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  • Getting Ready for National Child Abuse Prevention Month

    March 16, 2015 10:53 PM | Anonymous

    Get Ready for National Child Abuse Prevention Month

    Each year in April, time is spent acknowledging the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect, and to promote the social and emotional well-being of children and families.  To help you plan for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, you can access:

    Bookmark the 2015 National Child Abuse Prevention Month website, and check back in April!


  • Partnering for Prevention - Regional Meetings Announcement

    February 23, 2015 2:29 PM | Anonymous

    Partnering for Prevention


    Please join us for a meeting to discuss ways in which to strengthen families, prevent child abuse and improve the outcomes for children in your region of   the state.  

     O Discuss needs in your community,

    O Hear how to stay connected during the upcoming legislative session,

    O Get information and materials that you can use in your program,

    O Meet and network with others working on behalf of children  and families, and 

    O Learn how you can be a part of the COLOR a Brighter Tomorrow for Children Project!

    We hope that you will attend the event in your area!

     

    This event is co-sponsored by the Louisiana Partnership for Children & Families and the Louisiana Children's Trust Fund.

    Dates and locations of the meetings:

    March 9 - Northeast Louisiana Region in Monroe

    March 10 - Northwest Louisiana Region in Shreveport

    March 10 - Central Louisiana Region in Alexandria

    March 13 - Southeast Louisiana Region in New Orleans

    March 16 - Florida Parishes Region in Mandeville

    March 23 - Bayou Parishes Region in Gray (Houma)

    March 25 - Acadiana Parishes Region in Lafayette

    March 26 - Southwest Louisiana Region in Lake Charles

    March 30 - Capitol Parishes Region in Baton Rouge

    Download  a statewide flyer or go to the Louisiana Partnership's Calendar of Upcoming Events for more information


  • MIHOPE Report to Congress 2015 Available - Mother & Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation

    February 09, 2015 4:51 PM | Anonymous

    A report to Congress from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) project is now available on the OPRE website at MIHOPE Report to Congress.


    The report presents the first findings from MIHOPE, the national evaluation of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. It includes an analysis of the states’ needs assessments, as well as baseline characteristics of families, staff, local programs, and models participating in the study. The study of evidence-based programs like those evaluated in MIHOPE increases our understanding of how to effectively and efficiently deliver services to low-income families.

    Key Findings include:

    • States used initial Home Visiting Program funds primarily to expand evidence-based home visiting models in at-risk communities.
    • As intended, states targeted counties with high rates of poverty, child maltreatment, and premature birth, among other indicators of risk.
    • The Home Visiting Program focused states on implementing evidence-based home visiting models (in other words, increased use of evidence-based programs).
    • As intended, Home Visiting Program-funded programs serve a group of mothers facing many risks for themselves and their children (i.e., high rates of depressive symptoms, activity-limiting health problems, public assistance receipt, low educational attainment).
    • Home Visiting Program-funded programs are designed to help parents support the healthy development of infants and toddlers and overcome the problems low-income families face.

    A link to the report can be found here on OPRE's website:

    http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/resource/the-mother-and-infant-home-visiting-program-evaluation-early-findings-on-the-maternal-infant-and-early-childhood-home-visiting

  • February is National Parent Leadership Month

    February 01, 2015 10:43 AM | Anonymous

    February is National Parent Leadership Month!  The FRIENDS Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is excited to offer you the following resources to recognize and celebrate the parents in your state, community and local programs!  These materials are available in both English and Spanish..

    • National Parent Leadership Month certificate:  A customizable award that you can download and fill in for the parent leaders you are recognizing throughout February  (English) (Spanish)
    • A Recipe for Growth:  An example of how to nurture and develop parent leaders (English) (Spanish)
    • Tips for Practitioners:  Insights and wisdom from the PAC on what has helped them grow in their leadership role as well as suggestions of how parents and practitioners can join together to support parent leadership (English) (Spanish)
    In addition, the FRIENDS PAC encourages you to consider these links to other resources to assist you with supporting, recognizing and celebrating parent leadership:

