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Take the Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce Survey before May 17 – earn $30!
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 that will inform our efforts to better support educators!
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 – and be entered into a weekly raffle to win $500!
Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes
National Playground Safety Week: April 22 – April 26
Join the VDOE in recognizing National Playground Safety Week. This annual event is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of playground safety and promoting a safe play environment for children. Programs are encouraged to complete a safety assessment of their playgrounds this week to identify and correct hazards. Check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s playground safety checklist for ways to keep children safe at play.
Updated Virginia Annual Health and Safety Training
The updated 2024 version of the Virginia Annual Health and Safety Update Training for Child Care Staff (3 hours) was released on April 15. Please review the memo distributed to subsidy approved child day programs and the informational flyer for more details. This training continues to be offered for free through the Department's partnership with Pennsylvania State University/Better Kid Care.
Potable Water Lead Testing Webinar on May 7
Join the Office of Child Care Health and Safety (OCCHS) and the Virginia Department of Health Office of Drinking Water for a webinar to receive updated information about the potable water lead testing law, § 22.1-289.057 of the Code of Virginia. This law impacts all licensed child day programs, and certified preschools and religious exempt child day centers that serve preschool age children. Registration is limited to 1,000 participants, but the webinar will be recorded and posted on the VDOE’s child care website. The OCCHS sent a memo to impacted providers on April 5. Please review the memo and send any questions to childcarelicensing@doe.virginia.gov.
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Webinar: Potable Water Lead Testing
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Date: May 7, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Register
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Virginia Preschool Initiative
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Early Childhood Special Education
PEATC Early Childhood Academy: April 26 – May 31
The Early Childhood Academy is a free online self-paced course presented by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) in collaboration with the VDOE. 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.
Webinar Recording: Early Childhood Special Education Spring Updates
On April 11, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) hosted the “Early Childhood Special Education Spring Updates” webinar that provided information to help school divisions prepare for the 2024-2025 school year. The webinar focused on state-level early childhood updates and reviewed the December 1, 2023 child count and indicator 6 draft data. Because VDOE shared state- and division-level data, participants are encouraged to view the recorded presentation.
Head Start
Roundtable with Head Start Staff and Health and Human Services Leadership
Join the Administration for Children and Families along with the Department of Health and Human Services as they host a Facebook live roundtable discussion in celebration of Care Workers Recognition Month and the anniversary of the Biden Administration’s Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality Care and Supporting Caregivers. Hear from leaders as they highlight the essential role that educators play in providing quality early care and education services to our most vulnerable families across the country.
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Online event: Roundtable with Head Start Staff and Health and Human Services Leadership
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Date: April 25 at 3:00 p.m.
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Register
Highly Individualized Teaching and Learning in Preschool
For young children it is important that we provide inclusive settings that supports their development and ability to thrive. In this webinar opportunity, the National Center on Early Childhood Development Teaching and Learning will share practical strategies and tools that highlight individualized teaching and learning approaches in preschool settings. Participants will gain a better understanding of inclusion and its benefits for all children.
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Webinar: Individualized Teaching and Learning in Preschool
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Date: May 2 at 3:00 p.m.
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Register
VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System
Proposed 2024-2025 VQB5 Guidelines Webinar – TODAY!
VDOE will host a webinar for all Early Childhood Care and Education stakeholders about the Proposed 2024-2025 VQB5 Guidelines on Tuesday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. (This webinar will be recorded).
- Webinar: VQB5 Update on 2024-2025 Proposed Guidelines
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Date: April 23 at 2 p.m.
- Register
VQB5 Quality Profile Feedback Opportunity - Feedback Due by May 10
The VDOE has developed 'profile mock-ups' to gather feedback from the field. Feedback gathered this spring will be used to finalize the public quality profiles for fall 2024 release. Click on the links below to learn more about the profiles and how you can provide feedback.
Upcoming PD Opportunities for VQB5 Sites:
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VA Infant and Toddler Specialist Network (VA-ITSN) Celebrating Restful Babies & Tots 2024 Institute - May 4 in Roanoke.
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AEII Leader Consultation Spring Series – Virtual sessions about using CLASS data for VQB5 site leaders coming up on April 25 and May 9 – Register Here
Early Learning Support
Introducing ECE Resource Hub “Take-Home Strategy” Pages!
The ECE Resource Hub has created new resources that can be shared directly with families and caregivers to promote school readiness. Each page describes a Core Skill and offers activities, tips, and book suggestions that families can use to support learning at home. The Take-Home Strategy pages currently feature Move Skills, with more Core Skills coming later this spring!
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STREAMin³ On-Demand is Moving to a New Learning Platform
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.
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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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