✉️ VDOE Readiness Connections Update: May 21, 2024

Virginia Department of Education sent this bulletin at 05/21/2024 12:00 PM EDT

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Save the Date

June 5 at 12:00 p.m. - 2025-2027 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) State Plan Public Hearing - Join VDOE in-person at the James Monroe Building or stream LIVE on the VDOE YouTube Channel.

Now Accepting Public Comments on Virginia’s 2025-2027 CCDF State Plan

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides funding to states to support child care assistance to low-income working families and support the health, safety, and quality of the entire child care system. The 2025-2027 CCDF State Plan describes how Virginia will complete activities funded by CCDF and implement policies in compliance with the law, effective October 1, 2024.

VDOE is accepting written public comments on the 2025-2027 CCDF State Plan Draft until midnight on Sunday, June 16. Comments submitted by midnight on Wednesday, May 29, will be addressed during the public hearing on June 5.

Written comments may be submitted using the Public Comment Form or by emailing a formal letter (Microsoft Word or PDF files only, please) to earlychildhoodaccess@doe.virginia.gov. Oral public comment will also be accepted during the hearing. If you are interested in joining us in-person to provide oral public comment, please notify us at earlychildhoodaccess@doe.virginia.gov.

Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce Survey – deadline extended until May 31!

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 SEE-Partnerships team 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 before May 31 will receive a $30 gift card.

Questions? Contact the UVA team (see-partnerships@virginia.edu or 434-297-6882).

Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes

Medication Administration Training

As child day programs gear up for summer camps, programs are reminded that the medication administration training (MAT) program trains and certifies child day program providers and private school employees to give medication to children in their care. The MAT program offers a wide range of trainings whether you offer full medication administration or limit services to emergency medications. Learn more about available courses and find a MAT trainer near you on the Medical Home Plus website.

Virginia Preschool Initiative

Bring Wolf Trap Early Arts Learning Programs to Pre-K, K, and 1st Grade Classrooms in Your School Division!

Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts leverages the power of the performing arts to provide early childhood educators with high-quality professional development and create joyful, active learning experiences for young children. Wolf Trap Institute programs are available at no cost to your school division during the 2024-2025 school year through continued funding to the Virginia Department of Education.

Interested in participating? Complete the Partner Interest Form by May 31, 2024.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Edelen at jennifere@wolftrap.org/703-937-6305.

Wolf Trap Institute is the flagship education program of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a not-for-profit arts organization located in Vienna, VA.

Early Childhood Special Education

Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education (IECSE) Service Delivery Model Resources: Webinar Recording & Community of Learning

The VDOE hosted a webinar for administrators on May 14 to provide an overview of the IECSE model. The recording and materials are now available.

“I mplementing the IECSE Service Delivery Model” Recording
Passcode: 8A.7$Lb#
IECSE for Administrators Slide Deck 5.14.23
IECSE Resources

The VDOE will offer two IECSE Service Delivery Model Communities of Learning (CoL) beginning September 2024 for teachers endorsed in early childhood special education (ECSE) who provide special education services using the itinerant model. Applications will be available in early August and will be due on Friday, September 6, 2024.

VCU Autism Center for Education Summer Workshop - The ME in ImpleMEntation: Supporting Communication and Behavior through AAC

The ME in ImpleMEntation: Supporting Communication and Behavior through Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a free, interactive workshop that will provide educators with hands-on experience using high-tech AAC to implement evidence-based communication strategies for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Topics will include using AAC to promote class-wide communication, address student-specific needs, and support prosocial behavior. Registration is open and space is limited.

Head Start

Visit the OHS webpage to learn more about The Office of Head Start.

VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System

Spring Local CLASS Observation Window Closes May 31 – 2 weeks left!

The spring local CLASS observation window ends on May 31. Site administrators must make sure that all local CLASS observation scores are entered and verified in LinkB5 by May 31, 2024.

Early Learning Support

Last Call to Register for the ELDS Micro-credential this Spring!

The ELDS Micro-credential registration will close on May 31, 2024, for the 2023-2024 academic year. All enrolled participants will have until June 30, 2024, to complete the micro-credential.

Register here
Contact Rebecca Shaffer at rebecca.shaffer@doe.virginia.gov with any questions.

April Showers Bring May Flowers! - ECE Resource Hub

Spring is the perfect time to explore the great outdoors. The ECE Resource Hub offers tips for supporting children's Active Exploration skills as they use all their senses to investigate the world around them.

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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