For Directors 

Directors Alerts – EEC

• Kindergarten Transition Forms are up on the website! Please have teachers fill them out here.
• In light of recent changes to the statewide guidance, EEC is providing the following answers here to commonly asked questions regarding the April version of the Minimum Requirements and Playbook available here.
• May 31st is the final day to apply for the PPP incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on payroll and to cover some operational costs. First Draw PPP forgivable loans are available to both Family and Center-based child care businesses. If you’ve already received a First Draw PPP Loan, see whether you qualify for a Second Draw PPP forgivable loan. Download applications, see requirements and find an approved lender in your state. Learn more >>
  

For Directors, Providers, Home Visitors, Educators & Families

Health & Wellness

• Early Intervention Parenting Partnership, a program of Riverside Community Care: EIPP offers in-person and virtual home visiting and group support for pregnant and postpartum women until the baby turns one. EIPP employs a team approach and embodies strengths-based, trauma-sensitive, individualized, relationship-based support grounded in the family's culture, hopes and preferences. Dedicated team includes maternal child health nursing, mental health and community health professionals. Staff speak Spanish and Portuguese. Interpreters available for other languages. To make a referral or for more information, contact us by email or call Kathryn Killoran at 617.755.3071.
• Find It! Updating, Accounts, and Connecting: Find It Cambridge is a website that serves as a one-stop-shop to find activities, services, and resources in Cambridge. It’s also a free promotional opportunity and a great referral tool to share with families. Please update your program’s information on Find It. Andrew can be reached by email or phone (617.686.2998).
• The Home Visiting Guide is available here.
• Dominique Jean, a school nurse, will answer your urgent COVID-19 symptom questions (Is this dry cough from COVID-19 or due to allergies?). She can be reached at: 781.803.0766. 
• For non-urgent COVID-19 related calls, please call 617.665.3648. One of two nurses will reply to all hotline phone calls and emails after they have checked the phone line or email account.
  
• For more complex medically related questions, Directors should contact MA Dept. of Public Health’s epidemiologist Dr. Katherine Hsu at 617.983.6948 or [email protected]. 
  
• EEC’s Reopening Plan requires programs to provide contact information for their local Board of Health.
  • This information should now be:
    Address: 119 Windsor St., Cambridge, MA 02139
    Phone: 617.665.3648
    Email: [email protected] 
    

Managing Stress and Anxiety

• The resources provided by The Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental Health continue to be a good place to start for your own mental health and for the mental health of those you are taking care of.
• The Federation for Children with Special Needs has created Mindful Mondays, a weekly opportunity for educators to practice self-care through mindfulness. Come join other educators from across the state for yoga, meditation, journaling, and sharing of challenges and successes. No previous experience is necessary.

For Teachers

Curriculum Support & Professional Development

• Pre-K-3rd partners: Are you interested in joining the Food Education Fellowship? This program is a great way to introduce food in a complex way to children by focusing on learning about the history and culture, cultivation, equity, etc) and integrates food into traditional subjects like math, reading, history, and science. Perks of the program: Monthly professional development; One-on-one support and coaching; $2000 stipend + classroom materials. Applications are due at the end of May for next school year.
• Check your email for B3’s Online Training Resources for the Early Childhood Workforce List.
  

For Families

Resources for Families

• Center For Families Resource: The Fuel Assistance Program assists households in Cambridge and Somerville with winter heating costs between November 1st and April 30th. Renters and homeowners in both cities are eligible to apply if they meet federal income guidelines. If you are in a no-heat situation or facing immediate utility shutoff, fuel assistance can be provided within 24 hours to eligible applicants. Call 617.349.6252 for immediate assistance. Find out more here.
• Now enrolling: Riverside Early Head Start is a home-based early childhood program that provides comprehensive parenting and family support to low-income pregnant women and families with children zero to three years of age. They work with families residing in Cambridge, Medford and Somerville. They are currently providing virtual home visits using different platforms such as Phone, Zoom and WhatsApp. Learn more here. Apply here.
• Cambridge Public Schools Home Based Early Childhood Program is recruiting families! Children must be between the ages of 18 months and 3.5 years old. Home visits can occur on a porch, in a yard, at a park, or virtually. Each visit includes free books and materials, as well as fun and engaging activities. Contact Joy Harper 617.349.6724 [email protected] or Peggy Beucler 617.349.6849 [email protected].
  
• The Center for Families offers free programming and supports for all families living in Cambridge with children birth-8 years old. Center staff are available to support families in connecting with community resources, provide one-on-one support, and provide access to the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, which helps parents understand more about their child's development. You can find information on current programs in their monthly newsletter here. Want to learn more about the Center for Families and connect? You can also reach them via email or call at 617.349.6385. 

• For a fun, free outdoor experience at the Cambridge Common, try this outdoor Scavenger Hunt, courtesy of Newtowne School!
• Click here for WGBH’s Family Fun at Home that has activities for children ages 3 to 5. 
  
• Find It Cambridge is regularly updating its Virtual Activities at Home category with online and at-home activities for all ages of children and adults to enjoy. 
• Check out the Cambridge Public Library website for fun spring events. 

• Postpartum Support International (PSI)
• MCPAP for Moms
  
• JF & CS Postpartum Depression Support Group: “This Isn’t What I Expected”, Tuesdays, 1-2:30PM. For more information, please contact Debbie Whitehill via email or 781.647.JFCS (5327) x1925. Register for the video support group. (New participants should register at least 24 hours in advance.)