|
|
DHHS | Early Childhood Newsletter
July 2024
|
|
Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration
Division of Economic Stability
The vision of the Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration (BCDHSC) is to provide families, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances, access to affordable high-quality early childhood care and education that best fits their needs.
We work to deliver this vision through collaborative partnerships that focus on three priorities:
- Quality Programs
- Qualified Workforce
- Access to Services
Together, we are creating a strong foundation on which New Hampshire families can thrive. We plan to promote our programs and engage with families to ensure they have access to key supports. By partnering with program providers and stakeholders, we hope to support every child’s holistic development and learning, enhance family well-being, and promote family engagement in children’s educational journeys.
Visit NH Connections (nh-connections.org) for more information.
|
|
|
Summer Meal Resources
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) offers free meals to all children under 18 years of age. To locate a site near you, search the USDA summer meals site locator. Additional locations can be found on the NH Food Bank summer nutrition web page.
At participating farmers’ markets, farm stands, community supported agriculture (CSAs), and grocery retailers, when shoppers spend SNAP/EBT, we double their purchasing power. It’s easy! Simply shop with SNAP/EBT and Granite State Market Match or Double Up Food Bucks at participating sites, and get 50% off on fruits, vegetables, herbs, seeds, and/or seedlings.
SFSP sponsor pages have more details about the sites they administer. Here are a few of the larger sponsor web pages below:
|
|
|
 Summer Water Safety
CPSC Drowning Report Shows Increase in Child Fatalities
June 6, 2024- "As the summer swim season kicks off with the opening of pools nationwide, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released its annual drowning and submersion report. The report highlighted specific drowning hazards for children under 5 years of age such as, in 2023, 77 percent of all estimated pool- or spa-related, ED-treated, nonfatal drowning injuries involved children younger than 5 years of age." - CPSC
Parents and caregivers can follow Pool Safely’s simple steps to keep children safer in and around the water:
- Supervise Children: Always watch children in or near water and never leave them unattended.
- Children should wear an approved personal flotation device (life jacket)
- Learn to Swim: Teach children how to swim.
- Know Your Drains: Teach children to stay away from pool and spa drains.
- Ensure Compliance: Ensure all pools and spas have compliant drain covers.
- Install Safety Devices: Install barriers (fences around pools), covers, and alarms.
- Get Certified: Know how to perform CPR on children and adults.
For more information about the CSPC Pool Safely Program, go to: https://www.poolsafely.gov/. All the Pool Safely materials are available to order online free of charge.
|
|
About This Newsletter
The Council for Thriving Children, established in 2020 by Executive Order 2020-03, serves as New Hampshire’s statewide advisory council on early childhood care and education. The Council is informed by four main quadrants: one of which is the DHHS Early Childhood Integration Team (ECIT). ECIT is a group of leaders from DHHS representing early childhood programs, divisions, offices and funding streams that promote the health and wellbeing of children from before birth to age eight. The team works to ensure that early childhood programs and offices of DHHS have open and comprehensive communication, integration and coordination among themselves, with New Hampshire's Department of Education, and with other state, local, academic, and private partners.
This newsletter provides regular updates from the DHHS ECIT on the many programs, workgroups and initiatives happening to strengthen early childhood families.
|
|
|
|
