JULY 2020 NEWSLETTER
In This Issue
-2020 Annual Conference
-Watch No Small Matter
-July Issue of Young Children
-Weekly Informal Meetings
-NAEYC Books for Families
-FREE Picture E-books
-Georgia Budget Cuts
Members Only
-Online Interest Forums on Hello!
-Preorder Trauma and Young Children
_ SAVE THE DATE _
GAEYC is the largest professional development organization for early childhood education in Georgia, with 1000 members in Georgia and a professional audience of 1000s more. This year, we will host our conference online over 3 days from our website. Registrants will attend online workshops through Zoom, which is fully accessible by cell phone.
Online Interest Forums on Hello!
Hello! is the online interest forums for GAEYC members who joined through NAEYC. Recent conversations:
"What does it really look like in a pandemic adjusted classroom?"
Eager to get started? 
Check out the  Quick Start Guide.
Watch NO SMALL MATTER
No Small Matter is the first major theatrical documentary to tackle the topic of early childhood education. See why it’s indeed #NoSmallMatter. Now available at a discount on DVD or to stream →  nosmallmatter.com/buy
 
Discount Codes:
Rent - NAEYC20RENT
Buy - NAEYC20PURCHASE
DVD/Merchandise - NAEYC20ORDER

More than ever, early childhood educators need accurate information and practical guidance for helping children and families who have experienced trauma. This book provides an understanding of what trauma is, how to create trauma-informed programs, how to care for your own well-being, and more.

This book is a Premium Member benefit.
Supporting Young Children after Crisis Events
The  July 2020 issue  of Young Children includes a cluster of articles that offer a range of strategies and approaches for helping children who have experienced trauma. Additional articles in this issue include tips for fostering literacy in infancy, supporting toddlers who are coping with separation anxiety, and more!

During the course of young children's development, they are exposed to a variety of potentially stressful events that challenge their sense of security and stability, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Early childhood educators can help by providing guidance and assistance to families about how to identify and address the most common reactions that can be anticipated among young children after a crisis event  Read more .
Weekly Informal Meetings
These weekly informal meeting are called  Courageous Conversations  because they are led by what attendees bring to discuss. We recognize that we don't have all the answers but we can share resources and information with each other, and that makes early childhood education stronger. Last week, we had 62 professionals on the call.
Wednesdays at 1pm via Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 831 3470 6411
Password: gaeyc
NAEYC Books to Support Families with At-Home Learning
These popular books  from NAEYC to encourage and engage young children in learning at home.
Free Picture E-books
to help children understand the pandemic world when returning to school
The picture books are in Spanish, English and Chinese. The books also have audio and the links for the audio are listed below:
 
 
 
 
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The summer edition of Dimensions features an article by Georgia's own Siobian Minish
Using Home Visits with a Family Centered Approach . You might know her from presenting at the GAEYC Annual Conference and from the Child Development Lab at McPhaul Center at UGA. Check out these other great articles:

Reflection on Parent Engagement During School Closures Due to the Pandemic By Andrea Greimel

Reflexión sobre la participación de los padres durante el cierre de las escuelas debido a la Pandemia Por Andrea Greimel
Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network
GSAN has held Online Forums weekly and will start these meetings again soon. Last week they held a panel of four afterschool programs who are farther along in conversations with their school districts than others. One is Boys and Girls Clubs with Atlanta Public Schools.

GSAN partners with Georgia Afterschool & Youth Development Initiative (ASYD) to offer free webinars in the coming months that are relevant to early childhood and school age afterschool programming. Next week's webinar is on online STEAM.
Afterschool Programs Supporting Students during Reopening

The Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network is collecting information on afterschool programs and their current operations to create a resource guide. This guide will be used by GSAN, school districts, and other stakeholders to help families find programs and services in their local communities.
Georgia Budget Updates
From GEEARS: We’re happy to report the harmful and unnecessary cuts to Georgia’s nationally recognized Pre-K program were not included in the final FY2021 budget. 
Thank you to the nearly 10,000—yes, 10,000—early education advocates who urged Georgia legislators to oppose Pre-K funding cuts. Your collective voice made all the difference.   
We were also pleasantly surprised to see an increase in Pre-K teacher supplements and funding for behavioral and classroom support specialists as part of the final spending document. 

The final budget also contained unexpected wins for child and maternal health in Georgia. 
The budget included funding for an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) coordinator position at the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), a recommendation from the  Infant and Toddler Social and Emotional Health Study Committee . This is particularly gratifying because as recently as last week, we did not anticipate the position would make it into the budget. 

Funding for 6 months of Postpartum Medicaid was also included, which is a great first step toward our goal of improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Georgia. Earlier versions of the budget did not include the full 6 months of Postpartum Medicaid funding. This funding is accompanied by  HB 1114 , which will allow the state to seek a waiver from the federal government to provide Medicaid to this population. 

Content taken from GEEARS.org newsletter
Get more information by signing up for the GEEARS newsletter at GEEARS.org

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