Provider Newsletter - January 6, 2021

January 6, 2021

Reminder to register for the January Provider netWORK meeting tomorrow

When: January 7, 2021 09:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Topic: January 2021 Provider netWORK Meeting

Please register for this webinar using the blue button below. You will receive a confirmation email after completing your registration.

If you have any questions please submit them through the Redline

January Virtual Board Meeting

January 13, 2021 11:00 AM CDT

Don't miss the January Board Meeting!

Please call: (646) 558-8656 using meeting ID number: 365 921 3194

We continue to seek parents to join the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)

Please download a copy of the flyer by clicking the image to the left.

Ways you can help us spread the word:

Place a copy of the flyer on your lobby bulletin board
Print copies of the flyer and give it to each of your children to take home
Include a digital copy of the flyer in your parent newsletters or emails

Thursday Power Sessions: 30-minute Virtual meetings via Zoom

Pre-K Language Modeling

Regards for Child Perspectives

Infant Early Language Support

Thursday January 14 1:00pm - 1:30pm

Thursday January 21 1:00pm - 1:30pm

Thursday January 28 1:00pm - 1:30pm

Ages and Stages Questionnaire Social-Emotional (ASQ-SE)

The Coalition is excited to bring this opportunity to our SR Providers. This on-site tool will assist our Providers in evaluating potential social-emotional concerns for children in their care.

The Coalition will be offering the following:

On-Site Teaching Assistant with the ASQ-SE Screening Tool
Teaching Assistant for ASQ Brooks online
ASQ-SE Kits

If you have any questions or need to request assistance, please email ASQ@elcnwf.org.

VPK Providers:

VPK Providers on Probation: VPK Assessment Period 2 (AP2) is required at the mid-point of your VPK Program.

This is your reminder to look at the VPK Calendar and calculate the mid-point of your program and ensure that the AP2 is completed timely.

If your VPK program is not on probation, the VPK Assessment Period 2 (AP2) is not required, but, if you choose to complete the assessment you will be able to complete mid-year parent conferences.

As of October 1^st 2020, VPK providers are reimbursed on the “80/20 rule” consistent with the VPK contract. This means that you will be reimbursed 100% for students who attend at least 80% of the month. VPK COVID closures require calendar revisions to restore lost instructional hours.

SR Providers:

SR Paid Holidays for January 2021 includes New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 18, 2021). If you are planning on opening for MLK Day please contact the coalition staff so that we can make the necessary changes and coding corrections in EFS Mod PRIOR to submitting your January attendance. It is imperative that you let the coalition know of any changes, whether it be closures due to COVID, or being open on upcoming holidays, as soon as possible to prevent any delays in processing your attendance.

Reminder on absences for the month of January:

Paid absences will be back to the “Normal” 10 paid absences
3 - E’s (Excused Absences)
7 - Extraordinary Circumstance Absences (with appropriate documentation requirements)
The Documentation will need to be uploaded into the Attendance screen of the EFS Mod System

Providers will begin to collect Parent Copayments starting January 1, 2021. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to collect the co-payments from your parents.

Due to the nature of the current pandemic, DCF is requiring a heightened level of reporting practices on the part of the provider. One confirmed positive COVID-19 case is considered a serious reportable disease, and must be reported to the local health department and the local child care licensing office.

If a child care facility, licensed family day care home, large family child care home, or registered family day care home has a confirmed case of COVID-19 for a child(ren) or child care personnel, the provider must report as follows:

Immediately to the local health department
Immediately to staff and parents of enrolled children
Within one business day to the local child care licensing office. (For registered family day care homes, the program office must be notified).

Only include the following information when reporting to child care licensing:

Name of the provider
DCF license ID number
Date of the positive test
Date the individual was last in the facility/home
Date the local health department was notified

Below is a list of local county health department contacts for reporting communicable diseases.

When you are reporting to your Licensing Counselor, please feel free to include Toni Jackson in the email. In the event that you are unaware of who your licensing counselor is, please email Toni directly.

County Health Department Contacts

Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! 2021: January 25-29

2021 Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! will be held January 25-29, 2021. This annual event aims to raise awareness of children’s literacy and foster their love for reading. This year's theme is: Humanity tells a story: What’s YOUR chapter?

The Office of Early Learning provided a list of example book titles to be read by children PreK - 2nd Grade during the 2021 celebration of literacy week! Below is the Coalition selected title, which will be read aloud and shared virtually with VPK providers.