October’s Weekly Memos
“Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much.”
Week of October 6
Great Shake Out
October 17, 2025 at 10:17 AM, we will be participating in the Great Shake Out Earthquake Drill. Here are instructions for staff and families and here is a poster to put up alerting staff and families.
Is it too hot to go outside?
To answer this question, we will be following the guidance of the National Weather Service https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heatrisk/ (updated link). We will be reviewing this website weekly to plan for safe outdoor time. For the week of October 6th we are expected to be in Yellow Monday-Wednesday and Green Thursday and Friday. Here is the Heat Risk Guidance for Sites (print and reference weekly). Also, for more detailed information, here is the full Heat Risk Grid from the National Weather Service (English/Spanish)
QRIS/Match Salary Enhancements—Reminder
We are providing a reminder because only 7 staff have responded so far regarding their professional growth meeting
We will once again be utilizing our QRIS CSSP Funds primarily to pay out salary enhancements to eligible staff. All our GO sites achieved a tier 5 QRIS rating and have received an award of $7,500 per site. This is a bit less than last year. The award is before taxes will be divided by 7 staff and taxes will be taken out. Like last year, we will be using other funding to issue matching salary enhancements for CCTR/EHS Center Staff. As a resource, here is the SCOE GO QRIS 2025 Flyer
To be eligible:
Staff must have worked in an eligible position as of June 2025 at a site that scored a 4 or 5. Note all sites scored a 5.
Staff must meet with a professional growth advisor by October 31, 2025, and document the meeting at the link on the flyer linked above.
Staff’s current classroom must demonstrate fidelity to the Teaching Pyramid. The School Readiness team is scheduling observations to assess Teaching Pyramid fidelity between now and 10/17/25. Classrooms not achieving fidelity will be provided coaching and will be observed again by 10/31/25. Classrooms not achieving fidelity will not be eligible for a salary enhancement. Jewelee will be following up with Tamara on the status of pending classrooms.
To meet fidelity expectations, preschool classrooms must score “yes” on at least 10/12 questions on the TPOT Champion Snapshot. Please note classrooms that demonstrated fidelity using the full Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) in Spring 2025 have achieved fidelity and will not receive a Snapshot.
Infant Toddler classes must score “no” on at least 10/11 questions on the TIPITOS Red Flags.
Upcoming Conference Opportunities
We have budgeted conference attendance for SCOE GO staff this year as follows:
Three (3) SCOE GO staff to attend the National Head Start Association Parent and Family Engagement Conference in Orlando Florida December 8-11. Here is a link to the conference website for more information. https://nhsa.org/conference/parent-and-family-engagement-conference/
Eight (8) SCOE GO staff to attend the Teaching Pyramid Symposium Feb 6-7, 2026 at Ventura County Office of Education https://cainclusion.org/teachingpyramid/event/2026-california-teaching-pyramid-symposium/
Four (4) SCOE GO staff to attend Head Start California Advocacy Day March 17, 2026 in Sacramento, CA https://site.pheedloop.com/event/HSCAdvocacyDay2026/home/
If you are interested in attending, please sign up here for the drawing. Please note that priority will be given to staff who have not attended a conference in the past three program years. https://forms.gle/Pb4CKNiwaVTkL28Y9
Active Supervision
Ensure your teams is following Active Supervision Plans and update if there have been any staffing changes. Please utilize the risk assessment form to identify any classrooms/FCCH’s that may need additional support and reach out to Chris Lemings.
Family/Community Services
The FCE Google folder is updated monthly. In the folder you will find information from the past FCE Trainings as well as resources and training calendars. The folder can be accessed using the following link: Family Engagement Professional Development. Please make sure to share the link with all staff who may need access to the folder. The next FCE Training will be held on October 22 from 9am-12pm in the Chatom Room. The topic for this training will be on “Sustaining your Passion” and participants will have the opportunity to discuss and learn about the pitfalls of working in early childhood education as a family services staff, exploring topics such as burn out, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, while learning to protect their own mental health by fanning the flames of their passion for working with children and their families. Please have attendees sign in using COPA as there is only a limited capacity (50).
