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Upcoming Groundwork Ohio webinar, child care update, new resources, & more




Join us at 1 PM on Thursday, May 7th for a special webinar on supporting children and family mental health during the coronavirus pandemic. This webinar is targeted toward parents, caregivers, providers and community members who typically interact with young children and their families and who are seeking guidance and tools for families to support young children during times of community. Participants will hear from experts on communicating with young children, reducing stress and anxiety for both children and caregivers, creating structure and routines, and staying connected from home. Speakers will include:

  • Dr. Valerie Alloy, Lead, Early Childhood Mental Health Initiatives, Bureau of Children and Families, Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services

  • Stephanie Davis, Assistant Director, Office of Early Learning & School Readiness, Ohio Department of Education

  • Erin Lucas, Director of Early Childhood Programs, Hopewell Health Centers

  • Dr. Laura Maddox, Director of Center for the Young Child, OCALI

  • and more!

The webinar will be accompanied by the release of a toolkit with tips and resources for parents and caregivers to support young children’s mental health as well as their own. Participants can earn 1-hour of Ohio Approved Credit through the Professional Registry for this webinar.


 

Child Care Update from Ohio Department of Job & Family Services

On Thursday, the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services sent out the following update to child care providers:


We know that many of you have questions on when child care will reopen. Below is an update on what we know today. 


Background

Last month, the Director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) issued a public health order to close child care programs, effective March 25, 2020. This order is to remain in full force and effect until the State of Emergency declared by the Governor no longer exists or the Director of ODH rescinds or modifies the Order.  


The Governor then signed Executive Order 2020-04D which gave the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) authority to establish the Temporary Pandemic Child Care license. ODJFS emergency filed an Ohio Administrative Code rule outlining the temporary pandemic child care requirements, which remain in effect for 120 days or until rescinded.  


The Executive Order established April 30, 2020 as the date to re-evaluate the Temporary Pandemic Child Care license, with the potential to extend or adjust as needed.


Update

As Governor DeWine continues to establish the Responsible Restart Ohio plan, please know that child care is recognized as a critical component to support the workforce. For now, temporary pandemic child care programs will continue to operate and serve families with parents/caregivers on the essential list. This list can be found at: http://jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/CoronavirusAndChildcareForFamilies/. If you have questions, please contact the ODJFS Child Care Help Desk at 1-877-302-2347 or at CCIDS_business_unit@jfs.ohio.gov. 


As updates are available, we will continue to notify the child care community. Thank you all for your commitment and dedication to the children and families we serve.

 

ICYMI: Putting Children First During COVID-19 Recovery

This week, Groundwork released our guiding principles and child care considerations to utilize as Ohio begins COVID-19 recovery discussions. Both of these resources outline why it is important to include young children and their families at the forefront of policy decisions. Additionally, our child care considerations report provides policymakers with a list of issues to consider when making policy decisions. Click on the links below to learn more.


 

Groundwork Ohio Featured in CCAO Magazine

Groundwork was recently featured as a guest columnist in the County Commissioners Association of Ohio's spring edition of their quarterly magazine. In our column, Promoting Children's Resilience and Preventing Child Abuse During the Coronavirus Pandemic (page 7), we urge local policymakers to protect children from abuse and neglect during and after the pandemic. In the month of March, Ohio saw a sharp decrease in abuse and neglect referrals to child welfare agencies, but this does not mean that cases are decreasing. In fact, experts believe we will likely see a sharp increase in abuse and neglect cases in the coming months due to the immense stress families are experiencing as a result of the pandemic. Additionally, once the shelter-in-place is lifted, children will be around more mandatory abuse and neglect reporters (i.e. teachers, home visitors, case workers, etc). While we continue to shelter-in-place, it is crucial that we all work together to prevent child abuse and neglect. To learn more about how you can support children and families during this time, read our recent resource outlining various child abuse and neglect prevention strategies you can utilize in your community by clicking here.


 

Additional Webinars to Tune In To


As we social distance, there are many virtual opportunities to continue to your learning while at home. As such, we compiled free webinar opportunities that are coming up within the next week for you to consider adding to your schedule.

  • Monday, May 4th at 1:00 PM: Join the U.S. Office for Head Start for a webinar on "Building Resilience in the Face of Trauma and Adversity." Learn more and register here.

  • Wednesday, May 6th at 1:00 PM: Join ZERO TO THREE for a child welfare professionals webinar focused on how to address abuse and neglect during COVID-19. Learn more and register here. Additionally, you will find past recordings on preventing child abuse and neglect for home visitors, early educators and clinicians to utilize on this page.

Ohio AEYC is hosting two webinars for early educators next week and both webinars offer 1 hour of Ohio Approved Credit.

  • Tuesday, May 5th at 7:30 PM: No, I'm NOT OK! How early childhood educators can cope during the pandemic featuring Cea Cohen Elliott. Register here.

  • Thursday, May 7th at 7:30 PM: The Healing Power of Optimism: An Interactive Webinar by the Life is Good Playmakers’ Steve Gross. Register here.

The YWCA of Northwest Ohio CCR&R is offering many free professional development webinar opportunities during the month of May. Click here to learn more.


 

New Resources from National Experts


Every week, experts are publishing new resources that support early childhood professionals and early childhood development. Below we have compiled a few of these resources that we found to be particularly helpful.

  • New America Team and No Small Matter created a new resource highlighting the complexity of an early educator's job. This resource includes videos to show what this looks like in practice and is a great resource for advocacy.

  • the Committee for Economic Development released two new podcasts for child care centers and family child care homes addressing the strategies child care businesses can utilize to recover from COVID-19.

  • The Brain Architects from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child released a new podcast episode on the impact the pandemic has on early childhood development.

  • CLASP released a new report that details strategies for advancing racial equity in maternal mental health policies.

  • First Children's Finance created a resource hub containing a cash flow spreadsheet, tips on analyzing financial statements, and other useful business supports for child care providers to utilize.

 

Child Care Professionals Are Essential



Over the past couple of weeks, Groundwork released two new videos thanking child care professionals for providing care for the children of essential workers as they work to protect the health and safety of Ohioans during this unprecedented time. Below is a simple 10 minute guide on how you can utilize these videos to help keep children, child care, and early educators at the front of minds and decisions during the pandemic.

  1. Watch, share, and like our posts on Facebook and Twitter by clicking on each of their hyperlinks

  2. Write a thank you card and send it to 4041 North High Street, Suite 204, Columbus, Ohio 43214. Creating thank you cards can also be a fun stay-at-home activity for you to do with your children by using materials you have laying around the house

  3. Post a picture of your thank you card on social media and tag @GroundworkOhio or send it to jjackels@groundworkohio.org

Thank you for your help in making our videos go viral on social media and for your continued support in making sure that child care continues to be a priority during and after this unprecedented time!

 

Groundwork Resources for Providers & Families


We know there is a lot of information and resources swirling around right now and it may feel overwhelming to some. This is why we created two pages to centralize these resources for providers and families to include background information on COVID-19, financial assistance, grant opportunities, and activities for young children. We will regularly update both these pages as we receive more information, so keep checking back for the latest resources.



Do you have a resource that you would like us to list on our page? Please contact Julia Jackels at jjackels@groundworkohio.org to share your resource.

 

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