What's in this month's edition of "Monthly Minutes"?
  • Family Child Care Institute
  • Screen-Free Week
  • Mind in the Making Training Series
  • Week of the Young Child is Here
  • April is Prevention Month
April 2023
Happy Spring!

The air is warmer, the sun is staying out a bit longer, and the plants are coming back to life! It can feel like a time for renewal and growth. It's true that we can make changes any time of the year, but it just feels right to do it in the spring. Maybe it's the extra sun or maybe it's the idea that everything in nature is starting afresh so it makes sense for us to do the same. No matter the reasoning, we hope spring brings you a reinvigorated spirit and a renewed energy!
Take a look at this quick 2-minute Guided Mindful Meditation for Spring.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you do for families and children. We hope that you enjoy this month's edition of Monthly Minutes!
CCAoNH Updates
Week of the Young Child 2023
April 1st through April 7th is the Week of the Young Child®! The Week of the Young Child® is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The purpose is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.
This year's WOYC themes are:
  • Kick-Off Saturday
  • Music Monday
  • Tasty Tuesday
  • Work Together Wednesday
  • Artsy Thursday
  • Family Friday
Why do you celebrate the Week of the Young Child? Hear from some of the CCAoNH staff on why we celebrate this special week!
Keep an eye on Child Care Aware of NH: The Most Trusted Resource for Providers on Facebook all through the week!
CCAoNH Closures
Child Care Aware of NH, a program of Southern NH Services, will be closed Friday, April 7th. During this time, phone calls will be forwarded to our messaging service, LiveChat services will be closed, and emails, Facebook, and private Facebook groups will not be monitored. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, April 10th.
CCAoNH Professional Development Opportunities
Family Child Care Training Institute
Moving Beyond Rewards & Punishments to Choice & Appropriate Consequences
The Family Child Care Training Institute is almost here! Megg Thompson will be joining us to talk about positive discipline.

Positive discipline teaches important social and life skills in a manner that is respectful and encouraging for both children and adults. It focuses on the positive points of behavior.

To learn more about how you can look inward and start the change from within, join us at this year's Family Child Care Training Institute!

This is happening Saturday, April 15th from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM online via Zoom. To register, click the button below!
Screen Free Week: It's Worth the Effort!
Screen-Free Week is an annual invitation to play, explore, and rediscover the joys of life beyond ad-supported screens. During the first week of May, thousands of families, schools, and communities around the world will put down their entertainment screens for seven days of fun, connection, and discovery.

Even though it’s about turning off screens, Screen-Free Week isn’t about going without – it’s about what you can get! An hour once dedicated to YouTube becomes an hour spent outside; ten minutes whiled away on social media turn into ten minutes spent doodling; a movie on a rainy afternoon is replaced by time spent reading, chatting, or playing pretend!
Join CCAoNH Program Manager, Dee Dee Thurber, as she discusses the "why's" behind Screen-Free Week and shares books and resources to help you celebrate!
Mind in the Making
Are you familiar with the Mind in the Making 7 Essential Life Skills? These skills help adults understand and encourage important executive function-based skills children need to thrive. Executive function-based life skills involve managing thoughts, actions, and emotions to achieve goals.

Child Care Aware of NH is offering this training series, Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. Each meeting we will look into a life skill and how that can empower you and the children in your care or in your life.

This training is open to both providers AND parents/caregivers, so please feel free to share with any families you think might be interested in learning more.
***This training series meets for a total of eight (8) sessions. Participants should plan to attend ALL eight (8) sessions.
April Trainings At-a-Glance
April is shaping up to be a BUSY one! Check out all the awesome happenings throughout the month.

Just a friendly reminder that CCAoNH offers trainings from September through June. We encourage you to plan ahead to ensure you will be able to meet any training hours requirements.
Early Childhood Focused Collaboratives
Early Childhood Collaborative Highlight of the Month:
CCAoNH News and Updates


Join Child Care Aware of NH quarterly the second (2nd) Wednesday of the month from 1:00 pm to 2:00 PM for News and Updates.

