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SAVE THE DATE
March 16 - 2:00 PM
VPI Spring Access and Inclusion Series Part 1 Registration Required
March 16 - 11:00 AM
VQB5 Webinar: Quality Matters-Update on the Practice Years
Info and Registration
April 12 - 10:00 AM
Early Childhood Virtual Town Hall with State Superintendent, Jillian Balow and Secretary of Education, Aimee Guidera.
Click here to register and submit your questions
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Save-the-Date: Virtual Town Hall on Early Childhood in Virginia
Join the new Virginia Secretary of Education, Aimee Guidera, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jillian Balow, for a Virtual Town Hall on April 12, 2022 at 10 AM Eastern Time to discuss birth-to-five early childhood care and education in Virginia. Jenna Conway, Deputy Superintendent of Early Childhood Care and Education, will be facilitating the conversation.
Click here to register and submit your questions.
Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes
Accepting ARPA Child Care Stabilization Grant applications through March 31
March 30, 2022 is the LAST day to apply for the Child Care Stabilization Grant Program. Visit https://doe.virginia.gov/childcaregrants for application details and a link to the application portal.
Virginia Child Care Scholarship Program - Summer 2022 Application Now Open
The Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship Program is available for child care program staff (center-based and family child care). The program pays for 2 classes a semester and there are no out-of-pocket costs for the student upon award. The application period for Summer 2022 classes is open March 15, 2022 through April 15, 2022. To learn more about this program, including how to apply, click here.
Updated VDH COVID-19 Interim Guidance for Child Care Facilities
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) updated their COVID-19 Interim Guidance for Child Care Facility Collaboration with the Local Health Department on 3/10/2022. The new guidance can also be accessed through the VDH website, which includes the guidance and template notifications for programs if needed. The VDOE Child Care Guidelines were last updated 3/2/2022 and remain the same.
Child Care Test to Stay Information Session - Friday, March 18
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is holding a Child Care COVID-19 Test to Stay virtual Informational Session on Friday, March 18 from 11:30- 12:30 PM for child care facilities and local health districts. This session will be used to review guidance on the Test to Stay option, which allows close contacts of individuals with COVID-19 who are 2 years of age or older and not eligible for or not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines to continue to attend the child care facility during their quarantine period, as long as they remain asymptomatic and test negative on repeated daily rapid antigen COVID-19 tests. More information can be found on the VDH website at: Child Care Testing - Coronavirus (virginia.gov). Please register for this session and include any questions you may have at registration.
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Virginia Preschool Initiative
VPI Spring Access and Inclusion - Three Part Webinar Series for VPI Coordinators
This informational series will address expansions and enhancements to VPI, ways to expand enrollment, and updates to the VPI Guidelines. This is an excellent way to prepare for Spring Application and the upcoming school year. All meetings will be recorded and shared following the session.
- VPI Spring Access and Inclusion Webinar
- March 16 & 30, April 13 at 2pm
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Registration Required - Link will register for all three events
Office Hours: VPI Spring Access and Inclusion
This will be the first of three application windows to submit the VPI Local Criteria Eligibility Waiver, which allows divisions to request that more than 15% of their VPI slots use locally determined eligibility criteria. Each application is reviewed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and VDOE staff. To prepare, ensure access to the application in SSWS by contacting your local SSWS manager.
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Early Childhood Special Education
Resource from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Autism Center for Excellence: How To - Transition
Transitions can be challenging for all young children, but they are especially difficult for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While transitions are a necessary part of life, too many transitions or long, chaotic transitions can represent a loss of learning time. To maximize learning opportunities for these young learners, check out the strategies for supporting smoother transitions throughout the day in this video resource from the VCU Autism Center for Excellence.
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Head Start
Resources To Make You Smile
The National Center for Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety shares their monthly newsletter full of tips and resources to promote good oral health for children and families. March is National Nutrition Month, and this newsletter is inclusive of great healthy recipes. Register for this newsletter and review other valuable oral health resources available on the early childhood learning and knowledge center website.
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VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System
VQB5 Quality Matters Webinar
VDOE is excited to provide an update on the development of the new Virginia Quality Birth to Five System (VQB5). During this webinar, VDOE will share updates about current Practice Year 1 activities as well as plans for next year's Practice Year 2. Anyone interested in learning about the VQB5 Practice Years is welcome to attend. (This webinar will also be recorded).
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Webinar Title: Quality Matters - Update on the Practice Years
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Date/Time - March 16th at 11am
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Register
VQB5 Practice Year 2 (2022-2023) - Interested in Learning More?
Next year will be Practice Year 2 for VQB5. All early childhood programs are invited and encouraged to participate. Early childhood programs interested in learning more about VQB5 Practice Year 2, can complete this form and a Ready Regions representative will follow up to provide additional information and next steps. As a reminder, VQB5 will be required for all publicly-funded early childhood programs beginning in fall 2023. Practice Year 2 is the final practice year.
Early Learning Support
Access to Virginia’s No-To-Low Cost Early Childhood Curriculum Option, STREAMin3, Available This Spring
Virginia is reducing disparities in access to comprehensive early childhood curriculum by providing a no-to-low cost curriculum option, STREAMin3, beginning this month. STREAMin3 is an open-resource curriculum model available to all birth to five publicly funded classrooms. Learn more about STREAMin3, access and enrollment and how to get the curriculum.
Important reminder: Programs participating in VQB Practice Years have multiple options for selecting a VDOE-approved curriculum. Read about Early Childhood Curriculum Options for VQB5.
Spring VKRP and PALS Assessment Terms Approaching
The Spring VKRP Assessment Term opens April 11 for publicly-funded preK programs that are required (VPI and VECF Mixed Delivery Classrooms) or opted to participate this school year (2021-2022). Refer to the VKRP FAQs document for more information on requirements, the assessments and VKRP administration.
The VKRP team will share assessment preparation tips in the March 22 blog (sign-up). Highlights include:
- Refreshing your skills by watching the online training modules,
- Reading the Spring 2022 Teacher Manual, and
- Practicing the spring version of the EMAS math assessment.
The Spring PALS-PreK Assessment Term opens April 25. The PALS Team was featured in the latest VKRP blog entitled Make a Game Plan for PALS Spring 2022!, where they shared helpful tips in order to prepare for the spring PALS assessment.
Questions?
Learn more about VKRP.
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New! ECE Resource Hub Focus of the Month: Fostering Peer Relationships ("Friendship Skills")
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