Early Learning Coalition of Orange County

Happy Father’s Day!

Jonna Gordon — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:07:31 +0000

Greetings,

As we celebrate fatherhood and pay tribute to them for their tireless efforts, let us acknowledge and support the work of those involved in the movment to promote responsible fatherhood. One such organization is the Annie E. Casey Foundation which has published a resource guide, “Promoting Responsible Fatherhood”, Fathers are invaluable to the family unit and to the growth and development of children. May they continue to shine brightly and responsively in the lives of those surrounding them in countless ways.

Happy Father’s Day on behalf of the ELCOC Board and Staff!

Summer Programming for Preschoolers at the Orange County Library System

elcoc — Fri, 31 May 2013 20:08:32 +0000

Looking for something fun and free to do with your preschooler this summer? Look no further than the Orange County Library!

This summer the Orange County Library System, in partnership with the Orlando Museum of Art will present the program series Preschool: Dig into Reading. This 9 week series runs from June 8- August 10 and will be held at library locations throughout Orange County. Preschool: Dig into Reading is designed especially for children who are in the beginning stages of early literacy development. Through stories, music, activities, and crafts children will learn about the world around them in a fun and educational environment. Programs are designed to be engaging and interactive by encouraging child participation throughout the program. Every event ends with a special craft to further develop motor skills and reinforce the program’s lesson.

A special reading list to tie into the summer theme was created with age appropriate books just for preschoolers.

Program themes include:
• Construction
• Getting Dirty
• Buried treasure
• Bats
• Dinosaurs
• And more!

The Orlando Museum of Art generously donates tickets to its summer exhibit which will be raffled off at each program. Bookmarks with ticket discounts to OMA are given out at each program as well, while supplies last.

Both families and groups must register in advance to take part in the series to dig up fun this summer. A regular, property owner, or fee card in good standing is required to register.

For program schedule please visit our online calendar of events. Please call 407.835.7323 or visit your local library to register. We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Hurricane Preparedness Expo

elcoc — Wed, 29 May 2013 17:37:35 +0000

Día de los Niños /Day of the Children at the Orlando Public Library

elcoc — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:45:16 +0000

This year the Orange County Public Library System will host Día de los Niños /Day of the Children event on Saturday, April 27th at 3 p.m. Join them at the Orlando Public Library for a time of fun, and connecting families to diverse books, languages and cultures.Cuentame un Cuento is just one of the many ways to celebrate diversity in action which culminates annually into a celebration of children and books, with local performances and family fun!

To discover recent books from cultures around the world, click here for a list of books to share with your child. For more information, call 407.835.7323.

Orlando Public Library Expands Bilingual Programs for Families!

elcoc — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:30:55 +0000

Families are invited to enjoy bilingual stories and crafts for children at the Orlando Public Library monthly Cuentame Un Cuento / Tell Me a Story Book Club! The library provides an interactive story time in English and Spanish suitable for speakers of either or both languages. The whole family is welcome! Registration is required. Call 407.835.7323 to register!

The Orlando Public Library received a mini-grant award given by the Association for Library Services to Children and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Together, we will accomplish our shared vision to honor children and their diverse backgrounds; to encourage reading and literacy; and to promote library collections and programs that reflect our plurality on a daily basis. Families will explore themes and issues that matter and learn how to better help their child to both enjoy and better understand literature.

Additionally, each week 10 families that register and attend will take home books that go along with the program. The book club will provide families with opportunities to learn together and collaborate in their children’s learning and reading development. Together they will take up useful strategies for reading and learning new vocabulary. Take a moment to watch a Cuentame Un Cuento promotional video, by clicking this link.

Cuentame un Cuento is just one of the many ways we celebrate diversity in action which culminates annually into a celebration of children and books, with local performances and family fun! This year we will be hosting our Día de los Niños /Day of the Children event on Saturday, April 27th at 3 p.m. Join us at the Orlando Public Library as we enter a time of fun, and connecting families to diverse books, languages and cultures.

To discover recent books from cultures around the world, click here for a list of books to share with your child.

Talking to children about Tragedies

elcoc — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:27:01 +0000

Reposted with permission from http://blog.myflfamilies.com/

Children can start showing signs of trauma right away or months after a disastrous event. Just hearing about an event on the news or seeing a reaction from parents is enough to have an effect on kids. Jennifer Evans, a licensed mental health counselor and traumatologist at DCF who specializes in compassion fatigue, offers some ways you can be available for your child during this time:

Be Clear: Talking about tragedy, injury and death can be very difficult for anyone. Being clear and only answering what the child is asking will help them to understand without getting into too much graphic detail. Try using dialogue like, “When people die, their bodies stop working.” Be Available: Let your kids ask the questions. Start by asking them, “What do you think happened?” Allow them to guide the conversation where they need to go to help them cope.

Stay Calm: Children learn emotional reactions and coping through adults. The way adults react to events is often the way the child perceives and reacts to the event. It is okay to cry and show concern and emotion, and then to show appropriate ways to cope and heal. Try using dialogue like, “It is okay to feel confused and hurt. Sometimes people cry to show how sad they are. This allows their body to feel better.”

