Highlighted Announcement

11/10/08 - CARES e-BULLETIN, November 10, 2008

Dear CARES Administrators and Partners,

The following are announcements and news items that may be of interest to you.

To be removed from this list, please contact us at cares@caccwrc.org.

Thank you,
Working for Quality Child Care
________________________________________________________________

NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Save-the-Date: CARES Statewide Conference Call, November 21
2. Bay Area CARES/AB 212 Meeting, December 2
3. Zero to Three National Training Institute/First 5 California Pre-Institute, December 4
4. Water Cooler: Stronger Together
5. County Spotlight: Sonoma County CARES offers new Track V Option on Leadership
6. Highlighted Resource: Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges
7. Message from CDTC about Child Development Permit applications
8. First 5 California Pre-Conference Institute -- Hotel reservations
9. Northwest/Northeast regional meeting notes available
10. Announcements to share?


1. Save-the-Date: CARES Statewide Conference Call, November 21
The next statewide CARES conference call is on Friday, November 21 from 1-2pm.
Topic and call-in information will be sent out and posted on the CARES T&TA Project website's Events page next week.

2. Bay Area CARES/AB 212 Meeting, December 2
The next Bay Area CARES/AB 212 meeting is on Tuesday, December 2 from 10 to 12:30pm at Bananas in Oakland. Stanislaus County will share information about their Math for ECE course and how to further college partnerships with private universities and public community colleges. For location address and more information, visit the CARES T&TA Project website Events page at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/e/442

3. Zero to Three National Training Institute/First 5 California Pre-Institute, December 4
First 5 Pre-Conference Institute at Zero to Three, will provide tools to achieve positive change in the systems of services for children 0 to 5. Presenters will offer examples of how other states have addressed issues affecting infants, toddlers and preschoolers through comprehensive systems change.

To read more about the upcoming conference, download the informational flyer from the CARES T&TA Project website:
http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/390

4. Water Cooler: Stronger Together
Water Cooler: Stronger Together, is a statewide group exploring collective advocacy for children birth to five, its financial, political, and policy directions. This discussion group is for early education, child care, and pre-kindergarten through first-grade advocates and supporters.

The next Water Cooler meeting is on Friday, November 14 in Sacramento. To RSVP and to get more information, go to the Advancement Project's RSVP link: http://advanceproj.org/rsvp

There are five Water Cooler workgroups currently meeting to work on detailed policy and organizational work on topics in need of study and further consensus building in preparation for the March 25 conference. To read more on the workgroups, download the informational flyer from the Resource Library: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/391

Save-the-Date, March 25, 2009 - Water Cooler Conference: Learning Begins at Birth, the Larger Education Conversation
To learn more about the upcoming conference, download the Water Cooler Conference flyer located in the CARES T&TA Project website Resource Library: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/392

5. County Spotlight: Sonoma County CARES offers new Track V Option on Leadership
The Sonoma CARES program participants in Track V now have two additional participation options. Track V-B participants help participants in other Tracks increase their skills in evaluating their programs while completing the Environment Rating Scale Score Sheet and the Rating Scale Improvement Plan. Track V-C participants are leaders who become actively involved in policy decisions that impact the ECE community and thereby, address issues facing preschool and after school programs in Sonoma County.

For more information about the new additions to Track V in Sonoma County, contact Gislene Mertle at gmertle@scoe.org or 707-524-2639

Or download the informational flyers from the CARES T&TA Project Resource Library:
http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/393

6. Highlighted Resource: Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges
CARES programs have often seen participants bottleneck at the Teacher Permit level due to access and preparation barriers in completing general education units. This article addresses the role of community colleges in "assisting the under prepared student to attaining the basic skills needed to succeed in college-level work."

To read more, download the article from the Basic Skills Initiative website: http://www.cccbsi.org/Websites/basicskills/Images/BasicSkills_booklet-2.pdf

7. Message from CDTC about Child Development Permit applications
The Child Development Training Consortium (CDTC) continues to process First 5 California and CDD funded Child Development Permit applications. The funding will pay the application and fingerprint processing fees (if applicable) for all six levels of the Child Development Permit: Assistant, Associate Teacher, Teacher, Master Teacher, Site Supervisor and Program Director. Reimbursement of online renewals for the Teacher level and above is also available. If you have any questions, please call (209) 572-6082.

