PROVIDER OUTREACH YOUR STATE-LEVEL RESOURCE FOR  PROVIDER NEWS. Issue 1 Volume 1

This issue contains important information on the following topics:

[ ]Important Deadlines [X]Free Resources [X]School Readiness, VPK or other Contract Compliance

[X]Compliance with State Requirements [X]Professional Development Opportunities [X]Informational

Rules and Notices Upcoming workshops or hearings Program Assessment What's new with CLASS® ? Auditing Resources for providers FY 2018-19 Closeout VPK Wrap Guidance Program Guidance What is Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R)? How can it benefit you as a Provider ? National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) Did you know that 64% of U.S. adults have noticed or been notified of a major data breach affecting their sensitive accounts or personal data? Were you aware that roughly half of Americans feel that their personal information is less secure than it was five years ago? Click to find out more: Internet of Things Online Privacy The Administration for Children and Families Seeks Public Input The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the Department of Health & Human Services. ACF is the federal agency responsible for the School Readiness program. ACF is seeking input from the public and interested stakeholders on strategies to improve access to high-quality, affordable child care in the U.S. A “ Request for Information ” seeks public input identifying emerging and innovative practices to improve access to high-quality child care, as well as identification of any regulatory and other policies that unnecessarily drive up the cost of care or limit the safe, nurturing child care choices available to parents. School Readiness Child Assessment In the 2019 to 2020 School Readiness (SR) contract year the Office of Early Learning began implementing legislation that allows for child care providers to conduct on-going child assessments and receive differential payments. SR child care providers meeting initial eligibility requirements may indicate their interest to participate in the child assessment differential. Child care providers must obtain a minimum CLASS® composite score (3.0) or be exempt from program assessments and have a minimum of 75% of teachers meeting child assessment reliability. It’s not too early for child care providers to prepare for child assessment implementation for next year’s contract. For more information contact your local early learning coalition or Greg Allerellie ( [email protected] ). For a list of approved child assessments please visit http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/statewide-initiatives .  Registration Reimbursement Process The registration reimbursement process, as referenced in the School Readiness provider contract, is in progress and will be shared upon completion. Standards Training Available! These courses are based on the revised Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards (2017) and provides an overview of the standards used in early learning classrooms serving children ages birth to Kindergarten.   There are three course options available based on children’s developmental age levels. Options available are: Implementing the Florida Standards in Early Learning Classrooms: Birth to Kindergarten. (Birth to K Course) Implementing the Florida Standards in Infant and Toddler Classrooms: Birth Through Two Years. (Infant/Toddler Course) Implementing the Florida Standards in Preschool Classrooms: 3 Years Old to Kindergarten. (Preschool Course) The Preschool Course is required for VPK teachers and VPK directors who have not previously completed a standard for 4-year-olds course. The other standard course listed is optional.  Instructor-Led Training (3 hours) is now available for the Preschool Course. Cost: Free (0.3 CEUs) Online Training (5 hours) available Cost: $10.00 (0.5 CEUs) Register for either version of the course on the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Child Care Training System: https://training01-dcf.myflorida.com/studentsite/admin/login.jsf For more information on Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards: Birth to Kindergarten visit: http://flbt5.floridaearlylearning.com . Quality Performance System (QPS) Steps to resetting Login information: Forgot Username Open Google Chrome, enter qps.floridaearlylearning.com in the address bar. Click on Login and then Forgot Username. Enter your OEL Provider ID from the Provider Portal and license/registration # and the system will send an email with the Username on file. Forgot Password Click on Login and then Forgot Password. The system sends an email with a link to reset the password. The link expires in 30 minutes. If you don’t receive an email, check junk/spam email inbox.   Statewide Provider Portal Due to the system performance issues with the statewide Provider Portal last week, The Office of Early Learning and early learning coalitions extended the deadline for submission of attendance to October 7. Given the system performance issues, coalitions will make a reasonable effort to pay providers on time if they submitted their attendance rosters late due to portal issues. Fiscal Year 2018-19 Reconciliation Reconciliation for f iscal year 2018-19 is in progress. To expedite the process, please keep an eye out for updates and questions from your local early learning coalition.

