March 27, 2009 - Click to support Mesabi YMCA playing field improvements!
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The Mesabi Family YMCA is participating in the Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Plant A Seed fundraiser to improve and expand the outdoor playing field used for Iron Range Youth Spring and Fall Soccer, T-Ball, Summer Camp and other YMCA programs.
Click on Tony the Tiger to show your support for the Mesabi Family YMCA soccer field project (scroll down to vote) or visit frostedflakes.com for tips and tools to help spread the word! |
March 27, 2009 - This Week @ the Capitol
From Ready 4 K
This week at the Capitol continued the madness as the first deadline was reached on Friday….and all of our bills made it! Here’s a quick summary of where in the process the major bills and issues we’re tracking are (more information, including bill numbers, authors, and hearings, can be found on the Ready 4 K bill tracker):
Maintain current investments: The House has recommended no cuts to early care and education. While the Senate has recommended 7% across-the-board cuts, they have yet to release specific budget priorities within each area. The Senate heard their early childhood bill on Thursday, which included flat funding for early childhood programs within the education budget.
Increase access to quality: The bill to continue the three pilots (Pre-K Allowances, School Readiness Connections, FFN) was recommended for possible inclusion in House Omnibus Early Learning bill, while expanded funding for Allowances has been included in the Senate bill. These have also been included in discussion about possible uses for some of the federal stimulus dollars by the House, Senate and the administration.
Support parents: Family home visiting, with support and encouragement from the Minnesota Coalition for Targeted Home Visiting, has been left at base funding, with no cuts.
Build Quality: The QRS framework has been recommended for possible inclusion in both House and Senate omnibus bills, and quality supports and FFN are under possible consideration for federal stimulus dollars.
System supports: The Office of Early Learning has been recommended for possible inclusion in both House and Senate omnibus bills.
Bonding: $2 million is included in Senate bonding bill; TBD in the House.
In the House, on Tuesday the Early Childhood Committee heard an overview of the Governor’s supplemental budget for DHS, which includes simply delaying his recommended cuts. They also went over their planning process and proposed uses for Child Care Development Fund provisions of the federal stimulus dollars (for Minnesota this means $22.7 million for assistance to low income families, and $3.4 for quality).. While DHS is still waiting for guidance from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, they are initially proposing to use $22.7 million to manage the increased growth within CCAP, and splitting up the $3.4 million among three areas: 1.) “Getting ready” supports for early childhood programs in preparation for statewide QRS; 2.) Professional development aligned with QRS standards for providers; and 3.) FFN caregiver grants.
The committee also heard Growth and Justice’s bill to improve and expand opportunities for all students to attain educational success. On Thursday, the same committee heard the department’s child care licensing bills, which passed the committee and were sent to the floor.
Thursday also saw the presentation of the Senate’s early childhood bill, authored by Sen. Tarryl Clark. As mentioned above, it includes several of Ready 4 Ks priorities, including the Office of Early Learning, expansion of pre-K allowances, establishment of a quality framework for early care and education programs, establishment of a pre-k to third grade program, changes to the School Readiness program, use of federal stimulus dollars, and most notably, no cuts to early childhood programs. Among others, Ready 4 K president Todd Otis testified in support of the bill, which was laid over for possible inclusion in the committee’s omnibus education funding bill.
Coming Up @ the Capitol
Next week we will see the release of many omnibus spending bills, as the second deadline—for committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other house—approaches on April 7.
SLEEP STRATEGIES FOR NIGHTMARES, TERRORS, AND FEAR OF MONSTERS AND THE DARK
Last month’s article was all about ways to get children to sleep and to stay asleep all night. This month we will deal with strategies to help children deal with nightmares, night terrors, and fear of monsters and the dark.
It’s two o’clock in the morning and your four-year-old wakes up screaming from a nightmare. It’s after midnight and your three-year-old suddenly appears in your bedroom, choking back tears because he sees a monster in his closet. Such middle-of-the-night awakenings are some of the most maddening moments for any sleep-deprived parent. However, there are ways to put some of the most common night rumblings to rest.
