COVID-19: State and national early childhood partner news

by | May 1, 2020

Updates on the COVID-19 pandemic involving Nebraska's state and national early childhood partners.

May 15, 2020

 


May 8, 2020

  • Child Care Recommendations Post-COVID: NAEYC’s blog post, “There’s No Going Back: Child Care after COVID-19,” highlights six key recommendations to lead us to a healthier early childhood system of care.
  • Relief Resources: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment has put out new nationwide guide to COVID-19 financial relief resources which includes eligibility information and application links for unemployment insurance, paid sick and family leave, student loan suspension, and more.
  • Unemployment Compensation Brief: CLASP has published a new resource, “Unemployment Compensation: A Guide for Child Care Stakeholders During the Coronavirus Pandemic.” This brief provides an overview of the unemployment insurance system, the new federal benefits available through the CARES Act, and considerations for determining how unemployment compensation can support child care workers during the coronavirus crisis.
  • Courageous Conversations: NEAEYC will be hosting another round of Courageous Conversations over the next week on May 13 and 15.  These virtual conversations will be geared toward Center Directors and Family Child Care Providers.  Details on the virtual gatherings are as follows:
    • For Center Directors
      • 1:00 p.m.—2:00 p.m.  Click here to join the May 13 call
      • 1:00 p.m.—2:00 p.m.  Click here to join the May 15 call
    • For Family Child Care Providers
      • 6:30 p.m.—7:30 p.m.  Click here to join the May 11 call
      • 6:30 p.m.—7:30 p.m.  Click here to join the May 13 call
    • Have questions, or trouble accessing the links? Call Melanie at (403) 858-2965.
  • Nationwide Survey Results: Child Care Aware of America shared a summary of results from a nationwide survey on voter opinions of the recent coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the child care industry.
  • Advocacy Toolkit: Child Care Aware of America have put together Day on the Hill Advocacy Toolkit are helpful resources for any advocate speaking out about child care right now and wondering how to take action.

 


May 1, 2020

 


April 27, 2020

 


April 21, 2020

 


April 14, 2020

 


April 9, 2020

  • 'Nebraska Child Care's Excruciating COVID-19 Decision': Award-winning journalist Matt Hansen, managing editor at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, takes a clear and poignant look at the human and financial dilemma faced by Nebraska's child care professionals as they try to navigate the public health crisis. 
  • 'Home Visiting: A lifeline during the pandemic': A new article from the Center for American Progress examines the benefits of enabling home visiting programs to pivot to “virtual visits” with families as a way of addressing mental health stressors during the COVID-19 emergency.
  • 'Mindfulness Breaks | A weekly series for self-care': Internationally recognized mindfulness practitioner Maria Gehl will lead guided mindfulness sessions for early childhood professionals on Fridays at 11:00 a.m.CT beginning tomorrow, April 10. Register to attend on Zero to Three's website.

 


April 8, 2020

  • Child care providers: $1,000 emergency relief awards are available for licensed family and center-based child care providers in Nebraska that are open and currently serving families in areas of the state that have partnering relationships with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation or Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative initiatives. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis starting TODAY at 7:30 CDT and 6:30 MDT. Learn more in our blog post: Nebraska Child Care Provider Relief Fund. Thank you to the Buffett Early Childhood Fund for the generous support. 
  • First Five Years Fund recently published “Child Care News Update: Mass Closures and Caring for First Responders’ Kids.” The article gives a brief summary of how states are responding to COVID-19 and its impact on early childhood care.

 


April 7, 2020

 


April 6, 2020

  • Gothenburg Town Hall: The Gothenburg Chamber of Commerce will host a virtual town hall this coming Thursday afternoon, April 9 at 4:00 p.m. The Zoom meeting will cover updates from Gothenburg Health, reports from school and child care professionals, and guidance for business owners and employees. Participants can join the Zoom meeting using this link. A listen-only conference call option is available by calling (346) 24807799, meeting ID 461 160 572.
  • Paying Yourself, Your Staff and Your Bills: Helping Child Care Programs Understand and Navigate SBA Loan Options: The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) will host a special webinar that brings together expertise from banking, business and child care about navigating the Paycheck Protection Program. The webinar is designed to help providers learn more about their options for staying financially afloat during the public health crisis, identifying the right path for your program and how to apply for assistance. The webinar will be offered on separate days for English- and Spanish-speaking providers:
  • Child Care Aware of America hosts two webinars this week:

 

April 3, 2020

The Hunt Institute has published two new briefs focused on child care policy issues:


 

April 2, 2020

  • COVID-19: Education, Child Care and Nutrition: The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) will host a webinar focused on public policies to address the growing uncertainty being faced by state officials, educators and families about keeping children safe, fed and learning. The webinar will be Friday, April 3, at 1:30 p.m. CDT.
  • Latest COVID0-19 Actions by State: The Alliance for Early Success has compiled a comprehensive overview of policy actions taken by states in response to the ongoing public health emergency. This resource provides useful context and insight for Nebraska decision makers into how government entities in other states are addressing COVID-19.

 


April 1, 2020

 


March 31, 2020

  • The National Home Visiting Coalition is inviting interested stakeholders to sign a letter asking Congress to prioritize MIECHV funding and needed flexibilities for home visitors during the coronavirus crisis.  The deadline to sign is Friday, April 3rd.
  • Child Care Aware of America has published 'Emergency Funding Resources that Child Care Providers Can Use Now' on their website. The article provides a list of resources for child care businesses that may have closed or experienced a decrease in enrollment.

 


March 30, 2020

  • The Committee for Economic Development has compiled a resource clearinghouse to help child care providers better understand and connect to federal resources. These include summaries of the recently passed CARES Act, how to access U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster recovery loans, child care and preschool guidance and nutrition resources and other information. This page will be kept updated as new information becomes available. 
  • The Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children (NEAYC) will host “Courageous Conversations” — virtual gatherings intended to give Nebraska's early childhood professionals the opportunity to visit and share information and support with one another. The video conference calls will be twice daily April 1-3 via Zoom at the following times and links: Noon to 1:00 p.m. | 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
  • The Bipartisan Policy Center published 'What the child care community needs to know about Unemployment Insurance in the CARES Act' on their website. The article provides a plain-English overview of the types of financial supports built into the recently enacted legislation.
  • Child Care Aware of America has also published a new article outlining resources for child care providers to strengthen their operating policies during the public health emergency: 'Grab, Adapt and Go – COVID-19 Resources for Child Care Programs.'

 

March 27, 2020


 

March 26, 2020

  • Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA)’s website and newsletter covers a wide variety of information, including child care for essential workers during the coronavirus emergency, stories from communities affected by the outbreak and a variety of other practical resources for providers, parents and policymakers. View their library of coronavirus-related resources.
  • ZERO TO THREE, Think Babies™ and partners will host a special web broadcast featuring U.S. Representative Rosa DeLaura (CT-03) about how Congress is responding to families’ needs during the COVID-19 emergency on Friday, March 27, at 11 a.m. Register for the web broadcast. 
  • ZERO TO THREE is also collecting stories about the impact of COVID-19 on families with infants and toddlers, and the providers who care for them. This is a valuable opportunity to keep policymakers informed about the emergency as it is experienced by those directly responsible for the well-being of young children. Submit your story.

 


March 25, 2020

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