Reminders & Links - October 2022

Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families sent this bulletin at 10/07/2022 02:40 PM PDT

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ECEAP is Washington’s pre-kindergarten program that prepares 3- and 4-year-old children furthest from opportunity for success in school and life.

October 2022 Issue

R and L October

Grants and Funding Opportunities

Workforce Retention Grant Application Now Available

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is please to announce that the Workforce Retention Grant application is now available.

Open licensed and certified child care providers can apply for the Workforce Retention Grant in the WA Compass Provider Portal. The application is open now and will close at 11:59 p.m. on October 20, 2022.

For more information about this grant, including frequently asked questions, a step-by-step application guide, eligibility information, and contact information for technical assistance, please visit the DCYF Workforce Retention Grant webpage.

If you have questions about the application, the timeline of the grant, or other questions specific to the grant, email dcyf.childcaregrants@dcyf.wa.gov.

Early Learning Facilities Grant

Department of Commerce Early Leaning Facilities Grants 

The Early Learning Facilities (ELF) program aims to help Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) contractors and Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) providers to expand, remodel, purchase, or construct early learning facilities and classrooms necessary to support early learning opportunities for children from low-income households.

K-12 School District Funding Round

  • The K-12 School District Funding Round applications under review
  • After review, scores with recommendations for funding  will be sent to the Legislature.
  • Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in spring of 2023.

2022 Federal Funding - Child Care Minor Renovations Grant

  • 2022 Child Care Minor Renovations Grant applications are under review.
  • Due to the large volume of applications, award announcements are likely to occur in the fall of 2022. 

2021-2023 Eligible Organizations Competitive Grant

  • Click here for the press release with a list of the 2021-2023 Eligible Organization awardees
  • The next funding round of the Eligible Organizations Competitive Grant is anticipated to be released in the fall of 2022.
  • Visit Commerce’s website and sign up for their mailing list for updates and be notified when the next funding opportunity opens. 

Washington State College Grant

The Washington State College Grant applications for the 2022-23 and 2023-2024 academic years are open. Families up to 60% of Median Family Income (MFI) can get 100% of tuition and fees covered. An eligible student from a family of four with income of $64,500 or less per year would get a full award. There is a sliding scale for families above 60% (MFI).

ECE certificate and degree programs are eligible under this grant, as well as full and part-time enrollment. This is a great opportunity for staff and enrolled families who are interested in pursuing education beyond high school. For more information, please visit here.

In This Issue:

Important Dates:

Within six months of hire and every three years thereafter: Lead teachers must complete Teaching Strategies GOLD® inter-rater reliability certification.

Within 90 days from class start date, enter health screenings, well-child exams, and dental screenings in ELMS.

Questions?

Email questions about newsletter topics to eceap@dcyf.wa.gov or your Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Specialist.

For additional information about ECEAP or the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), please visit our Contractor webpages.

ELMS Updates

Setting Up the 2022-23 School Year in ELMS

IMPORTANT: August 15 was the deadline for entering all contractor, subcontractor, site, and class information into the Early Learning Management System (ELMS) for the 2022-23 school year. If you have not set up the new school year in ELMS yet, please do so as soon as possible. This allows us to set up GOLD for teachers before fall classes start, provide data to legislators and policymakers, and complete the Saturation Study to move forward with ECEAP expansion planning. For additional details, see the three-page instructions: Starting the New School Year in ELMS and ELMS News page

Be sure to check the ELMS News tab when you log on to ELMS. The latest information is always on top.

ECEAP Updates

Family Support Professionals Outreach Project

DCYF is working on developing Staff Qualification requirements and a set of competencies for Family Support Professionals.

About the Competencies:

Professional competencies will outline the essential knowledge, skills and abilities, and they will be used to create professional learning pathways through training, higher education, and relationship-based professional development.

Get Involved!

  • We will be recruiting family support professionals and recipients of services to learn more about this role to help draft the competencies.
  • In the fall we will launch a Family Support Competencies Workgroup.
  • There will be opportunities to review and provide feedback on the products that are developed by the workgroup.

