Friday, December 17, 2021 |
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Greetings!
As the year draws to a close, it is an opportune moment to reflect on our year past, share our accomplishments, and renew for the year ahead.
One of our most rewarding endeavors this year has been facilitating ECESF Focus Groups by and for educators, including teachers, administrators, and pedagogical leaders at ECE sites across San Francisco. Each group has offered an opportunity to take a deep look at what we need to support us in creating nurturing spaces for children’s learning and development.
“I benefited a lot from learning how my perspective and major concerns matched and contrasted with practitioners in different settings. It was just morally uplifting to have
contact, conversation and support while we are still so isolated and stressed.”
- Focus Group participant
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With much appreciation for all you bring to the table, we look forward to working with you in the new year to build creative ways, and in tribute to bell hooks who passed earlier this week, carrying forward her spirit of radical love to make change in the world, and to drive positive impact for all Early Care Educators of San Francisco!
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In solidarity,
Sara & Anna
ECESF
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Coming soon in 2022… Our website will have a brand new look! We will be adding a page where you’ll find educator testimonies and up-to-date information about our ongoing ECESF focus groups.
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We’ve evaluated priorities for the use of Proposition C dollars towards teacher compensation and workplace conditions as early educators, and shared priorities in Focus Group Highlights and in community conversations with the Department of Early Childhood (DEC, formerly Office of Early Care & Education & First 5 SF).
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We’re leaders in the San Francisco ECE Advocacy Coalition building a community campaign for ECE4All locally, as well as collaborating with ECE advocates across the state, monitoring Transitional Kindergarten “TK”—and advocating for Universal 0-3 and Preschool for all—and which includes the wealth of expertise in community-based sites.
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As part of SF ECE Advocacy Coalition, we facilitated a TK discussion with SFUSD’s Early Education Department & community-based ECE to better understand the planning, timeline, and capacity for expanding TK at SFUSD.
- We represent as educator-leaders at the policy table—from OECE’s CAC, to SF’s local planning council (CPAC), to the newly formed African American Early Educator Policy Council (AAEEPC), to state advocacy.
- We hosted an evening with Max Dashu to learn and discuss women's caregiving history in honor of Women’s Equal Pay Day.
- We’ve supported projects and events hosted by local ECESF educators to bring teacher voices to the wider ECE community, including healing circles, ECE podcast, & NAEYC presentations.
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Are you an Early Care Educator in San Francisco?
With public attention on ECE at a historic high this past year, we’re making sure those doing the work are at the table. That’s why ECESF’s focus — connecting and supporting San Francisco’s frontline educators with each other to identify and broadcast their needs— is critical during this big wave of ECE public funding.
ECESF holds regular meetings for core leaders to navigate and build programs to let our community know what they most need to improve their work conditions, compensation, and the quality of the essential service they provide.
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¿Es usted un educador de cuidado infantil en San Francisco?
Con la atención pública en ECE en un nivel histórico el año pasado, nos aseguramos de que los que están haciendo el trabajo estén en la mesa. Es por eso que el enfoque de ECESF — conectar y apoyar a los educadores de primera línea de San Francisco entre sí para identificar y difundir sus necesidades — es fundamental durante esta gran ola de financiamiento público de ECE.
ECESF lleva a cabo reuniones periódicas para que los líderes centrales naveguen y desarrollen programas para que nuestra comunidad sepa qué es lo que más necesitan para mejorar sus condiciones de trabajo, compensación y la calidad del servicio esencial que brindan.
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您是舊金山的早期護理教育工作者嗎？
去年，隨著公眾對 ECE 的關注達到歷史最高水平，我們正在確保從事這項工作的人都在談判桌旁。 這就是為什麼 ECESF 的重點——連接和支持舊金山的一線教育工作者，以識別和傳播他們的需求——在 ECE 公共資金的這一大浪潮中至關重要。
ECESF 定期召開核心領導人會議，以指導和製定計劃，讓我們的社區知道他們最需要什麼來改善他們的工作條件、薪酬和他們提供的基本服務的質量。
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ELS Applications Are Open!
The Department of Early Childhood (DEC, formerly Office of Early Care and Education) has reopened the Early Learning SF (ELS) program for eligible Early Care and Education Center and Family Child Care programs. The funds for the ELS expansion come from your effort to pass the June 2018 Prop C Ballot measure—with the California Supreme Court upholding the Appeals Court decision that our victory was valid in April 2021.
Programs participating in the ELS program will receive San Francisco city funds. Eligibility requirements and the application process for ECE programs are outlined on the OECE website: Apply in English.
Los programas que participan en el programa ELS recibirán fondos de la ciudad de San Francisco. Los requisitos de elegibilidad y el proceso de solicitud para los programas de ECE se describen en el sitio web de la OECE: Aplicar en Español.
參與 ELS 計劃的計劃將獲得舊金山市資金。 OECE 網站上概述了 ECE 計劃的資格要求和申請流程：中文申请
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The Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently posted the following document on it’s website: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 21-12. The purpose of this Child Care Bulletin (CCB) is to notify counties and child care and development contractors of the implementation of AB 131 regarding the distribution of flat-rate, one-time stipends to child care providers in the amount of $600 per child enrolled in state subsidized child care based on the enrollment data for March 2021.
The ARPA Survey is CDSS’ application for ARPA Stabilization-funded sub-grants or investments. Please visit the ARPA webpage for more information about the ARPA survey and a recording coming soon from an informational webinar about the ARPA survey. |
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The federal government requires child care providers to complete a survey if they received and/or plan to receive any benefits funded by ARPA, and CDSS is asking all child care providers to complete the ARPA survey by December 31, 2021.
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Pursuant to the Agreement reached between Child Care Providers United – California (CCPU) and the State of California, Assembly Bill (AB) 131 (Chapter 116, Statutes of 2021) the following benefits were extended to families and/or child care providers, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022:
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Waiver of Family Fees (Child Care Bulletins (CCB) No. 21-01 and 21-06)
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Reimbursement Based on Enrollment Rather than Attendance, otherwise referred to as “hold harmless” (CBB No. 21-07)
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Additional 16 Paid Nonoperational Days for COVID-19-related closures (CBB No. 21-09)
Also an agreement was reached between CCPU and the State of California, Senate Bill (SB) 168 (Chapter 261, Statutes of 2021), extended hold harmless and paid nonoperational days for COVID-19-related closures to providers of the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children (Bridge Program), also effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022 (CCB No. 21-18).
All of these provisions are retroactively effective July 1, 2021. Counties and contractors administering child care and development programs for which these provisions apply must ensure that providers and the families they serve are afforded these benefits retroactively to July 1, 2021.
Counties and contractors must contact the Department no later than December 23, 2021, if they have not yet processed any retroactive adjustments needed to ensure providers are afforded the provisions outlined in the CCBs mentioned above. Counties must contact their assigned Stage 1 or Bridge Program analyst by emailing them directly or CCPB@dss.ca.gov. Contractors must contact their assigned consultant as listed on the Child Care and Development Division contractor landing page. The State will report to CCPU by December 27, 2021, regarding reports from counties or contractors that have not processed payments.
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Support our work to create a well-compensated and valued ECE workforce by making a financial contribution. Your gift is fully tax-deductible. |
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ECESF receives funding from the Office of Early Care and Education to provide field building and peer supports to early care educators, as well as generous donations and in-kind contributions to build our advocacy and community work from individual early care educators, and allies, community organizations and agencies. Support our work. Donate! |
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