Provider Newsletter | February 21, 2022

EARLY LIFE INFLUENCES ON ATTENTION STUDY

Infants Receiving WIC Benefits 12-18 months

We are looking for infants 12-18 months old receiving WIC benefits to participate in a new study occurring at UIUC— Early Life Influences on Attention Study (ELIAS). The study is focused on the relationship between infants’ eating and their cognitive and motor development over time.

If you choose to participate, you will be asked to come to six in- person visits throughout 12 months’ time. Two visits at the start, two visits six months later, and a final two visits 6 months after that.

More information, eligibility, and scheduling can be done by directly contacting our study at elias.uiuc@gmail.com

Research conducted by the Body Composition and Nutritional Neuroscience Lab at UIUC

In-Person Visits At: BCNN Louise Freer Hall 906 S Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL

Attend 6 visits over the course of 12 months (1.5 hour/visit)

Receive $70 Amazon gift card each visit ($420 total) Additional $60/visit if traveling 30+ miles away

CONTACT INFO: elias.uiuc@gmail.com, (217)-300-1667 or http://bcnnlab.kch.illinois.edu 


RELYING ON RURAL RESILIENCE WEBINAR

Building Health and Resilience by Teaching Mindful Eating/Feeding Practices to Rural Parents of Young Children

Wednesday, February 23, 2022   (12 PST, 1 MST, 2 CST, 3 EST)

REGISTRATION LINK: https://montana.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eECp7RU2sm5ey5U

You will receive a reminder email with a link to join prior to the event.


CHANGES IN ATTENDANCE EXEMPTION AND ELIGIBLE DAYS OF CARE

Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Illinois driven by the omicron variant and the effect this has had on child care providers and families, the Illinois Department of Human Services’ (IDHS) Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) will implement the following changes for CCAP services provided in January and February 2022.

  1. Licensed family child care homes may apply for a CCAP Attendance Exemption for days when CCAP  enrollment is below 50%. This policy is already in effect for licensed child care centers. Licensed centers and homes may submit an Attendance Exemption Request (AER) form to DHS.CCAP.POLICY@illinois.gov. Child Care Certificates that are submitted with an approved AER will be paid for all eligible exempted days. Refer to Policy 02.06.01 and the instructions attached to the AER form (IL 444-4338) for more details.
  2. Payments for licensed and license-exempt child care centers will be based on eligible days if the total number of days attended for all children at the center location are at least 50% of the eligible days. Payments for licensed and license-exempt child care home providers will be based on eligible days if the total number of days attended for all children in the family are 50% of the family’s eligible days. All other provision of Policy 06.03.01 still apply.

Further clarifications on changes being made for the service months of January and February 2022

  • IDHS will approve Attendance Exemption Requests (AERs) if a licensed center or licensed home is closed for the entire month due to health department order or an instance in which staff quarantine and isolation require a licensed center or home to close.
  • The AER form is being updated to add a formal (“C”) for use when there were no open days in the month.
  • The documentation requirement for AERs due to health department closure orders remains in place. In the instance in which staff quarantine and isolation require a licensed center or home to close, please provide a written statement as documentation to verify.

All AER forms are available at DHS.CCAP.POLICY@illinois.gov. Please contact this office at 217-333-3252 or email us at ccrs@illinois.edu if you have any questions.


FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE THROUGH GRANTS

Child Care Restoration Grants (Applications will close on February 25, 2022)

Round 5 2022 CCRG Extension – January, February, March, April, May, and June 2022

  • Grants will cover expenses from January, February, March, April, May, and June 2022.
  • Programs found eligible will be paid 30% of the full monthly grant amount.
  • The 6 month grant payment will be made in one check.
  • Grant funding is based off a program’s capacity on January 1, 2021.
  • Programs must have completed and accepted monthly reporting for all previous funded months to be found eligible for CCRG Extension (Round 5) funding.
  • Programs must be open and caring for children by February 25, 2022, to apply.
  • Programs must choose between receiving a CCRG Extension grant and a Strengthen and Grow Child Care Grant.

Programs can apply for either 2022 CCRG Extension or SGCC, but not both.

For more information, go to: https://www.ilgateways.com/financial-opportunities/restoration-grants

Child Care Workforce Bonus (Applications will close on March 11, 2022)

Child Care Workforce Bonuses will be available to all staff in:

  • License-exempt relative home providers who were caring for children on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) in March 2021 and continue to care for children today.
  • License-exempt non-relative home providers who were caring for children on CCAP in March 2021, continue to care for children today, and have completed all health and safety orientation requirements (including Mandated Reporter and First Aid/CPR) and reported them in the Gateways Registry.
  • License exempt centers who were caring for children on CCAP in March 2021, continue to care for children today, and have 50% of staff who have completed all health and safety orientation requirements (including Mandated Reporter and First Aid/CPR) and reported them in the Gateways Registry. License-exempt centers will need to apply through INCCRRA to receive bonuses for their staff.
  • Licensed centers and licensed home providers who were caring for children in March 2021 and continue to care for children today. Licensed centers and licensed homes will need to apply through INCCRRA to receive bonuses for their staff.

