- $350 Million in Grants for Child Care Providers
- Governor Whitmer Announces More Families Now Eligible for Free or Low-Cost Child Care
- MiRegistry Membership Status and Employment-It Matters
- A Creative Way for Families to Participate in Education Inside the Classroom
- Holidays and Winter Break
- Ideas for Programs and Providers from the Assessment Team
- Get to Know the Validators and Assessors
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$350 Million in Grants for Child Care Providers |
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There are still two more weeks to apply for the Child Care Stabilization Grant.
Before you apply, we strongly encourage you to:
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Review the FAQ.
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Visit Michigan.gov/childcare.
- Review the documents detailing allowable uses of funds.
- Contact your Regional Resource Center for help with your application by calling 877-614-7328. MDE is also pleased to partner with a network of community-based technical assistance providers across the state. Your local partner is available to help, too!
All eligible providers that submit a complete application will receive funding. Applications close 6pm on December 8, 2022.
Apply today at Michigan.gov/childcare or through your Great Start to Quality public profile.
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Governor Whitmer Announces More Families Now Eligible for Free or Low-Cost Child Care |
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Child Care Providers, you are our biggest champions for reaching families and we would love your help spreading the word!
Governor Whitmer announced that 105,000 more children and their families are now eligible for free or no cost child care. This is big news for working parents that are trying to cover child care costs and get back to work. It’s also helpful for businesses, unions, and associations that are trying to support employees that need child care.
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MiRegistry Membership Status and Employment-It Matters |
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January 1, 2022 is fast approaching, which means that program staff must be in a current MiRegistry membership status in order to receive credit for Professional Development Indicators. It is important to remember that all staff will need to have the following:
- A MiRegistry Membership status of Awaiting Print or Current prior to the SAS submission
- Verified employment
- The correct position title(s)
- If currently serving in more than one position, the staff person has both position titles and is listed on the Employees tab twice (I.E. Director and Lead Teacher)
- All Professional Development hours must have been taken through MiRegistry
Beginning the conversation with staff about employment and MiRegistry Membership status early will support getting changes made to employment records and also for MiRegistry Membership to be processed prior to the Self-Assessment Survey submission.
If employment changes are needed, and staff is in membership processing they will not be able to edit their own information. Please email Validation@ecic4kids.org with the individual’s MiRegistry ID #, individual’s name, and changes needed.
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A Creative Way for Families to Participate in Education Inside the Classroom (Indicator C-FP6) |
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The pandemic has brought a lot of challenges and has required you to make a lot of changes. During a recent validation, one program shared a creative way they are continuing to have families participate in their children's education inside the classroom, even when they can’t come into the building. If you are struggling to find ways to have parents participate in children's education inside the classroom or are just looking for something new to try, check out the following idea.
The program shared that families can visit the classroom virtually. Families have been able to read to children, tell stories, show children around their workplace, and tell them what they do. For families working from home, they have shown the child’s home and even had family pets visit, too. Since families are busy working and often couldn’t join in the past, this has allowed them to join more easily, even during the workday. It has also opened the door for grandparents and other family members who do not live close to visit the classroom and participate in the child’s education, too.
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Holidays and Winter Break |
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Holidays and Winter Break are fast approaching, and it is important to remember:
- Programs should be open and available immediately following the submission of the Application to confirm all Organization contact and classroom information is correct.
- Programs should be open and available immediately following submission of their Self-Assessment Survey until the entire process is complete; this could take up to 90 days.
- If programs are selected for validation and/or eligible for the assessment process, they should expect to be contacted and to be prepared to complete the process, regardless of the time of year.
- It is best not to submit the Application, Self-Assessment Survey, or begin the assessment process right before closing, staff vacations, program celebrations, or other events that might affect the ability to complete the process.
Should the situation arise where the Validation or Assessment Teams cannot contact the program, or the program does not have the availability, the program or provider may be opted out of the process. As soon as the program is able to complete the process, they can apply for a new rating case and get back on track.
Have questions? We are here to help! Reach out to the Validation Team any time at Validation@ecic4kids.org for additional support and guidance.
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Ideas for Programs and Providers from the Assessment Team |
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Handwashing helps reduce the spread of germs in childcare settings. Children's and adults’ hands should be washed before and after meals, after playing outside, after nose wipes, and after toileting/diapering. At a recent observation, we saw a great idea for washing infants’ hands after diaper changes that should save you time! After changing the infant and putting their clothes back on, spray the infant’s hands with soapy water from a spray bottle, rub the infant’s hands to eliminate the germs, and dry them with paper towel. This can be done while the infant continues to lay or sit on the changing table.
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Get to Know the Validators and Assessors |
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Over the next few issues, we will introduce you to one team member from both the Validation and Assessment Teams. |
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Melissa Mosley, Validation Manager
Melissa Mosley became the Validation Manager for Great Start to Quality in 2018. In this role, she provides oversight and leadership for the implementation of the Great Start to Quality Validation Process.
Ms. Mosley joined the Early Childhood Investment Corporation in 2016 as a Validator for Great Start to Quality. Ms. Mosley has worked with children and families in settings including a NAEYC accredited center, a child care center, and a before and after school program.
Ms. Mosley received her Bachelor of Applied Arts in Child Development and her Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Central Michigan University.
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Kristen Howard, Assessment Manager
Kristen Howard joined the ECIC team as the Assessment Manager in August 2021. In this role, she provides oversight and leadership for the implementation of the Great Start to Quality Assessment Process.
Ms. Howard has been working in the early childhood field for over 20 years. She is a dedicated early childhood professional who recently was an Executive Director and lead GSRP teacher. Through her work and educational background, Ms. Howard has become passionate in the area of quality in early childhood programs.
Ms. Howard received her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Michigan State University.
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Great Start to Quality on Facebook |
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Great Start to Quality is on Facebook! Like and follow our page to get the latest updates for you and resources to share with your colleagues and families.
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Like Us on Facebook for More Updates: |
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If you are thinking about how to maintain or continue making quality improvements, or if you’re ready to learn more and need help, contact your local Great Start to Quality Resource Center by calling 1-877-614-7328 or visit www.greatstarttoquality.org.
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Funding from the Office of Great Start within the Michigan Department of Education supports the implementation of Great Start. |
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