Thank you to everyone who has attended the first two meetings of the Safe Child Care Task Force. These meetings have been a valuable opportunity to learn more about the members of the task force, and begin work towards recommendations that address these complex problems.
New: Working Group Meetings
The Task Force will begin hosting working group meetings that will dig into specific topics related to Safe Child Care. The first round of working group meetings will be held on Monday, June 28th. The purpose of the working groups is to identify current strengths and what is already helping and working, weaknesses, and areas and opportunities for improvement. Our goal is to identify tools that we can create to support safe care.
All members of the public are invited to attend any working group meetings. The meetings are as follows (all on Monday, June 28):
8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Education. This working group will discuss how to convey information and raise awareness about safe child care with families; how to raise awareness among the child care provider community regarding current regulatory requirements (including sharing information both on how to become licensed and how to be an exempt provider); strategizing a communications plan that would distribute this information to stakeholders; and additional information that could be included in Standard Operating Procedures.
Register for the Education working group meeting here.
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. – Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This working group will discuss SOPs and how they might be improved. This working group could provide input on where the SOPs should be located online, or how they could be circulated to stakeholders.
Register for the Enforcement/Disruption: SOP working group meeting here.
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. – First Responders. This portion of the enforcement/disruption discussion will focus on tools for 1st responders (EMS, Police, Fire). This discussion will include the identification of the kind of information that should be shared and how it is best communicated.
Register for the Enforcement/Disruption: 1st Responder Tools working group meeting here.
3 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Statutes and Rules. This portion of the enforcement/disruption discussion will focus on statues and rules. Links to statutes and rules can be found on the CDHS website and this group will discuss any changes or updates that could support safe care.
Register for the Enforcement/Disruption: Statutes and Rules working group meeting here.
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Fatality Review Process. This time slot will allow for a discussion about a communications plan in the event of a tragedy (abuse, neglect, fatality). The desired outcome is thoughts on how the Department should respond in the moment if there is a tragedy.
Register for the Fatality Review Process working group meeting here.
6 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Follow Up General Town Hall. This time slot is offered in response to the request for a time that is outside business hours. This time is for anyone who would like to provide any other input. We particularly encourage child care providers to attend this session, to ensure they have an opportunity to give input on these important issues.
Register for the General Town Hall here.
If you would like to provide input on an individual basis, or if you have documents, reports, or group feedback that you would like to ensure the Safe Child Care Task Force considers, please reach out to task force facilitator Laura Hazen at lhazen@hklawllc.com.
Next Full Task Force Meeting and Additional Information
The next full meeting of the Safe Child Care Task Force will take place on Thursday, July 1 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Register for the meeting here.
For additional information on the task force, including meeting materials, recordings and more, please visit the Office of Early Childhood website, under “Safe Child Care Task Force.”