Nightmares are scary dreams that cause children to cry or be fearful after the nightmare is over. Children will be aware of your presence but have trouble falling back to sleep because they remember the dream’s details. It is important for a parent to go to the child as quickly as possible. A hug and reassurance that the dream is over and that parents will keep children safe will help.
Night terrors are more severe and frightening than nightmares, but not as common. They usually occur within an hour of falling asleep and come out of the deepest stages of sleep. During a night terror, children usually cannot be awakened or comforted. It is important for parents to be with the child, remain calm, make sure they don’t injure themselves and try not to wake them. Children are more likely to have night terrors when they are overly tired or during periods of stress.
Fear of the dark and of monsters is common for toddlers and preschoolers. Parents should treat these fears as real. Check the room for monsters in a matter-of-fact way and assure children they are gone. A nightlight is helpful. Stuffed animals as guards of the bed or a small flashlight the child can use to check are also a good idea. Some parents have successfully used a squirt bottle (with water) as “monster” spray before bedtime.
Helping children with sleep disturbances is challenging. However, with understanding and patience, parents and children can get a good night’s sleep.
Rural Go Run: Women’s Leadership Training
Friday, May 1, 2009 at 5:00pm to Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 3:00pm
Fortune Bay Resort and Casino
Tower, MN
Rural Go Run is a weekend-long training to inspire, equip, and inform women from all walks of life to lead more effectively in your work, community, and politics. The training will focus on communications, fundraising, organizing and other leadership skills.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to build your skills and network with other women leaders from rural communities!
This is a national training program that engages local experts, public officials, current and former elected officials, and speakers to help train and share their experiences and stories of success.
We make this training affordable for women from all income levels. Scholarships are available.
Hosted by the White House Project Midwest.
Sign up NOW! (Registration Required)
Visit Rural Go Run on Facebook - And help spread the word!
Questions?
E-mail nlittlewolf at thewhitehouseproject.org
Ready 4 K Action Alert: Be a Voice for Children—Contact your Legislator Today
If you can’t make it to the Capitol tomorrow, you can still have an impact! House representatives need to hear that early care and education should be a top priority in budget negotiations.
TOMORROW, Thursday March 19, 2009, parents, teachers, early care and education professionals, and others from across the state will stand up and be counted at the Voices for Children Advocacy Day.
TODAY, the Minnesota House majority caucus (DFL) is voting on budget targets for each House Committee.
Action Needed: Please contact your legislator today to show your support:
Tell your legislators (or their staff):
“Investments in quality early childhood care and education yield one of the best returns on our public dollars. An economic recession is exactly the wrong time to cut early childhood, because investing in our youngest citizens is a long term solution to our financial crisis, as well as a short term support for working families. Now is the time to ensure that parents can access high quality early learning choices so their children are prepared for school and life. Invest now!”
Please take action today.
March 16, 2009 - Peter Heegaard, Todd Otis: If it’s dramatic returns we want, invest in our youngest citizens - As the Minnesota Legislature and the governor grapple with the large budget deficit that confronts our state, we want to encourage our policymakers to use the concept of return-on-investment in assessing which programs to support, Pioneer Press Opinion.
Reminder: Voices for Children Advocacy Day
Thursday, March 19, 2009, is Voices for Children Advocacy Day at the Minnesota State Capitol!
Voices for Children Advocacy Day is an opportunity for parents, teachers, early care and education professionals, and others from across the state to stand up and be counted as a voice for children.
Stand up and be counted as a voice for children with parents, teachers, early care and education professionals, and others from across the state. Plan now to be part of this exciting event on Thursday, March 19!
Voices for Children Advocacy Day is a collaborative effort of Head Start, Child Care, School Readiness, Early Childhood Family Education, Ready 4 K and many other children’s advocacy organizations.