Learn about Early Head Start for Family Child Care all week

Mark Your Calendars!

The Office of Child Care (OCC) and Office of Head Start (OHS) will highlight the Early Head Start for Family Child Care (EHS FCC) Project next week during Child Care Provider Appreciation Week, May 7–11, 2012. Daily events will be held at 2 p.m. eastern time (ET).

Monday, May 7

Theme: Why Do Partnerships Matter?

• Learn from the successes of the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO) County EHS FCC program through its online success story.
• Watch Office of Head Start Director Yvette Sanchez Fuentes and Office of Child Care Director Shannon Rudisill introduce the project and a video about the CAPSLO program.
• Read “Promoting Local Partnerships between Child Care and Early Head Start: Ideas for State Leaders” for tips on how to build partnerships in your community.

Tuesday, May 8

Theme: Making Partnerships Work for You
OHS Director Yvette Sanchez-Fuentes and OCC Director Shannon Rudisill discuss the importance of partnerships and reflect on a visit to a Virginia program. The video will be featured at 2 p.m. ET.

• Read a blog posting from Office of Head Start (OHS) Director Yvette Sanchez Fuentes introducing the roll-out week and discussing the importance of partnerships in early childhood and education.
• Learn from the successes of the Fairfax County EHS FCC program through its online success story.
• Watch OHS Director Yvette Sanchez Fuentes and Office of Child Care Director Shannon Rudisill talk about the importance of partnerships in Early Head Start (EHS) and family child care (FCC) and ways to make collaboration work.
• Read a new letter from Yvette Sanchez Fuentes and Shannon Rudisill focused on navigating EHS and FCC partnerships (attached).

Wednesday, May 9

Theme: Increasing Quality Through State Partnerships
Learn from the experiences of the All Our Kin program in Connecticut via a webinar discussing its success in building State partnerships. The webinar will be featured at 2 p.m.

• Read a blog posting from Office of Child Care (OCC) Director Shannon Rudisill on the role of collaboration in increasing quality.
• Learn from the successes of the All Our Kin Early Head Start (EHS) for Family Child Care (FCC) program in Connecticut through its online success story.
• Listen to this afternoon’s presentation with All Our Kin program staff members and EHS FCC Project Co-Director Dawn Ramsburg and learn about strategies to build State partnerships.
• Read through tip sheets for program administrators to gather ideas on how to make the EHS FCC program work in your community.

Don’t forget to join us tomorrow, Thursday, May 10, as we focus on “Increasing Quality Through Local Partnerships” in a 2 p.m. (eastern time) webinar with Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal members, who implemented an EHS FCC program in Minnesota.

Thursday, May 10

Theme: Increasing Quality Through Local Partnerships

• Learn from the successes of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Early Head Start for Family Child Care (EHS FCC) program in Minnesota through its online success story.
• Listen to this afternoon’s presentation with Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe program staff members and EHS FCC Project Co-Director Angie Godfrey and learn about strategies to build local partnerships.
• Read through tip sheets for providers to gather ideas on how to make an EHS FCC program work in your community.
• Follow the conversation on Twitter and submit questions for Friday’s national call: #EHSFCC.

Also, submit questions all week about EHS FCC partnerships to kathy.edler@acf.hhs.gov for Friday’s national call with Shannon Rudisill, Director, OCC, and Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, Director, Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families.

Friday, May 11

Theme: Building Into the Future

• Read a blog posting from Linda Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, Administration for Children and Families, discussing how we can maintain and build on partnerships between Early Head Start (EHS) and family child care (FCC) programs.
• Learn from the successes of the Family Star EHS FCC program in Colorado through its online success story.
• Read "Bringing High-Quality Comprehensive Care Home: Strategies To Build and Sustain Early Head Start in Family Child Care" for ideas on creating long-term success in early childhood programs.

We hope that the resources and successes shared during Early Head Start for Family Child Care week have been educational and helpful. For more information on the EHS FCC project, you can always visit the Early Head Start and Family Child Care demonstration project Web site.