Contact the ECEAP inbox if you would like more information and be involved! DCYF.ECEAP@dcyf.wa.gov

 

ECEAP Staff Qualifications

DCYF Professional Development Website

ECEAP has been added to the DCYF Professional Development Qualifications & Role webpage. Role qualifications and requirements, along with other resources are available for review.

Teaching Strategies® Online Digital Support for ECEAP for 2022-23

Register to attend Teaching Strategies Office Hours Support Sessions weekly on Wednesdays through December for ECEAP Programs. Register in advance and come with your specific questions.

Register to attend to attend upcoming Teaching Strategies live webinars:

Training Opportunities and Support

Offered By The DCYF ECEAP Office

Basecamp Supports for ECEAP and Early ECEAP

*NEW! Updated link for 2022-2023* DCYF ECEAP hosts a number of Basecamps and monthly webinars to support staff in various roles around the state. Details of each Basecamp and their related webinar schedules can be found here: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/eceap/ECEAPStaffSupports.pdf. (Please note: if you are having problems viewing the link, please clear your internet cache and the new PDF schedule will populate.  Thank you!)

Working with Tribal Families

This training will focus on traditional knowledge about how children learn and develop. Participants will learn about communication styles, social cues and other skills needed to support participant’s work with tribes.

This training is for non-tribal education and family support staff, tribal site staff are welcome to attend as well.

The information in this training is very similar to the Building Tribal Partnerships training. 

October 31, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm  Registration Link

Building Tribal Partnerships

This training will focus on information about building partnerships with tribes including creating MOUs and Service Area Agreements. Participants will learn about communication styles, social cues and other skills needed to support participant’s work with tribes.

Non-tribal site directors and leadership, tribal site staff and leadership are welcome to attend as well

The information in this training is very similar to the Working with Tribal Families training. 

October 19th, 9:00 am to 11:00 am  Registration Link

Government to Government Training

This training explores tribal sovereignty, tribal governments and local tribes. This training is for all ECEAP providers, and contractors who subcontract with tribes and is especially helpful for programs that serve Tribal children or partner with local tribes

October 11th, 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm  Registration Link

 

Trainings, Funding Opportunities, and Resources Offered by External Partners

UW Cultivate Learning Monthly Coach Webinar

Come together in community with coaches to learn about components in the Early Achievers continuous quality improvement cycle. Join staff from Cultivate Learning, DCYF and Child Care Aware and learn ways to support teachers and providers with Early Achievers.

  • Second Thursday of each month, from 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
  • Join here.

15th Annual Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference

On October 22, 2022, the 15th Annual Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference aims to connect, inspire, engage, and empower social justice educators in the Pacific Northwest. This one-day online event features a keynote panel "Teaching for Joy and Justice in Dangerous Times" moderated by Cierra Kaler-Jones followed by two 90-minute workshop sessions.  Registration fees range from $5-$20.  Register here.


Learning to Advocate for Children and Families

In this free webinar series, you’ll learn skills to be an effective advocate for issues that you care about.  All webinars are one our long and have live Spanish interpretation and closed captioning available.  Presented by Brazelton Touchpoints Center.  Register here.


WSA Parent Ambassadors Program 2023 – Application Now Available

The Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP (WSA) has released application materials for their 2023 Parent Ambassadors program.  WSA is seeking 25-30 Early Learning parents from across the state to serve as Parent Ambassadors for 2023.  This peer-to-peer training program includes an intensive, year-long, high-quality advocacy training program which is subsidized by WSA.  Materials and application are available in English and Spanish.

Equity, Child Development, and Education

Resources on Child Find from ECTA

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA), in partnership with The Office of Head Start and The Office of Special Education Programs have recently released a publication with the intent of helping programs understand the child find process. The state, Part B Section 619, program uses the term Child Find, (34 CFR 303.111), to refer to the process of identifying, locating and evaluating children in need of special education and related services. Below are links to more information around the child find process and two usable documents that can be modified to meet your community.

From Chaotic to Calm: Managing Stress in the Classroom

This free class offered by the ChildCare Education Institute will provide an understanding of childhood stress and will give information, activity ideas, and tools for easing children’s anxieties and worries in the classroom. Use the English (ECIFREE22) or Spanish (ECIFREE22-ESP) promo code before 10/16/2022 to access this class for free.