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Social Platforms that Help Us Stay Connected

Posted on April 13, 2020

Social distancing does not mean self isolation! Below is a list of platforms available to stay in touch with other family members and neighbors. The power of the internet makes this possible to do in more ways than ever before, including different social media platforms and even video conferences to see friends and family across the state. Even a simple phone call to talk through a problem may help divert a tragedy. Staying connected can help strengthen family ties, divert stress and promote healthy mental outcomes.

  • Facetime - Video Calling
    o Get it on: Apple Products from the Apple App Store
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: This is a video calling app that can only be downloaded from the Apple App store for video calling other Apple products
  • Snapchat - Video Calling, Text Messaging, Video Messaging
    o Get it on: Android and Apple mobile devices.
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: This is a video messaging app that allows all messages and
    conversations to not be saved.
  • Whatsapp - Video Calling, Text Messaging
    o Get it on: Computers, and Android and Apple mobile devices.
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: Whatsapp is an internationally used messaging app that is
    widely popular globally.
  • Skype - Video Calling, Text Messaging
    o Get it on: Computers, web browsers, and Android and Apple mobile devices.
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: Skype is a widely known video calling platform that uses
    Microsoft's AI technology for features such as live translations.
  • Hangouts - Text Messaging, Video Calling
    o Get it on: Web browsers, and Android and Apple mobile devices.
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: Google Hangouts is a robust communication platform on the web.
  • Duo - Video Calling
    o Get it on: Android and Apple mobile devices
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets is apart: This is the Google analog to Apple Facetime. But can be used on Android phones and Iphones.
  • Signal / Telegram - Encrypted Text Messaging
    o Get it on: Android and Apple mobile devices
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: Both Signal and Telegram are messaging applications that use end to end encryption.
  • Facebook Messenger - Video Calling, Text Messaging
    o Get it on: Computers, web browsers, and Android and Apple mobile devices
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: This is a communication service tied to Facebook's social network.
  • Microsoft Teams - Video Calling, Text Messaging, Community Management, Productivity
    o Get it on: Computers, web browsers, and Android and Apple mobile devices.
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: Teams is Microsoft's chat productivity application. It allows for collaborating and staying in contact with multiple people within the team.
  • Discord - Video Calling, Text Messaging, Community Management
    o Get it on: Computers, and Android and Apple mobile devices
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: Discord is a robust community management tool. Create servers or rooms for different interests or teams to communicate and keep in touch.
  • FreeConference / FreeConferenceCall / FreeConferenceCalling - Conference Calling Service that is Free
    o Get it on: Create the account online using an email address and use the service with a phone.
    o Cost: Free
    o What sets it apart: Each of the listed above are not typos. Each is an individual company that provides conference calling for free.
  • Google Voice - Cloud Based Phone Number
    o Get it on: Computers, and Android and Apple mobile devices
    o Cost: Free if used to make calls within the United States. Calls to other countries have a cost per minute.
    o What sets it apart: Google Voice is a cost effective way to have a phone number and make phone calls so long as you have access to the internet.
  • GotoMeeting
    o Get it on: Computers, and Android and Apple mobile devices
    o Cost: Free for two weeks.
    o What sets it apart: Video conference calling for many people
  • Marco Polo
    o Get it on: iphone and ipad
    o Cost: free
    o What sets it apart: it’s like "video walkie talkie," a video chat app that lets you send quick messages back and forth.

New Jersey Child Care Subsidies and COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions

Posted on April 9, 2020

Back in March, ACNJ conducted a survey to evaluate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the child care community to date. To address the concerns raised, we held multiple Q&As with leading authorities to help navigate the resources available to the child care community. Here is a list of questions from the surveys and Q&As, as well as emails, conversations with members in the community and information found on the New Jersey Child Care for COVID-19 website.

Download FAQ's

For Child Care Centers that are Currently Closed:

For Child Care Centers that are Currently Open:

Co-Payments:

Family Child Care:

For Parents Needing Care:

Educational and fun resources for kids while school is out

Posted on April 9, 2020

Parents, having a hard time with this distance learning or forced homeschooling during the pandemic? Trying to replicate the school setting at home? Well you don't have too. What a relief! Parents have a unique role that can help facilitate learning for kids without having to take on the role of "teacher". Below are some helpful resources to help kids compliment their school work and simply to have fun while learning.

Not all the resources listed are free, but many provide free trials and some are providing free services while school is out due to the COVID-19.


RESOURCES

ABC Mouse- great for younger children.  (Free trail for 30 days.)

Adventure Academy - for ages thirteen and younger; works on reading, math, social studies, science (free trail for 30 days.)