8. First 5 California Pre-Conference Institute on Workforce Development -- Hotel reservations
The First 5 California Pre-Conference Institute on Workforce Development is on April 14, 2009, and the two-day general conference is April 15-16, 2009 in San Francisco at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco at the Embarcadero. Conference hotel rates are $152/night.

To make reservations by phone call: 415-788-1234
To make reservations online, visit: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/csu

9. Northwest/Northeast regional meeting notes available
The Northwest/Northeast regional meeting notes from the September 16 meeting are available on the CARES T&TA Project website: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/388

10. Announcements to share?
Do you have a resource, idea or event to share related to CARES, AB 212 or workforce development? Please send any announcements for the CARES e-Bulletin by replying to this email, or by contacting Susan Jeong at (415) 808-4312 or sjeong@uwba.org.



The First 5 California CARES Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Project is brought to you by First 5 California, Working for Quality Child Care and the Child Development Training Consortium, and made possible with funds from First 5 California.

10/13/08 - CARES e-BULLETIN, October 13, 2008

Dear CARES Administrators and Partners,

The following are announcements and news items that may be of interest to you.

To be removed from this list, please contact us at cares@caccwrc.org.

Thank you,
Working for Quality Child Care
________________________________________________________________

NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Statewide CARES conference call, October 21
2. County Spotlight: Glenn County CARES Participant Survey reports significant gains in participation and program support
3. Highlighted Resource: CARES Statewide Retention Survey Final Report
4. AB 212 funding fully restored for 2008-2009 budget year
5. SB 1629 (Steinberg) signed
6. Regional CARES/AB 212 meeting notes available
7. Project Legacy Process -- see First 5 California website
8. Reminder: Annual Progress Report due October 15
9. CARES Database and Progress Report Update
10. Announcements to share?


1. Statewide CARES conference call, October 21
Save-the-Date! The next statewide CARES conference call highlights the importance of play for early learning and will be on Tuesday, October 21 from 1-2pm.
For call-in information go to the CARES T&TA Project website Events page at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/e/454

2. County Spotlight: Glenn County CARES Participant Survey reports significant gains in participation and program support
Glenn County CARES has made significant gains in participation and program support as a result of the feedback from participant surveys. Access to core early childhood courses in Spanish and practicum courses at the local community college have both become a reality this year. These issues were noted as barriers to attaining higher education. Glenn County now has their first Mentor Teacher as a result of the implementation of Track 5, which was added to the program based on the information collected from the surveys and focus groups. Furthermore, as a direct result of advocacy on behalf of participants, the county now has stronger communication and collaboration with local community colleges. CARES participants express a high level of satisfaction with the program and report that they seek out and complete more training and education as a result of their participation in CARES.

The CARES Participant Survey is available in the CARES T&TA Project Resource Library at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/385

3. Highlighted Resource: CARES Statewide Retention Survey Final Report
The CARES Statewide Retention Study- Final Report, was conducted by Harder+Company Community Research and was funded by First 5 California. The report covers two key components: (1) an annual examination of participant level data collected by all participating county-based programs and (2) a retention survey conducted with current and former CARES participants. This report examines the impact the CARES Program has had on agency and/or field retention.

To read the full report, download it from the CARES T&TA Resource Library at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/384

4. AB 212 funding fully restored for 2008-2009 budget year
Assembly Bill (AB) 212 funding was fully restored in the 2008-2009 California State Budget. AB 212 is a retention program for teachers in early care and education who work in publicly funded programs (Title V). This program provides supports and resources, including a financial incentive for teachers to continue coursework in higher education, and retain them in the field of early care and education.

For more information about AB 212's historical development, go to the CARES T&TA Project website's CARES History page at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/print/docs/cares/history.html

5. SB 1629 (Steinberg) signed
On September 26, Senate Bill 1629 was signed by the Governor. The bill establishes an Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee to propose recommendations on how to evaluate and improve the quality of child development programs providing services from birth to age five, including preschool. The bill also establishes a framework for future resources necessary to achieve and maintain higher quality programs.