First Aid/CPR Course 10-10-25
Here is a flyer for the upcoming Hybrid course. As a reminder, if you register, you are expected to attend. This course is covered by our insurance for employees but the program is charged for no show fees. This is not an allowable expense.
Registration can be done at info@lifefirsttrainingcenter.com or lifefirsttraingcenter@gmail.com.
Attached is a flyer with additional information. This information is also available on the CRSIG website, under Trainings & Safety Resources - https://www.crsig.com/training-sefety-resources, and registration on the CRSIG website, under Calendar - https://www.crsig.com/calendar.
CLASS Resources
Please see the new CLASS CDE updated FAQ page: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/classassementfaqs.asp CLASS resources are available on Teachstone.com / click on resources/ Community/ it will take you to CLASS Learning Community page where you can filter resources by age group or domain.
Circle/Group Time Resource
Educators, here is a quick reference that may be helpful for circle time planning.
IEEEP Newsletter
Here is the October 2025 Educator/Parent Newsletter. Please share
School Readiness
Our 2025–2026 School Readiness targeted goal is to increase children’s understanding of numbers and quantity, as measured by the final assessment results. Here are some resources you can share with families to help them find and talk about math during daily routines. ENGLISH and SPANISH.
This resource is for parents to learn more about numbers. It describes key early math concepts, explains why they are important, and offers ideas to support children’s understanding and skills in each area. ENGLISH & SPANISH.
Tony’s Update 10-3-25
Here is the google drive Tony shared with information shared on 10-3-25
Government Shutdown Resources
The National Head Start Association has released a 2025 Government Shutdown information page which contains information helpful explanation of the process and how to be prepared. I recommend you share the talking points with staff and families.
Head Start California Director Update (October 2025)-
Head Start California has released their October 2025 Director Update, please review and share with staff as it contains several training and webinar opportunities.
Head Start Federal Monitoring 2026
The revised 2026 Federal Monitoring Review protocols have been released and can be located using the link below. Our MHS and RHS preschool programs are expecting a CLASS review and a FA2 (Comprehensive Service Review) next, take a few minutes to view the Expo and the protocols as they have been updated. https://headstart.gov/federal-monitoring
CFS Quest: Fall Togetherness
Did you catch the recent emails from the CFS Mental Health & Wellness Team? If not, here’s your reminder about the awesome activity we have going on- CFS Quest: Fall Togetherness, this started on Monday, September 22nd and it runs through October 27th. The goal is simple: engage in the four areas of togetherness and well-being with coworkers, friends, and family. Prize Drawing: Everyone who completes and submits their Quest will be entered into a prize drawing! See attached PDF to see the great prizes.
Don’t forget to join the CFS Fun Walk Event at MJC on October 24th 4:00PM-6:00 PM. Bring your family and friends!
Policy Council
The Policy Committee Data forms for the new program year are due no later than October 30th (form was shared in the September folder and can also be accessed via Incident IQ).
Security Cameras
We are in process of scheduling installation of security cameras at Del Puerto, Muncy HS and Oakdale CDC. This installation is part of the MOU we have in place with CSEA and in effort to continue to increase facility safety & security.
Help is available when you need it:
Access support from CFS Mental Health & Wellness team at cfs-mentalhealth@stancoe.org
SCOE’s Employee Assistance Program—In the moment counseling support is available by phone 24/7 at 800-295-8323.
CalHOPE: Call or text the CalHOPE Warm Line: (833) 317-HOPE (4673) The CalHOPE warm line connects callers to people who have persevered through struggles with stress, anxiety, depression—emotions triggered by circumstances and events in everyday life. The peer counselors listen with compassion, provide non-judgmental support, and guide you to additional resources that can give hope and help you cope.
Stanislaus County Warm Line—available by phone 24/7. Call 209-558-4600 Stanislaus Co residents can call when they are having a hard time making it through the day but not in crisis, need a caring listener to provide effective feedback to help explore options, or want support, assistance and resources toward recovery.
