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Office of Early Childhood & Out-of-School Learning |
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Attend Listening Sessions with OECOSL Director
The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) is hosting in-person sessions with child care providers and other early childhood professionals across the State of Indiana to answer questions and listen to concerns.
Local chapters of the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (INAEYC) are hosting the following sessions:
- Fort Wayne | Wednesday, October 16 at 6 p.m. ET
- Bloomington | October 30 at 6 p.m. ET
- Valparaiso | November 12 at 6 p.m. ET
- Indianapolis | November 13 at 6 p.m. ET
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Submissions Open for Indiana Early Childhood Conference
The Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (INAEYC) invites you to submit a proposal for the 2025 Indiana Early Childhood Conference. Proposals should outline workshops or sessions that offer timely, relevant, and thought-provoking learning opportunities. The submission deadline is October 31.
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Join Indiana Educator Job Board Webinar Series
If you're hiring for your child care program, a new webinar series can help you find the right candidates. Join Dr. Kristin Trostel from Nimble, the Indiana Educator Job Board software operator, to learn how to attract high-quality job seekers to your organization.
Register online and earn training certificates through this series of three webinars:
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October 23 at 12 p.m. ET
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October 30 at 12 p.m. ET
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November 6 at 12 p.m. ET
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Don't Forget to Register for SPARK Group Coaching
There are still two SPARK Group Coaching opportunities open for registration.
Register now at IndianaSpark.com/cohorts for the October 2024 Group Coaching sessions. See below for upcoming registration deadlines:
- Infant Toddler for Facilities: Thursday, October 17
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PTQ Level 2 Advancement for Facilities: October 22
Have questions about SPARK Group Coaching? Contact the SPARK Help Desk at 1-800-299-1627, help@indianaspark.com or use the "Chat with an Expert" feature located in the lower right corner of IndianaSpark.com. Join us and take your program to the next level.
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Learn About Expanded Eligibility for Child Care Workers
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and On My Way Pre-K (OMWPK) income eligibility has expanded for employees of regulated child care programs. This change allows more workers to qualify for child care assistance. This update is a result of Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 2, which passed earlier this year.
The income eligibility threshold for child care workers increased from 150% of the federal poverty level (FPL) to 85% of State median income (SMI). For reference, 150% FPL for a family of four is $3,900 per month, while 85% SMI is $6,756 per month. View a full SMI chart online.
Newly eligible child care employees must be referred to the Eligibility Office by their employer or by a registered program administrator/supervisor at the site where they work through a simple process in I-LEAD. Learn more about this process.
This expanded assistance is limited, and not every child care worker who applies will receive it. Be sure to make referrals and encourage employees to apply as soon as possible.
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Support Multilingual Learners in Early Learning
Early learning educators and administrators can now access instructional guidance and resources to support multilingual children and their families. The Indiana Department of Education's (IDOE's) Office of Kindergarten Readiness and the Office of English Learners and Migrant Education have collaborated to provide these best practices.
Register to join us in the Indiana Learning Lab to explore this collection of resources and guidance from 1 to 2 p.m. ET on October 24.
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Train with SPARK Learning Lab
Explore valuable upcoming training opportunities through SPARK Learning Lab. See a full list of upcoming face-to-face training, live webinars, and live resources, plus read training descriptions, and find registration instructions at IndianaSpark.com/training.
Review this week's training schedule:
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