Educare of St. Francois County
-
Making the Early Years Count
-
Promoting Quality Care and Education for Young Children
The education of young children and caregiving is a job that presents new challenges and situations every day. Quality care and education requires continued growth through ongoing teacher training.
High quality care and education supports young children in their wonder, curiosity, observation, experimentation and discovery. It ensures the health and safety of every person and builds caring communities of young learners. The program provides an environment and experiences that reflect the best early childhood practices and offers interactions with children and their families that promote harmony and respect.
Educare is here to help you develop new skills, access information and continue to provide quality care and education for young children.
Educare is part of a statewide initiative to improve the early learning experiences of children from birth to five years of age. Our efforts to achieve this goal include:
- Training opportunities for teachers and caregivers
- Lending library of professional resources
- Professional consultation
- Peer-to-peer networking
- Creating link between children, families, providers, schools, and community resources
(See Educare Newsletters Below)
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/EducareSFC
Click here to view statewide training opportunities.
Social / Emotional Trainings:
There is a new State-mandated training required for all child care providers who keep children that receive State subsidy. The new training is "Introduction to Early Childhood Social and Emotional Health." This training discusses how what you do every day is important to the growth and development of the children in your care.
Educare of St. Francois County will be presenting this new required training in each of the five counties that we serve: Iron, Madison, Ste. Genevieve, St. Francois and Washington
Registration for these ‘face-to-face’ classes must be done online at www.moworkshopcalendar.org where you can also access the training online/on-demand for your convenience.
Call our office at 573-760-0212 for any questions.
Our Most Recent Educare Newsletter:
NOTE: The correct email address for questions or concerns with new training requirements is: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Click the following link for frequently asked questions regarding the new training requirements for child care providers. https://modss.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/topics/134677-child-care-provider-training-requirements
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): assures that nutritious meals and snacks are served to children and eligible adults enrolled in child care centers, family child care homes, after school programs, emergency shelters, and adult day care programs by providing reimbursement for meals that meet minimum nutritional standards. The CACFP requires that well-balanced meals are served and good eating habits are taught. The CACFP also provides training and technical assistance on nutrition, food service operations, program management, nutrition education and recordkeeping.
Child Care Aware® of Missouri is the Child Care Resource and Referral Agency in Missouri. Information is available for parents, early care and education programs, and the general public about the many benefits of quality early learning. Partnering with state government agencies on system building and working with legislators on policy that affects early childhood, this network works to improve outcomes for children and families.
Food Stamp program: The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 renamed the federal program the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) effective October 1, 2008. SNAP is designed to promote the general welfare and safeguard the health and well-being of the nation’s population by raising the levels of nutrition among low-income households. The program is called the Food Stamp Program in Missouri.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) – Laws and regulations for children with special needs from birth through three years (Part C) and three years to 21 years of age (Part B).
Missouri Early Head Start/Child Care Partnership Project: a nationally recognized effort to increase the capacity of and access to care for this vulnerable age group and to provide parents with a wider variety of quality child care settings from which to choose. The benefits of this partnership include allowing Missouri to maximize state funds by drawing down additional federal funds through a partnership with the Administration for Children and Families. It also positively impacts the overall quality of care in communities, and maximizes the number of children receiving benefits from this funding.
Missouri Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): has two components: Energy Assistance/Regular Heating (EA) and Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP). EA is designed to provide financial assistance to help pay heating bills for Missourians during the months of October, November, December, January, February, and March. Eligibility requirements for EA are based on income, household size, available resources and responsibility for payment of home heating costs. Eligibility for EA may also qualify individuals for additional financial assistance through ECIP.
Missouri’s Medicaid program is called MO HealthNet. MO HealthNet covers qualified medical expenses for individuals who meet certain eligibility requirements. Eligible individuals receive a “MO HealthNet Identification Card” or a letter from the Family Support Division identifying them as eligible for certain medical care services.
MO HealthNet (Medicaid) for Families: provides medical care for children under 19 years of age whose family income falls within certain guidelines. After your application has been processed, you will receive a letter from the Family Support Division. If family members are eligible for services, they will be issued a “MO HealthNet Identification Card,” and explanation of the medical services available to them.
ParentLink is a free program offering information on many topics helpful to families. ParentLink is operated by the University of Missouri. Parenting Specialists maintain a confidential toll-free warm-line at 800-552-8522 (en Español, 888-460-0008).
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): a program designed to provide cash benefits to low-income families for the household’s children such as clothing, utilities and other services. Upon approval of TANF, the recipient must participate in employment and training services through the Missouri Work Assistance (MWA) program. The MWA program helps TANF recipients transition from TANF to a job by helping set goals and get the skills needed to find a job and support the recipient’s family.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC): a special supplemental nutrition program which provides services to pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to their 5th birthday based on nutritional risk and income eligibility. The primary services provided are health screening, risk assessment, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and referrals to health care. Supplemental food is provided at no cost to participants.