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Earn $30 and Help Improve Early Care and Education in Virginia!
Do you work as a teacher or site leader at a center, Head Start, public school, or family day home participating in VQB5? If so, you may be eligible to take an important survey!
Partners from the Study of Early Education through Partnerships at UVA have sent email invitations (from noreply@surveys.virginia.edu) with a unique survey link to all eligible educators. Eligible educators who complete the survey will receive a $30 gift card!
Questions? Go to the FAQ page or contact the UVA team (see-partnerships@virginia.edu or 434-297-6882).
Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes
Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarships - Last Week to Submit Applications for Summer Semester Courses
Child care educators who would like to continue their education during the SUMMER SEMESTER may apply for a Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship through April 15, 2024. This scholarship covers in-state tuition for eligible applicants for approved courses at Virginia’s Community Colleges and Montessori Certification Programs. Students must be accepted into one of the three accredited Montessori Certification Programs before a scholarship can be awarded for Montessori courses.
Potable Water Lead Testing Requirements
The VDOE recently distributed memos to licensed child day programs, certified preschools and religiously exempt child day centers, sharing the requirement to develop and implement a plan to test potable water pursuant to § 22.1-289.057 of the Code of Virginia. The VDOE will begin determining compliance with this statute effective January 1, 2025. The memos can be found on the VDOE child care website.
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Virginia Preschool Initiative
VPI Spring Application- NOW OPEN, Due May 15
The VDOE has released the VPI Spring Application. This application, released via the Single Sign-On Web System (SSWS) contains all the necessary questions and information needed to apply for VPI for the 2024-2025 school year. An email was sent to current VPI coordinators that included instructions along with the updated VPI Guidelines and Eligibility Guidance. The April 4 Virginia Education Update Newsletter, contains additional information on the application. An instructional webinar was held on March 27.
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Early Childhood Special Education
Early Childhood Special Education Spring Updates Webinar on April 11
The Early Childhood Special Education Spring Updates webinar will provide information to help school divisions prepare for the 2024-2025 school year. The webinar will focus on state-level early childhood updates and will present the December 1, 2023 child count and indicator 6 draft data, as well as the VPI and Head Start inclusion data. Because VDOE will share state- and division-level data, participants are encouraged to attend the virtual presentation. The individual(s) who has primary responsibility for ECSE programs from each division is encouraged to attend.
VPI Funding in Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms Webinar on April 18
This webinar will provide an overview of how school divisions can use Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) funding to support ECSE classrooms in public schools. Supporting ECSE rooms with VPI funds is an excellent way to expand VPI programming in your locality as well as have state funds supplement other funds used in these classrooms. The VDOE will host a webinar on April 18 to review considerations for using VPI eligibility to improve programs for children with IEPs.
Applications Open for the Aspiring Special Education Leaders Academy, Cohort XVII
The VDOE is now accepting applications to the seventeenth cohort of its Aspiring Special Education Leaders Academy (ASELA). This leadership initiative is designed to help prepare potential leaders for administrative positions in special education. Applications can be found on VDOE’s Leadership Academies webpage. For more information, contact Dr. Zenia Burnett, Director of Special Education Instructional Services, at Zenia.Burnett@doe.virginia.gov; or Deborah Johnson, Intellectual Disabilities Specialist, at spedinstruction@doe.virginia.gov. Applications are due April 19.
Head Start
The Office of Head Start Tools for High-Quality Change in Scope Applications
The National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations (PMFO) is offering a webinar opportunity to support grant recipients who are making the decision to submit a change in scope application for enrollment slot reductions or slot conversions. This session will provide new comprehensive tools for high-quality application submissions which can expedite the approval process.
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Webinar: Tools for High-Quality Change in Scope Applications
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Date: April 15, 2024, at 3:00 p.m.
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Register
VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System
VQB5 Quality Profile Feedback Opportunity - Feedback Due on May 10
Starting in the fall of 2024, all publicly-funded early childhood programs in Virginia will receive an annual VQB5 quality profile that will include information about performance on measurements (i.e., quality rating results) and other topics of interest to families and the general public.
Using feedback gathered during Practice Year 2, VDOE developed draft ‘mock-ups’ of VQB5 quality profiles for review. Feedback will be used to inform the final VQB5 quality profiles, which will be reviewed by the Board of Education in June. Click on the links below to view profile mock-ups and to provide feedback.
Update on Proposed 2024-2025 VQB5 Guidelines Webinar on April 23
VDOE will host a webinar for all Early Childhood Care and Education stakeholders about the proposed updates to the 2024-2025 VQB5 Guidelines on Tuesday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. (This webinar will be recorded).
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Webinar: VQB5 Update on 2024-2025 Proposed Guidelines
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Date: April 23 at 2:00 p.m.
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Early Learning Support
Last Month to Register for Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) Micro-Credential for the 2023-2024 School Year!
For interested learners: The registration window for the ELDS Micro-Credential will close on May 30, 2024. New learners are still able to register. Log in credentials are sent via welcome email within 7 business day of registration.
For registered learners: The window to complete the micro-credential for 2023-2024 closes on June 30, 2024. If you need extra support in completing the credential, Learning Support Coaches are available through our partners at Radford University.
The Spring VKRP Window is Open
The VKRP Spring 2024 term began on April 8 and ends May 17. Check with your leadership to determine your specific assessment window dates. Use the resources below to ensure a successful spring assessment term:
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VKRP web portal resource documents will help you prepare for spring assessments:
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Online Training Modules (access on Training tab)
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Spring version of teacher manuals (access on Assessment Guides/Essential Documents/Spring)
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Practice Assessments (access on Assessment Guides)
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Video Demonstrations of the EMAS (access on Assessment Guides)
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Implementation checklists are a great way to keep organized and on track. They are located in the appendices of the manuals.
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Email: vkrp@virginia.edu or call: 866-301-8278 for additional information.
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STREAMin³ On-Demand is Moving to a New Learning Platform
STREAMin3 users currently taking one or more on-demand course(s) in Canvas need to finish by April 19, 2024. Completion records and certificates will be saved for future use. The new learning platform will have the same courses, as well as new ones, available to you.
Contact streamin3@virginia.edu or (855) 787-6463 with questions
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Ready B5 Recap Spring Edition is Here!
Click to view the latest edition of Ready B5 Recap, the Quarterly Newsletter for Early Childhood Care and Education in Virginia.
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