In this Issue
- Spotlight On: T.E.A.C.H.
- Professional Development Efforts
- Forum Corner
- Welcome New Forum Members
- Children's Forum Ranked among Top 10 of Florida Nonprofit Women-Led Businesses
- Florida Legislative Action & Information Center
- Afterschool Initiatives
- Children's Movement of Florida
- Early Learning Coalition Briefs
- In the News
- Calendar of Events
Forum Corner
After 16 years of service to the Children's Forum, Bonnie Baker has officially retired. Bonnie was the former Child Care Resource and Referral Administrator and Director of the Child Care Training and Information Center. She currently resides in Georgia and is enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. Thank you, Bonnie, for all of the contributions you have made to the Forum. You will be missed but never forgotten.
Christian Winterbottom, Director of the Forum's Child Care Evaluation Services, co-authored a chapter in a book that will be used among education majors in college campuses. The chapter, titled Expanding the Classroom Curriculum: Integrating Academic and Service-Learning Standards to Improve Students' Academic Knowledge and Increase Their Social Competency, is featured in the Handbook of Curriculum Development book. The chapter provides a targeted review of literature describing curriculum standards, service-learning standards, and the rationale for integrating them in teacher education programs and schools.
Phyllis Kalifeh, President and CEO of the Forum, provided public comment to the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Early Learning Listening Tour in Orlando. Her topics included family engagement and the importance of supporting the professional development of child care practitioners. Read her comments.
View the Forum's 2009 Annual Report to learn more about our program accomplishments, view testimonials and Forum members, as well as participate in Forum quizzes. We hope you find the report to be engaging and entertaining.
Forum's Best We Can Book Now Available at Lower Cost and in Spanish
The clients you serve may be interested in the Forum's Best We Can Be publication that provides parents with age-appropriate advice from enriching their everyday routines to facilitating the healthy growth and development of their children. With an emphasis on language and literacy, this 200-page book is written at a low-moderate literacy level, with sections that correspond with well-child checkups.
We made some revisions to the book (mainly changes to images but not content and having color-coded sections for the different stages of development instead of tabs). Due to these revisions, we are able to get a significant reduction in the price of each book which is just $7 and includes shipping and handling. In addition, we are currently translating the Best We Can Be book into Spanish and those books should be available for purchase in late summer or early fall.
Download the Best We Can Be publication order form or call Jenna Brown at 850-487-6344 for more information.
Follow the Forum on our Social Networking Pages
The Children's Forum now has official pages on the following social networking sites. We invite you to visit our pages for up-to-date Forum news and relevant information on the child care field.
Become a Fan of the Forum on Facebook
Follow the Forum on Twitter
Forum Partners with Project K.I.D. to help Children in Haiti
The Forum and Project K.I.D. (Kids in Disaster) Network have teamed up and widened their borders to reach out to hundreds and possibly thousands of children in Haiti. Through the partnership, children will be given enriching, child- friendly spaces through Play Care kits that provide temporary and therapeutic services in times of disaster. The Play Care concept recognizes that children need play to help them work through the challenges they face post trauma. Forum staff contributed personally to this effort and assembled a complete Play Care kit, valued at approximately $3,800, for deployment to Haiti. The Forum also developed materials and circulated fundraising appeals to key contacts throughout the state and nation to help provide the materials for the kits.
For more information about Project K.I.D. or to contribute to the Haiti relief effort, visit http://www.project-kid.org or contact Phyllis Kalifeh at pkalifeh@thechildrensforum.com.