The Alabama School Readiness Alliance is a joint campaign of:
.jpg)
|
|
Share this newsletter
  
Follow us on
 
|
| |
Organizations partner to help child care programs apply for state pre-k funds
|
|
| |
More than 75 private child care providers, nonprofits and others attended a webinar last week outlining improvements to the state's First Class Pre-K program and its funding application. Potential pre-k providers are also taking advantage of new technical assistance and support being offered by advocacy organizations throughout the funding application period.
The webinar was hosted by the Alabama School Readiness Alliance and the Alabama Association for Early Care and Education and featured Dr. Barbara Cooper, director of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education's Office of School Readiness.
Webinar follow-up resources, and links to the First Class Pre-K program guidelines and funding application, have been posted on the ASRA website.
The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education manages the First Class Pre-K program through a competitive funding application process. Funding applications for the 2020-2021 school year are available through March 13, 2020. Funding recipients will be announced later this Spring. The number of new classrooms funded depends on the amount of increased funding approved for the program by the Alabama Legislature in the 2020 legislative session.
The Alabama School Readiness Alliance is also working with its partner organization, the Alabama Partnership for Children, to offer technical assistance to child care programs throughout the First Class Pre-K funding application period. These statewide nonprofits will connect interested providers with local organizations and existing First Class Pre-K providers for mentoring.
Child care directors and others can request support by filling out this form on the ASRA website. |
|
|
Top
|
| |
Feed Me Words spreads awareness of the importance of "language nutrition"
|
|
| |
The Alabama Partnership for Children is partnering with the Georgia Department of Public Health to bring the expertise and resources of the Talk With Me BabyTM initiative to the state of Alabama, and the Feed Me Words campaign will spread public awareness of these resources, as well as the importance of intentional early language and literacy activities for all children.
"Language nutrition" refers to rich language interactions between caregivers and infants and is critical for a child's socio-emotional and vocabulary development. Talk With Me Baby resources provide both visual and written cues, and bright, positive, baby-friendly designs to help bring the message of language nutrition to all families.
The Feed Me Words website also links to information about $100 incentives available for early childhood educators who complete courses from Read Right from the Start. The research-based courses use interactive videos focused on practical strategies teachers can use to promote young children's language and literacy. The Alabama Partnership for Children partnered with Read Right from the Start to make this training available at no cost to Alabama teachers.
|
|
|
Top
|
|
