Louisiana Pathways - Early Learning Center Career Development System

There is still time to register for the Louisiana Department of Education’s Teacher Leader Summit. Attendance at this conference will count as “Service to the Profession”. We hope to see you there!

It's been a long week, so we thought everyone could use a little encouragement. Have a safe and happy weekend to recharge for next week!

Directors - Now would be a great time to request a Director's Report. Please email Trandi at [email protected] to request your report (include the name of your center, license number, your name and title, and a good contact telephone number). Thanks!

Reminder: College Tuition Scholarship applications for the Fall '21 semester must be postmarked to Pathways by Saturday, July 17th

Check this out! https://conta.cc/33I6L1E

Pathways News and Updates You don't want to miss this. October 9, 2020 Louisiana Pathways News and Updates We hope and pray that this newsletter finds all of our colleagues safe and dry from the newest hurricane threat to our

From NSU Child and Family Network:

All centers in Northwest LA: Your pick up days for supplies are next week Monday June 1 st and Tuesday June 2nd. This includes all Type I, II, & III centers as well as registered family childcare providers and Head Start. Do you know where your distribution site is? If not, send us your center name and we will let you know. Our region is Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto, Webster, Winn, Natchitoches, Grant, LaSalle, Sabine, Red River, Concordia, Catahoula, Claiborne and Jackson. Other parishes should contact you CCR&R.

Child Care Challenges: Coronavirus / COVID-19 This is a brief survey from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), for those who are part of an early childhood education program. If you are facing financial and/or health impacts from the spread of the coronavirus, up to and including the closure of your program, ple...

***UPDATE: Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, travel for University staff has been suspended so unfortunately, the Pathways representative that had planned on attending the CCAL Conference will not be able to attend after all. So sorry! The conference itself has not been canceled. We hope that you can still attend.

CCAL is still taking registrations for their Spring conference this weekend. There will be a Pathways representative at one of the sponsor tables all day Friday and on Saturday morning to answer all your Pathways questions. Please visit their website to register for this great opportunity. childcarelouisiana.org

Childcare Association of Louisiana - Home The Mission of the Child Care Association of Louisiana is to Educate, Advocate and Collaborate to build a premier, proactive early childhood education industry for Louisiana families. The Vision of the Child Care Association of Louisiana is to Provide and Advance the Highest Quality Early Childhood....

Pathways emailed our latest newsletter last month to 14,335 individuals but only had a 6% open rate. This newsletter contains some very important information, so please review it now if you haven't already and share with your director and teacher friends. Thank you! https://conta.cc/2OAuPLP

La Pathways February 2020 Newsletter

Today is the day! Tax forms have been mailed! 7696 Pathways members should receive their 2019 School Readiness Tax Credit forms in the next few days. This is what we have all worked so hard for during the year and Pathways is so happy to support your accomplishments and we congratulate you on your achievements! We sincerely hope that you receive the tax forms you were hoping for.

If for whatever reason your tax documentation for 2019 was not received on time and it caused your Pathways level to drop, you may submit your documentation to qualify for a higher level now. Please include your full name, last 4 digits of your social, and a written request to be re-evaluated for 2019 tax credit eligibility. Pathways will be mailing a 2nd group of “revised” tax forms out on February 28th and again on March 31st. The final list of tax credit eligible members will be sent to the Louisiana Department of Revenue in early April. The initial list was sent today.

It is very important that you follow the directions that are being sent with the tax forms and that you return a complete 2019 tax form back to Pathways.

Thank you, Directors and Teachers, for all that you do for the children of Louisiana! Have a great weekend!

* 2 Pathways staff members are missing from this picture but they also worked very hard to help get your tax forms out on time. Thank you to the entire Pathways staff for all your hard work! -Jenny Cowan

Good morning child care Directors and Teachers! Just finished printing tax forms! Here are some ready for postage. All tax forms will be mailed THIS FRIDAY for delivery the first week of February!Yeah!!!!

