Zoom Call Summary 9.2.2020

Here is our Zoom Call Summary from our call on 9.2.2020:

Have You Filled A Bucket Today?- This is a great read-aloud that encourages kindness. If you haven’t read it to your students we highly recommend it!

Who’s Behind The Mask- Conscious Discipline and some others have been coming up with fun ideas for showing children who is behind the mask. These ideas include bulletin boards, class books, and posters.

DES Flat Rate Payment- As of today the DES flat rate payment continues for those who were receiving DES reimbursement prior to COVID. These providers will continue to receive their January reimbursement rates.

DES Childcare Grant- The application for this grant is closed. More information should be coming out soon to those who have applied. For anyone who is in the Phoenix area, there is a similar grant for those who are outside of Maricopa County.

Pima County Childcare Grant- This grant application closes today. For more information contact Nicole Fyffe Nicole.Fyffe@pima.gov.

Arizona Enrichment Centers- The Arizona Enrichment Program is officially over. You have until 9/14 to submit any missed paperwork. There was a survey sent out about the program as well. The most recent email reported that the program served 4,678 families!

First Things First Summit- We discussed the FTF summit and what was learned by those who attended the virtual sessions. It was reported that the sessions will be available on the registry in the coming weeks.

SAZAEYC Call to Presenters- SAZAEYC is gearing up for a virtual conference on December 5th. If you are interested submit a proposal HERE.

Kinsa App- Michelle Garmon from St. Thomas Preschool and Kindergarten shared with us the Kinsa App. This app allows families to check their child’s health before coming to school and shares the information with the school.

Fingerprint Requirements- Licensing has updated requirements for fingerprint clearance cards. All new hires must have a valid fingerprint clearance card before their start date. This began on 8/25/2020. There will be a charge if your site is out of compliance.

Free Face Masks- Arizona is giving out free face masks, five per household. They can be ordered HERE. Share this information with your community.

QR Code- Sabrina Ball from Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool up in Scottsdale shared that they are using a QR code that links to a google form for health checks each morning.

Open Centers- Michelle Saint Hilarie from CCR&R reported that about 1500 centers and home providers are now open out of 2300 in Arizona. This is an increase from a few months ago.

Special Events- We discussed enriching events like specials, community helper week etc and ways to continue seeing these events happen in new ways. Jenny Douglas from Second Street reported that they continue to have Bruce Philips, who usually does music class in person for them, but now he is coming by zoom. He will get a list of the children’s names in the class and still makes it very engaging. We also discussed fundraisers and festivals and moving them to an online platform. April from St. Marks reported that she used Rally Up with success in the late spring.

Tippy Taps- We discussed the use of Tippy Taps and a grant that was out there from Watershed Management Group to have them built for your school. The grant may no longer be available but they have information about building them and the supplies needed. I did talk to Emily Rebro our Child Care Health Liason and she pointed out that they may be a licensing issue due to the gray water, this would depend on where the Tippy Taps are located. She suggested talking to your licensing worker about this.

That was all for this week! Our next meeting will be Wednesday, October 7th at 2pm. We will now be meeting monthly. Zoom link will be sent in the email. Have a great three day weekend!