ECEAP Reminders and Links
August 1, 2008 Email: eceap@del.wa.gov Web: www.del.wa.gov/eceap
Due Dates Site Approval Forms for new classrooms . . . . . Before classes begin Enter Program Information Forms (PIF) . . . . . . Before classes begin Fully enroll all classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .By 30 days after classes start
ECEAP Updates and Announcements
Before you open your new classroom… Complete an ECEAP site approval form. You must receive approval from DEL before starting children in the classroom. Save the Date – ECEAP Directors Meetings DEL is sponsoring two ECEAP Directors Meetings this school year. These are longer meetings, at your request, with opportunities for in-depth discussion. Mark your calendars now for October 3, 2008, in the Yakima area, and March 5-6, 2009, in the SeaTac area. The October 3rd meeting will include topics such as: Update on the study of costs and impacts of aligning ECEAP standards with Head Start bill Staff qualifications Service area agreements
The DEL ECEAP website Check out the DEL website for ECEAP Contractors at http://www.del.wa.gov/eceap. This is your one-stop shop for the latest information. Notice the link to ECEAP forms and documents on the right side of the page. You can find the back issues of this publication – ECEAP Reminders and Link – as well as all ECEAP contractor forms and many other resources. We will be adding to this website in the coming months. Please let us know your suggestions! 1
2008 ECEAP Performance Standards Changes The changes included in the newly released 2008 ECEAP Performance Standards are summarized on page 5-6. The 2008 ECEAP Performance Standards are now effective and print copies have been mailed for you to distribute to staff. They are online at http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/eceap/docs/ECEAP_PerformanceStandards.pdf.
Service Area Agreements Your new ECEAP contract or contract amendment states “The Contractor must execute written service area agreements with neighboring Head Start and ECEAP programs.” These agreements must include: Plan for co-operative assessment of community needs and strengths. Enrollment and service area boundaries for each Contractor. Process of referral of families between agencies. Joint staff and parent training opportunities - if applicable. Commitment to communication and problem resolution. The purpose of these agreements is to ensure cooperation between agencies, ensuring that all ECEAP and Head Start classrooms are full and serving the children most in need in each community. Agreements are required when service areas abut or overlap and there is potential for recruitment of the same families. Contractors who are expanding this year have already begun these agreements. All other contractors must send completed agreements to DEL by May 30, 2009.
Results from ECEAP Program Reviews In the past two years, we have conducted intensive program reviews of 15 ECEAP contractors. These spanned the range of ECEAP providers – five non-profit agencies, four school districts, three local governments, two ESDs and one community college. Six of these are also Head Start grantees. At each program, we met dedicated staff and thriving children and families. Here is a summary of trends we have discovered: Statewide, ECEAP is consistently strong in service delivery planning (A-3) and community partnerships (A-4). Many eligibility and enrollment standards are consistently met (B-1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10). Staff roles are generally fulfilled, as required in C-6, 8, 10, 14, 16, and 18. In over half of the reviews, we find a need to improve assistant teacher qualifications (C9) and professional development plans for staff who do not fully meet the requirements (C-4). We find consistent strengths in health and safety policies and procedures (D-3), immunizations (D-10), and medication management (D-11). The most frequent health standards that are out of compliance relate to infectious disease prevention (D-13) and food sanitation (D-14).
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In early childhood education, we find strong service delivery (E-1) and kindergarten transition (E-6). The areas that most frequent need to be strengthened are the daily routine (E-3), adult-child interactions (E-7), and child guidance (E-8). Family partnerships are strong, especially in confidentiality (F-3), parent involvement (F-5), and parent education (F-6.) The service delivery of family support services (F-1) needs strengthening in the majority of programs reviewed.
Talaris Parent Education Project ECEAP families at Kitsap Community Resources and Olympic ESD #114 will be participating in a pilot and evaluation of the new Talaris Institute kits - “Life with Preschoolers.” The kits encourage parents to interact with children in ways that support social-emotional development, parent-child attachment and brain development. Parents are recognized as key teachers and role models for their children.
Resource Links
Sample Forms and Policies. If you are creating a new policy or form, check out what these two established programs have already developed. http://www.head-start.lane.or.us/ or http://www.psesd.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=169&Itemid=370 The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. These are $65,000 grants to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15014280/barbarabush Shade Structure Grants The American Academy of Dermatology's (Academy) awards grants of $8,000 to purchase permanent shade structures to provide shade and ultraviolet (UV) ray protection for outdoor areas. The Academy also provides a permanent sign promoting the importance of sun safety. This is especially important given the recent announcement that Washington State has the fifth highest rate of melanoma in the nation. The Academy receives support for this program from Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company. Applications are due April 10, 2009. http://www.aad.org/public/sun/grants.html School Readiness The 30th Anniversary issue of Exchange (March 2008) included a section on "School Readiness" with articles by Nancy Carlsson-Paige, David Elkind, Lilian Katz, and Marjorie Kostelnik. National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. Sign up for this listserv with News, events, reports, and connections from the Center on the Developing Child and its initiatives, the National Scientific Council and the National Forum on Early Childhood Program Evaluation. http://www.developingchild.net/contact/contact.php Resources from the 2008 DEL Methamphetamine Summit are now online at http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/communications/
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Training Opportunities
DECA Training – Register Now for Fall 2009!
http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/eceap/docs/FALL2008_DECAflyer-registration.doc Two-day DECA Implementation Training
This training provides participants with knowledge and skills to implement the 5 steps of the DECA Program. For staff who will implement or score the DECA assessment.
