HEAR FROM OUR STAFF FOR AOK UPDATES

Dear Jessica,

Next week is Thanksgiving, and in the spirit of giving thanks — all of us here at AOK extend our deepest gratitude to our family of educators for the profound work that you do each day to best serve our children, families and communities.

In observance of the holiday, All Our Kin’s offices will be closed starting at 12pm on Wednesday, November 24th through Friday, November 26th. We will reopen on Monday, November 29th and the next newsletter will go out Tuesday, December 7th. For any immediate needs, please reach out to a team member prior to office closure.

In exciting news — All Our Kin has recently been featured in major publications including the New York Times, The Connecticut Post, Blavity and Inside Philanthropy! As we await a finalized agreement for the Build Back Better Plan, we’re thrilled to use this critical moment to lend our voice towards the urgent needs of family child care. To stay updated with AOK news, make sure to visit our website.

Do you have any questions about your business? Join us on zoom for an open session every Tuesday from 2pm to 3pm with one of our All Our Kin business advisors. Sessions will be held until December 14, 2021. Register here.

As always, we continue to send our love, friendship and support!

In Solidarity,

The All Our Kin Team

Progress in Federal Funding

The House of Representatives has agreed to take up the Build Back Better Act, which currently proposes to spend an unprecedented $400 billion for child care and Pre-K. The legislation must first be reviewed by the Congressional Budget Office. Once this review is complete, most likely after Thanksgiving, the House will vote. Then the House and Senate versions will be combined and the Senate will vote again. We’ll keep you posted about the timing of these votes.

In the meantime, it’s critical to let House and Senate members know that child care and Pre-K are a high priority. One easy way to do this is by attending their virtual town meetings and speaking out about the importance of child care. This is exactly what members Erica Buchanan and Steven Morales, members of All Our Kin’s Bronx team, did last week!

Another easy way to keep the pressure up is by following members’ social media accounts and commenting about child care whenever there is an opportunity. Click here for social media addresses of Senators Blumenthal, Murphy and your Representative.

Information Session

The Parent Leadership Training Institute is a free 20-week program offered by Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood that empowers adults by helping them build the skills they need to lead in their communities. Are you or is a family you work with interested in learning more? Sign-up for a virtual ‘Taste of PTI’ information session to hear more about this opportunity.

Saturday, November 20th, 9:30am, register here
Tuesday, November 30th, 7:00pm, register here
Wednesday, December 8th, 7:00pm, register here

Child Care Grants

The Women's Business Development Council and the Office of Early Childhood have partnered to offer grants of up to $25,000 to child care businesses throughout the state. There are four grants available through their Child Care Business Opportunity Fund. The deadline to apply for several of the grants is next week, November 21st!

APPLY NOW

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Children and the Pandemic: Developing a Responsive Approach to the Needs of the Children in Your Care

All Our Kin welcomes Dr. Mazer, professor from Lehman College in the Bronx. Dr. Mazer, who comes with a wealth of knowledge regarding early childhood development, will lead a workshop on how to respond to and support children's social-emotional needs during these challenging and stressful times. There will be time for educators to think through and share strategies with fellow workshop participants. Certificates will be issued for 1.5 hours of professional development. Please register here.

Thursday, December 16

6:30-8:00 pm

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FCC Educator Panel, Healthy Meals w/ Children

Our November Educator Panel will be held tonight on zoom starting at 6:00 pm in English and 7:30 pm in Spanish. We hope to see you there!

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This Story is Mine: Using Wordless Books w/ Young Children

Next Tuesday 11/23, our virtual two-part literacy series This Story is Mine: Using Wordless Books with Young Children begins. This series is open to a small group of 15-20 English-speaking educators. We will repeat this series in Spanish in the spring. Once you register, we will follow up to let you know if your registration is confirmed, depending on how many people are interested.

LEARN MORE

All Our Kin is Growing!

We're currently seeking a Development Associate to support the fundraising functions of the Development department. If you are interested in this role, or have a recommendation for someone you think would enjoy learning more about the position, please read the full job description here, and reach out to our Vice President of Development, Chelsea Freemon, at chelsea@allourkin.org.

Exploring Race and Representation in Picture Books

Join educators from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for this virtual workshop exploring how to use picture books to provide “mirrors and windows” that reflect readers’ identities and open their eyes to the world beyond their lived experiences. This two-part workshop will feature presentations from Carle educators, book sharing, and opportunities for discussion and reflection. Participants will receive supporting materials, including supplemental readings, thematic book lists, and resources for building a more equitable, inclusive book collection.

Please save the dates below; registration links will be live on the website this week.

Wednesdays, 12/8 & 12/15

7:00-8:30 pm

FCC Educator Panel: Communicating with Parents & Families

Join your fellow educator colleagues to hear about their strategies for communicating with families. Panelists will talk about their communication routines, how they navigate difficult conversations with families, the improvements they would like to make to their communication, and the ways they think their network of fellow FCC educators can be a helpful resource.

Save the date for now and check out our website in a couple of days for the link to sign up!

Tuesday, December 21

6:00-7:15 pm in English

7:30-8:45 pm in Spanish

Contact:

Bridgeport: Bridgeport@allourkin.org; 203-392-4574

Danbury: Danbury@allourkin.org; 203-690-9726

New Haven: NewHaven@allourkin.org; 203-301-8473

Stamford/Norwalk: StamfordNorwalk@allourkin.org; 203-690-9726