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December 2021 Bits & Bytes
DCAEYC Wishes You
a joyous holiday season with peace and cheer
Bulletin Board:
DCAEYC Launches End-of-Year Fundraiser - Help Us Reach Our Goal
On Tuesday, November 30, DCAEYC joined GivingTuesday and launched our End-of-Year Fundraiser. With your support, we started our fundraiser off with a bang and raised $780: That's over 20% of our goal!

We still have ways to go before hitting our end-of-year $3,500 goal, and we need help from all of our members and allies to get there. If you haven't already, please consider giving a donation today. We have a lot in the works for 2022, and your tax-deductible gift will move us one step closer to bringing all our plans for the new year into reality.
Join or Renew Your Membership Today
Have you been following DCAEYC, but have been holding off on getting a membership with us? Perhaps you are a member with us, but your membership is about to lapse. A lot of exciting things are coming up, and we don't want you to miss out. Become a member or renew your membership today and stay part of the movement supporting early childhood education in Washington, DC.
Welcome New DCAEYC Members!
DCAEYC extends a warm welcome to the following new members who have joined throughout November and December:

Linda B.
Angelica B.
Julie M.
Kimberly H.
Milagro V.
Amber W.
DCAEYC Office Holiday Closure
DCAEYC's offices will be closed for the holidays from December 23 through December 31. Thank you in advance for your understanding if we're slow to respond during this time. We look forward to seeing you again in the New Year!
Thank you to all our outstanding members who shared their stories with us this year. Did you miss any of them? Check out our Member Spotlight page, and get reacquainted with our 2021 Member Spotlights!
*If you or someone you know would like to be featured in a future member spotlight, please let us know by emailing info@dcaeyc.org.
Principle of Practice:
Recharge Yourself for the New Year with Self-Care
Early childhood education can be a great source of joy. You get to see young children master new tasks, learn new concepts, and appreciate you for being a part of their lives. But it can also be both physically and mentally exhausting, causing you to be drained of your energy and leaving you feeling spent. When left unchecked, the stress caused by the high demands of working in early childhood education can lead to burnout.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “[job] burnout is a special type of work-related stress — a state of
physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.” Warning signs of teacher burnout can include being easily angered or
irritated, a lack of desire to attend social gatherings, and chronic fatigue, insomnia, or exhaustion.

One way to prevent or mitigate burn-out is through self-care. Self-care is "a way of living each day that incorporates behaviors that help you feel refreshed, re-energized, and rested." Besides helping you to be a better educator, self-care can improve your overall well-being. Benefits of self-care include:

  • Increased self-compassion
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Elevation in mood
  • Improved sleep
  • Improved cognitive function

Ready to start your self-care journey? Check out these self-care resources from Learners Edge and Anne Brunette, MSW Family Therapist. NAEYC also has some great tips in their article Preventing Compassion Fatigue. Additional resources can be found below.

Book Suggestions for Self-Care
  • The Teacher’s Guide to Self-Care by Sarah Forst
  • The Little Book of Self-Care: 200 Ways to Refresh, Restore, and Rejuvenate by Adams Media
  • Make Yourself Cozy: Guide for Practicing Self-Care by Katie Vaz
  • A Year of Self-Care: Daily Practices and Inspiration for Caring for Yourself (A Year of Daily Reflections) by Dr. Zoe Shaw
  • Beyond Burnout by Amy O’Hana

Podcast Suggestions for Educator Self-Care
  • An Educator’s Therapy Session 
  • How to Enjoy Your Life as an Educator: Beating the Burnout Part 1 – (The Teacher Behavior Together Podcast)
  • Stress and Teaching (Educators 2 educators Podcast)
  • 128. Teacher AND Student Wellbeing – (The Balanced Educator Podcast)
  • Developing healthy habits, even if you are teacher tired – (Tired Teacher Podcast)
Policy Beat:
Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force Updates
Following the wins of this past budget season resulting in funds being allocated for more equitable compensation for early childhood educators, the Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force has been holding biweekly meetings since October 15. The Task Force is making progress one meeting at a time. So far, the Task Force has agreed upon the following:
  •  Compensation Eligibility for Educators 
  • Must work in an OSSE license program 
  •  Meet the Power to the Profession definition of “early childhood educators”: pre-ECE I, ECE I, ECE II, ECE III
  • Salary Scale (has not been adopted) Progress 
  • Is not based on the setting of the program or the ages of children served
  • Salary is based on education level, role/position, and experience
  • Will incentivize educational advancement 
  • ECE Equitable Compensation Task Force Timeline
  • Task Force Meeting- Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at 6 pm
  • Task Force Meeting- Tuesday, January 4, 2022, at 6 pm
  • Task Force Draft Review- Friday, January 7, 2022 
  • Task Force Finalize Report- Monday, January 10, 2022 at 6pm
  • Submit a report to the Mayor and Council by January 15, 2022

Upcoming Task Force meetings will address the adoption of a salary scale and provide recommendations for implementation. Task Force meetings are open to the public, and will next be held on Wednesday, December 15th at 6:00 pm. Members of the public can view task force meetings on Zoom here or at www.chairmanmendelson.com/live. Spanish translation will be provided through Zoom, so individuals wishing for interpretation services should use Zoom to watch the meeting.

More information about the task force and its charge is available here. Send any public comments to ececompensation@gmail.com. 

Join DCAEYC’s Directors’ Nook on Tuesday, December 15, 2021, at 1 pm to weigh in on the latest updates. Register Here.
Upcoming Events:
Directors' Nook
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Topic of the Month: Latest Updates from the ECE Equitable Compensation Task Force
Join our virtual meeting for DCAEYC members who are early childhood directors or administrators. This meeting will be a safe place for all early childhood directors and administrators to meet, share, and discuss topics related to our work and any additional interests.  This month we’ll discuss delivery mechanisms for the implementation of a new salary scale as discussed with the Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force. Please join us to share thoughts and concerns.
 
Click the above image to access the pdf with links. Click here for a version in Spanish.
ECE Equitable Compensation Task Force Meetings:
December 15, 2021 • January 4, 2022 • January 13, 2022
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Members of the public can view Task Force meetings on Zoom here or at www.chairmanmendelson.com/live. Spanish translation will be provided through Zoom, so individuals wishing for interpretation services should use Zoom to watch the meeting. Additionally, if individuals want to go back and watch previous Task Force meetings, they can find them at www.chairmanmendelson.com/live. 

More information about the Task Force and its charge is available here. Individuals can also email the Task Force at ececompensation@gmail.com.