    The FRIENDS NC for CBCAP website offers materials, information and resources to support parent engagement and leadership.  Use the link below:

    http://friendsnrc.org/cbcap-priority-areas/parent-leadership-and-involvement

    You may use the following link to explore a variety of materials available for print or scroll down to the list below to click and view the various parent support and leadership print resources FRIENDS has available for download.

    http://friendsnrc.org/print-materials  

    Parent Support

    Meaningful Parent Leadership: A Guide for Success
    Promising Practices in Parent Involvement Annotated Bibliography
    The Role of Parent Mutual Support
    Parent Education
    Parent Leadership Ambassador Training Guide

    Parent Leadership Ambassador Training Participant Guide
    Circle of Parents (English)
    Circle of Parents (Spanish)
    Core Principles of Parent Support Groups
    Parent Engagement and Leadership
    Parent Leadership Development Checklist
    Successful Strategies of Parent Leadership
    Circle of Parent Leadership
    Families as Primary Partners in their Child's Development and School Readiness
    Successful Models of Parent Leadership

    Additional resources including Public Service Announcements, media strategies and talking points are available by clicking the link to the Parents Anonymous NPLM toolkit:

    http://parentsanonymous.org/assets/NPLM_TK_All.pdf

    If you, or someone you know, is hosting a parent leadership event during February including  recognizing individual parent leaders, let the FRIENDS PAC know by emailing parentlove@yahoo.com.  The PAC will be highlighting your National Parent Leadership Month activities and recognized parents  in an upcoming Parent /  Practitioner newsletter!

    MaryJo

    MaryJo Alimena Caruso, M.Ed.

    T/TA Coordinator

    FRIENDS NC for CBCAP

    Phone: 724.591.5448

    mjcaruso@friendsnrc.org

    www.friendsnrc.org

    FRIENDS is a service of the Children's Bureau and a member of the T/TA Network


  • Louisiana Children's Trust Fund Grant Application Cycle is Open

    January 26, 2015 7:45 PM | Anonymous

    Louisiana Children's Trust Fund - Grant Announcement

    Nonprofits who provide child abuse and neglect prevention services may be eligible to apply for the 2015-2016 Louisiana Children's Trust Fund grant monies. The application forms and guidelines are located on the Trust Fund's website: www.lctf.org. The deadline to apply is 4:00pm on February 27, 2015.

  • Rapides Foundation Announces New Grant Opportunity for Economic Development Initiatives

    January 26, 2015 7:42 PM | Anonymous

    The Rapides Foundation will announce a new funding opportunity for workforce development under its Economic Development Initiative.

     

    Friday, February 6

    11 a.m.

    The Rapides Foundation Building

    2nd Floor, Classroom C

    1101 Fourth Street, Alexandria

      

    The mission of The Rapides Foundation is to improve the health status of Central Louisiana. In support of its mission, the Foundation seeks to increase the median household income for Central Louisiana through its Economic Development Initiative.

     

    The Workforce Opportunity Grant provides an opportunity to provide educational, training or certification support to qualified candidates for immediate high-wage job opportunities in The Rapides Foundation nine-parish service area. (Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon and Winn parishes.)

     

    The Foundation is partnering with the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance (CLEDA) to implement this grant opportunity.

     

    Grant applicants are encouraged to build strong partnerships between accredited public, nonprofit post-secondary institutions, the workforce system, employers and industry groups, to transform the way they design and deliver courses through accelerated learning strategies, redesigned curricula, distance learning, work-based training, and innovative uses of technology to enhance learning activities. 

     

    Interested businesses and

    eligible post-secondary institutions are encouraged to attend the announcement to learn full details of the grant opportunity.


    Questions or need more information?

    Contact The Rapides Foundation at 318-443-3394 or toll free at 800-994-3394.  