AWE learning- free printable worksheet for ages two to twelve

Bedtime Math- Provides activities to help kids love numbers so they can handle the math in real life.  Check out their “cabin fever” math activities for kids to enjoy at home

**Brain Pop- Help curious learners stay informed and on-track with free resources and videos

Breakout EDU- games to download to play; k-5

Character Tree- Free home access to the Character Tree videos and supplemental/printable activities, through June 30, 2020. The subscription includes 32 character education videos, 32 sets of printable activities, and teacher’s guides.

Creosity Space- Provides lessons from Contagion Crushers, Water Watchers, and Conscientious Chemists units at no cost to help support teachers, parents, and guardians to keep all kids engaged in science.

Museum of Natural History

Arizona State University- Created fun sites including Ask an Anthropologist, Ask a Biologist, and Virtual Field Trips.

Railroad- provides virtual story telling  and activities to go along

Curriculum Associates- Provides resources for educators and parents tailored to your state core curriculum standards including downloadable packets for K-5 (Math and Reading).

DK- provides printable worksheet for students to complete.

ED helper- provides a daily free worksheet

**Elementari- Promotes arts, literacy, educational computational thinking and ultimates helps kids improve writing.

**Fabulingua- This platform allows students to learn Spanish.

Freckle- Adaptive math and ELA courses are always available for free for teachers and students.

Hand2 Mind- Free daily content including streaming video lessons, taught by teachers, directed towards kids in grades K-5, for both math and literacy. Also find downloadable activities and STEM resources.

Head Sprout- An online K–5 reading program that adapts to the needs of the individual student. It is self-paced, which makes it ideal for at-home practice.

Holiday House- Online resources complete with educator guides, lesson plans, and activity sheets.

Homer- App to help 2-8 kids learn to read

Kid Discover- They offer a K-2 literacy program, with a strong focus on phonics and comprehension.

Kahn Academy- They offer free resources to keep everyone learning while schools are closed; daily schedules for students ages 2-18 to keep them learning.

Lalilo- They offer a K-2 literacy program, with a strong focus on phonics and comprehension.

Lego-  For families at home they have entertainment and learning content, including daily build challenges and fun LEGO lessons.

Literably- K-8 reading

Metal Up- MentalUP is a UK-based award-winning scientific-educational application containing cognitive learning games for K-8 learners.

Mystery Science  Science offers digital video mini-lessons for science subjects K-5.

Pebble- PebbleGo offers safe, interactive online research resources on topics selected by their teachers for students K-3.

Pitsco -  Hands-on, minds-on learning can happen anywhere and everywhere. If you’re looking for STEMspiration because of an unexpected homeschooling need, you’re in the midst of an uncommon education experience, or you just want to have some STEM fun, we’ve got ideas.

Prodigy- Math games for first through eighth grade.

Reading IQ- ReadingIQ is a comprehensive digital library offering books, magazines, comics, and more for kids from ages 2-12. It’s a smart replacement for library time right now and makes it possible for teachers to monitor what and how much their students are reading.

Reading Plus- Free printable skill-building packages help develop reading comprehension in essential comprehension skills, which include close reading, main idea and themes, interaction of ideas, use of language, structure, point of view, imaging scaffolds, reasoning and rhetoric, and comparative reading.

Scholastic Scholastic- Scholastic Learn at Home website to provides students with approximately 20 days worth of learning journeys that span various content areas. Students get approximately three hours of learning opportunities per day, including projects based on articles and stories, virtual field trips, reading and geography challenges, and more.

Seussville - The area dedicated to the parents of small ones includes full of activities, crafts, and printables. The Educator section includes resources for supplemental activities in Art, Science, Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts.

Simple Solution - Includes quick short activities in reading, science, social studies, study skills, and problem solving.

Stars Fall-  An interactive program for ages 2 to 5 that is engaging but does not over stimulate children.  Developed by preschool teachers, it is primarily geared towards teaching children the foundations of reading.

Sum Dog - An online learning tool which provides personalized math and spelling practice. It adapts questions to each student, using engaging games and rewards for effort and achievement to build their confidence, and is proven to accelerate progress.

Summer Math Challenge- Super Star Online, by Help Me 2 Learn, is a supplemental reading, phonics and, math program featuring a wide variety of songs, interactive activities, and games in an engaging and easy-to-use format. Features our Super Star Motivational and Data Tracking System.

Tinkergarden- Provides educational activities designed for learning at various ages and requiring only basic household items.

Typsey- This platform provides lessons to help kids learn to type.

*Virtual Field Trips- Here you can explore the world without right from your home.

