December 2023 Newsletter
Contents: Announcements | Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities | Recommended Free Resources | Well-being in the Workplace
Welcome to the new newsletter for the Early Learning System Initiative (ELSI)! We are so happy you are all here and excited to share some of the things we have been working on!
Announcements
✻ General ELSI Updates ✻
New Resources to Get to Know ELSI
Interested in who we are at ELSI? We have new 1 pagers that introduce the Coaching Core Team, Training Core Team, and Impact & Evaluation Core Team, as well as an org chart and an overview of what we do and who we support.
✻ Coaching Core ✻
Restructured Communities of Practice (CoPs)
We are excited to announce that we are holding newly restructured Communities of Practice (CoPs)! CoPs will now combine coaches supporting both Preschool Promise (PSP) and Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten (OPK) programs for the 2023-2024 school year. Coaches will be able to gather with a wider community to examine problems of practice and collaborate across the statewide coaching system.
ELSI Coach CoPs are a protected space for coaches who have dedicated Coaching FTE in DELC-funded preschool programs. CoPs take place virtually on the second Tuesday of each month from 1:00 to 2:30. If you are interested in learning more about the ELSI Coach CoPs, please reach out to ELSIcoaching@oregonstate.edu.
Practice-Based Coaching Training Series
We recently hosted our first in-person Practice-Based Coaching training series. Our summer intensive included a suite of four Set-2 trainings focused on key elements of the Practice Based Coaching (PBC) cycle. For those who were unable to attend in-person, we will be offering our PBC suite virtually, January 2024. See under Upcoming Learning Opportunities below for additional information.
Scripted and Scaffolded Coaching Cycles
In a coordinated effort between the Early Learning System Initiative (ELSI), the Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education (OCCD) and the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), Oregon has begun the movement towards conferring professional development recognition and credit for coaching. We are pleased to announce a pilot that will allow coaches in DELC-funded preschool programs working with ELSI mentor coaches to implement Scripted and Scaffolded coaching cycles which will provide Set 2 ORO credit hours for the educator upon completion. We look forward to the potential that this pilot may bring, including advancing towards a state-wide rollout of coaching for ORO credit in the future.
Foundations in Coaching Course
We are pleased to announce the launch of the Foundations in Coaching course! This self-paced online course is designed to build a foundational understanding of the Oregon Coaching Competencies. Course participants will learn about the Oregon Coaching Competencies and be introduced to Practice-Based Coaching through interactive activities, videos, graphics, knowledge checks, and reflections. Participants will also have the opportunity for self-assessment of the Oregon Coaching Competencies, and to self-reflect on areas of strength and opportunities for growth. Successful completion of this course will result in 8 ORO hours. The course is currently available in English and Spanish, and will be available in Traditional Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese in late 2023. More information about the course and how to register is available on the ELSI website.
✻ Training Team ✻
New Report - Recommendations for Supporting the Well-being of the Oregon Early Learning Workforce
This report includes recommendations based on findings from the 2022 SEQUAL survey (Supportive Environmental Quality Underlying Adult Learning). Read the report here and check out our other workplace well-being resources.
Find our team hosting a monthly training at the Statewide Webinars starting in January
January 23 - Infusing Nutrition Education Throughout the Day with Children
February 29 - Six More Sensory Smart Topics for Nurturing Sensory and Motor Development: Tips From a Pediatric Occupational Therapist
March 12 - Back to Care: Self-Care, Community Care, and Wellbeing for Early Childhood Professionals
You can find more information about each workshop on our training calendar!
We’re starting to explore asynchronous training options. Stay tuned!
Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities
BIPOC Community of Practice
Every second Wednesday of the month, 3-4 PM PST | A Community of Practice is a place where people come together to share a common interest and passion. Please join Daphnee Nicolas (li/she/her) and Dominic Paz (he/him/él) from the Early Learning System Initiative (ELSI) in a virtual Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Community of Practice. We welcome coaches, educators, parenting educators, and anyone interested in relationship-based learning focused on inclusion, equity, and social justice to strengthen the early learning system. In this Community of Practice, we will focus on community care, storytelling, self-care, and wellbeing practices. We will also provide resources that you can share with those you support. For more information and to register, please email Daphnee at daphnee.nicolas@oregonstate.edu.
Tag You’re It: Cultivating Playfulness in Our Adult Lives (İTe Toca a Ti! Cultivando alegría en nuestras vidas adultas)
December 19, 10-11:30 AM PST | Free Zoom Webinar hosted by the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative. At some point in our lives, we’re told play is only for children. As adults, we often lack the time for play, too. In this workshop, we’ll explore what play is, what our adult play personalities are, and how we can embed play into our workplace settings. This session includes time for play - we are excited to play with you! Spanish interpretation available! Register here.
Roots of Resilience Workshop and Training of Trainers
January 8-11, 9 AM-1 PM PST | Learn about the Roots of Resilience professional development program and ways to support educators in their learning about trauma, resilience, and child development through a trauma lens. Space is limited! For more information and to register, visit this link.
Virtual Practice-Based Coaching Intensive
January 23-24, 9 AM-4 PM PST | Join us on Zoom for two days of sessions on Collaborative Partnerships, Shared Goals and Action Planning, Focused Observation, and Reflection and Feedback! Please see the flyer attached below for more information. Registration space is limited so register soon! Register here.
Raíces de Resiliencia (Roots of Resilience) Taller y Capacitación de Entrenadores en Español
Enero 29-Febrero 1, 9 AM-1 PM PST | Únase a nosotros en enero de 2024 para apoyar a los educadores a aprender usar un lente de trauma. ¡El espacio es limitado! Para más información y registrarse, haga clic aquí.
Infusing Nutrition Education Throughout the Day with Children
Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network (OFSSGN) Conference
February 15, Time TBD | Explore ways to teach nutrition education to your students everyday. Learn tips about introducing new foods, navigating picky eaters, and growing and preparing food with children. Help your students build the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating all while introducing them to STEM and STEAM activities. Conference info including registration & scholarship applications here.
Recommended Free Resources
Our partners at the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) offer free virtual trainings (OPEC Training Academy) and bilingual resources (Parenting Together | Padres Juntos) on a wide variety of topics, including facilitation skill-building; anti-racism, equity, and inclusion; resilience and trauma-informed care; parenting education curricula; and other emergent topics.
There is a lot to examine and unpack when it comes to Equity and Coaching. One aspect is addressing equity in the coach's practice and a great resource for that reflection is Coaching for Equity. Bright Morning also offers some downloadable tools from Coaching for Equity. The Equity Coaching Guide addresses equity in a teacher’s practice. There are also two webinars from NCPMI that dive into equity in coaching: Using the Equity Coaching Guide to Address Culturally Responsive Practices and Coaching Conversations: Supporting Teachers to Implement Pyramid Model Practices Equitably.
Well-being in the Workplace
Our team has recently discovered the concept of “glimmers” and we LOVE the way this concept can spark connection, providing language for a simple way to check in with and learn more about each other.
“What glimmers have you noticed today/this week/this month?”
Glimmers could be anything from noticing the smell of the rain, feeling the warmth of a coffee mug in hand, observing nature, or spending time with certain people, places, or things. They are unique to every individual!
Try creating a list of 5 glimmers for you and go on a treasure hunt searching for as many as you can. Then find ways to share your glimmers with your coworkers, friends, family! (At ELSI, we started a Glimmers padlet board to share photos with each other).