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Early Head Start April 2023 Newsletter

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Celebrate Earth Day: April 22

Happy Spring! As we look forward to great weather and spending time outdoors, we also celebrate Earth Day on April 22. The theme this year is “Invest in Our Planet” with a focus on paving a path for the future. View the toolkit and find ways that you can celebrate Earth Day 2023! Spending time outdoors can have positive effects on your well-being. You can contribute to making our environment healthier. Try some of the following strategies:

  • Use reusable water bottles
  • Use green cleaning products and natural remedies to eliminate pollution
  • Recycle
  • Use reusable shopping bags
  • Travel environmentally friendly when you can. Try walking, biking or carpooling
  • Pick up trash while walking outside

April is Autism Awareness Month

One of the most important things you can do as a parent or caregiver is to learn the early signs of autism and become familiar with the typical developmental milestones that your child should be reaching. Here’s an Autism Speaks Guide to help caregivers indicate if their child is at risk for an autism spectrum disorder. In celebration of Autism Awareness Month, we applaud the efforts of our partners from Ohio State’s Nisonger Center who provide developmental and mental health to EHS infants and toddlers. Last year, developmental and behavioral specialists offered early intervention support to 17.5% of children in our care.

News

Cover for the Early Learning Standards.

New Early Learning and Development Standards

The new Early Learning and Development Standards are the result of a collaborative effort between the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), along with numerous stakeholders. The standards cover the essential domains of development and school readiness from infancy through the end of preschool. They describe what children need to learn and illustrate how skills may develop in the first five years of life.

The revised standards were reorganized with new domains and a new developmental continuum structure, which replaced age bands. A copy of the standards will be sent to each ODE- or ODJFS-licensed site that serves infants, toddlers, and preschool children.

PFCC Application Status Revisions

After receiving feedback from child care providers, The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is now able to share the status of a PFCC application if your child care program is listed on the PFCC application. Status of an application includes:

  • Submitted/Pending
  • Denied, not eligible for Payment After Denial (PAD)
  • Denied, eligible for PAD (Authorizations for PAD approvals are in KinderConnect)

If your program is not listed on the PFCC application, you may:

  • Request that the family contact their county job and family services agency to update the provider information listed on the PFCC application. The county agency will need the provider’s name and address.
  • Request that the family upload a document in the Self-Service Portal requesting to add or change the provider information listed on their application. This should include the provider’s name and address.

Please note: Families cannot update provider information on the application using the Self-Service Portal while a PFCC application is pending. Questions? Contact ODJFS at the Child Care Policy Help Desk at childcarepolicy@jfs.ohio.gov, or at 1-877-302-2347 option #4.

RESOURCES

    Helping Ohio and prepare for end of SNAP emergency allotments.

    With the end of emergency SNAP allotments, this online discussion may provide some insights into deductions that may provide some financial relief for families and individuals.

    OCLQS new website

    This new website gives Ohio’s early care and education programs access to the Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System (OCLQS). The site provides information on finding child care, training, and compliance

    ‘How To’ Guides Help Families with Publicly Funded Child Care Benefits

    ODJFS has created the following ‘How-To’ videos to assist families using Ohio Benefits Self-Service Portal (SSP) to manage their publicly funded child care (PFCC) benefits: 

    EVENTS

    Special Event: Thursday, April 20 from 4-6pm at WOSU’s Ross Community Studio

    Are you interested in the intersections of health, education, and early childhood? Please join our partners the Crane Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital School Health Services for a special event on April 20, 4-6pm, featuring Dr. Moira Szilagyi. Dr. Szilagyi was the 2022 president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and will share her insights on coordinating between various systems of care through a trauma-informed lens. Learn more and register here. To learn more about the Crane Center subscribe to their weekly Tuned In/policy news.