T.E.A.C.H. Talk: July 2022

You are receiving this email because you are a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship recipient or sponsor.

July 2022

Important Notes, Deadlines and Notifications

If you have not already submitted your spring grades, please do so by July 15^th! Please note, recipients are required to submit grades after each course.
Registration is open for fall! Register now and let your counselor know so she/he can send payment authorization for your course(s).
Please note, the deadline for Fall Direct Billing Authorization is October 1, 2022. Register and submit your enrollment before that date.
Notify your counselor if you have dropped a course. Keep in mind that schools have deadlines for dropping courses – depending on when in the semester you drop a course, partial or full tuition costs may be still be charged. These school deadlines may be found on their websites.

Program Expansion: Key Reminders

As you’ve heard, the exciting, sweeping changes for T.E.A.C.H. and REWARD are starting this summer, thanks to significant funding increases. The changes are bringing enhanced supports for Wisconsin’s early childhood educators and your educational and professional journeys over the next two years.

For the T.E.A.C.H. program, you were sent a letter via email outlining the changes to your active contract, per the expansion. As a reminder, several reimbursements, stipends and bonuses go into effect starting with the fall 2022 semester, making qualified educational pathways nearly free for early childhood educators pursuing credit-based education:

T.E.A.C.H. will now cover 90% of book costs.
Release Time will be reimbursed at the rate of $15.00/hour.
T.E.A.C.H. will cover 100% of the Wisconsin Registry credential fee.
T.E.A.C.H. will pay a one-time technology stipend to recipients.
T.E.A.C.H. will pay a one-time $500 stipend to sponsoring centers and family child care programs.
T.E.A.C.H. bonuses will increase by $100.00, with $25.00 paid at the successful completion of each semester.

Recipients and centers each will continue to be responsible for only 5% of tuition.

Details, including a series of frequently asked questions and key information for each program, are available on the special expansion webpage on WECA’s website.

Time Management Skills to Make Earning your Online Degree Easier

Effective time management strategies are an important part of a positive, successful online learning experience. If you are working on your degree online, you may be wondering how you’ll keep up with your online education while balancing work and family commitments. Time management is an important place to start – and these strategies are surprisingly effective. Follow the tips that work best for you. Read more details on the 10 tips provided by Walden University here.

Advancing Equity in Wisconsin’s Early Education Workforce

Early childhood educators, help advance a diverse and representative early childhood workforce in Wisconsin at all levels by participating in an equity study. It seeks to elevate the voices and lived experiences of early educators who identify as BIPOC – Black, Indigenous or Person of Color. Learn more about the study and how to participate here or by contacting Toshiba Adams, Ph.D./Leader Researcher at [email protected]. Para más información o para participar en este estudio, comuníquese con Olga Neira en [email protected].

Power of Advocacy

WECA and Raising Wisconsin recently collected signatures to be added to a letter for Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to encourage her support of child care in the federal reconciliation bill. The proposal, developed by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), would increase funding to the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Head Start programs. The letter urges Senator Baldwin to fully endorse including the Murray-Kaine proposal in the bill, which would allow Wisconsin to support an additional 24,000 children from low-income backgrounds through CCDBG.

Thank you to those in our networks who signed the petition! Your signature and related support of these critical child care investments are vital for Wisconsin providers and families of young children.

Want to stay informed on advocacy actions? Sign up for the Raising Wisconsin Advocacy Digest and Advocacy Alerts! You’ll receive timely and relevant updates, action alerts, research and more.

WECA Conference: Exciting Updates

We are excited to share WECA Virtual Conference updates with you: The keynote speakers for this year’s event have been announced! The lineup will provide thought-provoking, engaging and meaningful sessions that set the tone for a dynamic 2022 conference through the theme, “Cultivating Connections.” We are pleased to have a range of voices and perspectives on topics affecting early childhood educators and the early care and education field. For more on each speaker and their presentations, click here.

Conference registration is set to open in July. Check your inbox for updates! For more information on this year’s conference, visit our website.

Your Voice Matters

Please share your T.E.A.C.H. success stories with us. How did the education you received on a T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship impact you, your family, and the children you serve? By giving us your story, we, in turn, share your story and its impact with potential T.E.A.C.H. recipients, funders and policymakers.

There’s only one person who can tell your story, and that’s you! Please email your story to Cassie at [email protected].