Giannina Perez of Children Now presented the scope of work of the Advisory Committee at the October 7 Bay Area CARES/AB 212 meeting. To read information about the Committee's charge, download the SB 1629 Steinberg bill from the California Legislation Information website: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_1601-1650/sb_1629_bill_20080926_chaptered.html


6. Regional CARES/AB 212 meeting notes available
Notes from regional CARES/AB 212 meetings are posted in the CARES T&TA Project Resource Library.

For the June 5, 2008 Central Valley meeting notes go to: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/383

For the September 9, 2008 Bay Area meeting notes go to: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/382

7. Project Legacy Process -- see First 5 California website
On September 18, the California Children and Families Commission (First 5 California) approved the Project Legacy Process. To read about the process go to the First 5 California website at: http://www.ccfc.ca.gov/press/legacy.asp

8. Reminder: CARES Annual Progress Report due October 15
The 2007-2008 Annual Progress Report for CARES programs are due on Wednesday, October 15 to First 5 California. If counties do not have access to the reporting system, please contact AJWI at 415-659-8149 or techsupport@ajwi.com

9. CARES Database and Progress Report Update
The following message is from AJWI:

CARES Online Website: cares.ajwi.com
We are asking all counties to finish entering 07-08 data into the online CARES database by Oct 31, 2008.
Counties who continue to use the Access database must upload their current database to AJWI by Oct. 24, 2008. AJWI will not support the Access data extraction beyond the 07-08 data pulls. AJWI will not make any new modifications to the Access data systems.
Counties that have only partially entered 07-08 data into the Access Databases are encouraged to reenter the data online. The data extraction and reports will be much easier and you will be able to see your data immediately.
If your county has not had their client and site list uploaded from your Access database, please contact techsupport@ajwi.com and request that CARES Web data for your county be uploaded.

Progress Report Updates: progressreport.ajwi.com
Certification Page is ready for download on the Reports page.
In order to officially have 'Submitted' the Progress Report, a County Admin/Director must login and hit the Report Submittal link and then the Submit button. If your county Admin/Directors have not changed from last year then their login and password are the same as last year. If they need a new login or have forgotten their login please contact techsupport@ajwi.com. Please reference CARES Progress Report, their name, their email, their county and that they need submittal rights.
Progress Report must have the SUBMIT button clicked by end of business day October 15, 2008.

10. Announcements to Share?
Do you have a resource, idea or event to share related to CARES, AB 212 or workforce development? Please send any announcements for the CARES e-Bulletin by replying to this email, or by contacting Susan Jeong at (415) 808-4312 or sjeong@uwba.org.





The First 5 California CARES Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Project is brought to you by First 5 California, Working for Quality Child Care and the Child Development Training Consortium, and made possible with funds from First 5 California.

09/08/08 - CARES e-BULLETIN, September 8, 2008

Dear CARES Administrators and Partners,

The following are announcements and news items that may be of interest to you.

To be removed from this list, please contact us at cares@caccwrc.org.

Thank you,
Working for Quality Child Care
________________________________________________________________


NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. RSVP for the Northwest/Northeast Regional CARES/AB 212 meeting by September 11

2. Reminder: First 5 California Commission meeting, September 18

3. Save-the-date: October 7, Bay Area CARES/AB 212 Meeting

4. Workforce development panel presentation at the annual R&R Conference, October 8-10, 2008 in Asilomar

5. Join the 2009 First 5 CARES Conference Event Input Committee

6. Highlighted Resource: Framing Child Care as Economic Development: Lessons from Early Studies

7. Audio file for Business Partnerships CARES conference call from August 26 available

8. Northern California Democratic delegate and former CARES administrator, Lea Austin shares her thoughts on presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama’s position on early childhood education

9. What the presidential candidates say about child care and children’s issues – see the Children’s Advocate

10. Leadership opportunity for teachers

11. Announcements to share?


1. RSVP for the Northwest/Northeast Regional CARES/AB 212 meeting by September 11 The next Northeast/Northwest CARES/AB 212 meeting will be held Tuesday, September 16 in Redding from 10:00am to 2:00pm. An optional networking session and continental breakfast will be offered from 9:30-10:00am. The meeting will provide Northwest/Northeast Regional CARES program administrators and community partners, such as college faculty and school readiness coordinators, the opportunity to share information and learn about available resources throughout the region.

We need your RSVP to prepare for breakfast and lunch. The cost of registration, which includes these meals, is $16 per person. Please make checks out to Shasta County Office of Education. Also, please send us your RSVP by replying to this email or contacting Shannon Bonds at 415-808-7327.