Normalize Their Feelings: When a tragedy happens it can be confusing and often kids are uncertain of the emotions they are feeling. Use this opportunity to discuss emotions and the way kids are feeling and explain how you can cope. Try using dialogue like, “Often people feel sad when something like this happens. It is hard to understand why someone would do something like this.”

Understand How Children Cope: You may see your child try to act out the traumatic event through their dolls or other toys. This can be scary for a parent to see, but kids will often replay the event as a way to cope. You can use this opportunity to discuss their play and their memory of the event. This is a great time to clarify and normalize their reaction again. Try doing an activity to help provide closure for your child.

Notice Changes in Behavior: Often the effect of trauma on your body does not happen until weeks after the event. This is a normal process of coping. If your child’s behavior dramatically changes for an extended amount of time, consult a professional. Common symptoms of trauma include sleeplessness, over/under eating, extended sadness for no immediate explanation, extended traumatic play, lack of focus/concentration, and nightmares.

We are all keeping the victims in our thoughts and prayers. The national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides more information about coping strategies and how children and adults are affected by and react to tragedy. We encourage you to visit www.samhsa.gov/trauma for resources about how to help your friends and family during this time.

Pinwheels for Prevention

elcoc — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:42:01 +0000

As we recognize April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, we would like for you to become a part of the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign, a national movement to change the way we approach prevention in our community.

Right now, there are 38 pinwheel gardens that are displayed throughout Orange County and the fountain at Lake Eola is blue. These pinwheels planted in our community during April symbolize the happy healthy childhoods all children deserve. They also remind us of our ongoing responsibility to ensure every child has an equal opportunity for healthy growth and development.

You can learn about healthy child development and how you can help prevent child abuse and neglect in our community by visiting the Pinwheels for Prevention page at www.ounce.org.

Whether our children will achieve their full potential as healthy, productive members of our community depends largely on each of us. Learn about the needs of children and families in our community, get involved in their lives and speak up on their behalf. Together we can build a bright and prosperous future ‐ one child at a time.

If you would like to plant a pinwheel garden, please contact us at 407-841-6607.

STEM and Early Childhood Education

elcoc — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:55:16 +0000

In late February, the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County hosted the 3^rd annual State of Early Care and Education breakfast forum and this year’s topic was Early Childhood Education and the Sustainability of the Central Florida Workforce: Are our children ready for careers in math and science?

This year 190 guests, a 48% increase from the previous year, were in attendance at the Orlando Science Center to hear from the informative panel that included Dr. Barbara Bowman, author and Erikson Institute co-founder, Eva Blum, senior vice president of PNC Bank and board chairman of PNC Bank Foundation as well as Mark Hayes, program director of education at Lake Nona Institute. The panel was moderated by Jeff Day, chief meteorologist with Central Florida News 13. Each panelist brought a different perspective to the discussion. Many guests were unaware of how other local businesses were doing to help foster workforce development in our youngest citizens.

“What a terrific meeting, starting with the wonderful breakfast, the incredible panel, and the informative and heartwarming video messages. Our local speakers had a wonderful message for the business community. I had no idea of the extent of the program PNC and the Tavistock Group had in targeting the educational needs for early childhood,” stated Pat Cronon, executive director of Hand N Hand Child Enrichment Center.

The science, technology, engineering and math industries are rapidly advancing and if Florida wants to stay competitive we will have to make sure our children are engaged in these subjects before they enter school. The process must begin in the early education setting. Call us at 407-841-6607 if you would like to learn more information or become involved.

Preschool Fair

elcoc — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:31 +0000

If you are looking to market your program to parents the Preschool Fair hosted by the Orange County Library System is just for you!

This Preschool Fair is for prospective parents of Voluntary PreKindergarten students, preschoolers and children entering kindergarten. You can participate by sending a representative to the event to share information with families. More information about the event is below.

EVENT INFORMATION:

Preschool Fair

Orlando Public Library, 101 East Central Blvd. Orlando, FL 32801

Saturday, March 16, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Families are invited to meet representatives from local preschools and kindergarten sites. This event is free and open to the public. A craft table will be provided for kids.

EXHIBITOR INFORMATION:

• Exhibitors will be asked to share a 6ft table with one other school.

• Exhibitors may set-up starting at 1 p.m. and are asked to be ready by 1:45 p.m.

• Colorful and creative displays are encouraged!

• Priority will be given to schools which primarily serve students which reside in the library’s service area.

• Parking in downtown is at meters or in city owned parking garages. The library does not validate for parking.

• If necessary, you may unload in the library’s loading dock.

• DEADLINE to register to exhibit is Friday, February 15, 2013 at 6 p.m.

• IMPORTANT: Please complete this online form to express your interest in exhibiting.

Quarterly Provider Meeting

elcoc — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:38:51 +0000

This Thursday, February 7th we will host our first Quarterly Provider Meeting for 2013. These meetings are held four times a year to inform Orange County VPK and School Readiness Child Care Educators on local, state and/or federal changes that affect their programs as well as the families we serve.

Come prepared to brainstorm and network as we share best practices and work to ensure all Orange County Children enter school ready to learn.

At each meeting providers will have the opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013 in the auditorium at Edgewater High School. For more information contact Darlene Wright at dwright@elcoc.org.