Community Coordinated Care for Children, Inc. (4C)
Caring for Our Future Today
The Nemours Mobile Clinic will provide free well-child checks and vaccines at Central Florida locations – Winter Garden on Feb. 13, Apopka on Feb. 20 and March 6, Sanford on Feb. 27, Kissimmee on March 20 – for uninsured children 17 years old and younger.
Families’ income must be less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Call (407) 650-7715 for an appointment. Not including the COVID-19 vaccine. To learn more, click here.
Reading broadens our perspectives, introduces us to new experiences, and changes what we think is possible for our own lives. The Florida House of Representatives has partnered with Age of Learning to bring FREE access to its online digital library to every Florida child, regardless of age, income, or reading level, from now through 12/31/2021. To take advantage of this initiative, all a Floridian needs to do is visit ReadingIQ.com/newworlds and create a free account.
In addition to thousands of book titles at ReadingIQ.com, Florida’s kids will have access to the feature that helps them select books at their current reading level and provides a pathway for progress. The ReadingIQ library also contains a feature that reads the books in its library to the child. While not a replacement for parental storytime, it is a feature that can assist children whose parents cannot provide that support.
This partnership does not involve any appropriations or expenditures of any public money nor does it involve any preferences, contracts, or other benefits for Age of Learning. Instead, it is a generous act of corporate philanthropy.
First Lady Casey DeSantis announced that the theme for Black History Month in February is “Community Champions – Celebrating the Contributions of African Americans in Florida’s Communities.”
Students in grades K-3 can participate in an art contest while students in grades 4-12 can participate in an essay contest.
All entries must be received by 5 pm (ET) on Feb. 26, 2021.
For more information, visit www.FloridaBlackHistory.com
According to 65C-22.001(6), Florida Administrative Code, all child care personnel are required to complete 40 hours of mandated training. The training must begin within the first 90 days of employment in the child care industry. These trainings can be completed in an instructor-led environment or completed online. In choosing the online option, once the student starts a course, they have 45 days to complete the course.
As we chart our way through this unprecedented time, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), Office of Child Care Regulation, continues to explore options to support the child care industry. On March 22, 2020, the Department issued an EO allowing a six-month extension for the completion of competency exams. Because these exams are primarily conducted at our local colleges, which have been closed, we will extend the deadline for completion of competency exams to March 1, 2021, and continue to work with providers on this requirement to ensure non-compliance citations will not be issued. Where feasible, Child Care Regulation will offer technical assistance to assist providers with achieving these training requirements.
In addition, Child Care Regulation has also extended the ability to allow for completion of online courses beyond the 45-day requirement. For those students who enrolled in an online class as of Jan. 28, 2020, and later, they will be allowed additional time to complete the course. The course will remain open so that students may review the materials prior to taking the competency exam.
At the time of inspection, if child care personnel have not had an opportunity to complete training because of limited access to competency exams, our counselors will not monitor sub-standards 33.1 and 33.2 in facilities (8.14 and 8.16 in LFCCH). Technical assistance will be provided in order to assist with meeting this requirement.
CONDITIONS: Please note that this extension does not mean that providers should not continue pursuing these requirements. Exam locations continue to become available, and some child care personnel may need to travel to a neighboring county to complete the testing.
If you are experiencing challenges, please do not hesitate to contact your licensing counselor so that this information can be appropriately documented in your provider record.
CONTACT INFORMATION: If you have any questions or need clarification regarding this guidance, please contact the Child Care Training Information Center at 888-352-2842.
The 26th annual Florida’s Children’s Week is scheduled for April 4 to 9, 2021. This event is a special annual celebration filled with joyful singing voices of young children, the colorful “Hanging of Hands” and the dedication of thousands of child advocates across Florida.
Children’s Week provides a platform for advocates to deliver the message that every child in Florida should be healthy, ready to learn, and able to achieve their full potential.
For website, click here.
