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Help Me Grow San Mateo County has posted a broad range of resources to support children aged 0-5, as well as their families and care providers, during COVID 19 and beyond. The resources can be sorted by category for easier browsing. Help Me Grow San Mateo County connects parents, caregivers and providers with information and resources about early childhood development.
While most children’s museums have temporarily closed in response to COVID-19, hundreds of Association of Children’s Museums around the world are now offering virtual programming to support playful learning at home! Click here to find a full list of museums offering this fun, virtual experience. You can search by museum name, location, or type of activity.
Due to COVID-19, many businesses, including child care centers have been facing tough decisions and challenging situations. Business owners have been forced to figure out how to navigate layoffs, furloughs, and FFCRA. Check out the resources in this article, including a free, pre-recorded webinar and a podcast from CQEL, to find support, guidance, and information to help you navigate some of the toughest challenges presented by COVID-19.
The Office of Community Affairs Immigrant Services is sharing a countywide food distribution list that was developed for our community in response to COVID-19. The lists are separated by North, Central, Coastal, and Southern regions and are available in in English, Chinese, and Spanish. They share organizations and community centers that offer groceries and meal distributions.
Parenting is one of the most challenging and important jobs there is. And parents need all the support they can get – especially during this current health crisis. The new Building Blocks of Parenting™ (BBP) App provides parents with easy access to information, resources, and supportive connections to help them promote their children’s learning and healthy development. It’s available in English and Spanish on both iOS and Android platforms.
In an effort to understand the effects of COVID-19 on child care programs and early educators throughout California, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at UC Berkeley conducted a survey of licensed child care centers and licensed family child care programs in the state. More than 2,000 programs responded to the survey and the results show the devastating impact of COVID-19 on California child care programs. Highlights from the survey are shared in this article.
Stanford University recently hosted a virtual Q&A with Professor Deborah Stipek and early education director Renee Scott, MA ’05, PhD ’12. Deborah and Renee answered questions and provided guidance and strategies for parents and caregivers to apply at home with their littlest learners. In this article, we are sharing the link to the webinar along with helpful resources that were included in the discussion.
Do you run a for-profit child care center in San Mateo County whose annual revenue is less than $2.5M? Have you been open for at least a year? You may be eligible to receive assistance from the SMC Strong Small Business Grant Program. For more information, visit The San Mateo County Strong Fund. The application opens on Monday, April 27 at 12pm and funds will be distributed on a first- come-first-served basis.
Intuit Aid Assist is a free service to help US-based businesses, self-employed, contractors, freelancers, and gig workers understand different business relief programs. Start a loan eligibility assessment to see if you may qualify for federal funding. The calculators can help estimate loan and forgiveness amounts.
Are you, or the families in your care, seeking more information about local resources to support community members during COVID-19? Stanford has put together flyers to print or download that share a list of community resources in San Mateo County. The flyers include food resources, legal and work-related help, and resources for rent and utility assistance. The flyers are available for to view,download, and print in both English and in Spanish.
As families shelter in place, kids are spending more time indoors than they are used to. Did you know that there are several great, educational podcasts that are made to be enjoyed by young children and their families? These podcasts are great alternatives to television, and can be fun, engaging ways to keep children entertained while they are at home. Even better, the podcasts are completely free to listen to!
There are a variety of resources available to help families with emergency financial assistance, food, housing, utilities, and other basic needs as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. However, knowing which resources are available and where to find them can be challenging.
To help point families in the right direction, flyers from the San Mateo County COVID-19 Child Care Response Team are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese with lists of resources available to families.
As COVID-19 continues to spread, it is easy to feel disheartened and anxious about the state of our world. There is a lot of scary information in the news, without a lot of positivity or hopefulness. However, it is important to remember that there is still good in the world and there are small reasons to stay positive as life continues on in spite of the pandemic.
As cities are faced with closed facilities and cancelled programs, many have turned to sharing resources virtually to help families stay connected and creative while they are at home. The websites share family fitness activities, arts and crafts, story time, and even “virtual trips” where families can visit the zoo or aquarium via live stream. Check out the list below to browse through various sites from San Mateo County cities.
School closures are significantly changing day-to-day life for kids across the country and the world. Families are looking for ways to keep their kids engaged, active, and having fun. And teachers are looking for support interacting with students virtually. To help, Playworks is sharing several helpful resources.
