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The WCSS office is still closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and in compliance with NC's extended Phase 2 order. |
Please visit our website for:
- Your Wake Pre-K application
- Yoga videos to de-stress
- Children's activities connected to the 2020 Census
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If you need to contact a WCSS team member, please visit our staff page for email information. |
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School from a Different Lens |
You've probably heard the term "self-care" more times in the past four months than you can count. It's a buzzword, but it's also so important as centers reopen and the Wake Pre-K school year begins.
What else do you need to know as children return to your program?
Health & Safety
- NC DCDEE's ChildCareStrongNC Public Health Toolkit "is intended to help licensed/regulated child care facilities make informed decisions about COVID-19 and minimize the risk of exposure to both the staff and the children in their care."
- Further health and safety guidance from the state of NC can be found in this document.
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Helping Children & Families Adjust
- This pandemic has caused turmoil for children and adults. Going back to a center full time is a big transition for everyone. Pretend play, books, and re-establishing routines are all good ways to help ease this transition.
- If your families are struggling, consider sharing resources like these, collected by early childhood-focused Zero to Three.
Remembering Self-Care
- Here's that word again! Even if you don't think you feel stressed or overwhelmed, this is such an unusual time. We all need to be conscious of ourselves and take time to recharge before we get to a breaking point.
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If you need help, don't wait! Call the Hope4Healers hotline dedicated to health care and child care workers like you: 919-226-2002
- The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommendations for mental health and coping during COVID-19, including ways to support your community.
- Wondering what self-care specific for teachers looks like?
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For the home - content provided by our partner: |
School closures across the nation have turned living rooms into classrooms. Teachers adapted their curriculums to an online format, giving parents a greater role in their children's education.
Important lessons learned through this experience include:
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Parent Involvement: Children's first teachers are their parents/caregivers. This pandemic has shown the power you have to educate your children. Do you read together, talk about friends or nature, ask about their day? You may not feel you are teaching, but you are making a difference in your child's development.
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Teacher Appreciation: Parents have discovered how difficult it is to teach children from home and have gained an appreciation for the role of a teacher. Whatever the future may bring, let us not forget the hard work educators put into molding young minds every single day.
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Different Resources, Different Outcomes: School from home has been a challenging transition for everyone, but especially for families with limited access to resources. While this disparity existed before COVID-19, the pandemic has brought even greater challenges to already struggling families. Schools and local governments have done their best to provide meals and materials to families in need, but even so, students of lesser means are at a marked disadvantage. Find ways you can give and receive help here.
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Wake Connections is a one-stop coordinated intake system for families in Wake County. One click gets you connected to HIPPY and other Wake Connections programs. |
It's Pre-K Day on August 6! |
Will your child turn 4 by August 31, 2020?
Apply for Pre-K - from your car! Come to the WCSS office on Thursday, August 6 between 9am - 1pm for a drive-thru application event.
One application allows your child to be considered for NC Pre-K and Head Start, which are FREE, safe, and fun and prepare children for Kindergarten in a high quality classroom setting.
Click here to print the application and for more information.
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Featured Book: Wherever You Go
Written by: Pat Zietlow Miller
Illustrated by: Eliza Wheeler
Highlights: Illustrations and rhyming text follow a young rabbit as he leaves home on a journey, discovering the joys of different kinds of roads and what they may bring - including a way back home.
Best for: Pre-K, ages 3-5
Literacy Tip: Get ready for school by adding a face mask to playtime! Make a mask for a favorite stuffed animal or toy. You can ask your child to practice putting the mask on and off and talk about why masks are important.
Wake County Public Library Programming: Keeping track of books you may want to read for yourself and your children can be difficult. Luckily, there is a handy option in the catalog, BRiAN, to help you out!
Watch the video below to create your own booklists.
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Want FREE books for your child under 5? Join the Imagination Library today!
P.S. Good news! The Goodnight with Dolly storytime series is still available to watch through the end of August!
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Each month we celebrate the child care facilities that have recently obtained or retained a five star rating!
Congratulations to:
Since assessments have been postponed until further notice, the NC Rated License Assessment Project (NCRLAP) has Environmental Rating Scale resources for ITERS-R, ECERS-R, and family child care homes available for your use! Scroll to the bottom for a new series about the Activities subscale of the FCCERS-R.
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No fancy recipes needed this month, just some bonding during a timeless kitchen task!
Sit around a pile of green beans with your child and snap the ends off together. Once you're done, check out one of these recipe ideas from NC Cooperative Extension!
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Visit CCSA's training calendar for all upcoming events.
DCDEE's COVID Flexibility in Policy and Regulatory Requirements: Provide an additional six months for administrators and any child care provider to complete CPR, FA and ITS-SIDS training. This change is allowed as long as one child care provider who has completed the CPR, FA training is present while children are in care, and as long as one child care provider in the infant room who has completed the ITS-SIDS training is present while infants are in care. 10A NCAC 09 .1102
Child Care and COVID-19
August 11, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Virtual/Online
Click here to register.
Online Learning Modules from Breastfeeding University at the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute
Self-Paced
Click here for more information.
Being a Child Care Provider in 2020
September 19, 10am - 2pm
Virtual/Online from Family Child Care Association of Wake County
Click here to register.
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Ideas for outdoor play that also ignite science, technology, engineering, arts, and math learning? Yes, please!
Check out our new Pinterest board all about STEAM learning!
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Did you know WCSS is a nonprofit and relies on support from members of our community like you? Visit our website today to see how you can make a difference for each child, in every community in Wake County. |
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Questions? Contact us today 919-851-9550 |
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