November 2021
Dear Early Childhood Professional:
 
With November upon us, so are the cooler temperatures with the changing seasons. We encourage you to continue to get outside with your children. It not only helps with managing safety and health issues because of COVID, but it also supports learning through exploration and play.
 
In this issue's "Voices from the Field" segment, we showcase the little school at Kid's Cottage that created an outdoor classroom. Their staff worked with our professional development team to design the space and develop activities to utilize this space. 
 
November is also Kindergarten Registration month in Delaware. Be sure to check out the article in this issue that includes resources to support your families in getting their children signed up for kindergarten.
 
If you haven't already, apply for the Stabilization Fund. Programs are using these grants in various ways to sustain their work, such as providing salaries and bonuses for their staff. We've heard that some are investing in their outdoor space to create classrooms like the little school.
 
We have included the early care and education update from the Office of Early Learning, Department of Education on the news front.  We are also excited to share information on a new supplemental curriculum from The Food Bank of Delaware. 
 
Finally, we are offering in-person professional development and have loved seeing you face-to-face. Thank you for complying with our COVID protocols. Our instructors have reported how fun it has been to catch up with you.
 
And, we wanted to provide you with another opportunity for fun by hosting our second Jeopardy event. There's still time to sign up for this Thursday's game.
 
Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Rena Hallam
DIEEC Director
 
 
Voices from the Field

Learning Outside is "Life Changing" at the little school


The little school at Kids Cottage worked with DIEEC to transform a corner of their play area into an outdoor classroom. The reception to this new space has been "mind-blowing," according to Lisa Ratliff, co-owner and co-director.

Read more here.
Fall Jeopardy Event
Thursday, November 4, 2021
7 p.m. (via Zoom)

There's still time to sign up!

Calling all early childhood professionals! We are hosting our second Jeopardy event. You can play alone or with a team - it doesn't matter, fun is all that counts.
And you can win great prizes!

Sign up here!
Early Child Care Education Update

In October, Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, associate secretary of The Early Childhood Support Team, communicated important early childhood education community updates.

Among them is that the Delaware Stars redesign is paused for the remainder of 2021 and program verifications will continue to be suspended. Programs currently receiving tiered reimbursement support will continue to receive funds at their current rate through June 30, 2023.

The entire announcement is included here.

We encourage you to reach out to us for technical assistance, professional development, and coaching supports. These offerings align with the proposed new system and with recommended practices for quality services to support children and families.

To learn more about these services visit the DIEEC website or email here.

COVID's Impact On Early Childhood Education Programs

During this past summer, DIEEC's Research and Evaluation Team surveyed hundreds of early childhood professionals to learn more about the impact of COVID on their programs.

We created short research snapshots of what we learned, specifically the effects on the early childhood education workforce and how family child care programs fared. Be sure to check them out.
Stabilization Fund Deadline Approaching End-of-Year
Apply Now!

"I have never dreamed someone would just give me money to use in my business. The application experience was easy and quick.  My plan for the grant is to update flooring parts of my kitchen, upgrade the HVAC system and upgrade the playground and some of the furnishings."
Family Child Care Provider

There is still time to apply for sub-grants through the Early Care and Education Stabilization Fund. Don't miss out on this opportunity to receive sub-grants for COVID-related expenses, including staff salaries and bonuses.

Interested? Click here to learn more.
Professional Development

Early childhood professionals return to in-person workshops. A big thanks for complying with COVID protocols.

In October, we offered several in-person trainings in addition to our virtual options. Our DIEEC professional development coordinators were impressed with everyone's efforts to comply with COVID protocols while putting forth an effort to learn and reconnect with their colleagues.

"The experience of interacting with providers in person was so rewarding," said Melissa Schulte, DIEEC professional development coordinator. "The conversations flowed, and interactions were extremely positive. The support shown during conversations was a much-needed personal experience for all."

We are offering "Flip It! Flipping the Challenging Behavior Plus" and "Understanding Children's Behavior as Communication" in person at our new Dover Location - The Dover Residence Inn.

Sign up here.
New Supplemental Curriculum
Healthy Childhood Project

The Food Bank of Delaware is offering a new supplemental curriculum, "The Healthy Childhood Project." This curriculum is designed to help children ages three-five and their families improve nutrition and increase physical activity through 13 lesson plans. Each lesson plan includes activities such as a read-aloud book and cooking, planting, or crafting.

For more information click here.
November is Kindergarten Registration Month

The Delaware Readiness Teams, in partnership with the Department of Education's Office of Early Learning, have launched the 2021-2022 Kindergarten Registration Campaign. The campaign includes access to kindergarten registration information packets available upon request here and registration information events. Calendar of events is included here.

For more details click here.

Questions should be directed to Diane Frentzel.