The University and the Pathways office will reopen on January 6th. Here is some helpful information that should put your minds at ease as we all approach tax season:

* Unfortunately, we cannot verify what everyone has submitted and what level they are on at this time. We will still be inputting new data (email, fax, and mail) for 2019 through the month of January and using it to re-evaluate members for 2019 leveling.

* School Readiness Tax Credit forms (for Directors and Staff) will be mailed out on January 31, 2020 to all active Pathways members on tax credit eligible levels (Teacher 1 and above and Director 1 and above on the career ladders) for delivery the first week of February. These forms will include additional information and instructions on tax credit eligibility and will help you and your employer determine if you can use the forms to claim the tax credit.

* If anyone from your center receives a tax form for a level they weren’t expecting, we can figure out why afterwards and re-evaluate their level and provide updated tax forms if necessary.

• Documentation for 2019 leveling consideration should be submitted to Pathways and postmarked by December 31, 2019. Evidence of meeting level requirements postmarked by December 31st is guaranteed to be processed for leveling consideration.

• Documentation for 2019 leveling consideration that is postmarked after December 31st will still be accepted but most likely will not be processed until after the initial group of 2019 tax forms go out on January 31st. This means that you might receive tax forms for a different level than you expect initially.

• Pathways will send an initial list of members on tax credit eligible levels to the Louisiana Department of Revenue after to the first main group of tax forms go out. As documentation for 2019 leveling consideration submitted to Pathways after the December 31st deadline is processed, and member level for 2019 are re-evaluated, additional tax forms will be mailed out to those members whose levels have changed. The final list of members on tax credit eligible levels (will include revisions) will be sent to the Louisiana Department of Revenue at the end of March.

• The Louisiana Department of Revenue uses the lists from Pathways to verify taxpayers Pathways levels. This is just one of the checks and balances the LDR uses to verify tax credit eligibility. They also get a list of star rated centers from the Louisiana Department of Education.

• Pathways expects to send approximately 8200 members tax forms for 2019.

• Due to the significant increase in workload (processing mail, email, and faxes) and strict deadlines for mailing tax forms, Pathways will be unavailable to answer phone calls and most emails during the month of January.

• If you haven’t already notified Pathways of a name change or address change, please do so now. There is an “update information” form on our website http://pathways.nsula.edu that can be submitted.

• We have provided some “Tips about qualifying for Teacher SRTC” (see photo). Administrators should also review these tips.

• Directors, Assistant Directors, and Administrators on the Pathways Administrator Track who need to submit additional documentation to maintain their 2018 level for 2019 tax credit eligibility were sent separate reminders for "membership" and "service to the profession" requirements. Emails were sent to those with email addresses on file. Others were mailed reminders.

• “Complete” ECAC applications submitted through the Louisiana Department of Education’s certification portal (Teach Louisiana) by December 31, 2019 should receive credit for having obtained the ECAC in 2019 even if it is not technically awarded until early 2020.

• Additional SRTC FAQ’s can be found in the LDOE resource library: https://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/default-source/early-childhood/faqs-for-staff-and-directors.pdf?sfvrsn=3ed911f_14.

Thanks for your patience and Happy New Year!!!

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year! - from all of us at Louisiana Pathways

Home Speech Home.com

"Play is really the work of childhood." - Mr. Rogers

The KinderGals

Thanks for sharing First Grade Fun Times

We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July holiday! Pathways will return to the office on Monday. Have a great weekend!

So sorry everyone, the power in the Pathways building is out today (along with a large portion of the Shreveport area). We will not be available today at the very least.

We mailed out nearly 7500 2018 School Readiness Tax Credit forms today! Yeah! Congrats to all those who achieved tax credit eligible levels!

The Pathways office will be closed this afternoon for our Christmas celebration. We will return to the office at 8am tomorrow.

Pathways is thankful for each and every one of you. Thank you for the great work you do! We hope you all enjoy your time with family and friends this week. We’ll be back in the office on Monday.

