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Early Care and Education Weekly Digest
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May 4, 2023

News

Flood Victim Relief: Immediate Financial Assistance available to qualifying households.

For Educators

  • CDSS will be hosting two webinars for child care providers and will  focus on the $1442 per child stipends as well as the ARPA survey.

    All child care providers and direct-service centers must complete the ARPA survey by Thursday,  June 1, 2023, to receive any new ARPA-funded investments they may be eligible for, including the $1,442 per child stipends (AB 179).

    Join the webinar for more information:
    Wednesday, May 10 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm: Zoom link to register
    If you have any questions, please contact ccpb@dss.ca.gov.  

  • Event for Monterey County businesses, including child care entrepreneurs! Join small business owners at the Dia Del Empresario Latino on Sunday, May 7 from 8:30am-4:30pm at 1 Main Street, Salinas. 

  • Several flexibilities for child care programs are ending as of Friday, June 30. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has recently posted the following document on its Internet website:  CCB 23-09:  Expiration of COVID-19 Flexibilities: COVID-19 Related Paid Nonoperational Days, Waived Family Fees, Hold Harmless with Respect to Reimbursement.

  • Calling all Monterey County licensed family child care educators and centers! Quality Matters Monterey has released the 2023-24 application for new Quality Matters sites, due Thursday, June 15. Join a community of ECE professionals, receive coaching, technical assistance, stipends, and resources to support your professional growth. Learn more about Quality Matters and watch this video for highlights.

  • ECE Community College students: ECE Career Educational Support grants are available for help with tuition & textbooks. The Child Development Training Consortium is offering these funds on a first come first served basis.

For Families

  • Free-Open House & Resource Fair in Marina! Join the fun at MPUSD’s open house today Thursday, May 4 from 5:00pm-7:00pm featuring summer camps, activities for children and family resources. Classrooms will be open for current and prospective families. Location: Marina Child Development Centers @ 3066 Lake Drive, Marina

  • Breastfeeding support group in Salinas and Soledad! Get the latest information on nutrition and child care as well as support with other mothers.  

  • Choosing a quality program for your child is one of the  most important decisions a family can make. Family Matters offers tools to help families build awareness of choosing quality early care and education of their choice for a strong start to kindergarten and beyond. Informational Webinars- New Dates:

    • Saturday, May 27 9:30am-10:30pm (Spanish)

    • Thursday, June 8 6:30pm-7:30pm (English)

  • The parenting Connection of Monterey County invites you to their annual Birth & Family Fair. Join them on Saturday, May 6 from 11:00am-3:00pm to learn more about resources in our community for pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the parenting journey. Please help share this opportunity with the community. 

  • It’s not too early to enroll in summer activities! Check out the Y’s offerings including summer camps and other activities

  • Summer Camps have fun activities for kids when school is out. Check out the Spring Parent Magazine Summer Camp Guide

  • Connect with other moms and their children (0-5) at the Maternal Well-Being play groups. In person and ZOOM groups are being offered. Learn more or call Sandra Avina at (831) 796-6118. 

  • Fun activities for you and your family are happening at the Salinas Library. Check out their calendar of events for times and dates. 

  • Looking for child care? Go to Montereycountychildcare.org or Mychildcareplan.org for help finding the right care for your child.

For All

  • The Red Cross has immediate financial assistance for households impacted by the floods. Share this information with your community to get them the help they need. 

  • The Mental Health Services 3 year plan  is open for public comment. Your input will help the Monterey County Health Department decide how funds are distributed and used from fiscal year 2023 thru 2026. Deadline to submit comments is Thursday, May 25. 

  • Monterey County needs businesses that support families, both behind the scenes with strong family policies and in the public eye as a service to families. Ready to apply to become a Bright Beginnings Family Friendly Employer? It's easy! Learn more and certify your business here. Child care businesses are encouraged to apply!

  • Are you or others you know interested in starting a child care business? MAOF is recruiting potential family child care homes and is offering free training, marketing, and up to $1,000 to new or expanding child care programs in Monterey County. Learn more or call MAOF at (831) 757-0775.

  • Need to find a COVID-19 testing or vaccine clinic in Monterey County? Visit MontereyCountyVaccines.com or find a location in the flyers: Free Testing and Free Vaccination sites.

Our goal is to ensure that young children have quality, nurturing, and safe child care and education during and post-pandemic. For more information about this effort and the coalition behind it, please visit our web hub here

Previous Weekly Digests are available here

If you have information, flyers, or events you would like to share in this publication, please contact or send information to: Laura@BrightBeginningsMC.org

Want more information from Bright Beginnings Initiative? Join the mailing list for the Early Care and Education Weekly Digest, Maternal Mental Health Task Force Monthly News, and the Initiative’s Quarterly Update.

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Monterey County Vaccines By the Numbers


Overall, 81.3% of the eligible population in Monterey County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. For more details on COVID health data, visit the Health Departments website here. Stay informed on all things COVID-19 on the Monterey County COVID-19 portal.                                            

COVID-19 Information


COVID-19 Vaccine Information ➡️click here to learn more...

General COVID-19 & Public Health ➡️click here to learn more...

Resources & Tools
 

Financial Relief for Families ➡️click here to learn more...

All Ages Learning & Development Supports ➡️click here to learn more...

Resilience & Mental Health Resources ➡️click here to learn more...

Child Care & Education Quality & Business Tools ➡️click here to learn more...

Policy & Advocacy ➡️click here to learn more...

It Takes a Coalition 


It takes a coalition to provide coordinated support and solutions for child care and educationHere are some of those that have come together during and after the pandemic to build an even stronger early learning system:

4th Monterey County Supervisorial District

30th California Assembly District

Building Healthy Communities

CAPSLO

Carmel Unified School District

Child Care Planning Council

Child Development Centers and Continuing Development Incorporated

Children’s Council

Early Development Services

First 5 Monterey County

Go Kids, Inc.

Health Department

MAOF Resource & Referral & Alternative Payment Program

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District

Natividad Medical Center

North Monterey County Unified School District

Office of Education - Early Learning Program

Office of Education – Educational Services

Public Health Office

Quality Matters Monterey County

Salinas City Elementary School District

Social Services - Child Abuse Prevention Council

United Farmworkers Foundation

United Way of Monterey County

YMCA

A special thanks to the coordinating team and major funders: Bright Beginnings Backbone, Child Care Planning Council, First 5 Monterey County, MAOF Resource & Referral, Quality Matters Monterey County, and the United Way of Monterey County.

For more information, please contact sonja@brightbeginningsmc.org.

Looking for child care? 
Or are you a provider looking for up-to-date information and resources to provide quality care and education?  


Visit www.MontereyCountyChildCare.org or call (831) 757-0775
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