More information regarding the meeting will be sent out next week. For the address of the location in Redding, go to the CARES T&TA website Events page at:
http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/e/434

2. Reminder: First 5 California Commission meeting, September 18 The next First 5 California Commission meeting is September 18 in Sacramento. For location address, times and agenda, go to the First 5 California Commission website at:
http://www.ccfc.ca.gov/commission/default.asp

3. Save-the-date: October 7, Bay Area CARES/AB 212 meeting The October Bay Area CARES/AB 212 meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 7 in Oakland at Bananas. An agenda will be sent out closer to the date of the meeting. For meeting location address, go to the CARES T&TA website Events page at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/e/441

Note that a Bay Area CARES/AB 212 meeting will also be held tomorrow, September 9 at BANANAS. If you are planning to stay after the meeting to participate in a strategic planning discussion for W4QCC and haven’t RSVP’ed, please do so to Shannon Bonds at 415-808-7327 or by replying to this email.

4. Workforce development panel presentation at the annual California R&R Network Conference, October 8-10, 2008 in Asilomar We invite you to attend a panel presentation at the annual R&R Network Conference: Navigating the Stream of Workforce Development: Coordination among CARES, the Mentor Program, PoP, and the R&R Agencies. The panel will be facilitated by Cynthia Hearden of First 5 California. Panelists include: Alice Burton, Working for Quality Child Care; Joya Chavarin, Educational Leadership Doctoral Program student at Mills College and formerly with BANANAS in Alameda County; Ilene Hertz, WestEd: E3 Institute Advancing Excellence in Early Education; Santa Clara County, and Candida Tapia, ECE Professional Development Coordinator, First 5 Alameda County. In this workshop participants will learn ideas about how to work with CARES, PoP, and Mentor Programs in their counties and discuss the valuable roles that R&R’s and allied agencies play in implementing these programs and developing education leadership opportunities.

5. Join the 2009 First 5 CARES Conference Event Input Committee Planning for an annual First 5 CARES conference event is underway. We know that this year’s event will differ from past conferences and we want your input about what you need from conference activities in 2009. If you have not already, please let us know if you would like to participate in the Input Committee or would like more information by contacting Susan Jeong at 415-808-4312 or reply to this email. Involvement in the Input Committee involves participating in approximately two facilitated conference calls of one hour each.

6. Highlighted Resource: Framing Child Care as Economic Development: Lessons from Early Studies This study is authored by noted early childhood researcher Louise Stoney in preparation for the Linking Economic Development and Child Care Research Project. The article presents a concise appraisal of how child care economic studies are being implemented throughout the nation. The three goals of Stoney’s study were 1.) to explore the regional economic importance of the child care industry; 2.) examine the differences throughout the nation of how the economic impact of child care is linked to the business community; 3.) to track how states use an economic development frame to promote new approaches to child care policy and administration. The research is based on a review of studies and resource materials that have been completed as well as interviews with over a dozen individuals engaged in conducting and implementing economic studies of child care throughout the United States.
The article can be downloaded from the CARES T&TA website Resource Library at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/369

7. Audio file for CARES conference call on Business Partnerships from August 26 available On August 26 a conference call presentation on how to promote partnerships with business leaders was held. The audio file is available for download for those who missed the call or would like to share with a community partner. Download the file from the CARES T&TA website Resource Library at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/375

8. Northern California Democratic Party delegate and former CARES administrator, Lea Austin shares her thoughts on presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama’s position on early childhood education

Lea Austin, former CARES administrator in Alameda County and current California delegate for the Democratic Party was featured in the Oakland Tribune. After attending the Democratic National Convention and reviewing candidate positions, Austin said the “Obama administration would make early childhood education a priority.” To read the article go to the Oakland Tribune at: http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_10285814?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

9. What the presidential candidates say about child care and children’s issues -- see the Children’s Advocate Read about the the goals of the presidential candidates related to children and family issues in the Children’s Advocate:
http://www.4children.org/news/908prese.htm

10. Leadership opportunity for teachers Now is the time to get teachers in your community involved with the California Child Development Corps. The Corps is holding its Seventh Annual Meeting and Training in the Bay Area on November 14 and 15. Send us your teachers and providers who are leaders in your community and/or who would like to improve their leadership skills and connections with other professionals in the state. Please let early childhood teachers, from both centers and family child care settings, interested in early childhood public policy and advocacy know about this great opportunity to get started with the Corps. Contact Sara Hicks-Kilday by replying to this email or calling 415-808-4393 for more information.

