News
For Families
- Navigate meltdowns, tantrums and opportunities to bond with your preschooler. Learn about your preschooler’s emotional development in this First 5 California resource.
- Want to track your child’s developmental milestones? Check out the milestone tracker app from Learn the Signs, Act Early to track your child’s development and act early if you have a concern.
- Special Kids Connect provides resources to children with disabilities and their families through training, resource libraries and advocacy. Check out their website for more information.
- Alisal Union School District is having a Resource Fair for families this Saturday, November 5 from 12:00pm – 4:00pm at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Academy. For more information call 831-775-4500. Flyers can be downloaded here: English, Spanish.
- Alisal Family Resource Centers are offering food distributions for families in need. See calendar and locations for November here.
For Educators
- Community Care Licensing released new COVID -19 guidance in October. There are several required and recommended practices for licensed child care providers. Review the guidance here.
- Many of the chemicals we use for cleaning are actually meant to sanitize and disinfect. Most of the time, soap and water will do the job. This poster from CCHP helps you think about what tools are best for the job you’re doing. Check out this website from the UCSF California Child Care Health Program on safer cleaning and sanitizing products.
- Dream Big Monterey is all about Language and Literacy for young children. TK-3rd grade educators are invited to attend this 5 part series starting Saturday, November 19. Only 60 participants are being accepted, so sign up now! Contact Norma Esparza for more information.
- Free Preventative Health and Safety Training! Santa Clara County Resource and Referral program is offering an EMSA-approved eight-hour Preventative Health and Safety training (with nutrition and lead poisoning prevention) required for child care licensing. This training will be held in November and December and is open to participants in San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties. Learn more here.
- Early EDU provides free training for Early Educators. Take a look at their November and December offerings here.
- ECE Community College students: Funds are available to help with tuition & textbooks. The funds will go fast, so share this application with those you know and apply early.
Resources For All
- Want to start a business that you love? Join SCORE on Tuesday, November 15 from 12:00pm – 1:30pm and get the support you need to follow your dream of opening your own business. Register here for a mini course.
- Are you looking for funding for your small business? El Pajaro is hosting an in-person workshop (in Spanish) on Wednesday, November 16 from 9:00am – 10:00am in Salinas that will help you navigate the grant and loan process. Register here.
- The Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce Children’s Shopping Tour is scheduled for Saturday, December 10 this year where volunteers take hundreds of kids shopping for school attire. To learn more about how to volunteer for this event and how children can benefit, visit here.
- Fight the Flu! Getting a flu shot can protect you and your loved ones. Schedule your flu vaccine today at vaccines.gov or myturn.ca.gov/flu or attend one of these no-cost flu clinics:
- Friday, November 4: 9:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 3:00pm: Salvation Army, 800 Scott St., Sand City
- Saturday, November 5: 10:00am – 1:00pm: North Salinas High School, Multipurpose Room
- Wednesday, November 9: 4:00pm – 7:00pm: Main St Middle School, Soledad
- Wednesday, November 16: 4:00pm – 7:00pm: Chualar Fire Station
- 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.
Monterey County Vaccines By the Numbers
Overall, 80.6% 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…
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.
News and resources are shared below. 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? Stay up-to-date and join the mailing list for the BB Weekly Recovery Coalition Digest, Maternal Mental Health Task Force, and the BB Quarterly Update.
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.