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SAVE THE DATE
JOIN US TODAY at 3PM for the Early Childhood Virtual Town Hall with State Superintendent, Jillian Balow and Secretary of Education, Aimee Guidera. Click here to register.
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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 19, 2022 at 3pm 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. A recording of this event will be shared in Readiness Connections next week.
Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes | Virginia Preschool Initiative | Early Childhood Special Education | Head Start | VQB5 | Early Learning
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Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes
Virginia Department of Health (VDH) - Recorded Informational Sessions Test to Stay
Virginia Department of Health (VDH) local health districts are actively distributing eMed proctored at-home COVID-19 rapid test kits to child care facilities for diagnostic testing of students, teachers, and staff. Child care facilities are invited to attend VDH Child Care Testing Office Hours on Tuesdays from 3:30pm - 4pm to ask questions about how to use test kits and implement Test to Stay. These sessions are not required. Facilities may drop in to the Office Hours to ask questions during the allotted time. Please register here.
Please visit the VDH Child Care Testing Website for detailed guidance on how to use the test kits and the Test to Stay option for child care facilities. Recordings and slides from our informational sessions can be found on the website.
If you are a child care facility administrator who is interested in receiving test kits from your local health district, please fill out the survey linked here.
Virginia Preschool Initiative
VPI Spring Access and Inclusion Recordings - Webinar Series for VPI Coordinators
This series has concluded please find the recordings below
VPI Spring Application Webinar - Release of Application and Scheduled Webinar on May 4
The VDOE will release the VPI Spring Application soon. This application, released via the Single Sign-On Web System (SSWS) will contain all the necessary questions and information needed to apply for VPI for the 2022-2023 School Year. An email will be sent to current VPI coordinators once the application is live, with a Superintendent’s Memo to follow shortly. In order to support divisions, the VDOE will host a technical webinar to review the VPI Spring Application
VPI/ECSE Coordinators Meeting on Gap Analysis
VDOE is previewing a new data tool that will help VPI/ECSE coordinators and other key stakeholders make decisions about access, enrollment, and supply-building in their local communities.
- VPI and ECSE Coordinators are invited to join VDOE staff on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 2 PM to learn more about the tool and offer feedback.
- Registration is required. Please register here to join the conversation.
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Early Childhood Special Education
Preparing for the Early Childhood to Kindergarten Transition Course: Provided by the VCU Autism Center for Excellence
This self-paced course, provided by the Virginia Commonwealth University Autism Center for Excellence (VCU-ACE) is designed to support transition teams and help them consider critical issues for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they transition from early childhood programs to kindergarten. This course covers transition timeline, identifying children’s strengths and learning challenges, evidence-based practices to support children with ASD and more.
Single Sign-on for Web Systems (SSWS) Special Education Indicator Application is now OPEN
The FFY2021 SSWS Special Education Indicators Application is now open for Indicator 7 - Early Childhood Outcomes. The collection window for Indicator 7 data is July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022. Entry and exit ratings must be submitted by August 15, 2022. Detailed directions for data entry and submission are available at the Special Education Data Collection Webpage on the VDOE Website.
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Head Start
Supporting the ECE Workforce through Apprenticeship Programs
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced approximately $113 million in funding for the Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) Grant Program. These funds will expand the Registered Apprenticeship Program that provides opportunities for workers to obtain necessary skills while they are employed in their industry. Child care, Head Start, and other early learning settings have been identified as areas in demand.
Fiscal Year 2022 Funding Increase for Head Start Programs
The Biden Administration signed the Appropriations Act in 2022 increasing the funding levels an additional $289 million through the Head Start Act for programs nationwide. This increase is detailed in the Program Instruction released by the Office of Head Start ACF-PI–HS–22-02 Fiscal Year (FY)2022 Head Start Funding Increase that includes a 2.28% cost-of-living-adjustment and $52 million for quality improvement to all Head Start Recipient Agencies and Early Head Start partnership grant recipients.
Reminder: Notice of Funding Opportunity Now Available for Select Counties
The Department of Health and Human Services has extended the deadline for two new Head Start Notice of Funding Opportunity applications available on Grants.gov totaling $2,102,781 for the following service areas:
Service Area(s)
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Total Funding Available
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Caroline County
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$983,950
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Essex, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland Counties
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$1,118,831
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Please review eligibility guidelines, and all application packages must be submitted electronically by May 5, 2022. If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: Valerie Pels-Kohout at OHSgrants@koniag-gs.com
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VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System
VQB5 Practice Year 2 (2022-2023) - Board of Education Review and Opportunity to Learn More
This week, the Guidelines for VQB5 Practice Year 2 will be presented to the Board of Education (BOE) for first review on April 21st. VQB5 Presentation materials and meeting information is available on the BOE website.
Early childhood programs interested in learning more about VQB5, can view this VQB5 Information Flyer which explains the benefits to participating in Practice Year 2, along with the timeline and requirements for the upcoming 2022-2023 practice year.
Early Learning Support
Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) Micro-Credential Pilot - Sign Up for Info and $50 Pilot Completion Stipend
VDOE has partnered with the Vinod Chacra IMPACT Lab at Radford University to pilot an ELDS micro-credential. This 5-hour, non-credit bearing, online, self- and competency-based micro-credential will launch this summer. Up to 1,000 birth to five educators will receive a $50 completion stipend (for the pilot only) and professional development credit. Family day home and child care educators will be prioritized for enrollment. Complete the ELDS Introduction Micro-Credential Pilot interest form to learn more.
Request enrollment for STREAMin3 and Register for Spring Webinar Series
The STREAMin3 curriculum model is an open-source curriculum option available to all publicly-funded birth to five programs in Virginia at low-to-no cost. Interested programs should make enrollment requests now. Visit streamin3.org to learn how to get the curriculum.
If you missed the informational session last week, view the recording or call the STREAMin3 team with your questions at 855-STRMIN3 (855-787-6463), Monday-Thursday 9AM-3PM. The "A Closer Look at STREAMin3" webinar series continues on April 20th, 23rd, 27th and 28th. Register here.
Start Kindergarten Confident and Prepared with this Amazing Summer At-Home Learning Opportunity!
Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path is an at-home PreK learning program for children the summer before kindergarten.
Children will love learning with fun activities that teach reading, math, and more—all at no cost! Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path will provide everything needed to complete the program, including computer and Internet to qualifying families.
The Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path school readiness program includes:
- Award-winning software
- Independent online activities and resources for off-line practice
- Guidance and tools to help support learning
Click here to learn more! Visit waterford.org/summer or call 888-982-9898 to get started today!
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ECE Resource Hub Focus of the Month: Supporting Children’s Social Problem-Solving Skills
Check Out The Ready B5 Recap!
Click here to view the Inaugural Edition of Ready B5 Reacap, the new Quarterly Newsletter for Early Childhood Care and Education in Virginia.
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