11. Announcements to Share?
Do you have a resource, idea or event to share related to CARES, AB 212 or workforce development? Please send any announcements for the CARES e-Bulletin by replying to this email, or by contacting Susan Jeong at (415) 808-4312 or sjeong@uwba.org.





The First 5 California CARES Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Project is brought to you by First 5 California, Working for Quality Child Care and the Child Development Training Consortium, and made possible with funds from First 5 California.

08/25/08 - CARES e-BULLETIN, August 25, 2008

Dear CARES Administrators and Partners,

The following are announcements and news items that may be of interest to you.

To be removed from this list, please contact us at cares@caccwrc.org.

Thank you,
Working for Quality Child Care
________________________________________________________________
News and Announcements

1. Statewide CARES conference call, August 26: How business and other non-traditional partners can promote early childhood quality
2. Bay Area CARES Meeting September 9: San Francisco CARES and a special invitation to CARES administrators and partners
3. New date & location! Northwest/Northeast Regional CARES/AB 212 meeting, September 16
4. First 5 California Commission Meeting, September 18
5. Highlighted Resource: The Economics of Early Childhood: What the Dismal Science Has to Say About Investing in Children
6. Did you miss the last conference call? Leadership: Ready or Not? Audio file available
7. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment Cohort Study: Learning Together
8. Message from AJWI about web-based CARES database
9. Announcements to share?


1. Statewide CARES conference call, August 26: How business and other non-traditional partners can promote early childhood quality
The next statewide conference call will be on August 26 from 1-2pm. Learn how CARES programs can build partnerships with local business leaders. Hear from Elizabeth Blakemore, the Local Planning Council Coordinator and former CARES administrator for El Dorado County, about how she advanced early childhood goals in her county by building partnerships with the local Office of Economic Development. Sam Driggers, the Director of Economic Development in El Dorado County will share why he was interested in partnering with the El Dorado's Early Care and Education department to promote early childhood . United Way of the Bay Area's Sharon Robinson, will discuss how she was able to engage business leaders in her work with the children's health care campaign and tips for building relationships with business leaders. The speakers will take your questions on the call.

For call-in information, go to the CARES T&TA website Events page at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/e/451.

2. Bay Area CARES/AB 212 Meeting, September 9: San Francisco CARES and a special invitation to CARES/AB 212 administrators and partners
The next Bay Area CARES/AB 212 meeting is on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00am in Oakland. The preliminary agenda includes a presentation by San Francisco CARES sharing their evaluation design, longitudinal research findings and how they are partnering with local institutions of higher education and city departments. Also, Children Now will provide an update about legislation related to child care and workforce development. For meeting location address, go to the Events page at: http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/e/452

For those who attend the Bay Area meeting, we would like to invite you to stay an additional forty-five minutes after the meeting for a discussion about CARES and W4QCC to help guide W4QCC's strategic planning process. Lunch will be provided. More details will be provided to meeting attendees.

3. New date & location! Northwest/Northeast Regional CARES/AB 212 meeting, September 16
The next Northeast/Northwest CARES/AB 212 meeting will be held Tuesday, September 16 in Redding from 9:30am to 2:00pm. The meeting will provide Northwest/Northeast Regional CARES program administrators and community partners, such as college faculty and school readiness coordinators, the opportunity to share information and learn about available resources throughout the region.

More information regarding the meeting will be sent out next week. For the address of the location in Redding, go to the CARES T&TA website Events page at:
http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/e/434.

