What's in this month's edition of "Monthly Minutes"?
  • Tips for enjoying the holidays
  • Earn free books and toys for your early care and education program
  • Simple ways to work on your wellness from SELA
  • What to know about RSV
What Is Happening at CCAoNH?
Hello Providers,

The holiday season is upon us! For some, it can be a time of joy and fond memories. Others might feel stressed or overwhelmed. In some people it can bring up feelings of sadness or loneliness. No matter what holidays you celebrate or how you feel heading into the holiday season, remember to be kind to yourself and those around you. Have patience and show yourself some grace. Even when things get hectic or crazy, don't forget to take a moment for some self-care. We here at Child Care Aware of NH, a program of Southern NH services, want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued dedication to the children and families you serve, and wish you a joyous and happy holiday season!

The Child Care Resource and Referral Outreach Specialists (CCRROS) are gearing up for the winter months! With school vacations coming, more and more families call looking for care during those vacation weeks. If you have not recently, please take a moment to log into your NHCIS account and update your child care profile with any changes (enrollment status, vacancies, business hours, ages accepted, etc.). This helps tremendously when the CCRROS are putting together tailored referral lists. If you are in need of assistance with updating your program's profile or you know of families in need of child care, please feel free to call 603-578-1386 ext. 2531 or email [email protected]. *please note that the incorrect updated date that is listed on the Child Care Profile is a known glitch within the system. If your changes saved, you can feel free to disregard that date. If you have any questions or would like to ensure those changes saved, you are more than welcome to give us a call or send us an email!

The Training and TA Specialists (TTAS) are busy supporting providers participating in the 2022-2023 Credential Challenge! They have been providing Technical Assistance (TA) around the revised NH Early Childhood Professional Development System. To find out more about how you can participate in the challenge, or to receive support with applying for your credential in the revised system, keep reading through this month's edition of "Monthly Minutes"! The TTAS are also wrapping up the first quarter of the 2022-2023 Training Calendar by welcoming Paul Deignan and John Watkins for the Active Collaboration Training (ACT) Series Day.

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
The Challenge is ON!
Have you heard? The 2022-2023 Credential Challenge is HAPPENING NOW!!!

Are you and/or your staff looking to apply for a NH Early Childhood Professional Development System Credential at no cost to you?

Are you interested in receiving raffle tickets to win some really cool prizes?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Credential Challenge is for you! We are officially accepting applications and the Challenge runs until February 28, 2023.

Check out the buttons below for more information!
December Closures
Child Care Aware of NH, a program of Southern NH Services, will be closed on Monday, December 26th, in observance of the Christmas holiday. Our offices will resume normal business hours Tuesday, December 27th.

We will also be closed on Monday, January 2nd, 2023 in observance of the New Year holiday. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023.

During closures, phones calls are forwarded to our messaging service, and emails, Facebook, as well as CCAoNH private Facebook groups, are not monitored.
CCAoNH Professional Development Opportunities
December Professional Development Opportunities
Active Collaborative Training (A.C.T.) Series Day, Emergency Preparedness: Understanding Risks in the Early Childhood Setting

Date: Saturday, December 10th
Time: 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Trainers: John Watkins, FEMA Educational & Training Officer, and Paul Deignan, MSW
The A.C.T. Series Day is going to be a good one this year! Our presenters will be covering cyber security in the early childhood setting, compassion fatigue, and learning basic psychological first aid skills.

Start the day off learning about cyber security in the early childhood setting. Cyber security and early childhood setting may not seem like they go together, but with more and more programs becoming reliant on technology, it is more important than ever to protect the devices you use. Cyber security plays a role in safeguarding the children in your care.

Next, we'll shift our focus to compassion fatigue. Working in child care can be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, but it can also be stressful and overwhelming. The past few years have made working in child care even more challenging and the field is experiencing high levels of stress and burnout. So, how do we "help the helpers"?

We'll wrap the day up learning about basic psychological first aid skills. Psychological first aid is a technique aimed at reducing the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder. It is an approach used to assist people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

To learn more about this event and register, you can click HERE, or the button below.
Check out our other training opportunities for the month of December!
Early Childhood Focused Collaboratives
Early Childhood Collaborative Highlight of the Month:
With a Montessori Perspective

Join Child Care Aware of NH, the third (3rd) Wednesday of the month from 6:00 pm to 7:30 PM for ECC: With a Montessori Perspective. Collaborate with fellow Montessorians, while sharing ideas and taking a few new ones with you back to your program.