Write Readers- WriteReader increases students’ digital writing skills significantly in only 6 weeks. Teachers can also remotely provide feedback to students and have them engaged with meaningful writing activities.

Zearn- Top-rated math content available online or paper-based materials that can be used without a device. Also find extensive distance learning resources created to support educators and parents/caregivers in getting started quickly and are offering webinars, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides on their Distance Learning Center.

 

 


Fighting Boredom?

Check out these ideas shared with us to help keep everyone entertained while in isolation.

NY Times recommendation on  What to Watch, Read and Listen To During Your Coronavirus Self-Quarantine.

Family-friendly movies
IMDB has a list of top 100 movies to watch with your family.

Movies for us parents on Netflix!

Concerts
Here are some ‘quaranTuning’ updates.

Take a virtual museum tour
An extensive list of museums, zoos and theme parks offering virtual tours. Some links include:
The Louvre, Paris, France
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
The Vatican Museum, Vatican City, Rome, Italy
The British Museum, London, England
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY

Explore some National Parks
These 5 national parks offer virtual tours.

Spend a night at the opera
The Metropolitan Opera will be streaming a new show every night.

Tune into The Chamber music Society of Lincoln Center for videos of classical music and performances.

Children’s activities (for kids of all ages)
Scavenger Hunt around the neighborhood: You can get your neighbors/ friends involved. Everyone picks items to find and sends pictures – first to send the pictures wins.

Write Letters to grandparents, friends, family who are lonely in quarantine.

Write Letters to local nursing homes.

Cooking something as easy as sharing with your child different ways to cook an egg can be highly entertaining.

Workout This is good for your health and one of the most important factors for a strong immune system!
YouTube’s options are endless. Many gyms are offering ‘free trials’ for their virtual training – for example:

Peloton app is offering 90-day free subscription
OrangeTheory is offering a daily ‘At-Home workout’ on their app.

Session II Child Care and COVID-19 State and Federal Supports Recording and Resources

Posted on April 8, 2020

Please let us know your thoughts on Session II the Child Care & COVID-19: State & federal supports Q&A session. Fill out feedback form.

View Session I with Danielle Ewen, EducationCounsel and Yarrow Willman-Cole, Citizen Action Time to Care Coalition

View Session III Understaning Umemployment Insurance with Sarah Hymowitz, Supervising Attorney, Workers Legal Rights Project, Legal Services of New Jersey and David Bander, Executive Director, Policy Office at NJ Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Resources

Power Presentation:
Child Care and COVID-19: Supporting Essential Workers by Kim Perrelli, ChildCare Aware

COVID-19 Scenarios & Benefits Available, NJ Department of Labor at-a-glance list

Paycheck Protection Program Borrower application form, U.S. Small Business Administration
(download and open the application on your computer for fillable form options.)

Business Sustainability Checklist for Nonprofit Organizations During Crisis, The Mercadien Group

Business Sustainability Checklist for Organizations During Crisis, The Mercadien Group

View Session I webinar and resources. 

Stay tuned on the latest information, policy updates and resources for organizations that work with children and families during COVID-19 epidemic.

 

 

Newark Kids Count emphasizes importance of 2020 Census

Posted on April 7, 2020

Back in March, ACNJ digitally released its annual Newark Kids Count databook, detailing the state of children in New Jersey’s largest city by analyzing five-year data trends across multiple wellness indicators, including health, economic security, education and more. This year, the special section focused on the significance of the 2020 Census and how Census data inform vital funding for the many programs used by Brick City.

Read the Newark Kids Count report
View recording of Newark Kids Count release
Learn about ways to advocate for the Census

The importance of the Census cannot be overstated. Newark alone sees more than 28,000 children receiving SNAP (formerly food stamps), roughly 32,000 students relying on school meals, nearly 13,000 Newark women, infants and children enrolled in WIC and nearly 57,000 children with NJ FamilyCare health insurance. The allocation of funding for these safety net programs are made possible through Census data. Current and future generations, families and children, young and old all rely on these services for the support they need to help them thrive.

And yet, the City of Newark trails behind the rest of the state in filling out their Census questionnaires. As of April 6th, only 29 percent of households responded.

More than $45 billion in federal funding are allocated to New Jersey based on Census population counts, supporting schools, child care programs, health care, nutrition programs and more each decade. In addition, the count determines the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and is used to draw congressional and state legislative districts, determining how much power New Jersey will have in the federal arena. We have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to shape the future of our communities. Individuals can respond online, by mail or by phone. By taking ten minutes to fill out the questionnaire, and encouraging others to fill out their forms, we are helping to secure a brighter future for all.