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Tuesday, October 15, 2024
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 Families can now access information about quality and safety for more than 3,100+ publicly-funded early childhood sites via the VDOE's new, easy-to-use online VQB5 Quality Profile website. With information on early childhood sites in every city and county in Virginia, this new tool helps families learn about the quality of the sites to help them choose the best option for their birth-to-five children.
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Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes
Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship Program Accepting Applications for Spring 2025 Semester: October 15 – November 26
Applications for spring 2025 scholarships will be accepted online from October 15 – November 26. The Child Care Scholarship Program is designed for students seeking a career studies certificate or degree in Early Childhood Development and/or Montessori Certification. The VDOE scholarship will pay the cost of in-state tuition at Virginia’s Community Colleges or Certified Montessori Training Programs for APPROVED COURSES. The current lifetime maximum award for NEW scholarship accounts is $4,130, effective October 2024.
Fisher-Price Recalls More than 2 Million Snuga Infant Swings
On October 10, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that Fisher-Price recalled all models of Fisher-Price Snuga Swings due to the risk of suffocation. Information on the recall and steps to take can has been posted on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website. To sign up to receive free recall alerts from the CPSC, visit the CPSC website.
Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on October 17
This year’s Great ShakeOut Day is October 17 at 10:17 a.m. Caregivers and educators are encouraged to participate in the worldwide earthquake drill. Please take this opportunity to practice protecting yourselves and the children in your care during an earthquake, mitigate hazards in your child care environment, and ensure that your emergency preparedness plan includes steps to take in the event of an earthquake. Additional ShakeOut drill information is available at Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills.
Seasonal Updates Webinar and Regional Listening Session on October 23
Join the Office of Child Care Health and Safety (OCCHS) for a webinar to receive updated information about the vision, goals and current events of the OCCHS as it relates to child day programs and family day systems. This webinar is relevant for licensees, owners, and directors who represent licensed programs, subsidy vendors, voluntarily registered homes, religious exempt centers, certified preschools, and license-exempt programs. Following the webinar, the OCCHS team will be available to meet with providers for an in-person listening session in the eastern Virginia area. This is your opportunity to share your questions and thoughts with leadership of the OCCHS, particularly as they relate to the Virginia Preservice Training.
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Events: Seasonal Updates Webinar and Regional Listening Session
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Date: October 23
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Webinar Time: 6 – 6:30 p.m.
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Listening Session Time: 7 – 8:30 p.m.
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Location of Listening Session: Burger Theory, 980 Omni Boulevard, 1st Floor of the Holiday Inn, Newport News, VA 23606 (Note: Attendees are responsible for the cost of any food and beverages purchased)
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Webinar Registration
Proposed General Procedures for Licensure and Background Checks Webinar – October 22
Join the VDOE’s Office of Child Care Health and Safety for a webinar to learn about the Proposed General Procedures for Licensure and Background Checks regulation (8VAC20-821) currently open for public comment through November 8. This webinar is relevant for owners and administrators representing licensed child day programs, licensed family day systems, subsidy vendors, voluntarily registered homes, religious exempt centers, certified preschools, and system-approved homes. Registration is limited to 1000 registrants, but the webinar will be recorded and posted on the VDOE child care website after the event.
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Webinar: Proposed General Procedures for Licensure and Background Checks
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Date: October 22, 12 – 12:30 p.m.
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Register
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Virginia Preschool Initiative
VPI Fall Verification Webinar - October 16
Fall Verification, released via the Single Sign-On Web System (SSWS) in mid October, will contain all the necessary questions and information needed for reporting the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) for the 2024-2025 school year. In order to support divisions, the VDOE will host a technical webinar to review the VPI Fall Verification Report. Attendance is recommended for VPI Coordinators or other school division reporting contacts.
Early Childhood Special Education
Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) Virginia Reliable Observer Application (Cohort 2)
Free Online Course for Families of Children with Disabilities: Early Childhood Academy
The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) in collaboration with the VDOE, is offering a free self-paced online course focused on providing information for parents with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities. The virtual, self-paced training will take approximately seven hours to complete and can be accessed any time between November 8 and December 15.
Head Start
Head Start Awareness Month
October is Head Start Awareness Month. Help the VDOE celebrate by increasing the visibility of the impact Head Start has made on families across the Commonwealth. Head Start Grant recipients can share snapshots captured of children and families along with special graphics provided by the Office of Head Start in the digital toolkit. Be sure to showcase your services by posting on all social media platforms and use #HeadStartAwarenessMonth and #CelebratingHSAM to keep the conversation going.
VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System
New VQB5 Quality Profile Website – Now Live
The VQB5 Quality Profile Website includes quality information for over 3,100 publicly-funded sites, including child care centers, family day homes, Head Start, and public school preschool, as well as for privately-funded sites that participated in the VQB5 measurement and improvement system last year.
VQB5 Certificates
2023-2024 VQB5 Quality Rating Certificates are now available via LinkB5 reports. It is optional for sites to post their certificates; sites are encouraged but not required to post.
Early Learning Support
Family Take-Home Strategies on the ECE Resource Hub
Family Take-Home Strategies give families with children ages birth-to-five the opportunity to explore simple activities, quick routines, and book ideas to support children’s growth and development at home. From building strong relationships to understanding feelings and discovering new things, families will find practical tips and activity ideas that can fit into their routines.
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STREAMin3 Office Hours every Tuesday! Join Coaches from STREAMin3 on Tuesdays for optional office hours for support with STREAMin3 implementation. Spanish-speaking coach available.
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Ready B5 Recap Fall Edition is HERE!
Click to view the fall edition of Ready B5 Recap, the Quarterly Newsletter for Early Childhood Care and Education in Virginia.
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