County officials have the opportunity to play a big role in the lives of Ohio's youngest learners through implementing a prenatal to three agenda. Don't know where to start? We have you covered in our "Building Brains. Building Communities." report where we dive into various strategies to help the infants and toddlers in your community.
In addition to our report, we encourage you to listen to the new County Commissioners Association of Ohio podcast featuring Groundwork Executive Director and Warren County Commissioner Shannon Jones. The episode focused on why it is important for key decision makers to promote quality early learning and healthy development policies. To listen to the podcast, click here. The CCAO is also hosting a live webinar next week with Groundwork on Wednesday, March 11th at 9:30 AM to further explore the case for support around investing in early childhood development policies. Click here to register for the live webinar.
Interested in learning more about the state of infants and toddlers in your county? Check out our county fact sheets by clicking here.
Ready, Set, Soar Ohio Launch
Last week, Groundwork Ohio launched Ready, Set, Soar Ohio, a new initiative supported by a diverse, statewide coalition to ensure that more pregnant women, infants, toddlers and their families have access to the support they need to soar to their full potential. We are happy to announce that only in a week's span, we have grown our coalition from 55 members to over 80 members (and growing!) from many different professions and regions across the state!
Check out our video below to learn more.
To learn more about Ready, Set, Soar Ohio, including a list of its diverse partners, visit www.ReadySetSoarOH.org and follow on Twitter at @ReadySetSoarOH.
Is your organization interested in joining the coalition? Sign on here.
New Credential Available for Early Childhood Professionals
This week, Governor Mike DeWine announced a new infant mental health credential available to early childhood professionals. The credential comes at a time where there is an increased focus on how an infant's mental health can have a significant impact on their social and emotional development. As such, it is important to not only provide families and caregivers with the tools needed to support healthy development, but it is also important to provide early childhood professionals with knowledge and skills around best practices in infant mental health to better support infants and caregivers.
To better fit the area of practice for all early childhood professionals, there are three varying levels of the infant mental health credential for professionals to choose from depending upon their scope of practice and experience: OIFA-I, OIFP-II, and OIMHP-III. The program will be administered by OCCRRA. To learn more about the new credential, click here.
EQUITY: It's Personal
Today is Learn to Earn Dayton's 2020 Readiness Summit at Sinclair Community College where more than 500 early childhood professionals are expected to attend the event. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with fellow early childhood professionals and hear from leaders on how to include equity in their profession and community. If you are attending the event, make sure to stop by Groundwork's table to learn more about our work and to pick up new Ready, Set, Soar resources and goodies!
During the Summit, we are also excited to learn more about LENA, a new early language development program available to Dayton-area parents and caregivers. To learn more about how LENA supports early language development, watch Learn to Earn Dayton's new video below.
Save the Date for Power to the Profession's New Framework Unveiling
On Monday, March 9th from 2-4 pm ET, the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Power to the Profession Task Force will announce their new framework for early educators titled Unifying Framework and the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. The Unifying Framework, which reflects unprecedented consensus by educators across states and settings, administrators, employers, and higher education, incorporates the recommendations from all eight decision cycles, including those related to educator roles and responsibilities, aligned preparation and pathways, professional compensation, and a supportive infrastructure with shared accountability. To watch the announcement via livestream, register here.
In other news, last year NAEYC released a position statement on "Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education." In response to the position statement, NAEYC released "Each and Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens" supporting its position statement. The report further dives into how to apply equity into practice in the early childhood profession by providing early educators with strategies and tips for their classroom. The report is $22.40 for NAEYC members and $28.00 for non-members.
Upcoming Home Visiting Webinars
In follow-up to the National Home Visiting Summit, The Ounce of Prevention is hosting two upcoming webinars focused on diversity and inclusion in home visiting.
Monday, March 23rd at 2 PM: Network Weaver Webinar: Trust, Not Control featuring Marty Kooistra, Executive Director of the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County
Wednesday, April 8th at 2:30 PM: Professional Development Webinar (save the date)
For more details on webinars and other events, please visit: www.theounce.org.
Each week, Groundwork will now wrap up our newsletter by spotlighting a Groundwork Advisory Committee Member to share the great things these Members are doing for young children in their communities.
Sherry Roush
Teacher Mentor
Toledo Public Schools Early Childhood Education Website
Q: What led you to get involved in Groundwork Ohio's advisory committee? A: I am excited about Groundwork Ohio's mission and want to work within this group to advance the care and education of children ages birth to five in Ohio. Q: What is your organization currently doing to help support young children and their families? A: We have recently kicked off a birth to age five playgroup for parents and their young children at a local housing authority. We are striving to work in partnership with parents to support he development of a Growth Mindset and foundational language and literacy skills. Q: Tell us a fun fact about you. A: I am a proud mama to my fur baby - Harper Huskadoodle.