News
For Families
- Little kids have big emotions! Teaching your child to stay calm sets them up for success. Check out this toolkit and video of the Dragon song that helps regulate breathing in children (and adults!) and keeps you calm.
- Family Health Nights featuring a 6 part series on social emotional health is open for all families. Join the discussion here on Tuesdays from 6:00pm-8:00pm.
- Alisal Family Resource Centers are offering food distributions for families in need. See calendar and locations here.
- Alisal Union School District is having a Resource Fair for families on 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. Tabling opportunities are also available!
- 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.
- Children love to help! Take a look at a 5 minute exercise that supports cooperation, kindness and accomplishment from the Greater Good Science Center.
For Educators
- Community Care Licensing invites you to their monthly call. Register for Tuesday, October 25 at 6:00pm here or for Wednesday, October 26 at 2:00pm here for the latest updates and information.
- Learn about the latest developments in Maternal Mental Health Screenings with 2020 Mom webinar. Wednesday, October 26 from 11:30am-12:45pm. Register here.
- You may be missing out on ARPA stipends, supplemental rate payments and new federal recovery funding. See what you have been missing, and complete the ARPA survey today. A revised survey must be completed even if you have done one in the past to receive new funding. There are two information sessions for child care providers:
- 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 is open to participants in San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties. Learn more here.
- The UPK Network is open to all preschool, TK and Kindergarten teachers. Join this network of teachers who share resources, strategies and learn from each other. The next virtual meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 2 at 3:30pm. Register here.
- Engage pre-k learners by following their interests! Educators can make a difference- watch this compelling video from Edutopia.
- Safe sleeping practices are critical for babies! Visit this CCL page on Safe Sleep to see the latest regulations, sleeping plans, and videos.
- Teachers, are your 6th-8th graders great at spelling? Register for the Monterey County Wide Spelling Bee! Share flyers, and register here.
- Looking for some eye catching and diverse COVID-19 vaccine flyers? Check out the vaccine resource hub here and a video toolkit.
- Newly released toolkit regarding COVID-19 boosters is available here. Some tough questions are answered, such as:
- Should I get an updated COVID-19 booster if I’ve previously gotten a booster?
- What if I recently had COVID-19?
- Can I get the updated COVID-19 booster if I haven’t been vaccinated yet?
- What’s the status for booster doses for children under 12?
- Can I mix and match my COVID-19 vaccine and booster?
For All
- California will be ending the COVID-19 state of emergency on February 28, 2023. California has fared much better than other large states in response and recovery regarding the pandemic, saving tens of thousands of lives and providing needed support to individuals, businesses and healthcare. An updated SMARTER Plan is available to review 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.
- Quality Counts California wants to hear from you! Participate in a focus group to share your thoughts about early learning and care in California to help shape more equitable solutions. Sign up and learn more.
- 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
- 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.
- Be a voice to millions in your community. Learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month and access bilingual resources here.
Monterey County Vaccines By the Numbers
Overall, 80.5% 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.