This month, we will provide you with updates from around the state as well as hear from Liz Scruton, of New Hampshire Children's Trust with an overview of how we all take a role in Prevention. Learn more about the vital work we do each day to support families, and ways you can connect with community-wide supports. We all partner in preventing child abuse and neglect, so join in and help us celebrate April as National Prevention Month! 

To register, click the button below.
Looking for some other groups to connect and collaborate with? Check out April's offerings!
Progressive Training and Technical Assistance Program (PT&TAP)
Child Care Aware of NH offers seven (7) Progressive Training and TA Program Topics to support program quality improvement. The PT&TAP offers child care programs the opportunity to participate in focused and facilitated training and technical assistance. This means we will support you based on your strengths and needs, and help you reach your goals at your own pace.
Are you an Infant and/or Toddler provider? Then the Infant and Toddler Team Initiative is perfect for you! You'll get support in obtaining your Infant/Toddler Endorsement. You'll also learn more about incorporating the NH Early Learning Standards into your work.
Want to know more?

Contact us at
(603) 578-1386, ext. 2526 and ext. 2532
or on LiveChat.
Monthly Health And Safety Resources
Strengthening Families
The Strengthening Families approach and protective factors framework was introduced in 2003 by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP). This approach concentrates on individual family strengths within a positive and uplifting framework and helps prevent child abuse and neglect by focusing on the well-being of all families and helping families identify and build on their own protective factors. 
​
The 5 Protective Factors are characteristics or strengths of individuals, families, and communities that act to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect and promote positive well-being and healthy development. They are most commonly seen as attributes that help families successfully navigate difficult situations and everyday life. 

To learn more about the Strengthening Families Approach, visit the NH Children's Trust Website.
Other Early Childhood News And Updates
Make 2023 the Year to Take Free Environmental Health Training!
Learn about low-cost, effective tips for reducing potential environmental hazards like unsafe plastics, pesticides and lead, as well as improving environmental quality in water, air, soil, and dust to support healthy children as they learn and grow. This training counts as part of your required annual Health and Safety training hours.
April is Prevention Month
Children Abuse Prevention Month is here! This month is all about using upstream thinking to identify strategies that build family strength and resilience before challenges occur.

When caregivers have access to concrete supports, parenting strategies and knowledge of child development, along with social connections, they can do what they do best—create a nurturing environment in which their children thrive. Prevention is possible. And we get there in partnership, by building supportive communities and strong families together.

This April you're invited to partner with the NH Children’s Trust in celebration of family strength and all the New Hampshire organizations that make it possible. Whether it’s advocating for family-friendly policies, referring a friend to their local Family Resource Center, or helping a loved-one or yourself find the road to recovery, we all play a role in prevention.

To learn more about this effort, you can visit the NH Children's Trust Website and you can check out the 2023 Resource Guide.
SELA Platform-Finding Ways to Save You Money!
Contact her for personalized assistance with accessing discounts on early learning and office supplies, food delivery, waste management, payroll processing, and more vendor savings programs available on the SELA Platform!
Finding Ways to Save you Money Just Got Easier with the SELA Platform!
 
Meet your Personal Business Expert, Andrea Bimonte, who’ll help you save money on your everyday business needs. A short conversation is all it takes to find out what savings programs will make an immediate impact on your bottom line and help you find ways to pay less and stretch your dollars further.
To learn more, log into or register on the SELA Platform at www.selanhmembers.com or use the QR code below.
Once you’re logged in, watch this video to learn more about your Personal Business Expert:
 
We are here to help! Email us at [email protected] with any questions!
Child Care Aware of New Hampshire is a Child Care Resource and Referral Program powered by Southern New Hampshire Services. The preparation of this document was financed under a Contract with the State of New Hampshire, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Economic and Housing Stability, Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration with funds provided in part by the State of New Hampshire and the US Department of Health and Human Services.