¡Versión en español a seguir! |
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This month at QSLA, we focus on self-care and mindfulness practices for families and providers. |
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Scroll through this newsletter for valuable Family Engagement resources as well as the NEW "You Asked, We Answered" section where we respond to your specific support requests.
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In Honor of Women's History Month:
Mary McLeod Bethune
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This month we highlight Mary McLeod Bethune, who was was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitarian, womanist, and civil rights activist in addition to playing key roles such as founding the National Council of Negro Women and serving as a national advisor to president Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Consider this quote from her last will and testament: "I leave you to love. I leave you to hope. I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. I leave you a thirst for education. I leave you a respect for the use of power. I leave your faith. I leave you racial dignity. I leave you a desire to live harmoniously with your fellow men. I leave you a responsibility to our young people."
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Staff Development and Support
Enhance Your Family Engagement Knowledge and Skills
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Are you looking for more ways to be mindful with yourself and the families you work with? You are in luck! Explore our NEW self-guided course, "Creating More Mindful Family Engagement Practices," where you will learn about mindfulness and the value it brings to our relationships with ourselves and the families we serve.
This 1-hour interactive course includes:
- Mindfulness exercises involving and grounding
- Information on how mindfulness relates to trauma and healing trauma
- Plenty of ready-to-use resources!
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These trainings support ECERS-R: Item 43- Opportunities for Professional Growth, PAS: Item 3- Staff Development, FCCERS-R: Item 37- Opportunities for Professional Development, and BAS: Item 1-Qualifications and Professional Development |
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Welcoming Environment
Ensure Your Program Feels Inviting
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In working towards creating spaces that feel safe and welcoming for families, we need to first reflect on our programs and what feelings these places evoke. In this 2-page resource, Claudia Mincemoyer, director of Better Kid Care program at PennState Extension, guides us through what creates "a sense of place," for early learning programs. This clear guide covers:
- Key questions for reflecting on the type of place our programs are
- Routines and rituals we can adjust/co-create with children and their families
- Insightful practices that can create a sense of belonging with families
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This video will support ECERS-R: Item 9 and FCCERS-R: Item 35- Provisions for Parents, PAS: Item 16- Family Communications, and BAS: Item 7- Provider Parent Communications. |
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Family Partnerships
Work with Families to Build a Stronger Program
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Self-Care Resources for Families |
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Making Time for Yourself: A Self-Care Guide for Busy Parents by Guadalupe Lugo at the Yolo County Children's Alliance. With parents and family members having many responsibilities and priorities to manage, it can leave them feeling worn out and with little energy to care for themselves. This guide can help adult family members find ways to take care of themselves and release stress.
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Helping Your Child Development Independence: Self-Care Skills by TATS Talks with Families. Explore this handy resource document full of tangible practices to help families (and our early learning programs) as they teach young children valuable life skills. Remember, when children are modeled positive ways of handling situations consistently, they show more positive behavior and happier moods, which in turn helps boost a family's overall well-being! The skill areas covered in this guide include: Self Care, Feeding, Hygiene and Bathing, and Personal Responsibility.
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Creating a Calm Down Corner - Being able to calm yourself when emotions run high – or self-regulate – is a learned skill. Help families by modeling calm down corners in your early learning program and encouraging/supporting them to create their own in their homes as one way to teach children how to regulate their emotions! Click below to read more about calm down corners, how to equip them, and how to support families to create them in their homes as well!
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This resource will support ECERS-R: Item 38 and FCCERS-R: Item 35- Provisions for Parents, PAS: Item 16- Family Communications, and BAS: Item 7- Provider Parent Communications. |
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Community Partnerships
Use Community Resources to Strengthen Program Quality
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Parents Anonymous® Inc is a nationwide organization focused on serving Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), Hispanic, Latinx, and Asian individuals and families. Parents Anonymous® has been rated as a supported, evidence-based intervention program by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’. What does Parents Anonymous® provide?
- Free, trauma-informed, evidenced-based emotional support to parents, children and youth through online weekly evidence-based support groups
- The California Parent & Youth Helpline, 1- 855-427-2736.
In these confidential settings, parents/caregivers address their underlying emotions and build resiliency to strengthen their family. Parents can join a weekly online support group NOW by clicking this website or by calling Senior Program Manager, Lanita Tademy at (909) 575-4212 or Community Outreach Advocate, Nayeli Guerrero (909) 616-7909.
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Knowing and using these community resources will support PAS: Item 17- Family Support Involvement, BAS: Item 8-Community Resources, and NAEYC Accreditation: Standard 7-Families |
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Early Educator's Wellbeing
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Each month, we respond to your needs as early educators by sharing helpful related QSLA resources as well as additional external resources.
This month: How can we support early educator's wellbeing?
Here are a variety of responses:
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Are you looking for support in another area?
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If you would like to share some inspiring words, click here! To see more provider perspectives, field related news, and early learning resources follow our social media accounts.
*These quotes have been edited for grammar and clarity.
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Were you forwarded this email and/or would you like to sign up to receive our Family Engagement Newsletters? Please click here to sign up!
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