Governor Newsom Announces New Resources Today for Finding Childcare in California 
What a perfect way to celebrate el Dia de los Niños with great news from Governor Newsom! Today he announced the establishment of a new Childcare Portal which helps parents to find safe and licensed childcare providers in California. The Childcare Portal at CA.gov is a new resource for families working in essential fields (such as health care, postal services, grocery and agriculture, police, and emergency services) who are looking for childcare services. By typing in your zip code, you will be able to see childcare centers and homes that are currently open, their capacity, licensing history, and other useful information for choosing care. This new portal provides information on family care homes and centers throughout the state. We thank Governor Newsom for his commitment to California’s children and their families!
Find childcare options in your community 

During his daily press conference today, Governor Newsom also shared another new resource that launched today called Carina, a multi-state effort to provide quality, licensed childcare to working families. Local childcare providers regularly post when they have open slots so that families in need of childcare can search and contact them quickly. The SEIU, AFSCME and the SEIU Education and Support Fund, along with Carina, are sponsoring this joint effort to bring together families and care providers.   
Learn more

New Poll From EducationTrust—West, Early Edge California, and Partners: 
Coronavirus Crisis Puts Parents’ and Young Children’s Well-being at Risk 
In California, over two million children are in the first five years of their lives. These early years are crucial for children’s development – and safety, good health, and basic needs are foundational for early learner success. Before children even enter kindergarten, they are placed at different starting lines and met with opportunity gaps that follow them through college. These inequities in opportunity are wider for families of color and families from low-income communities. Now, in this current reality, parents’ and young children’s well-being are even more at-risk.

Today, we released a new poll in collaboration with The Education Trust—West, The Children’s Partnership, The District Innovation and Leadership for Early Education Initiative, and Child360. The poll surveyed 600 California parents of children ages 0-5 about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. 

LA County Makes Free COVID-19 Testing Available for its Residents
Early Edge is excited to share that the City of Los Angeles, in partnership with the County of Los Angeles and CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), is now providing free COVID-19 testing to ALL Los Angeles County residents, whether or not you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
Learn more about scheduling a free test

Highlights from The City of Los Angeles’ Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The City of Los Angeles’ efforts around the COVID-19 pandemic have provided some valuable insight on strategies to respond to the current crisis. Early Edge California has created a summary of some of the city’s key efforts, including its work around L.A. Emergency Child Care Connection, through the Los Angeles County COVID-19 Response Team, the Child Care Hotline for Essential Workers, and other community support. 
Learn more

CDE COVID-19 Guidance: Updates and Bulletins 

Management Bulletin (MB) 20-11 supersedes guidance outlined in MB 10-09 and provides specific guidance related to the state-declared State of Emergency related to the coronavirus (COVID-19). These changes to statute or regulations are not permanent and apply until June 30, 2020, unless nullified or changed by the Legislature.
Learn more

Update on Resource and Referral Programs
The California Department of Education (CDE) announced that they will notify Resource and Referral programs of their individual allocation amounts along with forms and reporting documents for use by Thursday, April 30. These documents, and others are related to the ELCD’s COVID-19 response, will be posted on the CDE website. 
Learn more 

Early Edge California Tips for Virtual Storytime
As part of our efforts to support teachers currently engaged in distance learning with California’s youngest students, we have developed resources for reading aloud to children via “virtual” storytime. Access our guides for helpful information on reading books to kids as well as some pointers about setting up a space in your home to film a virtual storytime for the children you support! 

Access Virtual Storytime Guides [English] [Spanish]

DLL Resource of the Week: Nick, Jr.’s Canticos
Teach your little one simple songs in English and Spanish from Nick, Jr.! Canticos pairs classic nursery rhymes from all over the Spanish speaking world with adorable animal characters to create educational music videos. Kids can learn simple vocabulary words, numbers, the days of the week, and more. Videos are available in English and Spanish.
Access Canticos

Partner Webinars and Meetings

Tips for Attendees: To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Zoom.

Who should attend: All Executive Officers and Program Directors of Early Learning and Care Programs

Friday, May 22, 9:00 - 3:00pm
Young Dual Language Learners: Introduction to Two Undergraduate Courses for Early Childhood Faculty, Administrators, Coaches, and Trainers

Join Dr. Carola Oliva-Olson of CSU Channel Islands, Dual Language Learners Grant Project for a day of learning  around supporting young dual language learners. This interactive session will include a lecture, activities, and discussion. For full participation, all participants will need: a functional computer, webcam, and audio. Includes a lunch break from 12-12:30pm. Topics covered in this session include: dual language learning, second language acquisition, dual language instructional supports and strategies, biliteracy development, multilingualism in early learning settings, and family engagement. If you have questions, contact: DLLinfo@csuci.edu 

Who should attend: This Training is open to Early Childhood Faculty, Administrators, Coaches and Trainers of the California Early Childhood Workforce employed by: 

• CDE/ECLD contracted programs
• Quality Counts Consortium programs
• Other licensed (or license-exempt) programs serving children receiving subsidies 

Register here