Sesame Street + SchoolHouse Connection = Support for Children and Families
SchoolHouse Connection is excited to partner with Sesame Street on a brand new initiative bringing educational resources to bear in communities around the country.
Sesame Street in Communities is a bilingual multimedia initiative that harnesses the power of Sesame Street to help grown-ups – parents & providers – engage more deeply with children.
Using different multimedia formats like courses, webinars, training videos, and discussion forums, Sesame Street Workshop has developed a platform that serves providers in their work with families and children. New content will be released each month.
November will be of special interest to service providers and educators working with families experiencing homelessness, as the focus will be “Trauma: Hope & Healing: Supporting Kids and Families in Crisis.”
Child Care Update: Learn How Your State Plans to Serve Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness
In 2014, the Child Care and Development Block Grant was amended to include specific requirements on serving children experiencing homelessness, including outreach, identification, enrollment, and coordination of services. Regulations published last year also require the prioritization of children experiencing homelessness for child care services. A fact sheet on child care and homelessness from the Administration for Children and Families is available here.
The Office of Child Care (OCC) recently released copies of all approved CCDF Plans for fiscal years 2016-2018, which became effective June 1, 2016. These CCDF Plans offer a snapshot into current and planned efforts, initiatives and implementation strategies for each state and territory over the next two years, through September 30, 2018.
Download a chart of states’ activities related to homelessness, and learn what your state has in store for children and families experiencing homelessness.
New Report on Best Practices in Early Care and Education for Young Children Experiencing Homelessness
The Building Early Links For Learning project (BELL) has produced a new landscape analysis discussing the intersection between early childhood education and child homelessness.
The report explores organizational, municipal, and state practices and policies for addressing the educational and related needs of young children experiencing homelessness and their families. While much of the report focuses on Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, the information is instructive and replicable in many geographic areas.
Specifically, the report: (1) provides an overview of federal legislation and regulations and their implications for the provision of early childhood education to young children experiencing homelessness; (2) explores best practices from other states, comparing and contrasting them with current approaches in Pennsylvania; and (3) draws on smaller systems strategies (i.e., municipal and organizational) to help identify where and how Philadelphia can improve the short- and long-term outcomes of young children experiencing homelessness.
A special thanks to our colleague and partner Joe Willard at the People’s Emergency Center for sharing this resource with us.