For more information, go to: https://www.ilgateways.com/financial-opportunities/child-care-workforce-bonus


REDETERMINATION FORMS DELAYED

Due to a technical issue, March redetermination forms were not sent at the beginning of this month. DHS is aware of the issue and have reprinted the forms and will be mailed by February 18th. If your client’s case is ending soon and they do not receive their redetermination form next week, please have them call and request one be sent to them.


LINK TO UPDATED DCFS COVID-19 DAY CARE GUIDANCE

The updated DCFS COVID-19 Day Care Guidance has been posted and can be found at https://www2.illinois.gov/dcfs/brighterfutures/healthy/Documents/Day_Care_Guidance.pdf.


ZOOM TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS

Below are the trainings that we are offering through Zoom in February and March:

What is CCAP? for Child Care Centers

Wednesday, February 23, from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, 2.0 Training Hours, FREE

Presenter: Melanie Cabello, CCRS, CCAP Audit Manager

The What is CCAP? for Child Care Centers training reviews the Illinois Department of Human Service (IDHS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The IDHS CCAP helps pay for child care expenses for income-eligible families who work or participate in eligible activities. This training describes CCAP eligibility guidelines and application requirements for families and child care centers. Payment determination and options for receiving payment are also explained along with additional information for both CCAP providers and families.

Power of Words: Enhancing Positive Guidance & Caregiving with Young Children

Saturday, March 5, from 9:30 am – 11:30 am, 2.0 Training Hours, FREE

Presenter: Cathy Welsh, Baby TALK Coach

Positive guidance and caregiving are rooted deeply in relationships formed among children, families, primary caregivers, and peers. Even during challenging moments of the day, positive guidance and caregiving influence each child’s development of well-being, belonging, exploration, and communication. In this workshop, participants will dive into strategies that will enhance their day-to-day guidance and caregiving with young children.

Facilitating Play in Child Care

Thursday, March 17, from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, 1.5 Training Hours, FREE

Presenter: Kari Britton, Director, Happi Time Daycare

Using video and photo examples of staff facilitating play in the classroom, we will discuss and compare different ideas on what teachers can add to play centers and how to extend communication during free play. We will learn why different play centers are important to a child’s development and how a teacher can expand the materials in centers in order to provide for greater cognitive and social-emotional growth in children.

ECE Credential Level 1 Module 7a: Child Development (Birth to 8 months)

Thursday, March 31, from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm, 3.0 Training Hours, FREE

Vicky Foster, ITN Trainer

Newborns and young babies are developing at an incredible rate, causing them to have special needs unlike older children. In this class, you will understand how children from birth to 8 months learn and grow, and how to individualize their care accordingly.

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Please install the Zoom app on your device (cell phone, tablet, laptop, desktop) before the day of the training.  Go to https://zoom.us/ to sign up.  Prior to the meeting date, you will be emailed a link to join the meeting along with a Meeting ID and password.  We do encourage you to join the meeting early so the facilitator can help you if you have any technical difficulties.  You can also head to the Zoom website at support.zoom.us and watch video tutorials on how the app works.

Contact Jenny Garinger at garinger@illinois.edu or 217-333-7816 to register.

If you prefer to do trainings on your own schedule, remember the Gateways i-learning website is always available:  https://courses.inccrra.org. These trainings are Gateways Registry-approved and cover a variety of child development and early childhood education topics.  Trainings automatically appear on your Gateways Registry Professional Development Record (PDR), and they are FREE.  Be sure to have your Gateways Registry online username and password to login.


OUR OFFICE IS STILL CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC

Please note, the CCRS OFFICE IS STILL CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. At this time, only University students and staff are permitted in the building.  Please, do not attempt to enter the building with the expectation of being able to enter our office. This will not happen. We are trying to determine how to open within University guidelines while keeping our visitors and staff safe.  We appreciate your continued patience.

To drop off forms, use the CCRS Drop Box located on the front door of Bevier Hall on Goodwin Avenue. The drop box inside Bevier Hall is closed; only staff and students are allowed inside buildings.

To contact staff, please call 217-333-3252 or 800-325-5516 or submit questions or forms through email at ccrs@illinois.edu or fax at 217-333-2147