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| Ribbon Cutting and Open House
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On Thursday, October 3rd, the Child Care Council of Dutchess and Putnam, Inc. hosted an Open House at its new location, 301 Manchester Road, Suite 201A in Poughkeepsie. The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce conducted a Ribbon Cutting ceremony that was attended by staff, Council Board members, Chamber Board members, government officials and friends. Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, Senator Sue Serino’s representative, and Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson’s representative presented the Council with Certificates of Recognition. Branding Pros gave the Council a special commemorative frame to display the signed ribbon. Stacey Rosborough, former Council employee and currently a Licensor with the OCFS Westchester Regional Office, won the gift card raffle. The afternoon was filled with good wishes and commendations from guests about the valuable service the Council provides.
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| Have you ever wondered how our referral service works?
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When a parent calls us looking for child care, our Referral Counselors explain the different types of child care available so the parent has enough information to make an informed decision about what they want for their child. We then collect information about location, hours, days of the week, and age of the child. Occasionally, a parent will request a provider who has experience with special needs, medication administration or special diets. A parent may also ask if providers accept subsidy payments. In order for us to send an appropriate list of providers that will meet the parents’ needs, we must have collected as much information from you as possible.
You may have noticed that you are receiving more frequent calls from our referral service. We have been trying to contact all providers annually for a full profile update and every other month for updates on openings. We want to make sure that we have the most up to date information about your program to provide to parents when they call us for referrals.
As always, if you have any changes or want to update between calls, please call us at (845) 473-4141 or you can use our website to make the changes online at your convenience.
For a Full Update (you will be required to answer all questions, and it may take you 10-15 minutes), CLICK HERE
For a Quick Update (openings, rate changes, etc.), CLICK HERE
We appreciate all you do and look forward to our continued partnership!
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| Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
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One of the most common viral infections in children is hand-foot-and-mouth disease (also called coxsackie). This infection causes painful red blisters in the mouth and throat, on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and diaper area which last a little longer than a week. Often you may see other common cold signs or symptoms such as fever, sore throat, runny nose, increased drooling (due to painful swallowing) and irritability.
How does it spread?
It is contagious and easily spreads to others through contact with unwashed hands, feces (poop), saliva, mucus from the nose or fluid from the blisters.
Prevention
To prevent the spread of hand-foot-and-mouth disease children and adults should practice good hand hygiene, especially after using the toilet or changing a diaper. Shared toys should be cleaned often with a disinfectant because viruses can live on an object for a few days.
When to keep a child home
- Fever with a behavior change
- Open blisters on skin that is exposed
- Excessive drooling related to mouth sores
- Child is unable to participate
- Care would compromise staff’s ability to care for the health and safety of the other children in the group
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The Caring Spaces Endorsement was created and implemented this year by our Infant Toddler Specialist, Rosemarie Lawton.
The Caring Spaces Endorsement is a three-tiered approach to measuring quality in infant and toddler environments. Caring Spaces evaluates the child care provider’s ability to provide a free exploratory environment, responsive caregiving, and age appropriate materials and experiences.
In Dutchess and Putnam, we have had 38 family and group family providers and 2 day care center staff attend the Caring Spaces training, 3 providers have earned the endorsement and 12 providers are in the process!
If you would like to learn more contact our Infant Toddler Specialist, Rosemarie Lawton, by phone at (845) 473-4141 ext. 217 or by Email. You can also visit the Caring Spaces Facebook page.
Congratulations to our Caring Spaces Endorsed Programs in Dutchess County!
- Marie Daley – Endorsed April 2019
- Raquel Suarez – Endorsed May 2019
- Stella Fotinos – Endorsed June 2019
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| Child and Adult Care Food Program
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| Nutrition Education: Healthy Birthday Choices
Birthdays are to be celebrated. That doesn't mean you need to eat cake and ice cream. HERE are some healthy alternatives that will make every child feel just as special on their big day!
