✉️ VDOE Readiness Connections Update: January 21, 2025

Virginia Department of Education sent this bulletin at 01/21/2025 12:14 PM EST

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Save the Date

TODAY at 6 p.m. - STREAMin³ Live Online: 90 minute session to talk about planning for quick and engaging transitions you can use all year long. Register: (English/Spanish)

January 22 at 5:30 p.m. - In-Person Event: Western Regional Listening Session.

January 24 at Noon - Webinar: VQB5 Mid-Year Refresher for Program Leaders. Register.

January 30 at 1 p.m. - Webinar: Feeding Two Birds: Tips for Improving Instructionally Supportive Interactions and Social-Emotional Learning. Register.

Child Care Centers and Family Day Homes

Child Care Provider Western Regional Listening Session on January 22

Join the Office of Child Care Health and Safety (OCCHS) for an in-person listening session in Abingdon. Come any time during the session to share your questions and thoughts with leadership of the OCCHS.

Event: Western Regional Listening Session
Date: January 22, from 5:30 -7 p.m.
Location: 128 Pecan, 128 Pecan Street SE, Abingdon, Virginia 24210 (Note: Food will not be provided but can be purchased. Attendees are responsible for the cost of any food and beverages purchased.)

Revised Applications for Licensure and Voluntary Registration - Now Available Online

The initial and renewal applications for licensure and voluntary registration have been revised in order to streamline and condense the applications, remove unnecessary requirements, and clarify information being requested. Refer to the memo that was emailed on January 13 for more information. The revised applications can be found online for the program type specific to your facility in the Provider Section of the Child Care VA website.

Child Care Financing Program – No Interest, Low-Cost Loans Available for Child Care Programs

The Virginia Small Business Financing Authority provides no-interest, low-cost loans to eligible programs to enhance the early learning environment, provide curriculum, upgrade outdoor areas, meet health and safety guidelines, purchase business software, and more. The maximum loan eligibility for Family Day Homes is $25,000, repayable over seven years. Child Care Centers may apply for a loan of $150,000, repayable over seven years, or a $250,000 loan, repayable over ten years. Please find more information online or email vsbfa@sbsd.virginia.gov.

Virginia Preschool Initiative

Virginia Preschool Initiative: Fiscal Year 2026 (School Year 25/26) Initial Slot Allocations

The VDOE Division of Finance and Budgeting has released calculation templates and budget information related to the Governor’s 2024-2026 biennial budget. This includes the initial VPI slot projections for FY26 (school year 2025-2026). As a reminder, all budget items including VPI slots and funding are considered draft until the General Assembly has finalized the budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

Save the Date: School-based Preschool Programs Technical Assistance Sessions

The Division of Early Childhood Care and Education at the VDOE will offer School-based Preschool Programs Technical Assistance Sessions this spring. Individuals for whom this is relevant have been sent information via email.

School-based Preschool Programs Technical Assistance Sessions
- March 12, 2025: Fredericksburg
  - Ready Regions 7, 8, 9
- March 13, 2025: Williamsburg
  - Ready Regions 4, 5, 6
- March 26, 2025: Roanoke
  - Ready Regions 1, 2, 3

Arts Learning Opportunities for Educators & Families!

Join Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts for an exciting week of free virtual workshops designed for Early Childhood educators and families, where we’ll explore active learning through the arts on Monday, January 27 - Saturday, February 1. Enjoy sessions led by Wolf Trap master teaching artists and a special appearance by Jasper the Squirrel and his puppet friends! Key focuses include dance, movement, and music experiences to promote STEM, language, and literacy learning. Register for Wolf Trap Arts Integration Week.

Early Childhood Special Education

From Theory to Practice: Empowering Educators to Support Autistic Students Using AAC - Workshop

This spring, VCU-Autism Center for Education (ACE) is bringing From Theory to Practice: Empowering Educators to Support Autistic Students Using AAC to a location near you. This interactive workshop builds upon theoretical foundations by providing hands-on practice with evidence-based strategies that effectively support autistic students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

Visit From Theory to Practice: Empowering Educatiors to Support Autistic Students Using AAC for registration information, including dates and locations.

Interactive Training on Curriculum Framework Online Training

The Interactive Training on Curriculum Framework Online Training is a self-paced online training designed for early childhood professionals to learn more about the elements of a curriculum framework and how to create a supportive learning environment for all children. Participants will learn how six key elements – assessment, scope and sequence, environment, activities and instruction, progress monitoring, and curriculum modifications – work in tandem to support young children with disabilities.

Head Start

Save the Date: School-Based Preschool Programs Technical Assistance Sessions - See information in the VPI section.

VQB5 - Virginia's Unified Measurement and Improvement System

Mid-Year Refresher Webinar for Site Leaders on January 24

On January 24, the VDOE will host a webinar for site administrators who are participating in VQB5. Information about local and external CLASS observations, curriculum requirements, and classroom lists will be shared.

Webinar: VQB5 Mid-Year Refresher for Program Leaders
Date: January 24 at Noon
Register

Spring CLASS Observation Window now open!

The spring observation window opened on January 20 and runs through May 31. Information and resources to support local and external CLASS observation completion can be found on the VQB5 Measuring Interactions webpage.

Early Learning Support

VECC presents Feeding Two Birds: Tips for Improving Instructionally Supportive Interactions and Social-Emotional Learning – Webinar on January 30

Virginia Early Childhood Consultation (VECC) is providing FREE quarterly webinars for leaders, providers & teachers at sites serving children birth-to-five across Virginia.

Join VECC at their next webinar on Thursday, January 30 at 1 p.m. to learn how social-emotional teaching practices promote instructionally supportive interactions (measured by CLASS® PreK and CLASS® Toddler), and how to grow both at the same time. Live Spanish interpretation will be available.

Webinar: Feeding Two Birds: Tips for Improving Instructionally Supportive Interactions and Social-Emotional Learning
Date: January 30 at 1 p.m.
Register
Contact vecc@virginia.edu for more information

STREAMin³ Impact Project

STREAMin³ is currently recruiting private programs that have never used the curriculum to participate in the STREAMin³ Impact Project. This study will examine the initial impact of the STREAMin³ curriculum model in private programs, exploring whether and how the curriculum supports teachers’ instructional practices and children’s school readiness skills.

Learn More:

Impact Project Flyer (Spanish)
Email streamin3impact@virginia.edu or visit the project website

STREAMin³ Office Hours every Tuesday!

Join STREAMin³ coaches live on Zoom, Tuesdays between 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. to ask a coach your questions. Spanish-speaking coach available.

Join STREAMin³ Office Hours
Weekly on Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

New to STREAMin³?

Get started on the right foot by taking the On-Demand Onboarding Course, now available through Canvas.

Ready B5 Recap Winter Edition is Here!

Click to view the winter edition of Ready B5 Recap, the Quarterly Newsletter for Early Childhood Care and Education in Virginia.

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