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Reminder for Directors and Assistant Directors on the Pathways Administrator Track......
If you have not already turned in proof of your annual membership to an early childhood professional organization and current service to the profession, please do so now! We have received star rating letters for Directors from DOE but can’t use them for higher levels unless we also have documentation of the professional activity requirements being met as well. These things are also required to maintain current levels. (New Career Ladders effective for the 2018 tax year can be found at: http://pathways.nsula.edu)

pathways.nsula.edu The Louisiana Pathways Child Care Career Development System is a statewide program designed to help child care employees receive the recognition that they deserve. Participation is voluntary and there are no fees for enrolling. Enrolling in the

Upcoming conference opportunity....

NEW One-time Funding for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Grant Survey

Directors:
Your input is needed: Please see the attached letter from LDOE :

Dear Providers and Stakeholders:

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 passed by Congress included additional discretionary funding for the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) grant for all states. This means that Louisiana will receive a one-time allotment of an additional $39 million in CCDF funds. At least $27 million of these funds will help serve children on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) waiting list. Louisiana must use a certain percentage of the amount on other priorities in early childhood quality and education.

The Louisiana Department of Education would like your input on prioritizing the use of these funds. Please complete this survey to provide recommendations to the Department. In addition, we encourage you to send this survey on to other stakeholders who may be interested in providing input.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KXPWD27
The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, July 13, 2018 at 11:45 PM.

If you have any questions, please contact the Department at 1-877-453-2721.

surveymonkey.com Web survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certified FREE templates.

NEED Director’s Training? Announcing a new way to receive 45 hours of administrative training and Credential.
Registrations and deposits received by June 26 will receive a $10.00 discount. The first day of the new format will be July 11 with a two-hour webinar. Full-day classes will begin on Friday July 13 and will be held at the Louisiana Pathways and Child and Family Network offices in Shreveport from 8-5 on July 13, 14, 16, and 17.

Happy Teacher’s Day to all current and retired teachers!

Important Announcement!
We are busy preparing School Readiness Tax Credit Forms, which will be mailed out on Wednesday, January 31st to all members on levels Teacher 1 and above or, Director 1 and above as of December 31, 2017. If you submitted documentation that will affect your level after the December 31st deadline, you may receive a tax form for a lower level than you expect, or your tax form may not be included in the first group of tax forms due to go out. We will continue to process documentation received after the deadline and will send additional tax credit forms to those who qualify at the end of February and again at the end of March.
The official list of Pathways members who may be eligible for the Child Care Director and Staff Member credit based on their career ladder levels will be sent to the Department of Education at the end of March and from there it will be sent to the Louisiana Department of Revenue.
If you have an address change and have not yet reported it to Pathways, please do so as soon as possible by emailing your updated information to us.

This year’s amounts are as follows:

Level Four Director or Level Four Staff $3,358.00
Level Three Director or Level Three Staff $2,798.00
Level Two Director or Level Two Staff $2,239.00
Level One Director or Level One Staff $1,680.00

Our office is closed until Monday, November 27, 2017 but keep sending in your updated documentation and scholarship information! We will process it all when we return. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Playful Learning

Preschool and Kindergartners have amazing brains. Find out what this means for parents and teachers!

"Throughout the preschool years, the brain overproduces connections between neurons. At about age four and five children have nearly double the number of synapses in some brain areas, such as the frontal lobes, that adults have."

Teachstone

Discover ways to let kids be kids—while still preparing them for kindergarten and the rigors of their K-12 careers.

Download the Teachstone e-book CLASS Teacher Tips to start reading!

From Penny: I have recently been offered a career opportunity that I could not pass up. Today is my last day at Louisiana Pathways. I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with each of you over the past nine years. Jenny Cowan will now be the Pathways Coordinator over all of Louisiana Pathways including Career Development, Scholarships, and Trainer Approval. I am confident that she will go a great job! My best wishes to each of you.