From Lei-Anne Ellis: B-3 Update July 8, 2020
Published on Jul 8, 2020 11:06

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July 8, 2020

For Directors 

exclamation pointDirectors Alerts

  • EEC StrongStart Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are filling up quickly. Register now for two interesting sessions:
    Program Administration During Covid-19: 4-session PLC will cover the development of policies and protocols;
    Getting Ready to Reopen: Financial Considerations for Your Business: 3-session PLC will address short-term goal of reopening and long-term goal of financial stability.
  • Click here for English and here for Spanish language version of EEC’s video, Child and Youth Serving Programs Reopen Approach. Videos provide step-by-step instructions for completing a Reopening Plan.
  • Administrators and directors are required to take the Guidance for Reopening Child Care training module.
  • EEC’s Reopening Plan requires programs to provide contact information for their local Board of Health. This information is:
    Address: 19 Windsor St., Cambridge, MA 02139
    Phone: 617.665.3826
    Email: [email protected] 
  • EEC created a 4-page handout, What Families Need to Know About Reopening Child Care, to help parents understand what to expect when their child returns to programs.
  • Communicating new COVID-19 related policies and procedures is made simple thanks to Shared Services MA. Check out the Communication tab on their website to get Coronavirus Memo to Staff and the Health Risk Disclosure templates. Don’t forget, membership is currently free.
  • To view Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation recorded webinar, Reinvent vs. Rebuild: Can We Fix Early Child Care in Mass?, click here.
  • Wonder when children begin to think about race? This poster says by age 2 ½ , children most children use race to choose playmates. Teachers have a role to play in helping children develop positive attitudes about race and diversity. Poster also provides a list of useful resources.
  • The next Cambridge Directors Support Zoom meeting, led by Bess Emanuel and Polly Smith, will be held on Friday, July 10th from 10-11AM (note new time). Check your email inbox every Friday morning for the Zoom link.
dollar graphicFunding
  • Read Amy O’Leary’s testimony on the Status for Early Education and Care in the Commonwealth during COVID-19 hearing before the MA Joint Committee on Education. She calls for a change in funding models among other solutions to avert programs closing their doors permanently.
  • EEC will eventually provide grants to support the initial months of reopening for programs that have current subsidy agreements and enrolled children. Grants will be offered on a per-classroom basis for Group and School Age programs. Information will be posted on this page (under Reopening Grants) as grants become available.

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For Teachers

pushpinsCurriculum Support & Professional Development

  • Reopening: Lessons for the Field, a follow-up to the 3-part Back to the Future will allow educators to talk with and learn from each other about their reopening experience. This will be offered twice in July and at two different times to accommodate working schedules:
    – July 9th from 12:30-2PM and again from 3:30-5PM
    – July 23rd from 12:30-2PM and again from 3:30-5PM
    Click here to register.
  • EEC is offering a 4-session Professional Learning Community titled, Beginning Again: Tools for Promoting the Social Emotional Wellness of Children, Families, and Staff. Sessions are from 5-6:30PM.   

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For Families

happy faceActivities for Families

  • Dr. Susan Linn and Audrey Duck are back in an 8-minute video called, Why Are People Protesting? They discuss racism and the role protests play in ending it. Parents should view this video before sharing it with their children as the murder of George Floyd is mentioned.
  • Walks to the park are a great time for families and children to walk, read, and talk together thanks to StoryWalk (when a children’s book is hung page by page around a park). Eight different books will be featured in 8 parks across the city!
heartResources for Families
  • Share this flyer about Cambridge’s Summer Food Program with your parents. The food program provides free and nutritionally balanced breakfasts and lunches to anyone under the age of 18.
  • Families can also use their SNAP card to purchase health items from participating farmers markets. Some Cambridge farmers markets match dollars spent. Click here for more info.
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Birth to 3rd Grade Partnership

135 Berkshire Street, Cambridge, MA 02141
www.cpsd.us • 617.349.6554




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