  • DEPARTMENT PRESENTS STREAMLINED EARLY CHILDHOOD LICENSING REGULATIONS

    November 20, 2014 2:38 PM | Anonymous

    Release Header

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Date: 11/20/14
    Contact: LDOE Public Affairs, (225) 342-3600, Fax: (225) 342-0193

    DEPARTMENT PRESENTS STREAMLINED EARLY CHILDHOOD LICENSING REGULATIONS

    Months of Expert and Community Feedback Sustains Focus on Child Health and Safety

    BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Department of Education today proposed to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) new early childhood licensing rules for child care and Head Start centers that streamline older regulations while preserving strong requirements around child health and safety. The new, proposed regulations allow educators more time to focus on child development and learning. They were developed after months of public discussion involving early childhood experts - including many child care and Head Start leaders, stakeholders and community members.

     "It is critical that we prepare our children for the classroom as early as possible, and that means ensuring our children enter kindergarten ready to learn," said State Superintendent John White. "The proposed regulations also ensure that our preschool children are cared for and taught by qualified, competent, and trustworthy individuals while maintaining health and safety requirements."

     

    Highlights of the changes in the proposed licensing regulations presented to BESE include:
     

    • Increased Safety Standards: To better protect children, the state will require all new employees and volunteers complete a more intensive, fingerprint-based criminal background check; staff at every center will be trained in pediatric first aid and medication administration; and, adults are present when children are participating in water activities.
       
    • Family Friendly Policies: Families will be supported through the requirement that all centers post their licenses; the posting of daily schedules reflecting physical activity, rest time, and learning activities; and, flexibility to bring in food or ask for adjustments to best meet the dietary needs of their children.
    • Flexibility to Implement More Efficient and Effective Operations: Early learning centers directors and staff will be able to reduce paperwork and have more flexibility to choose professional development for their staff. Directors will no longer have to get state approval for the 12 training hours required annually for all staff. Instead, they will choose from a set of relevant topics and pick the trainer or professional development program best meeting the needs of their staff.
       
    Act 3 of the 2012 Legislative Session calls for a unified system of early childhood education and care to ensure all children enter kindergarten ready to learn. In 2012, BESE approved a multi-year plan for implementation. At the state level, this plan involved the consolidation of early childhood oversight functions under one state board, BESE, and under one state agency, the Department of Education. This will allow for consistent, streamlined regulation and consistent accountability for results across child care, Head Start, and pre-kindergarten.

    The Department announced the first cohort of pilot communities for the Early Childhood Care and Education Network in April 2013. A second cohort was announced in February 2014. A third cohort, consisting of applications from all remaining school districts not in the first two cohorts, will be announced in January 2015. All three cohorts will work to unify enrollment and access for families, implement common standards with shared measurement, and ensure equal access to professional development for teachers in all program types to improve the lives of Louisiana's youngest learners.

    "The Child Care Association of Louisiana (CCAL) is excited about the Department of Education's revised regulations that will continue to ensure the health, safety and welfare of our children in the state of Louisiana," said Alan Young, Child Care Association of Louisiana. "It is through these new regulations and the implementation of Act 3 that we will ensure our preschool children will enter school ready to learn. CCAL is looking forward to this bold and courageous partnership with the Department of Education and our collaborative effort to provide every child the highest quality early childhood education."


    For more than a year, the Department has worked closely with experts, child care and Head Start leaders and other stakeholders on the licensing regulations. Staff participated in a stakeholder workgroup, created a new email address to receive feedback, conducted multiple webinars and collaborated with pilots to host in-person sessions around the state. Following these efforts, the Department presented a draft set of licensing regulations to the new Early Childhood Care and Education Advisory Council, which was formed in October. This council advises BESE and the Department in implementing the landmark unification of the state's early childhood systems. In early November, the Council spent hours reviewing the draft and provided 60 recommendations. Nearly all of these recommendations were included by the Department in the regulations that will be presented to BESE. The next meeting of the Advisory Council will be held on December 8 at 10 a.m. in the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge.

    "Combining stakeholders from different early care and childhood entities who share a common goal of ensuring the safety of all young children in Louisiana has been beneficial to the development of the proposed licensing regulations," said Contessia Brooks, Director of the West Feliciana Parish Family Service Center Early Head Start - Head Start Program.

    "The Archdiocese of New Orleans is pleased to be working with the Department of Education to unify the early childhood system and provide quality child care to young children throughout the state of Louisiana," said Dr. Jan Lancaster, Superintendent of Catholic schools.