In honor of the approaching festive season, participants this month will meet for a learn and share session titled, "Rituals and Celebrations". Many programs have different viewpoints on these topics, so bring your own practices and ideas and be ready to learn from others!

To register, click the button below.
Looking for some other groups to connect and collaborate with? Check out our other Collaborative offerings!
Progressive Training and TA Program
Apply to be a Progressive Training and Technical Assistance (TA) Program when it works for your program! You will find the application on the Technical Assistance page or by clicking the button below.
We have several Progressive Training and TA topics programs can choose from this year:
  • Business Management Practices
  • Infant & Toddler Team Initiative
  • NH Early Learning Standards
  • Program Emergency Preparedness and Response
  • Environment Rating Scales
  • Strengthening Families, Strengthening Care
  • Staff Qualifications Initiative
CCAoNH has open enrollment for the Progressive Training and TA Program!

The Progressive Training and Technical Assistance Program is an opportunity for your program to participate in focused and facilitated teambuilding that promotes professionalism and program quality.
Want to know more?

Contact us at
(603) 578-1386, ext. 2526 and ext. 2532
or on LiveChat.
Monthly Health And Safety Resources
The resources found in this section can help support providers and families in planning for emergencies. You can find additional resources on the NH Connections Emergency Planning Page.
What to Know About Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a viral infection that is very common in the winter, especially among young children. Although most people with RSV have mild cold symptoms, it can cause severe illness and result in hospitalization. This year, the virus is showing up earlier than usual, and more children are getting sick. It’s important that early care and education program staff members and families understand the symptoms of RSV so that they know how this illness can affect children and how to respond when children and adults get sick. The National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety (NCHBHS) has a new resource to help staff learn more about RSV, including the importance of daily health checks, the inclusion of ill children, and information on what to do when it’s more than just a cold.

Related Resources
Explore related resources on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) website to learn more.
Other Early Childhood News And Updates
Important Information From the Bureau of Child
Development and Head Start Collaboration
New Hampshire’s voluntary quality recognition system for licensed child care providers, known as Granite Steps for Quality (GSQ) focuses on improving the overall quality of Early Care and Education and Out-of-School Time (OST) programs in the state. Programs participating in GSQ will promote a culture of continuous quality improvement thereby improving outcomes for children and families to thrive and succeed in school and beyond.
Not sure how to get started? We invite you to contact Child Care Aware of New Hampshire and a TA Specialist will help answer questions, provide detail surrounding the rubrics and help you to become Q-Ready!

Ready to start? Click the button below!
Navigating the Background Check Process
On Monday, November 21st, the Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration and the Child Care Licensing Unit held a webinar, "Navigating the Background Check Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for Licensed Child Care". This webinar covered the steps for applying for a background check through the NH Connections Information System (NHCIS). If you missed this webinar, A portion was recorded and is available for viewing on NH Connections.
Are you looking to find that information on NH Connections? Check out the images below to see where you can find this, and other important licensing information, on the website.
Earn FREE Books & Toys for Your Early Care and Education Program
The Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is offering this incentive program for early care and education programs that can earn them a collection of toys from Green Toy Co. and high-quality children's books valued at $540.

To learn more about this opportunity and how you can participate, click the picture to the left, or the button below.
SELA Platform: Simple Ways to Work on Your Wellness
This busy time of year can make it difficult to find time to focus on mental wellness. The feature story on the homepage of the SELA Platform covers, "Simple Ways to Work on Your Wellness". There are resources that provide effective ways for you and your team to navigate busier times with less stress and more peace and happiness.

Look for resources on building a positive workplace culture, including beating burnout, boosting morale, and tapping team wisdom at the following link: https://www.selanhmembers.com/successful-program-management/becoming-an-hr-expert/workplace-culture/.

Highly recommend to anyone working in the early childhood field to take the time to watch the recording of the presentation, Reclaim Your Joy: Paving Your Positive Path Forward as and Early Childhood Educator. In this refreshing and inspiring webinar, early care and education leader, author, and inspirational speaker, Erin Ramsey will inspire you to pave a positive path forward with ways to claim your power, remove your roadblocks and find your joy. Erin will share tools, stories, photos, and poetry that will provide you an opportunity to reset and rejuvenate to improve your life and work!
 
Please let us know how we can support you and your staff during the Holiday Season!
 
Learn more by logging into the SELA Platform at selanhmembers.com or by using the QR code below:
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.