October 6, 2021
Dear Providers,

Just a few reminders when submitting your monthly attendance:

  • Attached is the Reimbursement Upload Guide to reference when uploading your Attendance Documentation.

  • All information should be in Alphabetical Order by the child's LAST NAME.

  • Upload all backup documentation with your attendance. (Notes, Excessive Absence forms, Court Orders, Rilya Wilson Absence forms, etc.)

  • Don’t forget to upload the absence documentation when marking the absence in the EFS Mod-Provider Services Online Attendance.

Remember, the fewer papers we have to shuffle through, the faster we can get through the Reimbursement process, and the faster the providers will get paid.
Voluntary Prekindergarten Sign In/Sign Out Sheet and Attendance Processing Rules: 

  • VPK Providers using the Short Form must have additional back up documentation validating child attendance. For example: Daily sign in/out sheets and (or) teacher’s attendance records.
  • VPK Providers that use a method other than a daily sign in/out sheet, such as attendance logs, the provider must ensure that parents certify the students’ attendance each month using the Long Form.

Short and Long Forms must be signed and certified by the parent/legal guardian no earlier than the last school day of the month and no later than five (5) calendar days into the following month. For example: The month of October 2021 can be verified and signed between the days of October 29th, 2021 and November 5th

While processing VPK Reimbursement, we are observing several things; Children’s legal names are being shortened, middle names or nicknames are being used on the Sign-in/Sign-out sheets, Teacher daily attendance logs, Long Forms and Short Forms in place of legal names. These documents are being presented as your invoice for payment and should contain the legal name of the child.

Please see the below listing of guidelines to assist providers in successfully meeting the requirements:

For the Child Attendance and Parental Choice Certificates (Short or Long forms), submit completed forms (with all spaces filled in).

Sign in/out sheets must include:
  1. Child’s Name first and last name (must match the name on the ELC Enrollment Certificate) that will match child's name on EFS MOD Roster as well
  2. Date
  3. Time in (must be accurate to the minute, may not be rounded up or down)
  4. Time out (must be accurate to the minute, may not be rounded up or down)
  5. Signature of the person signing the child in (in ink)
  6. Signature of parent or person authorized by the parent to pick up child (in ink)
  7. Name of Facility/Provider
  8. Month / Year

Please upload in alphabetical order by classroom or scan packets by class.
Exciting News! We are launching a new way to Dive Into Business with a series of virtual videos! CHALLENGE yourself to participate every day – it takes 5 minutes or less. To access the sessions, download the calendar below for links to the videos. To stay on track, print the calendar and initial each day when you’ve completed the session. Try keeping a journal to keep up with your thoughts.

Complete all the sessions to be entered into a monthly drawing for AWESOME prizes. If you complete the MEGA training and send us the certificate, you will get 5 additional entries.

SEND YOUR COMPLETED CALENDAR (AND CERTIFICATE) TO Tami.Valdez@elcnwf.org BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS NOVEMBER 1st TO BE ENTERED INTO THE DRAWING.

The October Challenge starts on Monday, October 11th. Happy learning!!!
Children's Mental & Behavioral Health Trainings

This training is free and open to all. The goal is to increase awareness of how to leverage available resources and services and build collaborative connections to reduce children in mental and behavioral health crisis, and establish concrete connections for families.  
See Additional Sessions Below
Thursday, November 11th  12:00PM - 1:30PM 
Lakeshore
Friday, November 12th 12:00PM - 2:00PM 
Transforming Staff
Saturday, November 13th  9:30AM - 11:30AM 
Shake Up Your P.R.O.F.I.T.S.!
Saturday, November 13th  12:15PM - 2:15PM 
Motivate The Motivator
Saturday, November 13th  2:30PM - 4:30PM 
Challenging Behaviors
The Division of Early Learning (DEL) is committed to providing resources to promote smooth
transitions and support Ready Communities, Ready Schools, Ready Families, and Ready Children in
the transition to kindergarten.

DEL's Transition to Kindergarten website includes Transition to Kindergarten Toolkit resources
aligned to Florida’s Early Childhood Strategic Plan, the Transition to Kindergarten Summits 2021
resources and the 2021-2022 Ready Freddy Calendar. Resources are also available in Spanish.
The Provider Recruitment Team is continually looking for opportunities for employee pools to assist with your staffing needs. Below are some additional resources for employee leads:

The Arc of the Bay/St Andrew Bay Center Vocational Rehab Program
  • Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties
  • A DOE funded program for high school students with varying levels of disabilities
  • Currently have students successfully placed at two childcare centers in our area
  • Arc of the Bay will pay the student's salary for three months 
  • Contact: Crystal Grizzle (cgrizzle@bayarc.org or 850.532.0884)

Gulf Coast Career Source Packet
  • Bay, Gulf, and Franklin Counties
  • Information on how to post positions on the Hot Jobs and Employee Florida sites
  • Take advantage of their Bonding Insurance Program
  • We plan to be a part of the fall Job Fair. Details soon! 