     

    To read the proposed licensing regulations being presented to BESE, please click here.

     

    To read the recommendations from the Early Childhood Advisory Council, please click here.

     

    To view a presentation on the Early Childhood Policy Blueprint, please click here.

     Louisiana Department of Education Website >>>

     

    Contact the Louisiana Department of Education >>>

  • Child Care and Development Block Grant Act

    November 18, 2014 1:36 PM | Anonymous

    Our nation's leading voice for child care...

    CCA Capitol Connection

    For the first time in 18 years, Congress has passed CCDBG Reauthorization, as the bill now awaits President Obama’s signature to become law.


    Today, November 17, 2015, the Senate voted to pass S.1086, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 led by Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Richard Burr (R-NC) and Representatives John Kline (R-MN), George Miller (D-CA), Todd Rokita (R-IN), and David Loebsack (D-IA)

     

    In September, the House approved the measure by a voice vote, sending the amended version of the bill the Senate originally passed 96-2 in March 2014.

    S.1086 includes measures to:

    • Promote quality child care by increasing state-level investments in activities to improve the quality of care, enhancing states’ ability to train providers and develop safer and more effective child care services.
    • Strengthen health and safety requirements in child care programs and providers.
    • Improve access to child care by expanding eligibility for participating families and helping families connect with quality programs that meet their needs.

    Learn more about the Child Care and Development Block Grant

     

    Now that Congress has passed the bill, it heads to the President’s desk for his signature to become law. Stay tuned to Child Care Aware of America for updates.

     

    My best,

    Lynette Fraga, Ph.D.




    Plain language summary available here.

  • Safe to Sleep® Public Education Campaign and E-Toolkit

    November 18, 2014 1:26 PM | Anonymous

    Safe to Sleep® Public Education Campaign and E-Toolkit

    The Safe to Sleep® Public Education Campaign promotes ways to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death. It is led by the Eunice Kennedy Shiver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Safe to Sleep®was previously known as the Back to Sleep® Campaign. The campaign's messages are based on recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    Learn how Head Start staff, parents, and other caregivers can make a baby's sleep environment safer. Babies who usually sleep on their backs but who are then placed on their stomachs to sleep, such as for a nap, are at very high risk for SIDS. It is important for everyone who cares for a baby to use the back sleep position for all sleep times, for naps and at night. This also can help protect infants against other sleep-related causes of death.


    About the E-Toolkit

    Head Start staff, parents, and caregivers can find out about safe infant sleep practices in a new Promotional E-Toolkit from Safe to Sleep®. It can serve as an educational resource for families and staff who care for infants. The toolkit includes:

    • Sample social media posts with the campaign hashtags
    • Drop-in presentation slides about SIDS and the campaign
    • Videos in English and Spanish
    • Infographics that explain key points related to reducing the risk of sleep-related infant death

    Additional Resources

    To order free materials and learn more about Safe to Sleep®, visit:http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sts/Pages/default.aspx. You also can read myths and facts about safe infant sleep, find tummy time tips, and discover other helpful resources to use in your Head Start program.

    Help spread the word about safe infant sleep!


    Office of Head Start (OHS) | 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW | 8th Floor Portals Building | Washington, DC 20024 https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov | 1-866-763-6481 | Contact Us


  • Casey Foundation Offers a Two-Generation Approach to Creating Opportunity for Families

    November 12, 2014 2:15 PM | Anonymous

    Casey Foundation Offers a Two-Generation Approach to Creating Opportunity for Families


    Nearly half of the nation’s families with young children struggle to make ends meet. A new KIDS COUNT policy report makes the case for creating opportunity for families by addressing the needs of parents and their children simultaneously. Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two-Generation Approach describes a new approach to reducing poverty, which calls for connecting low-income families with early childhood education, job training and other tools to achieve financial stability and break the cycle of poverty undefined and recommends ways to help equip parents and children with what they need to thrive.

    New data from the report is now featured in the KIDS COUNT Data Center. In addition, resources on two-generation approaches are available on the Casey website.
    Read, download or order Creating Opportunity for Families

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