INCENTIVE$
Salary supplement for early care providers
1.800.939.9694
(toll-free)
SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship program for early care providers
1.800.939.9694
(toll-free)
Training and Technical Assistance
Assistance for centers, group homes and family care providers in Smart Start Plus counties to achieve higher levels of quality
1.877.STARTGA
(toll-free)
Smart Start Plus counties currently include Berrien, Bryan, Chatham, Clayton, Dodge, Dougherty, Effingham, Fulton, Houston, Laurens, Muscogee, Schley, Sumter and Tift.
For more information visit smartstartga.org, call us at 1.877.STARTGA, or email us at info@
smartstartga.org.
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| Georgia Unveils Early Learning Standards for Children Ages Birth through Three |
In February, Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning was joined by Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools, as they unveiled Georgia?s Early Learning Standards (GELS), a new resource for parents and child care providers of children ages birth through three.
The GELS identify a continuum of skills, behaviors and concepts that children develop early in life in the areas of physical, emotion and social, language and literacy, and cognitive development; and approaches to learning. Each developmental area includes a set of standards, indicators and sample behaviors in an easy-to-read format.
GELS recognizes every child is unique, so the standards are flexible enough to acknowledge and support children?s individual rates of development, approaches to learning, and cultural context.
The GELS have been distributed to licensed and registered early care and learning providers throughout the state. Teachers can use the standards to help provide quality learning experiences, and parents can use them to support their children?s growth, development and learning potential.
The GELS, which are a voluntary set of standards, are available on Bright from the Start?s website at http://www.decal.state.ga.us/or by calling 404-656-5957.
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| Celebrate Read Across America Day |
This month, celebrate the National Education Association?s Read Across America Day. Originally created as a one-day event to celebrate the joy of reading on Dr. Seuss? birthday, March 2nd, Read Across America has grown into a nationwide initiative that promotes reading every day of the year. The annual motivation and awareness program calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on or around March 2nd.
Reading to children is one of the best and easiest things parents and educators can do to foster future success. Children who are read to from an early age are far more likely to succeed in school, in a career, and in life because they start school ready to learn. Also, reading aloud helps familiarize a child with books, and encourages excitement around reading. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend time reading do better in school.
During Read Across America Day, parents, schools, and early care providers are encouraged to read books to their infants, toddlers, preschool and Pre-K students. The community can also be involved in planning activities for both Read Across America Day and year round. Business leaders, elected officials, educators, libraries, community centers, churches, hospitals and bookstores can all be involved in celebrating and promoting childrens' reading. It is never too soon to make an investment in a child?s future.
For more information on how to get involved in Read Across America Day, visit the National Education Association?s Web site at http://www.nea.org/readacross/index.html/
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| School-Age Project Funded by Bright from the Start |
Black Child Development Institute (BCDI) and Georgia Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (GACCRRA) are working collaboratively on a project funded by Bright from the Start, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) to begin building an infrastructure to support the process of quality improvement in school-age programs across the state.
The project is called Kids2Work and it includes two major components:
? the training of 20 school-age advisors from the R&R offices
? creation of 5 demonstration sites across the state.
The project was launched with an orientation and training by Elaine Collins of EBC Education Services Inc (lead consultant on the project) and a three-day training conducted by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) coordinated by Douglas and Associates (partnering consultant).
School-Age Advisors now have a school-age library to share with school-age programs and are in the process of developing school-age workshops to deliver in their communities.
Each demonstration site is using a youth and teacher survey and the self-study kit of the National Association of Afterschool to identify targeted areas for program improvement.
Resource and Referral Agencies will highlight school-age programs across the state with a special awareness day on Friday May 19, 2006, called Afterschool in Georgia. Each community will plan special activities for that day. For more information contact Elaine Collins (770) 996-9217. |
| Encourage Healthy Eating Habits Early |
Once children start kindergarten, life takes on a new routine. It is important, however, that children eat well-balanced meals while away from home to help them stay active and improve their ability to concentrate. You can help jumpstart this process by developing healthy eating habits for your child well before they start school. As childhood obesity becomes a common problem, it is more important than ever to start early. Wherever possible try to:
? Offer a variety of healthy foods every day.
? Set a good example by encouraging healthy eating for everyone in the family?including mom and dad.
? Encourage slow eating if yours is a family of fast eaters. Put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls. Offer crunchy foods that need chewing.
? Teach your child to recognize when he or she feels full.
? Help your child recognize if he or she eats when bored, sad or lonely. Try to suggest another activity instead.
? Offer healthy snacks between meals and save high energy treats for special occasions.
? Encourage children to help prepare meals.
? Encourage water rather than sugary drinks.
? Enjoy family mealtimes and activities together.
? Try not to punish, reward or cheer your child up with food. While it can be tempting to use food this way at times, it establishes an unhealthy relationship with food.
If you have specific questions about your child?s nutrition, contact your pediatrician. He or she will be able to help you determine what?s best for your child.
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| Eye on ECE: Early Care and Education Around the Country |
Each month, we highlight articles from around the country to provide you with a brief synopsis of what's happening in the nation related to the field of early care and education. We hope these articles will be of interest to you!
? Funding for Head Start and a host of other child-related programs would hold steady under President Bush?s proposed FY2007 budget plan for agencies outside the Department of Education. The administration determined that flat funding was prudent, but critics labeled the President?s plan for Head Start to receive $6.8 billion next fiscal a de facto budget cut. Head Start and Early Head Start, which the Department of Health and Human Services oversees, provide services to about 917,000 disadvantaged preschool children.
(2/15 Education Week Article)
? More military families across the country will have access to the Parents as Teachers childhood education program due to an additional $1 million in federal funding. Sen. Kit Bond, Missouri Republican, made the announcement at the Parents as Teachers headquarters in St. Louis. Bond said military families with young children are often most impacted by the stress of military life. The program serves parents from pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten. The money, which was secured in the 2006 defense appropriations bill, will enhance programs already in place and fund five more at bases across the country. Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Stewart, Ga., Fort Campbell, Ky., Fort Lewis, Wash., and Fort Wainwright, Alaska, will all be part of the pilot program.
(2/24 Associated Press Article)
? Democratic State Senator Frederica Wilson is trying to expand Florida?s new voluntary prekindergarten program from a partial to a full day during the school year. The bill would require public and private schools to offer up to 720 hours of prekindergarten instead of the current minimum requirement of 540 hours. Voters mandated in 2002 that a voluntary, high-quality prekindergarten program be in place for all 4-year-olds by August 2005. Lawmakers worked out the details, which included allocating about $2,500 per student. Mostly private and faith-based schools are providing the school-year program because most public schools have no room. A criticism from the program's start has been that $2,500 per student won't pay for a high-quality program, and working parents need more than the three-hour average day that it pays for during the school year.
(2/16 Tampa Tribune Article)
? In February, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois announced that he wanted the state to become the first in the nation to offer universal preschool to 3 and 4-year-olds. According to Governor Blagojevich, the preschool proposal would help middle-income families, many of whom earn too much to qualify for existing state preschool, but not enough to pay for school on their own. The plan, which would require approval from legislators, would cost the state $45 in each of the next three years.
(2/13 New York Times Article)
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| Striving for Quality |
Every month Smart Start Georgia shares early care and education accomplishments and good news. Each accomplishment was a team effort involving the center/home staff and the Technical Assistance (TA) provider. This month the highlighted programs are listed by accreditation:
Home of Distinction
Lizzette?s Home Day Care, Savannah, Chatham County - United Way of Coastal Empire
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