eNotes
September 20, 2017In this Issue:
- Hurricane Help Source: U.S. Department of Education
- Part C 2017 Tipping Points Survey Results Source: IDEA Infant & Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA)
- Call for Manuscripts from the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Source: Division for Early Childhood (DEC) at the Council for Exceptional Children
- Implementing Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Hearing Screening Source: ECHO Initiative
- Healthier Foods for 4 Million Kids in Early Care Source: Pew Charitable Trusts
- State-Led Evaluations of Family Engagement: The MIECHV Program Source: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE)
1. Hurricane Help
The U.S. Dept. of Education is working with other federal agencies, such as FEMA and DHS, to ensure continuation of critical services to students, families, and educators and the restoration of the learning environment. The Disaster Distress Helpline is below, and additional hurricane resources can be found here.
- http://www.disasterdistress.samhsa.gov/
- 1-800-985-5990 or
- Text TalkWithUs to 66746
- TTY for Deaf/Hearing Impaired: 1-800-846-8517
- Spanish-speakers text messaging: Hablanos to 66746
2. Part C 2017 Tipping Points Survey Results
ITCA recently published its 12th annual report (September 2017) containing survey responses from 48 of the 56 states and jurisdictions regarding issues for implementing Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ITCA uses this information to track emerging issues regarding eligibility, finance, and continued participation in the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C of IDEA).
3. Call for Manuscripts from the Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
DEC is seeking manuscripts for its 5th monograph in the DEC Recommended Practices Series in 2019. The topic focus is interaction practices that are evidence-based and implement the DEC Recommended Practices. Those implementing the intervention practices can be family, caregivers, or child care personnel who support early and developmental learning of children (age 0 to 5) who have or are at risk for having developmental delays or disabilities. Deadline for manuscript submission is December 10, 2017.
4. Implementing Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Hearing Screening
The ECHO Initiative is offering an interactive web class series next month to help prepare early care and education providers to implement Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) hearing screening to young children. This series consists of four 60 minute live sessions. Each session will include hands-on skill-based assignments for participants to practice during the session. Registration deadline is October 12, 2017. For more information, contact echo.ncham@usu.edu.
5. Healthier Foods for 4 Million Kids in Early Care
As of October 1, 2017, a new rule from the USDA will be implemented that updates the nutritional standards for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the first change of its kind in nearly 50 years. This means healthier meals and snacks for millions of children nationwide without significant cost increases to providers. The new rule will increase enrolled children's consumption of whole grains and vegetables, and decrease their intake of grain-based desserts. For additional information, view this report from Pew Charitable Trusts.
6. State-Led Evaluations of Family Engagement: The MIECHV Program
This new brief from OPRE (August 2017) identifies the types of questions states and territories receiving funding from MIECHV have about family engagement, and provides examples of state-led evaluations. The evaluations from Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Arkansas, California, Alaska, Vermont, Connecticut, and West Virginia focused on 3 main topics:
- Family and community characteristics associated with engagement
- Best practices and strategies to promote engagement
- Father engagement
The results may influence areas of training, professional development, and curricula that could be improved to more effectively engage families.