Early Care and Education Digest
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.
News
- You are invited to have breakfast with Nobel Laureate James Heckman! Join the community and learn facts about the importance of early childhood education in fighting crime and poverty among other benefits. Save the date: October 7 from 8:30am – 10:30am at the Monterey Conference Center. Register here and share these flyers.
- Need to find a testing or vaccine clinic in Monterey County? Visit MontereyCountyVaccines.com or find your location in the flyers: Free Testing and Free Vaccination sites.
- Get free health checks and immunizations at the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) Program. They provide crucial services for families, children, and educators in Monterey County including current health informational presentations, training, health checks, and immunizations. Check out these flyers to learn more.
- COVID-19 test kits are available for small family child care homes and FFN’s. Stop by MAOF at 11 Quail Run Road, Suite 101, Salinas this Friday, September 16 between 9am and 7pm to get up to 50 test kits for your small child care home and 20 per FFN.
- Lucy’s closet offers free items to the public. Need clothing, blankets, toys and food? Go to Lucy’s Closet and Food Pantry at Binsacca Family Farms-36200 Arroyo Seco Rd on Thursdays 10am – 5pm and Saturdays 10am – 2pm or by appointment by calling 408-887-4737 or email lucyscloset831@gmail.com.
- Free FFN training with Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers! Join the free training for FFN providers. Contact Maria at MAOF, call 831-757-0775.
- Do you need a FAQ sheet to share with parents and staff? UCSF has an amazing resource for providers and parents with a variety of topics ranging from Autism to Vaccine Safety. All Fact Sheets are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese!
- Positive discipline is a way of educating children with mutual respect, affection and understanding. Join the new positive parenting course online here starting September 20 at 9am. Call 753-5700 x4702 for more info.
- March for Peace will be happening October 1 at 2pm in Salinas to memorialize those who were lost due to violence. Learn more about the march 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.
- Join parent wellness groups in Spanish and English, to help parents with emotional stressors at The Parenting Connection of Monterey County. Share English and Spanish flyers or register here. The Support Warmline is also available to receive voice and text messages 24hrs a day from both families and professionals: (831) 783-5933.
- Calendar of ECE professional development opportunities: Visit MCOE’s Early Care and Education Department virtual magazine and calendar.
- Bright Beginnings is hiring an Integrated Services Program Manager! Help spread the word and view the job announcement here.
- Interested in starting a family child care business? Online classes (in English and Spanish) are available for you! Share these flyers in your community. Contact Carmen Herrera at El Pajaro (831) 722-1224 or Maria Ortiz at the MAOF Resource and Referral at 831-757-0775 for information.
- Join the Monterey County Preschool Service Corps through the United Way’s AmeriCorps program members for the 2022-23 academic year. Visit Monterey County’s United Way website or contact Taylor Jonte-Saiz at (831) 372-8026 x1976 for more information.
Monterey County Vaccines By the Numbers
Overall, 80.1% 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…
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.