Dear Early Childhood Professional:

We hope you enjoyed the summer and had some time to relax and refresh. September marks a month of transition as families get back on schedule and you welcome new children into your programs - it's a busy time and especially unpredictable with the evolving pandemic. To this end, be sure to check out our social media platforms throughout the month, where we will post all sorts of tips for helping with transitions. In this issue, we also include an article on resources to help you take care of yourself. We often lose sight of self-care when we are caring for so many others.

This issue also includes information on the Delaware Early Education and Child Care Stabilization Fund. Don't miss out on this opportunity to receive sub grants for your program to help with personnel costs such as salaries and bonuses or materials to sustain your program. It's easy to apply. And if you have questions, we have a team to help.

In our "Voices from the Field" series, we feature a program, "Just in Time Learning Academy," that managed to open through the pandemic through sheer resilience and determination - qualities we've seen demonstrated time and time again by early childhood professionals.

Finally, this summer, we mourned the passing of an early childhood education leader and advocate, Dr. Gwendolyn Sanders. Dr. Sanders worked tirelessly to make sure all children had access to quality care, specifically in the city of Wilmington.  We've included a tribute to her in this issue.