COVID-19 Response & Recovery for Child Care & Wellbeing
Our goal is to ensure that young children have quality, nurturing, and safe child care and education during the pandemic. For more information about this effort and the coalition behind it, please visit our web hub here.
If you have information, flyers, or events you would like to share in this publication please contact Laura@BrightBeginningsMC.org.
This Week’s Highlights
A few highlights from this last week are shared below. Previous Weekly Digests are available here.
Vaccines By the Numbers
81% of eligible Monterey County residents ages 5+ have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, as reported here by the Monterey County Health Department on January 24. Stay informed with the Monterey County COVID-19 portal.
News
- Learn and Earn by participating in Monterey County’s paid apprenticeship program in ECE! Child care careers are in high demand. Join the fast track and earn a living while you learn the skills through the ECE Pathway. Sign up here or call 831-386-7105. Share this flyer in your community!
- If you haven’t ordered your free at-home COVID test kits, what are you waiting for? Get 4 kits (2 boxes with 2 kits in each) for your family. Place an order for your household here.
- Individuals who are unable to leave their home due to a medical condition may be eligible for in-home vaccination services. Call the Central Coast Visiting Nurses Association at 831-648-3777 to schedule an appointment or call the California COVID-19 Hotline at 1-833-422-4255.
- Child care has been hit hard by the Omicron variant, as reported in an article by CalMatters. Centers are short staffed, children are getting sick, and programs are needing to close for quarantine due to the infectious nature of the virus. To help stop the spread, keep your child at home if they are sick or test positive for COVID.
- Have you experienced grief or loss? Take part in the Healing Memorial Art workshop on Saturday, January 29 from 9am-1pm at Coastal Kids Home Care. Share this flyer and register by calling 831-320-0947.
- Join the Rate and Quality Workgroup hosted by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) on Monday, January 31 from 8:30-10:30am and give your recommendations on subsidized child care rates. This workgroup will explore how the child care workforce competencies and quality standards align with reimbursement rates. Register here!
- January is Positive Parenting Month! Check out the Triple P parenting portal that provides families with positive parenting tips.
- Do you own a small business in King City? El Pajaro Community Development Corporation is offering small businesses (with 25 or fewer employees) grants up to $10,000. Access the application and eligibility requirements here. Physical copies are available at King City, City Hall. Applications are due by Monday, January 31!
- Are you a child care educator or provider? You may be eligible for an ECE Workforce Retention stipend! Learn more and apply here.
- Need to find a testing or vaccine clinic in Monterey County? Visit MontereyCountyVaccines.com or find your location in the bilingual flyers below:
- Free Testing Clinics
- Free Vaccination Clinics
- Note: some clinics are short staffed due to COVID outbreaks and may need to close on short notice
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
The emergency response providing coordinated solutions for child care and education is led by a coalition of early childhood champions, united under the Bright Beginnings Strategic Framework to better support all young children and their families, to prepare every child for life and school. This coalition is ever-growing:
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, and the United Way of Monterey County.
For more information, please contact sonja@brightbeginningsmc.org.