🌸 VDOE Readiness Connections Update: May 31, 2022

Virginia Department of Education sent this bulletin at 05/31/2022 12:05 PM EDT

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

In Case You Missed It…

A Readiness Connections Special Edition was released last Friday, May 26. Deputy Superintendent of Early Childhood Care and Education, Jenna Conway, shares a heartfelt message recognizing last week’s tragic events at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX. You will also find resources for supporting children, families and educators through tragedy.

Save the Date

June 1 - Webinar: OHS Expectations for the 2022-2023 Program Year

June 6 - Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path Program Begins

June 15 - Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) Micro-Credential Pilot Launch

Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes

New Resource: Guide Your Children to Safe Waters

Lack of proper supervision is a leading cause of drowning in children. The Virginia Department of Social Services recently released guidance on how to protect young children around any body of water they may encounter, especially during the approaching summer months. Learn more and share this important water safety flyer with the families you serve.

Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) Micro-Credential Pilot Launches June 15 - Sign-up Today!

See the Early Learning Supports section for more information.

Virginia Preschool Initiative

Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path Program Begins June 6- Interested Families of Incoming Kindergartens Should Register Now

See full details in Early Learning Supports section or read Superintendent’s Memo #105-22 to learn more.

Check out the VPI webpage for tools and resources for VPI Programs. See information regarding the Preschool Class Size Guidance Document in the ECSE section.

Early Childhood Special Education

Preschool Class Size Guidance Document

When including children with disabilities in regular early childhood programs, careful consideration of class size and the proportionate number of students with IEPs is important. VPI, Head Start, Title 1, locally-funded, Reverse Inclusion, and community-based preschool programs are encouraged to review the Preschool Class Size Guidance Document to help plan for inclusive classes. This resource outlines regulations that impact the number of students with IEPs placed in a classroom and offers guidance for best practices.

Head Start

OHS Expectations for the 2022-2023 Program Year - Webinar Tomorrow, June 1

The Office of Head Start will host a webinar addressing program expectations for the 2022-2023 program year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, June 1 at 1:30 pm. Topics will include: CLASS assessments, the Full Enrollment Initiative, recruitment, and engagement strategies. All Head Start Recipient agencies are invited to attend. Register today.

Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path Program Begins June 6- Interested Families of Incoming Kindergartens Should Register Now

See the Early Learning Supports section for more info about this exciting opportunity or read last week’s News Release to learn more.

Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) Micro-Credential Pilot Launches June 15 - Interested Head Start Teacher and Teacher Assistants Should Sign-up Today!

See the Early Learning Supports section for more information.

See information regarding the Preschool Class Size Guidance Document in the ECSE section.

VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System

VQB5: Strengthening Interactions Panel Discussion

Last week, early childhood leaders from childcare centers, family day homes, VPI and Head Start discussed how they are using CLASS to support their teachers and improve children’s early learning experiences. If you missed it, you can still watch the Strengthening Quality Interactions Panel Discussion Webinar recording.

Visit the AEII Tools and Resources for Using CLASS website to learn more about the CLASS tool and how CLASS is being used in VQB5 to strengthen the quality of teacher-child interactions in birth-to-five classrooms.

Early Learning Support

Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path Program Begins June 6- Interested Families of Incoming Kindergartens Should Register Now

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.. This program begins June 6; interested families should register now!

Read last week’s News Release or Superintendent's Memo #105-22 to learn more.

Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) Micro-Credential Pilot Launches June 15- Sign-up Today!

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 launches June 15. Up to 1,000 birth to five educators will receive a $100 completion stipend (for the pilot only) and professional development credit. Family day home and child care educators will be prioritized for enrollment. Sign-up today! Participants will have until 8/30 to complete the micro-credential.

Access to Virginia’s Low-To-No Cost Curriculum Option, STREAMin3, Now Available

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 can request enrollment at streamin3.org.

Enrolled programs should have received logins to access the curriculum resources in the STREAMin3Curriculum Portal. If your program has not yet received a login, or if you have questions about the curriculum or enrollment, contact the STREAMin3 Team.

ECE Resource Hub Focus of the Month: Supporting Children’s Self-Confidence

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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