E-Connections for Caregivers
December 2011 - Vol 5, Issue 12
In This Issue
Bookstore Sale
Bookstore Sale
The Bookstore at CCRC is having a Monster Sale. All items in
stock are 20% off until December 22nd. Stop in and do some
Christmas shopping!
LINK Grant
Top of the Town
Child Care Resource Center
1601 S. Main
Tulsa, OK 74119
834-CARE
Smart Start Press Conference
Chronic Absence Follow-up
IITC Save the Date
Quick Links
LINK Grant
Child Care Resource Center
The LINK Project has been awarded a grant
from the Children's Medical Charities
Association to purchase developmental toys
and equipment for child care centers.
Members of the CMCA operate their upscale
thrift shop "Thrift Avenue" at 1125 South Utica Avenue, with
ALL proceeds earned supporting programs that directly benefit
children.
International Infant and Toddler
Conference Blog
Community Service Council
Tulsa Area United Way
"Thrift Avenure" depends on donations of gently used or new
items from the community, so please remember them the next
time you have items to donate. For more information, visit their
website at www.cmcatulsa.org.
Top of the Town
The date for next year's
Top of the Town has been
set. It will be Thursday,
June 14, 2012. The event
will run from 6:00pm10:00pm with the VIP area
open from 5:00-10:00.
Tickets prices are $35 each
until June 1st. Then from
June 1-13, tickets will cost
$40 each and $50 on June 14th. VIP tickets will be available
for purchase this year at $125 each.
Tickets are now on sale! They are limited so remember to
buy your tickets early so you can experience this spectacular
event.
Click here to purchase tickets now
We are looking for sponsors for the 2012 Top of the Town.
You can support CCRC as we build a brighter future for our
children as well as boost downtown Tulsa! There are many
levels of sponsorship that you can consider with many benefits
to you or your business.
Click here to see the sponsorship levels
Click here for the sponsorship letter
Click here to sponsor online
Smart Start Press Conference
PSO and the AEP Foundation have given $300,000 to Smart Start Oklahoma for literacy projects.
Child Care Resource Center will receive $52,500 over 3 years to implement the Cradling Literacy
Initiative. Smart Start Oklahoma held a press conference at Crosstown Learning Center to
announce the award. Children from Crosstown were all provided with backpacks full of materials for
families to do together with a focus on science and literacy
activities.
Some of the items in the
backpacks
Karen Smith,
Director of CCRC
Children with
their new
backpacks
Stuart Solomon,
President and
CEO of PSO
Chronic Absence Follow-up
On Time Attendance... Every Day for Every Student
Written by: Stacey Mwongozi, Linkages Program Manager, TACSI
Did you know that... an estimated one in ten kindergarten and first grade
students are chronically absent nationally?
Developing good habits start early. Attendance is important for all children and families, including
those in early care and learning settings. Developing good attendance habits in all early childhood
settings, birth through age 8, sets the stage for better attendance throughout the educational
pipeline. Consistent attendance starting in the early years is critical to gaining the social and
academic skills essential to school success. Research suggests that attendance has a direct impact
on student academic achievement and lifelong success. Students who demonstrate an early pattern
of chronic absence are at a grave risk of becoming more and more disconnected from the
educational process, possibly even dropping out of school.
TACSI, with the generous support of Linkages, Child Care Resource Center, Community Service
Council, Tulsa Early Childhood Association and The Foundation for Tulsa Schools, hosted a series
of events dedicated to raising awareness of the issue of early chronic absence. Jane Quinn and
Abe Fernández of The Children's Aid Society's National Center for Community Schools kicked off
the campaign with a community event hosted at The University of Oklahoma's Schusterman
Learning Center. Participants were introduced to several national early chronic absence efforts,
sparking local community interest in the topic. The following day, the Early Chronic Absence
Institute took place at The University of Tulsa's Allen Chapman Activity Center. The Institute was led
by Hedy Chang, Executive Director of Attendance Works, an initiative that promotes the awareness
of the important role that school attendance plays in achieving academic success. During the
Institute, Hedy, Jane and Abe facilitated informative and engaging sessions to an audience of close
to 100 participants including, early care and learning providers, family advocates, public school
administration, teachers, school counselors, community agency representatives, and others. Two
additional events followed the next day, including a workshop led by Hedy regarding Tulsa's local
attendance data and a Linkages workshop specific to attendance and the early years.
The feedback received from participants was overwhelming positive. Through the efforts of all
involved in the early chronic absence work that occurred in Tulsa during November, leaders,
educators and advocates now see early chronic absence as a concern- but more importantly, a
concern that will no longer go unnoticed.
For more information regarding any of the early chronic absence events, including a request for
materials from any of the events, please contact Stacey Mwongozi.
Save the Date for IITC
The date has been set for the next International Infant and Toddler
Conference. Mark your calendars for April 11-13, 2013. Wonderful
presenters are being scheduled to enhance your knowledge on various
infant and toddler topics. The keynote speaker will be Alison
Gopnik. See you then!
Thank you for your continued interest in the Child Care Resource Center.
Sincerely,
Karen Smith
Child Care Resource Center
Child Care Resource Center | 16 E. 16th St. | Suite 202 | Tulsa | OK | 74119