It doesn't seem possible that summer is here! How did that happen?!? All of us at QCC are looking forward to spending more time outside, enjoying the sun and warmth and all that Oregon's natural beauty has to offer. To learn why outdoor play is essential for healthy development, and how you can provide engaging outdoor experiences for the children in your care, be sure to read our resource article on the importance of outdoor play! Also in this quarter's newsletter, you can find our summer professional development calendar, updates from the Early Learning Division, and information from some of our community partners.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions or need information about child care and early education. Due to the pandemic, our office is still closed to visitors. However, we are working towards a return to our office in September! Until then, we are continuing to work from home, and can take calls and respond to emails during our business hours. Our summer schedule is Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If we are not able to respond right away, we will get back to you within 24 hours on most business days. Our phone number is 541-463-3300. Thank you!

For registration support, please call 541-463-3300 or email us at qualitycareconnections@lanecc.edu

For full class descriptions or to register for our classes, please click the links below.

Online-only CPR/First Aid training will be accepted through July 2021 for both new and renewing providers. Quality Care Connections can arrange for your online CPR/First Aid class through Medic First Aid. The cost of this class is now $15.

Part One Required Online Course

Register and attend training here: http://campus.educadium.com/OCCD/

Part Two Required Webinar (3 class options!)

Tuesday, July 13, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. -or-

Thursday, August 19, 6:00-9:00 p.m. -or-

Saturday, September 25, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Note: You must attend the online Part One online class before registering for the Part Two webinar.

The required online safety set classes are offered free by the Oregon Center for Career Development and the Early Learning Division. Click here for a Safety Set Flier from the Office of Child Care and here to access and register for these classes.

-Recognizing/Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

-Introduction to Child Care Health and Safety

-Prevention is Better Than Treatment

-Safe Sleep

-Food Handler Certification

This Introduction to Child Care Health and Safety training is a free, two-hour webinar is designed to provide basic health and safety training for child care providers in Oregon.

Wednesday, July 28, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

This webinar helps you understand the Department of Human Services listing and billing process and how to become eligible for the Enhanced Rate. There are three options to choose from:

Monday, July 19, 9:00 -11:00 a.m.. -or-

Saturday, August 14, 10:00 a.m.-12 p.m. -or-

Wednesday, September 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

This interactive website will give family child care providers access to business documents/templates, marketing tools, professional development opportunities, and the ability to book appointments from the site. Dream, Discover, and Reach your professional business goals. Click below to view the new website:

Beginning this month, family child care vacancy checks will now be completed once per quarter in June, September, January, and April. Full annual updates for family child care and centers will continue to be requested once each year. Programs will receive email reminders with the link to the appropriate form, or you can click the link in the Quality Care Connections' Quarterly Newsletter. Please strive to respond in a timely manner to keep your vacancy numbers up-to-date in the parent referral database. And, feel free to send us any changes as needed.

Are you interested in equity issues? Would you like to join a committee at Quality Care Connections?

Quality Care Connections is looking for a childcare provider who would like to volunteer to join a committee that is committed to developing a Land Acknowledgment Statement to use at the opening of every QCC class on the LCC campus.

A Land Acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.

If interested, please contact Debra Dreiling at dreilingd@lanecc.edu or 541-436-4960

This small group of Registered, Certified, or Center based early childhood educators forms a “circle” focusing on Infant & Toddler Care. We come together monthly for training and peer support. Our programs are funded by the Early Learning Division and managed by Quality Care Connections, Lane County’s child care resource agency.

You must work directly with infants and/or toddlers. If there is a waiting list, priority is given to programs that serve families with limited resources.

You must attend both the monthly virtual peer coaching sessions and selected Infant Toddler virtual focused training.

If interested email Alex Curtis at curtisa@lanecc.edu or call / text 541-632-3735.

To request this information in an alternate format please contact the Center for Accessible Resources at 541-463-5150 or accessibleresources@lanecc.edu

The application deadline for the fifth round of ELD grants was Tuesday, June 8. All eligible applicants should have now received a grant agreement by DocuSign email. Agreements were sent to the email address listed on the submitted application. Providers have until Thursday, July 8, 2021 by 5 p.m. (PST) to submit a grant agreement and all required documentation.

If you have carefully reviewed the eligibility requirements for this round of funding and believe that you qualify, but have not received a grant agreement, check your email’s junk folder. After confirming the DocuSign agreement email is not in your junk folder, please email ECCGrants@state.or.us or call 971-707-2029. For further information about the Bridge Grant, please click here.

The following changes were made as of June 9, 2021 to the “Health and Safety Guidelines”:

Outdoors Required: Regardless of vaccination status, no face covering or physical distancing is required for anyone (staff, children, caregivers, visitors, volunteers) when outside.

Outdoors Recommended: Unvaccinated staff and staff at high risk for severe COVID -19 illness should wear face coverings if routinely in close contact with children or other adults. Adults, vaccinated and unvaccinated, should maintain six feet of distance during outdoor drop-off/pick-up if not wearing face coverings.

Vaccinated and unvaccinated staff, volunteers, and visitors during child care hours must wear face coverings except:

Children kindergarten-age and older must wear face coverings unless:

Adults conducting drop-off/pick-up, vaccinated and unvaccinated, must wear a face covering during indoor drop-off/pick-up.