The onset of COVID-19 has turned life upside down for many families with young children. Many find themselves trying to balance working remotely while also caring for and trying to provide educational experiences for their young children. And with so many resources available, families with little ones are finding it hard to get the help they need. To help, Promise Venture Studio put together a curated space for COVID-19 resources, tools, and guidance.
While the COVID-19 epidemic is creating several new challenges and difficulties each day, the crisis is also providing an opportunity to further deepen our empathy for families. Parents are juggling working from home with child care and homeschooling. So how does this change the way we work with families and how much can we expect them to do? These questions are explored in a special piece that was recently shared by the Early Learning Lab: Homeschooling During the Coronavirus Epidemic: A Diary.
Many are probably feeling cabin fever from being stuck inside the past few weeks. If you are looking for a way to get some fresh air, you might enjoy taking time to treat yourself to a wildflower walk — the best time to see flowers in full bloom is late March to mid-April. In this article, you will find trail suggestions from Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) with walks in the Bay Area that will have some of the best displays of wildflower blooms.
Community Equity Collaborative is launching a virtual discussion group for administrators of early childhood education programs in San Mateo County. The purpose of this group is to (1) share resources and offer support to other ECE administrators during this time and (2) to gather information about on-the-ground ECE needs for the San Mateo County COVID-19 Early Childhood Response Committee (led by the 4Cs, First 5 SMC, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the SMC Child Care Partnership Council, and others).
Every 10 years, the federal government is legally required to count every person living in the United States, regardless of citizenship status, as part of the U.S. Census. The 2020 Census will count the population in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). This article includes information about the census, what makes it so important, and helpful resources.
In response to the Coronavirus, many students are experiencing a switch from in-person to online classes. Taking classes and completing assignments online might be a new experience for many students. To help you prepare for virtual learning, Good2Know Network is sharing resources and tips to set yourself up for success. In an effort to keep students up to date, we will be sharing more detailed information from local schools next week.
Enrollment for the Teacher Pipeline Project spring term is open! The program bundles community college courses with additional support like meals, child care, loaner laptops, tutoring and more – all at no cost and in convenient locations. Anyone can join, even if you haven’t been part of the Teacher Pipeline Project during prior terms! Because these classes fill to max capacity very quickly, it is encouraged that both new and current students register as soon as possible.
If you are looking for a fun way to get some fresh air during your weekend, you might enjoy checking out the tidepools at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach. Here, you will find an abundance of sea life, including anemones, kelp crabs, and sea stars.
Educators, directors, and family child care providers are the key to high-quality early care and education. Yet, little is known about California’s current ECE workforce as a whole, making it difficult for local and state leaders to plan for workforce needs. In order to create a detailed portrait of the ECE workforce, UC Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE), in partnership with the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, will be conducting a California Early Care & Education Workforce Study of early educators across California in 2020.
As a San Mateo County-based child care provider, you are enthusiastically invited to submit an application to serve on the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council (CCPC), a state-mandated council that serves under the joint leadership of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools. There are 20 voting members of the CCPC; applications are currently being accepted for three open slots.
Last week, the team of Good2Know Network had the opportunity to take part in an event hosted by Community Equity Collaborative, a screening of the documentary, No Small Matter. This film is a look at the importance of early learning through research and personal stories that dive into the importance of the first five years.
On Saturday December 14th, Assemblymember Marc Berman (24th District), hosted an event entitled, The Foundation for All Future Learning: an Early Childhood Education Update. The speakers urged members of the audience to continue calling upon the state legislature and the governor to allocate funding for more slots, more teachers, and higher reimbursement rates to drive quality.
An important part of our work as ECE professionals is being thoughtful about the way that we connect with children and families who have experienced trauma. Unfortunately, many ECE professionals do not feel well-equipped to identify signs and symptoms of trauma, or lack the knowledge they need to address the needs of children who have been victims of trauma.
Now that the summer heat has died down, the weather is perfect for a walk around the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Trail, which stretches from Brisbane to Mountain View, offers a variety of different hikes and beautiful water-front scenery. And this year, the Bay Trail is celebrating its 30th birthday.
Flu season can begin as early as October and last through early May. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone be vaccinated on an annual basis. A reminder from Californians for Quality Early Learning (CQEL) recommends educating children, families, and employees about the flu, including measures to prevent the spread of the virus and contain the virus.