April 2020 Bits & Bytes
DCAEYC Celebrates
Month of the Young Child
April is the Month of the Young Child, DCAEYC's annual month long celebration spotlighting early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and communities!
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Celebrate each day of the week in April with these themes:
Music Monday-Sing, dance, make music 
Tasty Tuesday-Cook, share, eat 
Work Together Wednesday- Build together 
Artsy Thursday-Think, problem solve, create 
Family Friday-Celebrate families 

When posting about how you're celebrating at home, don't forget to tag DCAEYC!

Facebook: @dcaeyc1
Twitter: @dcaeyc
Instagram:@dcaeyc

#woyc20 #moyc20

Important Updates:
Extension of NAEYC/DCAEYC
Member Benefits
During these uncertain times, we understand that NAEYC content and support are important in keeping you connected with the early childhood education community and providing valuable resources and information. We also understand that renewing your NAEYC/DCAEYC membership may be challenging right now. To help keep our community together, we are glad to extend key member benefits for an additional 60 days past when your membership expires.
 
These resources include:
  • HELLO, our digital networking platform
  • The NAEYC Notes newsletter
  • NAEYC members-only online content

It is our sincerest hope that this will assist you in accessing the important information that is coming out during this crisis as well as provide the connection, professional development, and support you need.
Latest Updates from OSSE
OSSE has updated its required health guidance for child care providers operating during the COVID-19 emergency, to align with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DC Health. This guidance is effective as of April 15, 2020 and supersedes any previously released guidance on the topic. You can find the full document here:
Optional tools to support effective implementation of this guidance are also available here:
Upcoming Events
Take Time for Self-Care Session 1:
A DCAEYC Virtual Connection

Thursday, April 23, 2020
4:00pm
Learn healthy habits, exercises, and Daily Five-minute breaks that keep you socially and emotionally centered in and out the classroom. Join us for part 2 of "Take Time for Self-Care" on Thursday, April 30th.
Facilitator: Kalpana Kumar Sharma
Take Time for Self-Care Session 2:
A DCAEYC Virtual Connection

Thursday, April 30, 2020
4:00pm
This is a continuation of the first session taking place on Thursday, April 23rd. Learn healthy habits, exercises, and Daily Five-minute breaks that keep you socially and emotionally centered in and out the classroom.
Facilitator: Kalpana Kumar Sharma

DC Early Childhood Stakeholders Meeting

Monday, April 20, 2020
10:10am - 11:00am
OSSE's latest guidance, in addition to several other topics, will be discussed in this regular Monday call with child care providers and the broader early childhood education community. Submit any questions you'd like covered to  OSSE.DELCommunications@dc.gov .

 Member
Spotlight On...

Sarah Massie
Early Childhood Grade Level Chair
and
Pre-Kindergarten Teacher,
Plummer Elementary School
"Currently, amid this pandemic, I am working to be as responsive and accessible as possible to all of the stakeholders in our school community. In these uncertain times, for me, it is the relationships I have built within the walls of our school that are seeing me through."
Principle of Practice :
Empowering Our Mindset During COVID-19
When Kalpana Kumar Sharma's scholars waved goodbye to her on March 20th following DC school closures due to COVID-19, she thought it would only be weeks until they returned to the classroom. Now, the school year will end at home. Though Mrs. Sharma has felt down at times like everyone else, she has also chosen to use this time as an opportunity to grow and learn new things. She has chosen to shift her mindset to empowerment.
Policy Beat:
Help Shape Local COVID-19 Policy:
Take Our COVID-19 Impact on Child Care Survey
Have you taken our survey on the local impacts of COVID-19? If you haven't already done so, please take a few minutes out of your time to respond to this   survey   and ensure child care providers in the DC area are well represented.

The more responses we get, the more detailed information we can share with Congress and the media about what challenges programs are facing and how federal solutions are (or aren't) helping. We also plan to share this information with DC Council, which is why it's vital we have as many respondents from DC as possible.  The more we can share with DC Council about how you're being directly impacted, the more we can do to help shape the local response and policy.
An Update from One of Our Partners:
Scholarship Opportunity for Family Child Care Providers
If you’d like to join the Council for Professional Recognition at this year’s Early Educators Leadership Conference (EELC)* in Virginia, we have great news for you! The Council is offering scholarships to attend our Oct. 13-16, 2020, gathering at the Lansdowne Resort & Spa in Leesburg, VA.

As a family child care provider, this is a great opportunity to connect with early childhood peers and experts from around the world, and to be a voice in the powerful and engaging sessions we have planned for you.

DETAILS

The EELC Scholarship includes:
  • Full conference registration - 3 days of professional development sessions, networking and special events
  • Single-occupancy hotel accommodations - October 13-16, 2020
  • All-inclusive meal program during conference beginning the evening of October 13th and ending with breakfast on October 16th
  • Up to $400 transportation stipend reimbursement with receipts

ELIGIBILITY

This scholarship is open to educators/teachers who work in a Career Technical Education (CTE) program (or high school), and to Family Child Care Providers who exemplify the mission and vision of the Council.

Please note:  Prior High School & CTE Teachers' Scholarship winners, Council employees and their immediate family members, as well as moderators and presenters participating in the Early Educators' Leadership Conference are ineligible.

APPLY

Submit the Scholarship Application Form. The deadline is  May 6, 2020 .

For questions regarding the EELC 2020 scholarship, please contact Sandra Kowalchek at  scholarships@cdacouncil.org .
*At this time, the Council is planning to host the EELC conference as scheduled. We are continuing to monitor the safety guidelines during the COVID-19 health crisis. We will post updates regarding the conference should changes occur.