Early Edge Blog

COVID-19 Discussion with LEA Professional Learning Community

March 25, 2020

Early Edge California Hosts Discussion with its Local Educational Agencies (LEA) Professional Learning Community Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic 

Early Edge California’s LEA Professional Learning Community (PLC) met on Monday, March 23 via video-conference to discuss the challenges their respective programs are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included Early Learning leaders from San Diego Unified School District, Oakland Unified School District, Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Fresno Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Sacramento City Unified School District.

Below are some highlights from our discussion:

• Participants shared resources that have circulated within their respective districts on various issues such as mental health considerations, communications to families during the pandemic, remote learning opportunities for families.
• Access to distance learning is a challenge for Pre-K programs with the same considerations that K-12 is facing, such as disparate access to wifi and electronic devices, and negotiations with unions.
• Additional guidance and an Executive Order specific to childcare/child development programs are expected in the next few days to address various concerns 

In anticipation of the Executive Order and guidance, the PLC compiled the following questions to send to the Governor’s Office, the California Department of Education and the Department of Social Services to help inform the development of these documents:

• DRDP 
  • Will there be an extension?
  • What is the expectation for turning in complete DRDP’s for 2019-20?
• Program Self-Evaluation
  • Are the requirements for program self-evaluation different, given the circumstances?
  • What is the state’s expectation regarding submission of PSEs?
• Enrollment for 2020-2021
  • How are we going to conduct enrollment for the coming year?
  • Can providers use electronic/online application processes and digital signatures for verification?
  • Family childcare home slots – how to prioritize eligibility for these slots, in particular in consideration of those who work in essential jobs such health care and law enforcement?
  • Will there be changes to the priorities for those eligible for our subsidized programs?
• How do we open our centers for the current year?
  • How can LEAs open classes now?
  • How do social distancing requirements interplay with ratios, and how do priority decisions get made when a program cannot accommodate its normal demand due to lower ratio requirements from social distancing?
  • Guidance concerning bargaining unit concerns?

Given the constant and evolving flow of information, Early Edge California will provide updates in the coming days and weeks from our work with LEA Professional Learning Community.