Click here for full details on the latest updates and to download the full “Health and Safety Guidelines for Child Care and Early Education Operating During COVID-19.”

The COVID-19 state of emergency declared by Governor Brown, which allows for the issuance of Emergency Background Checks (EBC), is currently set to expire on June 28, 2021. When the state of emergency ends, the EBC is no longer valid. This means that any employee in your facility who is not actively or conditionally enrolled in the Central Background Registry (CBR) by the time the state of emergency ends will not be allowed to continue to work in your facility until that employee is conditionally or actively enrolled in the CBR.

The CBR approval process can be lengthy, especially for individuals who lived outside of Oregon in the past five years. In order to avoid any negative impact on your staffing, the Early Learning Division encourages you to urge your staff to complete an application for the CBR as soon as possible. The application process is free of charge and the form is available in multiple languages. Your staff can download, print, and mail the application or complete an online application form at https://oregonearlylearning.com/providers educators/providers-educatorscbr/.

The Early Learning Division is committed to making this process as seamless as possible for you and the families you serve. If you have any questions, please call 503-947-1400 or 1 800-556-6616.

In May 2021, the Oregon Early Learning Division published updates to the “Health and Safety Guidelines for Child Care and Early Education Operating During COVID-19.” These updates follow the latest guidance from the Oregon Health Authority and respond to feedback from child care providers, early learning partners, and families. Health and Safety Guidelines Version 2.0 took effect on June 1, 2021. To review the updated guidelines, click here.

The Early Learning Division has partnered with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to support Oregon child care providers with a COVID-19 nurse hotline. The number, 1-833-647-8222, is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at no cost to providers. Language assistance is also available. Child care providers can access the toll-free hotline for assistance with symptoms or health issues that are concerning to them or staff, questions about excluding children and staff, and steps to take if someone is positive for COVID-19.

Are you familiar with Caring for Our Children? The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education develops and maintains national health and safety standards for early care and education settings, as compiled in Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs (CFOC). This publication is an excellent resource for best practices with child care health and safety for both centers and family child care homes. Ten chapters cover critical topics and include rationale behind each standard.

Providers, directors, and teachers can use the standards to develop and implement sound practices, policies, and staff training to ensure that their program is healthy, safe, and age-appropriate for all children in their care. Areas of practice that have been impacted by Covid-19 are updated to reflect current modifications.

Also available are various publications that further address topic-specific standards, such as Special Health Care Needs; Caring for Infants and Toddlers; Environmental Health in Child Care; and Preventing Childhood Obesity.

School Garden Project (SGP) is regarded as the primary resource in Lane County for educators seeking to establish garden learning programs. Through our support services program, we provide information and consultations to schools and other organizations on how to establish new educational gardens and how to sustain existing gardens. SGP also shares information about free resources and materials available to garden programs in our community.

School Garden Project staff are available to support your efforts in the garden or any outdoor classroom space. We have resources to share including tips for outdoor education, worksheets and lessons, and seasonal gardening information. If you would like to connect with any questions, or would appreciate one-on-one (virtual) consultation and support, please email sarah@schoolgardenproject.org.

Here are two resources for summer garden planning!

Summer Garden Crops Planning - our top picks of fun and productive summer crops, and suggestions for mid-summer plantings. To access this resource, click here.

Summer Garden Irrigation and Care - tips to help keep your garden watered and coordinate summer care with your school community. To access this resource, click here.

Check out the School Garden Project's website for great resources! https://www.schoolgardenproject.org/

Co-teachers Marissa and Kate are out for a walk around the block with a small group of 18- to 30-month-olds. The sky is a brilliant blue and there are bright green grass shoots and spring leaves to touch and smell. Two-and-a-half-year-old Aisha approaches Marissa, eyes shining, clutching a treasured object in her hand. She uncurls her fingers to reveal an acorn. “Look!” she says. “What dis?” “Wow! That’s an acorn. It fell from the tree last fall,” Marissa answers. “If you plant it in the ground, it will grow into a big tree.”

Aisha discovers two more acorns and shares them with Brady, who is 2 years old. Kate offers Aisha and Brady small bags they can use to collect more acorns and other interesting objects they find during the walk. The group’s progress around the block is slow as the children find twigs, old brown leaves, new green leaves, and more acorns to bring back to the center.

It can be challenging to take young children outside—from naps to mealtimes and sunscreen

to mittens, a trip outdoors might feel like too much hassle. Additionally, play outside may seem unruly, overwhelming, or lacking in learning opportunities. But outdoor play is worth the time and effort.

Click here to read more...

Early Childhood CARES is seeking teaching assistants to support in-person classrooms including children with developmental delays and disabilities.

Temporary positions, including substitute work, are available by sending your resume and 3 references (including professional references) to jetaylor@uoregon.edu or calling Jeanine at 541-735-1766.

Permanent full-time benefited positions are posted, when available, on the UO website: http://careers.uoregon.edu/cw/en-us/listing/ (search for Early Childhood CARES).

Pay range is $13.73 to $18.66 based on experience.