Mail your hand artwork any time before March 25, 2021 to the address provided below:
The Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend Region
2639 N. Monroe St., Building C
Tallahassee, FL 32303
The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) provides online access to public assistance services, ACCESS Florida. Families can access a variety of services through this site:
ACCESS is the Florida Department of Children and Families’ Automated Community Connection to Economic Self-Sufficiency (ACCESS). The ACCESS Florida system allows customers to connect with their public assistance information 24/7, through the online application and MyACCESS Account. Learn More About ACCESS.
Here are just four things families can do with this resource:
You can talk to the DCF’s Virtual Assistant for help as well. The virtual assistance offers help in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
Florida Department of Children and Families — According to 65C-22.001(6), Florida Administrative Code, all child care personnel are required to complete 40 hours of mandated training. The training must begin within the first 90 days of employment in the child care industry. These trainings can be completed in an instructor-led environment or completed online. In choosing the online option, once the student starts a course, they have 45 days to complete the course.
As we chart our way through this unprecedented time, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), Office of Child Care Regulation, continues to explore options to support the child care industry. On March 22, 2020, the Department issued an EO allowing a six-month extension for the completion of competency exams. Because these exams are primarily conducted at our local colleges, which have been closed, we will extend the deadline for completion of competency exams to Jan. 31, 2021, and continue to work with providers on this requirement to ensure non-compliance citations will not be issued. Where feasible, Child Care Regulation will offer technical assistance to assist providers with achieving these training requirements.
In addition, Child Care Regulation has also extended the ability to allow for completion of online courses beyond the 45-day requirement. For those students who enrolled in an online class as of Jan. 28, 2020, and later, they will be allowed additional time to complete the course. The course will remain open through March 31, 2021, so that students may review the materials prior to taking the competency exam.
At the time of inspection, if child care personnel have not had an opportunity to complete training because of limited access to competency exams, our counselors will not monitor sub-standards 33.1 and 33.2 in facilities (8.14 and 8.16 in LFCCH). Technical assistance will be provided in order to assist with meeting this requirement.
CONDITIONS:
Please note that this extension does not mean that providers should not continue pursuing these requirements. Exam locations continue to become available, and some child care personnel may need to travel to a neighboring county to complete the testing.
If you are experiencing challenges, please do not hesitate to contact your licensing counselor so that this information can be appropriately documented in your provider record.
CONTACT INFORMATION: If you have any questions or need clarification regarding this guidance, please contact the Child Care Training Information Center at 888-352-2842.
According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA), this year it
is more important than ever that all families get vaccinated for influenza (flu). Health experts believe that an individual can get the flu and the coronavirus at the same time. Since both viruses are respiratory illnesses, they produce similar symptoms.
The CDC cautions that the flu may cause more serious symptoms in children than the coronavirus. Children are most likely to get the flu during flu season. They are also most likely to expose family members to the flu. Since pregnant women and infants (younger than 6 months) cannot have a flu vaccine, all other family members need to get the vaccine to prevent exposing the flu to infants and pregnant women.
Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) is urging child care resource and referral agencies (CCR&Rs) to encourage child care programs to educate their employees and the families they serve on the importance of receiving a flu vaccine. CCAoA developed a PowerPoint presentation that can be customized for use in training child care are providers. Additionally, CCR&Rs could consider hosting a flu vaccine clinic. There is also a 12-minute “microwebinar” for families and providers, “A Conversation about Flu Prevention with Families,” that is available online.
Is reading with your child a challenge? Try to Book Share instead! Open a book and have a conversation using the 3Ts.
There’s so much more to talk about than just the words on the page.
3Ts Tip: Describe the pictures, talk about how the characters might be feeling, or predict what you think will happen next. To learn more, click here.
It’s more important than ever before that we prepare for flu season, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic still is a serious issue. Child Care Aware® of America has released a suite of new resources designed to help Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies respond to and prepare child care providers and families for the flu.
Resources include:
We hope you’ll take advantage of these resource and join Emergency Child Care & Technical Assistance Center Program Manager Crystal Givens on Instagram Live along with CCAoA Director of Early Childhood Health Programs Nicole Garro on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. EDT to find out what you need to know about child care and the flu immunization. Ask questions and get answers! Follow us at @childcareawareusa.