February 5, 2024

UPK Updates

UPK year 2 is just around the corner! With the launch quickly approaching for year 2, We will have more updates and information regarding pre-registration for current UPK students, open enrollment for new students, and much more in the coming weeks, please look for more information about the 24/25 UPK enrollment process!

Providers REMINDER:

Next year slot/program forms are due by February 16^th, please contact Lindsey Witz at 719-214-6202 or Lcoresource@eccslv.org for any help or questions.

Congratulations to Sanford Preschool on achieving their Level 5 Colorado Shines Quality Improvement Rating.

These ladies are dedicated, hardworking and strive for excellence. We couldn’t be prouder of them.

The Early Childhood Council of the San Luis Valley had the opportunity to interview these two busy ladies.

We thank you for all you do!

How long have you been in the childcare business?

Ms. Suzy: “I have been teaching in Early Childhood for 25 years.

Ms. Emily: “I have been teaching for 11 years.”

What’s the most rewarding part of providing such a valuable service?

Ms. Suzy: “It is rewarding to develop the minds of today’s kids and teach the young children the knowledge they need to succeed in life.”

Ms. Emily: “It is watching the children develop and grow. Seeing children develop and gain confidence in their abilities can be incredibly fulfilling.”

What is your favorite memory from your career?

Ms. Suzy: “Getting my BA and working fulltime as a Preschool Teacher. It was hard, but got it done! One of the first graduates of CU Denver- TPREP Program...YAY! Now getting a 5 rating will be my new memory.”

Ms. Emily: “I have so many favorite memories. I love every year having new preschoolers and watching them grow.”

Welcome to the PLAYbook:

Toddlers: Children Ages 3-5 Years Old

Growth & Learning - Between ages three and five, preschool-aged children are building skills that prepare them for kindergarten and

beyond. Their bodies and brains are continuing to develop. They will actively explore their world. Their learning can expand across

subjects, including math and science. Serve and return interactions are still helpful

activities that build new skills that contribute to a solid foundation to support preschoolers’ success when they enter kindergarten. Exploring safe environments with trusted adults is important at this age.

Explore more by clicking the link below for the full Playbook!

Early Head Start -

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!

Now accepting applications for Early Head Start! Click the link below to complete the interest form.

Click Here for interest form.

We need your help!

Right now, we have the chance to make a difference for millions of working families who are struggling to find or afford child care or early learning programs for their children. But the time to act is now.

Right now, federal lawmakers must use every opportunity available to shore up additional funding to support states as they seek to increase available child care, strengthen the workforce, and reduce costs for parents

Working parents, small children, child care providers and local employers are counting on them, but we need to make sure they hear our message.

Here's how

A message from Clayton:

Hello AMAZING friends of Clayton!

As most of you know Clayton has a department that focuses specifically on Educator’s Professional Development in ECE. We are looking to you as partners to help us by providing feedback on these services. Even if you have never used our services before, this quick survey will help design future training programs. Please help us by completing this survey (see link below) and sharing with your teams and other partners.

Together we strengthen our Early Childhood Community.

If you are an early childhood director/owner, coach, educator, family home provider, or council staff member in the state of Colorado, please complete this brief, ten-minute survey by March 15th, 2024.

Note: This survey can only be submitted once through the same IP address, so please complete the survey on your own device.

Complete the survey to be entered into a drawing to win one of four $50.00 Amazon gift cards!

Your input is valuable and very much appreciated!

Wishing you the best.

Maricela

Social/Emotional

Ideas for Using Books to Promote Social-Emotional Development

Click Here for full activity

Coaching

Did you know that the most important interactions you have with a child can happen through play? By engaging in playful serve and return with a child, you can literally help build stronger connections in the brain. Strong neural connections are the foundation for all of a child’s future learning, behavior and health.

Do you have 5 minutes? Check out the video below and Learn about Building a Baby’s Brain from Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D, the Director for the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

Resource and Referral

The Family Child Care Home Facilities Improvement Grant will re-open in Spring 2024!

To address the declining number of licensed slots within family child care home programs and to improve quality within home-based learning environments, the Buell Foundation, along with the Daniels Fund, granted funds to the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) to provide facility improvement funding to family child care home providers. This opportunity is intended to help family child care home providers start up, expand, or maintain consistent operations, increase capacity and reduce the number of family child care homes closing their doors due to financial restrictions.

Click here for the Eligibility Guidelines.

Dear Providers,

Click here to read about the recent updates to child care rules and regulations.

Are you looking for childcare?

Is your child over two years old? We have family child care home providers who want to hear from you! There are multiple spots available in Rio Grande County. Please contact Amanda Atencio at ecresource@ecclsv.org for more information.

Professional Development

Early Childhood Educator Income Tax Credit

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) became operational as of July 1, 2022. Credentials for Early Childhood Education were previously established, issued, and managed by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), however the management of the early childhood education credential program was transferred from CDE to CDEC on July 1, 2022 as the new department became operational. The tax credit is available beginning with tax year 2022.

https://cdec.colorado.gov/professional-certifications(opens in new window)

Those professionals who are also Colorado Residents may now qualify for the Early Childhood Educator Income Tax Credit.