Click the button below for additional information about these programs. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact: Tami.valdez@elcnwf.org 
An important part of becoming a successful learner is developing the skills to regulate emotions and behaviors. Preschoolers show a growing ability to manage emotions and behaviors by using a range of coping strategies with the support of an adult. Join this webinar to discuss the importance of emotional and behavioral self-regulation for preschoolers. Learn ways teachers and family child care providers support self-regulation through responsive teaching practices and consistent routines. This webinar will have English and Spanish captioning.

Topics for the webinar include:
  • Discussing how emotional and behavioral self-regulation promotes preschoolers’ learning and positive engagement with their learning environment
  • Identifying strategies and teaching practices that help all preschoolers learn emotional and behavioral self-regulation skills
  • Describing modifications and activities that support individual preschoolers’ emotional or behavioral needs
Quarterly Frog Street Training will be available beginning November 2021. 
 
These recurring trainings will be for new staff coming on board or current staff needing a refresher.

  • Frog Street roll-out training is available for providers needing beginners training for their current staff.  
  • This can be completed virtually or on-site at your center.  
  • 80% of providers, currently using Frog Street Curriculum, has received this roll-out training for staff, but if you feel you need additional training, please email the redline.
HiMama Helps – Childcare Webinar Series

Now, more than ever, the early childhood community has to come together to figure out life during a global pandemic. The HiMama Helps Webinar series was created as a platform for ECEs and child care experts to share stories and practical tips with each other.
Join your hosts, Ria Simon and Kiah Price every Thursday at 2 PM, to explore different topics, offer practical strategies, and have your questions answered. Click below for the library of past webinar recordings.
Conference-Quality Professional Development by Early Childhood Experts

Early Childhood Investigations offers free webinars to early childhood educators. The series is produced by Engagement Strategies, LLC., and presented by leading authors, experts, and leaders. Now, you can participate in conference-quality training without leaving your home, classroom, or office.
We are looking for parents to join the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)

Download a copy of the flyer by clicking the button below. Please make sure all parents in your center receive a copy of this flyer. You can print to send home with each of your children, or you can simply post the flyer on your social media page.
Florida KidCare

In a time when the health and safety of our community are most important, help keep the children in your center insured.
Encourage families in your centers to contact ELCNWF for information and assistance applying for Florida KidCare. Call 850-747-5400 X 108 or request CCR&R via the link below!
Big Heart World is an initiative produced by Sparkler in collaboration with Noggin that enables parents and educators to help children explore what it means to have a “big heart” and how to grow one. This means:

  • Learning About Me — Awareness of self: identity & belonging, feelings and self-regulation
  • Learning About You — Awareness of others: empathy, appreciation of diversity
  • Learning About Us — Relationships with others: interpersonal strategies

Have your kids listen, sing, and dance along to "Help Work It Out", the next song from Noggin’s Big Heart Beats album. And be sure to follow their site as they will release a new video every month.
October Special Dates

Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Celebrating The Bilingual Child Month
Domestic Violence Prevention Month
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Dyslexia Awareness Month
Eat Better, Eat Together Month
Emotional Wellness Month
Filipino American History Month
Global Diversity Awareness Month
Head Start Awareness Month
Italian-American Heritage Month      
National Bullying Prevention Month    
SIDS Awareness Month
Halloween Safety Month
October 8
National Hero Day

October 9
National Chess Day

October 10
National Metric Day
World Mental Health Day

October 11
Indigenous Peoples Day
Columbus Day

October 12
National Savings Day
National Farmer’s Day

October 13
Train Your Brain Day
National Stop Bullying Day
Take Your Parents To Lunch Day

October 14
National Dessert Day

October 15
Boss’s Day
October 16
Dictionary Day

October 20
Youth Confidence Day

October 21
Reptile Awareness Day

October 22
National Color Day

October 23
National Make A Difference Day

October 26
National Pumpkin Day

October 28
First Responders Day

October 30
National Candy Corn Day

October 31
Halloween
We exist to grow healthy children, parents, and the relationship between them.
Sponsored by the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida and the State of Florida, Division of Early Learning