Greetings!
Early Learning Update Week of November 8th
It is pretty Licensed Program Heavy this week!
Items Covered:
· Licensed Only: Child Care Resources 2021 FREE Fall Virtual Professional Development Institute
· Licensed only: UPDATE: Job Role Education Tile on new MERIT Dashboard Licensed Program Webinar on Wednesday, November 17th at 12:00pm OR 4:15pm
· Licensed Only: Recording COVID-19 Vaccination in MERIT
· Licensed only: CPR, Child Care Basics and EQEL Training Updates
1. Licensed Only: Child Care Resources 2021 FREE Fall Virtual Professional Development Institute
Child Care Resources is offering a FREE Fall Virtual Professional Development Institute from November 8th – November 13th. There will be up to 30 sessions offered all on Zoom that will give you STARS hours. Please click the link below to browse the session offerings and sign up!
2. Licensed only: UPDATE: Job Role Education Tile on new MERIT Dashboard Licensed Program Webinar on Wednesday, November 17th at 12:00pm OR 4:15pm
I apologize for last week’s date – I forgot that the 11th was a no school day for most programs. On the new MERIT Dashboard one of the colored tiles for staff to review is the “Job Role Education” tile. This will be the focus of our new Licensed Program Webinar on Wednesday, November 17th. You will have two options to join the meeting at either 12:00pm or 4:15pm as we review the different options to make sure staff meet the requirement. Please click here to join: Click here to join the meeting
3. Licensed Only: Recording COVID-19 Vaccination in MERIT
STAFF: How to Record the Requirement in MERIT:
a. Log into merit.dcyf.wa.gov.
b. Click on the “My Record” tab.
c. Click on the “Professional Record” sub-tab.
d. Scroll down to the “Health & Safety Information” section.
e. Click on the blue “+ Click here to add Health and Safety Information” button.
f. Choose the “Training Type” – COVID-19 Requirement Met.
g. Enter the “Completed Date” – This will be the date the information is entered in MERIT.
h. Click on the blue “Save” button.
DIRECTOR OR LICENSEE: How to Confirm Staff Records for the Requirement in MERIT as an Director or Licensee:
a. Log into merit.dcyf.wa.gov.
b. Click on the “Facility/Site” tab.
c. Scroll down to the “Employee Information” section.
d. Click on the STARS number to access the staff’s Professional Record.
e. Scroll down to their “Health and Safety Information” section.
f. Click the edit icon for the COVID-19 record. A popup box will appear.
g. Select the Confirmed box and click Save.
h. The record will now display as confirmed in the employee's MERIT Professional Record
4. Licensed only: CPR, Child Care Basics and EQEL Training Updates
First Aid/CPR:
In July 2021, DCYF updated the CPR training requirements found on the Training Modifications in Response to COVID-19 document (English) (Spanish) (Somali). In light of the mask mandate implemented by Gov. Inslee on Aug. 23, 2021 and the increased COVID-19 cases, DCYF will continue to pause the in-person component required for CPR training. This will be re-evaluated in January 2022.
· What does this mean for existing staff (hired before March 2020)?
All child care workers or licensees who renewed their CPR card online between March 2020 to current:
a. Wait until the next CPR renewal date to do the training in-person again.
b. If this renewal date is before Dec. 31, 2021, the CPR training can be renewed online.
All child care workers or licensees who completed their first CPR card online between March 2020 and now:
a. Complete the hands-on component of CPR training from an approved provider as it is available in their community.
b. If the hands-on component is not available in their community at this time, this component must be completed once it is available.
DCYF will re-evaluate this in January 2022.
· What does this mean for new staff (hired after March 2020)?
a. Newly hired staff can complete their CPR training online at this time.
Child Care Basics:
New staff will meet their first year 10 Hour STARS in-service Requirement through the Child Care Basics Training. It is required for all licensed staff within the first 90 days of employment AND before being left along with children. The training is free. Please click on the link below for any staff that needs to register and let me know if you have any questions.
EQEL:
In your staff’s 2nd and 3rd year of employment they will meet their 10 hour STARS in-service requirement by taking the EQEL Year 1 and EQEL Year 2 training in consecutive years. The trainings are free. Please click on the link below for any staff that needs these trainings and let me know if you have any questions.
More EQEL Year 1 trainings are now available! These trainings are offered in English, Spanish, and Somali and are available at no cost. You can search for the EQEL trainings by using the "Find Training" tab in MERIT.
EQEL Year 2 Coming Soon!
In the next coming weeks, you'll be able to search for the EQEL Year 2 training. Stay tuned, more details about this training will be shared soon.
Thank you and have a wonderful week!