In order to qualify for this credit, you must have:

A federal adjusted gross income (AGI) less than or equal to $75,000 if filing a single return or less than equal to $150,000 if filing jointly
Held an Early Childhood Professional Credential issued by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood for at least part of the income tax year, and
Been either the licensee of an eligible program or employed by an eligible program for at least six months of the income tax year. "Eligible program" means either an early childhood education program as defined in section 26.5-2-202(3), C.R.S. or a licensed family child care home. "Family child care home" has the same meaning as set forth in section 26.5-5-303(7), C.R.S. An eligible program must have held at least a level one quality rating pursuant to the Colorado Shines Quality Rating and Improvement System (Coloradoshines.com/programs (opens in new window)) during the income tax year.

Please refer to the following link for more information:

https://tax.colorado.gov/early-childhood-educator-income-tax-credit

*SCHOLARSHIPS

*We still have funds to support you with your education. Please click on the following link to access an application, or email Denise Benavides at pd@eccslv.org .

https://eccslv.org/scholarship-application/

*ECCLA also offers several different scholarships you can look into at the following link:

https://ecclacolorado.org/scholarshipsandgrants/

ECCLA Early Childhood Education Scholarships and Grants

ECCLA currently offers several scholarship and grant opportunities for students who would like to earn a degree or certificate in early childhood education, and for home-based providers who are seeking funding to start up, expand, or maintain consistent operations for their family child care home facility.

ecclacolorado.org

*PDIS

The Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System is being enhanced and the changes will go live in March. Please sign up for PDIS HELP SESSIONS at the following link join a New Demo session if you are interested. Also, the Early Learning Team will be available to support you, please reach out to Denise Benavides at pd@eccslv.org, or call at 719-588-4553.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1N_ByxT6qJNlSVRv1adteHpW5kSVaPKJG/edit#slide=id.p2

Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities!

View Upcoming Live Virtual and In-Person Training Events to learn about professional development opportunities happening through March. There are many free opportunities, including:

ONE Step Colorado—Secondhand Smoke and Asthma Training
Nature Play at Home
Designing and Activating Your Outdoor Space for Nature Play and Learning
An Introduction to Ages & Stages Questionnaire-3 and Ages & Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional-2

Several low-cost opportunities to earn social-emotional hours including:

Utilizing Emotional Support as a Blueprint for Brain Architecture
Trauma Informed Practices
Social-Emotional Awareness: Understanding the Impact of Temperament and Emotions
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Do You Make a Difference?
Guiding Children’s Behavior: It Starts with Us

Circle of Security Classroom Opportunity

Are you interested in having your program staff increase their abilities to form secure relationships with the children in their care? Contact Jennifer Sommer Sheppard (jennifersommersheppard@auroramhr.org) to arrange for a free 12-hour in-person or virtual training that includes relationship-based strategies to respond to children's social-emotional needs for safe, secure relationships in the classroom. Individuals may reach out to learn about upcoming sessions they may join. Available in English or Spanish. Hours awarded support the Social-Emotional Health and Development competency domain.

*Training Opportunities

*Upcoming Live Virtual & In-Person Training Events

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nm0RGhirJcglkPQDsx85FyX55QgjTN5HXWlsy-wJ1DY/edit

February 2024 TAP Upcoming Events

docs.google.com

*Clayton Early Learning

https://www.claytonearlylearning.org/elevate/elevate-trainings-events.html

Elevate: Raising the Bar for Educators

Elevate your early childhood education journey with Clayton Early Learning's exciting new brand! Elevate offers top-notch coaching, training, and resources for educators.

www.claytonearlylearning.org

*Early Childhood Investigations 2024 webinars at a glance!

>>>NEXT<<<>>Business decision-making<<

Making Informed Business Decisions in Your Program, by Tara Franklin

February 7, 2024

>>>Social-emotional learning<<<

How Perspective-Taking Nurtures Empathy, Kindness, & Justice in ECE

February 21, 2024

>>Inclusive STEM<<

Think, Try, Fix, Share: Inclusive Engineering with Young Children Using Universal Design, by Angi Stone-MacDonald, Ph.D. and Amanda Lopes, Ph.D.

February 22, 2024

>>Documentation with Learning Stories<<

Using Learning Stories to Make Learning Visible to Children and Families, by Sharon Carlson and Amanda Higgins

February 28, 2024

>>Coaching for nature<<

Nature-Based Learning: Inspiring & Supporting Staff to help children learn with nature, by Dr. Rachel A. Larimore

March 6, 2024

>>Coaching to lead<<

Coaching Strategies that Empower Teachers to Lead From Within, by Jennifer Slavin, M.Ed.

March 14, 2024

>>Books for your classroom<<

Award-Winning Nature Books for Teachers, Children and Families in Your Program! by Betsy Bird, Martha Meyer and Bridget Petrites

March 20, 2024

>>Program Assessment<<

Turning the Stress of Program Assessment into a Superpower for Teachers and Administrators, by Lynee Lopez

March 27, 2024

>>Strategies for children's behavior<<

In the Heat of the Moment: Understanding Escalating Behaviors in Early Childhood, by Barbara Kaiser

March 28, 2024

>>Creativity with loose parts<<

Outdoor Loose Parts! Spark Creativity, Problem-Solving, Communication, and Self-Confidence With Loose Parts Play, by Rusty Keeler

April 10, 2024

>>Social emotional learning<<

T o Co-Regulate or Demand Compliance? Supporting teachers’ use of co-regulation strategies with children, by Prerna Richards

May 1, 2024

>>>NEW<<<>>Talking with Children<<

Nurturing Play and Creativity in Young Children Through Everyday Conversation, by Rebecca Rolland, Ed.D.

August 7, 2024

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