safety information,
children’s merchandise
and great entertainment.
For more information contact PromisesforChildren@UnitedWay-Weld.org
|
|
|
|
Child Care
Provider Celebration
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Give-a-ways
Discussion
Collaboration
Lunch
|
|
February 1, 2020
February 19th, 2020
March 2nd, 2020
Mastering Record Keeping and Tax Preparation- more info TBD
March 14, 2020
May 2 & 9, 2020
|
These and other Professional Development Opportunities are also available on the United Way of Weld County Website Calendar of Events
|
|
Upcoming
Trainings & Events
|
|
OTHER LICENSING REQUIREMENT TRAININGS…
|
|
Medication Administration, CPR/AED & First Aid renewal, and Standard Precautions
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION - Medication Administration ($35), CPR and First Aid trainings. $58 for just CPR; $75 for both. Contact Mary Mast @ (970)381-5395.
STANDARD PRECAUTIONS - Contact Heartsmart (above). Also, KidCare Nutrition Training @ (970)351-8779, or Wildwood @ (303)730-0460 (Jane Martinez). Mary Mast @ (970)381-5395.
Medication Administration - Offered by Molly Orlando, RN, Child Care Health Consultant. Contact her at (303)669-9039 or mol-ly_bbnc@outlook.com. She will be teaching classes in Greeley.
|
|
 |
We invite you to
suggest topics
you’d like us to include in our future newsletters.
|
|
|
|
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance contact 2-1-1. Whether it is for utility assistance, after school care, help for an aging relative, legal advice or any health and human service, our navigators can help connect you.
|
|
Your connection to hundreds of community resources
|
|
CALL | SEARCH & CHAT | TEXT
|
Call:
2-1-1
Search and Live Chat Online:
or Text your
zip code
to
898-211
|
|
STAY CONNECTED With United Way of Weld County
|
|
Invest in your hometown by making a gift today. Thanks!
or Text to Give: Text
UWWCGIVE
to
41444
|
|
United Way of Weld County | 814 9th Street - Greeley | 330 Park Avenue - Fort Lupton
www.UnitedWay-Weld.org | 970-353-4300
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