Yakima- September 29-30 (not October, as previously advertised) Vancouver- October 14-15 Bremerton- November 6-7
DECA Classroom Strategies (Deeper DECA)
This follow-up DECA training will deepen your understanding of using DECA to plan classroom strategies, curriculum, communicate with families, and meet the needs of individual children. For staff who are already familiar with DECA and have completed Basic Implementation training.
Yakima- October 3 Vancouver- October 22 Bremerton- November 14 Renton- November 21
DECA Local Program Mentor Training
For staff who have attended DECA Basic Implementation training and desire additional information and skills to effectively train and support others in the use of the DECA Program
Yakima- October 1-2
ECEAP Contractor Training – Register Now!
http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/eceap/docs/ECEAPContractorTrainingRegistration.doc Part 1 - ECEAP overview, orientation to contract; Performance Standards sections A, B, C; and the ECEAP Management System (EMS) August 19-20, 2008 at Puget Sound ESD, Renton Part 2 - ECEAP Performance Standards D,E,F on health, education, and family support components of ECEAP. November 13-14, 2008 at Big Bend Community College, Moses Lake Unifying Strengths: Liberating Communities and Empowering Families, a training on methamphetamines and their impact on communities. $100. September 29-39, Tacoma. 253-572-4750. Register online at www.safest.org (Click on Meth Summit 2008) WAEYC’s Annual Conference, Looking Through the Kaleidoscope, October 23-25, Tacoma. http://waeyc.org/ Healthy Brain Development Conference, October 22-24, Eugene, Oregon. http://lanecounty.org/prevention/braindevelopment/ 2008 NAEYC Annual Conference & Expo, November 5-8, Dallas, Texas http://annualconference.naeyc.org/
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2008 ECEAP Performance Standards
Summary of Key Changes from 2006 version A-1 Continuous Improvement System Title is changed. Addresses a gap in self-monitoring that has been noted on program reviews. Not a new requirement, just stated more clearly. A-5 Health Advisory Committee Requires that the committee meet at least once a year. Requires that a roster of participants be maintained. A-11 Free-of-Charge No new requirements, just clarifies an Attorney General ruling. Allows contractors to request donations of supplies without monetary value. A-14 Subcontractors This is a new standard, but not a new requirement. It includes requirements that have been in the ECEAP contract and the 2006 Standards (A-1). B-9 Enrollment Clarifies intent to keep ECEAP fully enrolled, to serve as many children as possible, and to be able to report full enrollment to policymakers and taxpayers. Newly requires that vacant slots are filled within 30 calendar days. Corrects wording (enroll until 60 calendar days before end of year, not recruit). C-6 Lead Teacher Role Changes classroom hours from 240 hours to 320 hours per year, to increase the intensity of ECEAP services. Adds “building positive relationships with children” as an essential teacher role. C-8 Assistant Teacher Role Changes classroom hours from 240 hours to 320 hours per year C-21 Required Training No new requirements, clarifies intent of standard and deletes parts that are in other standards or are contractors’ management decisions. D-1 Health and Safety Planning Revises wording for clarity, without changing requirements. D-2 Health Coordination Services for Families Clarifies wording, as requested by contractors. Describes the essential components of health services.
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Adds requirements for tracking and maintaining documentation of health coordination.
D-3 Health and Safety Policies and Procedures Adds transportation to the list of policies and procedures as required in D-21 for agencies that transport children. This is not a new requirement; it was inadvertently left off this list in 2006. D-6 Parent Notifications Requires that parent notifications are documented. Requires parent notification is children are exposed to infectious disease or parasites. D-12 First Aid Kit Changes wording to state that a first aid kit must be “readily accessible” when children are outside of the classroom. No new requirements. D-15 Meals and Snacks Clarifies the definition of high-quality nutritious foods. Not a new requirement. E-1 Early Childhood Education Service Delivery Increases the intensity of ECEAP early childhood education services (classroom hours) from 240 to 320 hours per school year. Clarifies that we do not count naps and daily bus rides towards the 320 hours of early childhood education hours. E-5 Curriculum Planning No new requirements. Deletes the curriculum content list which was from the subdomains in the Washington State Early Learning and Development Benchmarks. Directs curriculum planners to use the Benchmarks document for details. This will increase alignment with other early learning initiatives in Washington State. Deletes first reference to “parent input” because it was repeated in this section. Clarifies use of observation and assessment data. E-11 Observation, Assessment and Individualization Adds requirement to use DECA to assess all children. This will provide statewide data showing effects of ECEAP. F-1 Family Support Services Adds a new section limiting family support caseloads. This is intended to clarify the level of staffing necessary to meet ECEAP standards for family support services.
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