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National Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month-long initiative was first celebrated in 1983, to recognize the importance of families and communities coming together to build resiliency, take action, and stand with child advocates to prevent abuse. Child abuse impacts all races, education levels and income brackets. Numerous events will take place across Virginia throughout the month to help raise awareness and ensure that all children are safe across the state. Learn more about what you can do to prevent child abuse by visiting the Virginia Department of Social Services website.
Save the Date
April 18, 1 p.m. - Webinar: VPI Spring Application for School Divisions. Register
April 21, Noon - Webinar: Quality Matters – Overview of the 2023-2024 VQB5 Guidelines Part 2. Register
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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
New VDSS Resource: Safe Sleep Practices
Unsafe sleep is the leading cause of non-natural infant death in Virginia and can be prevented with simple safety precautions. The Virginia Department of Social Services recently released an infographic related to safe sleep practices. Learn more and share this important safe sleep practices flyer with the families you serve.
Virginia Child Care Scholarship Program - Summer 2023 Application Period – Open through April 15
The Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship Program is available for child care educators working in centers or family day homes. The program covers tuition and technology fees for up to two courses per semester. The application period for the Summer 2023 semester is available through Saturday, April 15. To learn more about the program, including how to apply, click here or email vaccscholarship@doe.virginia.gov.
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Virginia Preschool Initiative
VPI Spring Webinar Series: Next Session Webinar on April 13
VDOE will be host a two part webinar series to prepare school divisions for the 2023-2024 school year. VPI Coordinators and VPI Enrollment staff are encouraged to attend. Topics will include: strategies for increasing enrollment, tips for strong community partnerships, insights on successful program operations, and much more. Registration is required.
VPI Spring Webinar
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Session #1: Strategies for Enrollment March 30
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Session #2: Supporting Community Partnerships April 13 at 11:00 a.m.
VPI Spring Application: Technical Webinar on April 18
The Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) Spring Application will be released via the Single Sign-On Web System (SSWS) on April 17. This application is required for all school divisions that want to implement VPI in 2023-2024, and will contain all the necessary questions and information needed to request VPI. In order to support school divisions, the VDOE will host a technical webinar to review the VPI Spring Application on April 18. Attendance is recommended for VPI Coordinators, or other school division reporting contacts.
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Webinar: VPI Spring Application for School Divisions
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Date: April 18, at 1:00 p.m.
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Register
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Early Childhood Special Education
ECSE-CLASS Resources – New Webpage
Guidance and resources for using CLASS in early childhood settings that serve children with disabilities can be found on the new Early Chidlhood Special Education (ECSE) Teachstone webpage. Additional ECSE-CLASS resources will be added over the new few months. VQB5 Information for ECSE Coordinators is also available in this VDOE webinar recording from August 2022.
PEATC Early Childhood Academy: May 10 – June 23, 2023
The Early Childhood Academy is a free online self-paced course presented by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education. Families of young children with disabilities will learn about supporting their child’s early learning and development. The course will also share tips and frequently asked questions, including information on making the transition from early intervention to school services easier.
Head Start COVID-19 Vaccine and Mask Requirement Vacated – For more information see the Head Start section below.
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Head Start
COVID-19 Vaccine and Mask Requirement Vacated
The Office of Head Start has announced that effective April 7, 2023, there will not be a Head Start requirement for vaccination and testing in Head Start, Early Head Start, and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grant recipients in all states, tribes, and territories. Updated guidance in Program Instruction ACF-PI-HS-23-01 details the new requirement to establish an evidence-based COVID-19 Mitigation Policy. For more information, please review further OHS mitigation policy guidance.
OHS Improper Payment Study
The Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA), which became law on March 2, 2020, requires agencies to identify and review all programs and activities that may be susceptible to significant improper payments. The Office of Head Start will randomly select 150 recipient agencies nationally to participate in this in-depth review. Selected recipients will receive notification through the Head Start Enterprise System (HSES). Please make sure your grant recipient contact information is updated.
VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System
2023-2024 VQB5 Guidelines Part 2 – Upcoming Webinar on April 21
On April 21, VDOE will host Part 2 of the 2023-2024 VQB5 Guidelines Webinar. This webinar will provide additional details about VQB5 requirements for all publicly funded programs, as well as information about the development of the first public VQB5 quality profiles which will be shared in the fall of 2024. (View recording from the Part 1 webinar held on 3/17)
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Webinar: Quality Matters –Overview of the 2023-2024 VQB5 Guidelines Part 2
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Date: April 21 at Noon
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Register
ECSE-CLASS Resources
New resources for supporting Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) classrooms with CLASS have been posted by Teachstone. For more information, see the Early Childhood Special Education section above.
Early Learning Support
Early Learning and Development Standards Aligned Resources Pre-Recorded Webinar, Now Available!
The topic of this webinar is the connection between the ELDS, curriculum, and assessment and the early learning resources and tools available to the field to support classrooms including multilingual supports from WIDA, ECMHC, and more! After watching the webinar, please let us know about additional ways Virginia can support your understanding and use of ELDS aligned resources and tools by April 28.
VDOE Curriculum Vendor "Get to Know You" Lunch & Learn Series: Special Session for Infant and Toddler Providers on April 12
VDOE will host representatives from Creative Curriculum, Frog Street, and Early Learning Matters. This special session of our virtual and interactive Lunch & Learn series will showcase curriculum options designed to serve the needs of Infants and toddlers.
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Webinar: Curriculum Vendor "Get to Know You" Lunch & Learn: Creative Curriculum, Frog Street, and Early Learning Matters
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Date: April 12, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., plus optional 30 minutes for Q&A with vendors
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Register
STREAMin3 Enrollment Deadline Extended
The STREAMin³ team knows you're busy, so here's more time! Enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year has been extended until April 15.
STREAMin³ is a low-to-no-cost curriculum option available to all publicly funded birth-to-five programs in Virginia. Visit streamin3.org to watch the Getting To Know STREAMin³ webinar and learn more about our curriculum model. Have questions? You can email streamin3@virginia.edu, or call (855)787-6463.
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The March ECE Resource Hub Newsletter is available featuring resources and books to explore self-care and developing healthy habits in preschool and infant/ toddler settings
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The Spring - Ready B5 Recap is Here!
Click to view the Spring edition of Ready B5 Recap, the Quarterly Newsletter for Early Childhood Care and Education in Virginia.
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