4. First 5 California Commission Meeting, September 18
The next First 5 California Commission meeting is on September 18 in Sacramento. The agenda will be available on the First 5 California website at: http://www.ccfc.ca.gov/commission/default.asp

5. Highlighted Resource: The Economics of Early Childhood: What the Dismal Science Has to Say about Investing in Children
A new study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, could prompt a reorganization of child and human services away from the current system that "treats" problems after the fact in favor of investment and prevention. Using the economic concepts of human capital theory and monetary "payoffs" from investments in early childhood services, a host of experts that includes business CEOs, Federal Reserve analysts, and Nobel Prize-winning economists has called for greater public spending on early childhood programs.
Programs evaluated according to these economic concepts show that increased investment in early childhood results in government savings by leading to less need for social services later in life and increased earnings by individuals -- which in turn leads to greater tax revenue for the government. The Economics of Early Childhood: What the Dismal Science Has to Say about Investing in Children aims to serve as a primer for policy-makers in the use of cost/benefits/rate-of-return analysis in making early childhood policy.
The article can be downloaded from the CARES T&TA website Resource Library at http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/365
6. Did you miss the last conference call? Leadership: Ready or Not? Audio file available
The August 6, 2008 conference call MP3 file is now available in the Resource Library. The conference call featured guest speaker, ECE consultant, Rory Darrah, recapping her popular CARES Conference workshop presentation and leading a dialogue utilizing the book which was distributed at this year's First 5 CARES Conference, "Ready or Not: Leadership Choices in Early Care and Education" by Stacie G. Goffin and Valora Washington. Goffin and Washington have opened up a timely discussion about ECE in the context of historical and current environments that impact children's development. The book asks us to think seriously about the purpose and professional identity of our field in order to institute needed change in policy and program development. The authors focus on adaptive leadership skills to promote critical thinking and dialogue about the "hard questions" in ECE as a path to strengthening our influence on the future of child development, family support, and education.

The MP3 can be downloaded from the CARES T&TA website Resource Library at http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/362
7. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment Cohort Study: Learning Together
The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CCSCE) has launched a five-year study of six student cohorts at Antioch University, California State University-East Bay, Mills College, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, and the University of La Verne. The report, Learning Together, documents the first of five years of the BA completion cohort with extensive interviews with over 90 percent of the 124 student cohort members, 13 administrators and faculty member from three of the six institutions of higher education. This report investigates the first year phase of a multi-year investigation of the BA completion cohort programs which indicate the significant potential of degree programs to contribute well-trained teachers and leaders to the early care and education profession.

The article can be downloaded from the CARES T&TA website Resource Library http://cares.edgateway.net/cs/cares/view/uwba_r/366.

8. Message from AJWI about web-based CARES database
This following is a message from AJWI: We are pleased to inform you that the new, improved online CARES Database is ready. We appreciate your patience and extend a special thank you to counties that participated in testing the new database. It is now time for programs to begin entering FY 07/08 data into this new database and for those counties continuing, entering your FY 08/09 information as well.

There are many benefits to using the new online system:
*Easier to use
*Faster data input
*Application is now on one page
*Sites are easier to configure and organize
*System is totally online. Access is available from any computer with internet access.

The following data (not year specific) has been uploaded for you - if you were using a JMPT/AJWI Access Database:
*Client List
*Client demographic information
*Sites
*Colleges

Getting Access:
Please contact Yury Kleminkov at techsupport@ajwi.com or 415-659-8149 to gain access. If another person (data clerk, contractor, evaluator) at your county needs access please forward this information to them and they can contact Yury to get access as well.

Getting Started:
Once logged in, please download the PDF manual and review its contents before entering data. Counties will also need to review uploaded data to ensure accurate conversion (make sure that the clients, sites look familiar, etc).

Please direct questions to:
Vinay Patel (AJWI) -- vinay@ajwi.com or 415-415-9016
Yury Kleminkov (AJWI) -- techsupport@ajwi.com or 415-659-8149
Gretchen Williams (First 5 California) -- gwilliams@ccfc.ca.gov or 916-263-1051
Loraine Park (Harder + Co) -- lpark@harderco.com or 213-891-1113

9. Announcements to share?
Do you have a resource, idea or event to share related to CARES, AB212 or workforce development? Please send any announcements for the CARES e-bulletin by replying to this email or contacting Susan Jeong at (415)808-4312 or sjeong@uwba.org.



The First 5 California CARES Training and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Project is brought to you by First 5 California, Working for Quality Child Care and the Child Development Training Consortium, and made possible with funds from First 5 California.


______________________________
CARES Training & Technical Assistance Project
Working for Quality Child Care
United Way of the Bay Area
221 Main Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-808-7327
Fax: 415-817-4658
Email: cares@caccwrc.org
Website: http://cares.w4qcc.org