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Now Accepting Applications for the NEW Early Childhood Advisory Committee (ECAC) - Due December 18
The Board of Education (BOE) is now accepting applications for the Early Childhood Advisory Committee (ECAC). The ECAC’s role will be to review and advise the BOE on all programs, systems, and regulations related to Virginia’s new unified early childhood system in the Commonwealth. Members will serve a three-year term beginning on March 1, 2021. Early childhood educators, systems leaders, parents, and advocates are encouraged to apply. The Board seeks diverse representation in terms of race, ethnicity, home language, and geographic location among the appointees.
Information about the specific categories of membership and application instructions are included in Superintendent’s Memo #296-20 posted on November 6, 2020. The application is available in Attachment A. Applications must be received by Friday, December 18, 2020. Please contact Rebecca Ullrich by email at Rebecca.Ullrich@doe.virginia.gov or Emily Webb at Emily.Webb@doe.virginia.gov with questions.
New Equity Grant Opportunity for Virtual Family Engagement from Ready4K
Ready4K is now offering equity grant funding for virtual family engagement. The grant is designed to give equitable access to the company’s evidence-based family engagement curriculum, which is delivered via text message. Grants of up to 100% off a year of Ready4K will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding is limited; to learn more and request an application visit the Ready4K Equity Grant webpage.
Virginia’s Early Learning and Development Standards to be Presented to the Board of Education on November 19
The Office of Early Childhood has worked closely with early childhood experts and stakeholders over a two-year period to update the current Foundation Blocks for Learning and produce a comprehensive, birth-to-five guidance document that will support more children to enter kindergarten ready. Virginia’s Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS), Birth-Five Learning Guidelines will be presented to the Board of Education on November 19 for initial review. The final Board review of the ELDS will occur in January 2021.
The ELDS will be the early learning guidelines for birth-to-five programs beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. VDOE will support appropriate use of the learning guidelines through ongoing training and information for the full diversity of programs and educators. Please look for updates on how to access the final version of the new ELDS and introductory training materials in subsequent editions of Readiness Connections or other Office of Early Childhood communications.
Cups and Conversations Update
“Cups and Conversations,” a time for colleagues across the state to share local perspectives on how they are supporting children and families through the COVID-19 pandemic, continues on the first Wednesday of the month at 3:30 p.m. For this month’s call, Dawn Miller and Danielle Biggs from Spotsylvania shared how they are navigating building relationships and coordinated enrollment in their community. The next conversation is December 2. Registration is required to participate.
Resources from the November 4 session:
For those interested in facilitating a future conversation or who have topic recommendations, please complete the Cups and Conversations Planning Form.
Quality Matters: Virginia’s Vision for a Unified Quality Measurement & Improvement System
Legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly requires the establishment of a unified measurement and improvement system, which will be required of all publicly-funded early learning programs, including school-based PreK (VPI, ECSE, Title I), Head Start/Early Head Start and childcare centers and family day homes that participate in the child care subsidy program. This effort will begin with two learning years, the first of which will begin in 2021-2022. By fall 2023-2024, all publicly-funded programs in the state will participate in the unified measurement system, with ratings published by fall 2024.
On October 28th, information was shared related to the legislation, timeline and process for developing Virginia’s new unified system. For anyone who was unable to attend the live session, a recording is now available. A survey will be open through December 15th for colleagues to provide feedback during development. Participation is encouraged and is an opportunity to share thoughts, perspectives, and questions.
If your organization would like to have a follow-up conversation or if you’d like to schedule an overview presentation for the programs you work with, please contact Kris Meyers at Kris.Meyers@doe.virginia.gov
Resources from the October 28th webinar:
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