Tuesday Times

Ohio Department of Children and Youth sent this bulletin at 08/06/2024 04:48 PM EDT

DCY Tuesday Times
Issue 14: August 6, 2024

Tuesday Times

This ongoing correspondence focuses on essential business-related information, providing important updates for our partners. These updates encompass practice and policy adjustments, data dashboard enhancements, funding prospects, program details, training initiatives, and various other pertinent topics.

For Your Awareness

Crayons with the words Thank you teachers

DCY and Governor DeWine Wish Teachers a Wonderful Year

DCY wants to send our appreciation and wishes for a terrific school year to Ohio's teachers. Every day in the classroom, teachers are DOING WHAT'S RIGHT FOR KIDS, and helping children and youth reach their full potential.

Governor DeWine has his own message for teachers to kick off this new school year. You can watch it here. Thanks for putting your heart and soul into teaching the leaders of tomorrow!

Updates by Program Area

Identification

Children Services

Home Visiting

Ohio Children's Trust Fund

Maternal and Infant Vitality Programming

Early Education

Early Intervention

Publicly Funded Child Care

Early Childhood Education

Preschool Special Education

Licensing

Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ohio

Support

Ohio Commission on Fatherhood

Ohio Family Children First Council

Healthy Beginnings at Home

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

Strong Families, Safe Communities

Identification

Policy and Practice Update Reminder

Guidance Letter DCY 24-024 was sent to public and private placement agencies on July 24, 2024.

This letter was sent extending the date of current guidance from August 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, and updating the process agencies follow for current and new foster caregivers, adoption applicants, household members, college interns, subcontractors, volunteers, employees, board presidents, officers, and administrators regarding disqualifying offenses and the use of rehabilitative criteria as outlined OAC 5101:2-5-09.1. Please refer to the guidance document for additional details.

College Adoption Grant Info

House Bill 45 of the 134^th General Assembly included language that created the Ohio College Adoption Grant through the Department of Higher Education. The Governor signed this bill on January 6, 2023. The College Adoption Grant provides a one-time award of $2,500 to students who were adopted on/after January 1, 2023, and choose to attend a qualifying college or university in the state of Ohio. Go to College Adoption Grant | The Ohio Department of Higher Education for more information.

Bady with Mother and Father outside playing on the grass

Updates and Guidance Letters

Date	Resource Name
7/25	FCASPL #417- Kinship Permanency Incentive Program Payments State Fiscal Year 2025
8/6	DCY Guidance Letter 24-025- Foster Care Recruitment Campaign
8/6	DCY Update- Trauma Informed Care Human Trafficking
8/1	DCY Update- Council to Advance Maternal Health Newsletter
8/5	DCY Update- OhioSTART Program Newsletter

Early Education

Ohio PROMISE launches the Level 3 Professional Early Childhood Inclusion Credential!

With over 3,200 Ohio early care and education professionals completing Level 1 and another 450 completing both Levels 1 and 2, DCY is excited to announce that Level 3 of the Professional Early Childhood Inclusion Credential is now available.

At Level 3, you will have earned the Advanced distinction in early childhood inclusion knowledge and practices.

This professional development is available completely on-demand online and at no cost. All of the hours are Ohio Approved and Inclusion is an optional area in the professional development requirement for Step Up to Quality. To access the Level 3 credential, you must have completed Levels 1 and 2. You will see the Level 3 Credential option in the Applications tab of your Ohio Professional Registry profile.

For Levels 1 and 2, everything you need is at https://occrra.org/ohio-professional-registry/inclusion-credential/

school kids raising their hands to answer a question

Updates and Guidance Letters

Date	Resource Name
8/1	DCY Guidance Letter 24-026- Family Child Care Recruitment Mentoring Project
8/6	DCY Update- Early Learning Assessment Updates Aug24
8/6	DCY Update- EI Program Updates 2415
7/31	The Early Childhood Inclusion Scoop

Support

Social/Emotional Toolkits to be Distributed Statewide

OhioRISE and the Appalachian Children's Coalition high school interns, as well as community youth exploring mental health careers, worked together on a special back-to-school project in July. They designed and assembled 1,250 social/emotional toolkits to distribute to early learning centers, family childcares, and public preschools statewide. The kits include curriculum to promote social-emotional development and support early learning.

This type of project meets the objectives of the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) Program, to build protective factors in young children, increase skills of parents, and promote the competencies of early childhood providers, especially for children ages birth to six years who are at risk for abuse, neglect, and poor social and emotional health.

You can learn more about this project in the September edition of Kids Corner.