For Directors 

Directors Alerts

• The CARES Act has two less known provisions that provide potential relief for small businesses:
  -- The employer’s portion of Social Security taxes from Mar. 25 to Dec. 31 can be deferred. This equals 6.2% of payroll. Half of the deferred amounts are due by December 31, 2021; the balance is due December 31, 2022. (Section 2302)
  -- For-profit centers that incurred a Net Operating Loss - for federal income tax purposes - in 2018, 2019, or 2020 can carry that loss back for five years by filing amended tax returns. (Section 2303)
  -- Please contact your tax advisor before proceeding.
• Strategies for All sent an advocacy letter to the state’s Reopening Advisory Board. You can also submit your comments and story to the board.
  
• B-3 Mentors, Bess Emanuel and Polly Smith, are facilitating Cambridge Directors Support meetings on Zoom every Friday at 2PM (open to all Cambridge directors). Check your email inbox every Friday morning for the Zoom link.                            
• In an hour long recorded NAEYC webinar, Talking to and Supporting Children and Ourselves During the Pandemic, a pediatrician offers developmentally appropriate strategies for effective communication and support for children ages 18 months to 5 years.

Funding

• Click here for the Guidelines for the City of Cambridge’s Mayor Disaster Relief Fund Small Business Grants and Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Zero Interest. Applications will be posted on May 14th.
• Children’s Investment Fund is still offering free Payroll Protection Plan technical assistance. To get assistance, fill out an intake form.
• For more economic recovery info for early childhood, check out EEC’s website.

For Teachers

Curriculum Support & Professional Development

• Save the Date! B-3 Coaches will facilitate a 3-part Zoom Communities of Practice for any Cambridge educator interested in attending. This series, Back to the Future: Community, Connections, and Transitions, will focus on how to make returning to school positive for children and their families.
  Dates:
  -- May 20 – Preparing Ourselves to Reopen
  -- June 3 – Curriculum Considerations
  -- June 17 – Creating a Sense of Community
  Times:
  -- Infant Teachers (0-12 mo.) 9:30-11AM
  -- Toddler Teachers (12-36 mo.) 12:30-2PM
  -- Preschool Teachers (3-5 yrs.) 2:30-4PM
  -- Directors are invited to participate in the Preschool session
  Registration: Look for an email from Emily Callejas to register your educators.                             
• An hour long NAEYC recorded webinar, Playful Math: How to Teach Essential Concepts with Fun Mathematical Games, gives examples of games that develop mathematical thinking. After landing on the page, teachers should scroll down to Archived Webinars then click on Math. The above webinar is at the top of the list.

For Families

Activities for Families

• "Staycation Toolkit" offers families 13 pages of suggestions about what families can do at home with their young child using materials they have in their homes!
• Avoid singing “Happy Birthday to You” when washing hands for children whose birthdays fall during mandated closures. Click here for a list of other songs to sing.
• Somerville colleagues wrote a Story about Social Distancing that is available in several languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Resources for Families

• One Tough Job connects parents with the latest and greatest parenting information, ideas, and resources. One Tough Job also can help you find other moms, dads, and caregivers who have asked the same questions and faced similar challenges as you.
• Early Years Project has created 3 parent tip sheets: Supporting Independent Play, Responding to Children’s Anxiety, and Working from Home with Young Children.