In Touch

1 Director s Viewpoint by Brenda Eastham, Director Thank you to all who have completed the required health and safety trainings. All training certificates of completion should be kept at your place of business or home so that you can provide the information when requested. Child Care Assistance Program: Child Care approvals are now for 12 months. Please make sure parents let us know of any changes that occur during the approval period. Job searches have increased to 90 days. Parents must submit 2 current, consecutive stubs when submitting an application or redetermination. We must have 2 current, consecutive stubs to approve a case. If submitting a new job begun within the last 30 days, we can take a letter on company letterhead that includes a work schedule, number of hours worked each week, and rate of pay. The letter must be signed by the supervisor with a contact number . Advisory Committee: CCRS convenes an advisory board every 6 months to go over current policies and procedures.

2 We are looking for additional child care providers to join the committee. Meetings are held twice per year once in Champaign and once in Decatur; meetings are held at noon. If interested, please send an email to: Thanks! In other news: Please be aware there are 2 parking spaces on the south end of Bevier Hall labeled Child Care Resource Service for your use. If you park in a different department s space, you may be ticketed or towed. If the CCRS spaces are full, please find a non-restricted, metered parking spot. Professional Development Funds (PDF) and Quality Improvement Funds (QIF) will be available this year. Forms are available on our website or you can call the office to have one sent to you. Only providers taking CCAP are eligible to apply for PDF or QIF funds. We can also reimburse class costs for your CPR/First Aid. The application is available online or by calling the office. Only providers taking CCAP payments are eligible to apply for CPR/First Aid funds.

3 Did you know? You can request CCAP forms on-line. On the front page of our website ( ) under announcements you can request a CCAP form. Simply enter the form name, county, name of the parent, case #, and address, and we ll send the form to you. Redetermination forms come pre-printed with the information on file. Unfortunately, sometimes the information is not correct. Please cross-out any wrong information and write in the correct information. We have a Facebook page where we post trainings, funding opportunities, new policies, etc. Please like us so you can receive updates quickly and easily. Thank you for all you do for families and children. Brenda Winter/Spring 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 January - March 2019 In Touch Newsletter & Training Calendar CCRS Child Care Resource Service Office Hours 8:30 am- 4:30 pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 11:00 am - 4:30 pm Tuesday Phone Hours 8:30 am 4:30 pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 11:00 am 4:30 pm Tuesday Child Care Resource Service (CCRS) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 905 S.

4 Goodwin Ave., 314 Bevier Hall, Urbana, Illinois 61801 217-333-3252 | (800) 325-5516 | TTY: (217) 244-9666 | Fax: 217-333-2147 CCRS will be closed: Dec. 24, 2018 - Jan 1, 2019 Winter Break Jan. 1 New Year s Day Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Day Director, Brenda Eastham 2 Grace Period Stay Until the End Respect the Learning Space of All Workshops are for Adults Payment All CCRS Trainings are Registry-Approved Director s Viewpoint 1 Are You Looking for Classes? 2 Training Participation Guidelines 2 The Quality Corner 3 Join the We Choose Health 3 Training Calendars 4-6 Kindergarten Readiness 7 Easy Ways to Register 8 Developmental Screenings 8 Are You Looking for Classes to Enhance Your Professional Growth? We all strive to provide the best care. Sometimes, though, we may feel we ve gotten just a little stale and need to improve our practices or find new ways to present material that make it fresh and interesting. Here are a few free websites that you can access for continuing education in the field of child care and education: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Offers online courses that are convenient, flexible, affordable, and based on the latest research, available for professionals and everyday users interested in learning.

5 : Offers a wide variety of classes for help with improving content and structure of classroom instruction. STARnet - provides a variety of opportunities with emphasis on children with special needs. The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning Early Childhood Professional Learning. The Center provides free learning and resources to help implement evidence based practices that improve outcomes for children and their families. #jumplink-25 Training Participation Guidelines Contents 3 The Quality Corner The Quality Improvement Funds (QIF) are available to support continued quality improvement for child care programs. These funds are designed to assist child care programs working towards an advanced circle or award in the state s quality improvement system ExceleRate Illinois. The program administrator MUST have taken the appropriate ExceleRate Illinois Orientation prior to applying for funding. The QI funds are divided into three areas and the specific requirements for each can be found on the CCRS website.

6 Under QuickLinks, click on Forms and then Quality Improvement Funds Application. Quality Rating and Improvement System Cohorts: The child care program administrator ( , center administrator, family child care provider) is expected to have attended An Introduction to the Environment Rating Scales. An additional eight hours of cohort meetings will then be required, consisting of topics related to the needs of the group(s). Upon completion of the cohort requirements and the program s self-assessment, programs may request funds to help achieve objectives noted on the program s Continuous Quality Improvement Plan (CQIP). Training Stipend: This funding is available for licensed program staff to take required ExceleRate Illinois trainings for the specific Circle of Quality that the program is working toward to assist with staff costs. The stipend goes to the program. Accreditation Assistance: Programs must be applying for or maintaining an ExceleRate Illinois Circle of Quality through the accreditation path to include NAFCC, NAEYC, NAC, NECPA, AMS, COA or AdvanceEd Accreditation agencies.