2020 Legislative Session Update Tuesday, September 17 House Education Committee Early Learning was the main topic on the agenda for the House Education Committee meeting last month. The committee made it clear that early learning will be a priority in the 2020 legislative session. A brilliant panel of statewide early learning partners also spoke at the meeting about the importance of early care and education initiatives. The panel included President and CEO, Evelio Torres from the ELC of Miami-Dade/Monroe; CEO, Lindsay Carson from the ELC of Pinellas County; Executive Director, Lesha Buchbinder from the ELC of Lake County; Roy Keister, VP and Legislative Committee Co-Chair from the Florida Association for Child Care Management (FACCM); Jennifer Shields with the Learning Care Group; Lisa Brooks with the Saint Rita Catholic Church’s Preschool.   ꟷ Watch the recording here .

Training Opportunities Did you know that School Readiness providers and educators can participate in free professional development opportunities that will assist with improving instructor quality by increasing knowledge and skills? The Office of Early Learning in collaboration with the University of Florida’s Lastinger Center offers Early Learning Florida. Early Learning Florida’s focus is supporting the incredible work of early childhood educators so they can provide the highest quality education and care to children. The engaging online courses and professional development supports are designed to give early childhood educators the tools they need to help the children they work with thrive. For more information on the courses, go to https://www.earlylearningflorida.com . For more information on the registration process, contact your local early learning coalition and ask to speak to the Professional Development Lead about Early Learning Florida courses.

Register For The #FLAEYCCon2019 Today!

If you were registered for the originally planned Conference in September, you are currently registered for the Conference on October 23rd - 27th at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®. You do not need to take any additional steps to confirm your registration aside from booking your hotel reservation (information below). Individual Registration: http://bit.ly/FLAEYCConSingleReg Group Registration: http://bit.ly/FLAEYCConGroupReg

Additional attendees may register for the rescheduled Conference now! Please use the registration links below to register for #FLAEYCCon2019 October 23rd - 27th, at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld® in Orlando, FL. Advance registration - offering a 15% discount over onsite registration - will be open through Monday, October 14, 2019. After that date, attendees will need to register onsite at the Conference for full price. Thank you and we hope to see you there!

Registrant Refund Reminder: Final Days To Submit Refund Request We understand that this date will not work for all registrants. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope that you can join us for the 2020 FLAEYC Annual Conference October 13-18, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, FL. Please follow the registrant refund procedure by filling out the refund request online here:  www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019ConfRefund . The process for requesting a refund will be open through tomorrow October 4th, 2019. If you have not completed the refund request by October 4th, it will be assumed that you will be attending the rescheduled Conference, October 23rd - 27th at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®. No refunds will be issued for requests received after October 4th, 2019.

Safe Sleep Awareness Month Governor Ron DeSantis has recognized October as Safe Sleep Awareness Month , see the proclamation here. www.ounce.org/pdfs/Safe_Sleep_Awareness_Month.pdf Please join us in to help all Floridians understand the importance of creating safe sleep environments for infants. We invite partners to participate in our safe sleep social media campaign by downloading and using our social media toolkit. (Download the kit from the bottom of the page at: www.ounce.org/safe_sleep.html .)   Direct service providers can order brochures, posters and other safe sleep resources FREE at https://qnet.e-quantum2k.com/~fmi/Custom/000814/login/   Create your account as you would when ordering through any online store and select the resources you would like to order.    You can download and print the resources yourself by going here:  www.ounce.org/safe_sleep.html .

Office of Early Learning - Florida Department of Education 250 Marriott Drive Tallahassee, FL 32399 Toll-Free 866-357-3239 www.floridaearlylearning.com