~taken from National CACFP Association newsletter (11/19)
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Join QUALITYstarsNY to receive quality improvement support and resources at no cost to your early childhood program. Programs and providers participating in QUALITYstarsNY receive one-on-one support from a Quality Improvement Specialist, professional development opportunities for staff, access to high quality classroom materials, and much more! QUALITYstarsNY is currently enrolling new participants in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Space is limited – don’t miss your chance to participate. Submit an intent-to-apply HERE to get started or contact Heather Schwegler for more information.
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Click for more information
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As you may be aware, the regulations for all modalities of care have been amended effective September 25, 2019. Below is a highlight of some of the changes and/or additions listed in the new regulations. Please visit the OCFS website for the complete and current copy of the regulations for your modality.
Regulation 41_.5(1) Animals and Pets
(5) The program must immediately notify the parents of children in care and the Office when an animal kept on the premises harms any person, including a child in care.
(7) The program must provide parents with a written description of all animals kept on the premises prior to a child’s enrollment in the program.
(8) Within twenty-four hours that an animal is first kept on the premises of a child care program, the program must provide written notice to the Office and parents of children in care that such animal is being kept on the premises.
Regulation 41_.6 Transportation
Child care programs are prohibited from transporting child care children in a vehicle built to hold more than 10 passengers, including the driver, unless the vehicle: meets the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration definition of a school bus or a multifunction school activity bus; complies with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards applicable to a school bus or multifunction school activity bus; and is inspected per New York State Department of Transportation rules and regulations.
Regulation 41P.12 Nutrition
Individual children's food allergies must be posted in a discreet location visible only to staff/caregivers.
Staff/caregivers must take steps to prevent a child's exposure to the foods to which the child is allergic.
Regulation 41_.14(c) Each employee and volunteer must complete a minimum of thirty (30) hours of training every two years. The required (30) hours of training every two years is subject to the following conditions:
(1) Fifteen of the required thirty(30) hours of training must be obtained during the person's first six months at the program.
(2) A minimum of five (5) hours of Office-approved training must be obtained each year.
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| Important Information regarding the new Comprehensive Background Checks
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On April 1, 2019, legislation was passed granting the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) the statutory authority to implement provisions of the federal Child Care Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (CCDBG)...one of them being comprehensive background checks.
Background clearances must be completed for any prospective and current: operator, director, employee, volunteer and any person age 18 or older living in a family or group family day care home. Each individual (current or prospective) must complete a clearance packet (6000 series).
Prospective individuals, operators, directors, employees and volunteers who are not living out-of-state and did not live out-of-state in the prior five years, must successfully complete the comprehensive background clearance checks and receive successful notification from OCFS PRIOR to beginning in a program. Those prospective individuals who live or lived out-of-state in the past 5 years may be granted conditional approval due to the additional processing timeframes that may result in completing the out-of-state portion of the background checks.
Each existing child care operator, director, employee, volunteer and household member over the age of 18, will schedule their fingerprinting appointment within seven days (before or after) their birthday. It is at this time that the complete clearance packet should be submitted to your licensor/registrar. Existing individuals may continue to work in the program, as they have been, while awaiting their birthday, in accordance with the schedule and while awaiting the results of their comprehensive background check.
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| Financial Assistance for Training
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CSEA/VOICE Professional Development Program
DON'T FORGET: Funding is available through the CSEA/VOICE Professional Development Program for all NYS registered Family or licensed Group Family childcare providers. You can register for any trainings free of charge! To be approved by CSEA, click HERE and enter your information. Choose the Child Care Council of Dutchess and Putnam, Inc. as the place you would like to take the trainings. After you have done that, call the Council and register for as many trainings as you would like! If you need help with the CSEA registration, call CSEA/VOICE at (855)472-6848. If you want to register for a training at the Child Care Council of Dutchess and Putnam, Inc., call Darla at (845) 473-4141 ext. 216.
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Putnam County Family Day Care Network has a NEW meeting location!
Carmel Nursery School
9 Church Street
Carmel, NY 10512
Coming Soon:
A Putnam County Newsletter for SACC and FDC. Start checking your email mid-December!
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