7 The Cohort application is due in the CCRS office by 4:30 pm on January 18, 2019 Applicants will be notified on February 2, 2019. Cohort meeting dates are: February 23, 2019 and March 2, 201 Prior to the Cohort dates, participants must have already attended: An Introduction to the Environment Rating Scales (scheduled for February 16, 2019 in Urbana) and the appropriate ExceleRate Illinois Orientation. This course can be taken online at ExceleRate Illinois QI Cohort Emphasizing Quality is Good for You and Good for the Parents You Serve Questions? Contact Tina Wiegel, Kathy Martin, or Jenny Garinger at (217) 333-3252 or (800) 325-5516, Option 3. JOIN THE We Choose Training CLUB INCCRRA is now offering Registry-approved Training with Gateways Credential-Approved for 8 hours and is available in both English and Spanish. Training covers: Childhood Obesity Healthy Eating Physical Activity Working with Families to Promote Health Behaviors Includes The Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) You can find these classes at: or Sign up for weekly text messages to learn about promoting healthy eating, physical activity and more.

8 Expect to receive: Valuable health information, Links to helpful resources, Survey requests, and Drawings for prizes. Text JOIN to (888) 773-3855 To join, you must be a Gateways Registry member and have a smartphone capable of receiving text messages. Regular text and data rates apply. Training Calendar Hosted in Champaign County January 12 Urbana CPR/First Aid (There is a fee for this class) (10:00 am to 2:00 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 372, 905 S. Goodwin, Urbana. Presenter: Andrea Lawson. Call Andrea at 217-264-0009 or January 14 Champaign CPR/First Aid (5:30 pm to 9:00 pm) Holy Cross Parish, 405 W. Clark, Champaign. To register, call Jessica McMahon at (217) 898-8846. January 16 Urbana School-Age & Youth Development Credential Level 1, Module 4a: Health and Nutrition (6:30 pm to 9:30 pm) Leal School (enter through Door #4), 312 W. Oregon, Urbana. Presenter: Sandy Davin. 3 Training Hours. January 17 Urbana ExceleRate Illinois Orientation for Family Child Care Providers (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 372, 905 S.

9 Goodwin, Urbana. Presenters: CCRS Quality Specialists. 2 Training Hours. January 19 Urbana Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics (8:30 am to 12:45 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 372, 905 S. Goodwin, Urbana. Presenter: Vicky Foster. 4 Training Hours. January 24 Urbana ExceleRate Illinois Orientation for Child Care Centers (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 372, 905 S. Goodwin, Urbana. Presenters: CCRS Quality Specialists. 2 Training Hours. January 30 Urbana School-Age & Youth Development Credential Level 1, Module 4b: Safety (6:30 pm to 9:30 pm). Leal School (enter through Door #4), 312 W. Oregon, Urbana. Presenter: Sandy Davin. 3 Training Hours. January 31 Urbana Quality Counts QRS Orientation for License-Exempt Family Child Care (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 372, 905 S. Goodwin, Urbana. Presenter: Tina Wiegel, CCRS Quality Specialist. 2 Training Hours. February 2 Urbana CPR/First Aid (There is a fee for this class) (8:00 am to 12:00 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 108, 905 S.

10 Goodwin, Urbana. To register and for questions about fees, call Doug Olsen at (217) 649-4389. February 5 Urbana ECE Credential Level 1: Module 1: Child Development Overview (6:30 pm to 9:30 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 372, 905 S Goodwin, Urbana. Presenter: Tzia Hibler. 3 Training Hours. February 7 Urbana Child Development, Health, and Safety Basics (6:00 pm to 10:00 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 372, 905 S. Goodwin, Urbana. Presenter: Brenda Eastham. 4 Training Hours. February 12 Urbana ECE Credential Level 1: Module 2a: Health Issues for Group Care (6:30 pm to 9:30 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 372, 905 S. Goodwin, Urbana. Presenter: Tzia Hibler. 3 Training Hours. February 13 Urbana School-Age & Youth Development Credential Level 1, Module 5a: Environment and Curriculum (6:30 pm to 9:30 pm) Leal School (enter through Door #4), 312 W. Oregon, Urbana. Presenter: Sandy Davin. 3 Training Hours. February 16 Urbana Introduction to the Environment Rating Scales (There is a fee for this class) (8:30 am to 12:45 pm) Bevier Hall, Room 108, 905 S.