Stanislaus Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (STAN BHRS) Access Line: 1-888-376-6246
CA state hotline 833-544-2374 that people — particularly older, isolated Californians — can call for local non-medical services, such as food delivery and mental health care.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline—available by phone 24/7. No holds and no busy signals Dial 988
Your health insurance. Call the phone number on your card to access a provider who accepts your insurance. You can access a professional at just the cost of a co-pay
Anthem Total Health, Total You-created to help you take care of your health, work on lifestyle changes and connect with specialized health professionals. Services include 24/7 Nurseline, Behavioral Health Resource, Case Management, Emotional Well-Being Resources & Inclusive Care
Carelon Wellbeing provides support with counseling, work-live support, legal services and financial services
Kaiser-Mental Health and Addiction Care Services
Week of October 13
Great Shake Out
October 16, 2025 at 10:16 AM, we will be participating in the Great Shake Out Earthquake Drill. Here are instructions for staff and families and here is a poster to put up alerting staff and families.
Is it too hot to go outside?
To answer this question, we will be following the guidance of the National Weather Service https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heatrisk/ (updated link). We will be reviewing this website weekly to plan for safe outdoor time. For the week of October 13th we are expected to be in Green all week. Here is the Heat Risk Guidance for Sites (print and reference weekly). Also, for more detailed information, here is the full Heat Risk Grid from the National Weather Service (English/Spanish)
QRIS/Match Salary Enhancements—Reminder
As a reminder, to be eligible for a QRIS/Match Salary Enhancement staff must meet with a professional growth advisor by October 31, 2025, and document the meeting at the survey on this link. So far 36 staff have documented their meeting with their professional growth advisor. I have given supervisors access to the survey responses. Please follow up with any of your staff who have not yet completed this step.
Mental Health & Wellness Consultation
When requesting a class observation or team support from the CFS Mental Health and Wellness team, please email cfs-mentalhealth@stancoe.org instead of emailing individual people directly. This will enable timely follow up even when individual team members are out of the office.
Program Quality Team Brainstorm
The 25-26 Program Quality Team Would like to hear from you! Please assist us with brainstorming by completing this 4-question survey https://forms.gle/vbmiZoUJ8eimHoyA9
Pediatric First Aid & CPR
CRSIG will be offering a hybrid Pediatric First Aid and CPR Training on November 18, 2025. The online portion needs to be completed prior to the class on 11/18. Registration can be done at info@lifefirsttrainingcenter.com or lifefirsttrainingcenter@gmail.com
Here is a flyer with additional information. This information is also available on the CRSIG website, under Trainings & Safety Resources - https://www.crsig.com/training-sefety-resources, and registration on the CRSIG website, under Calendar - https://www.crsig.com/calendar.
If staff are unable to make it to one of the scheduled dates, please have them contact Life First Training, at info@lifefirsttrainingcenter.com or lifefirsttrainingcenter@gmail.com, so they may be placed on a waitlist for the next available date.
CFS Family Fun Walk
We’re excited to invite you to our Family Fun Walk on Thursday, October 24th! Please note the location is: John B. Allard 3113 Mitchell Rd, Ceres. The Wellness Committee is hosting this event to help you wrap up the workday and head into the weekend with energy, connection, and fun. Bring your family and enjoy the last hour of work in a positive, wellness-focused environment! Bonus: Everyone who participates will be entered into a prize drawing for some awesome rewards! Your well behaved four-legged friends are welcome to join the fun. Be sure to keep them leashed and bring bags to clean up after them!
If you’re also participating in the CFS Quest: Fall Togetherness, attending this event will earn you 3 additional entries toward the CFS Quest prizes!
For full details, please checkout the flyer. Calendar Invite to follow. We can’t wait to see you there and share this time together!
Budget Status Report
Here is the SCOE GO Budget Status Report by site as of September 30th
Security Cameras
We will schedule security camera installations at Del Puerto, Muncy HS, ML Annear and Oakdale CDC during winter break. This installation is part of the MOU we have in place with CSEA and in effort to continue to increase facility safety & security.
Help is available when you need it:
Access support from CFS Mental Health & Wellness team at cfs-mentalhealth@stancoe.org
SCOE’s Employee Assistance Program—In the moment counseling support is available by phone 24/7 at 800-295-8323.
CalHOPE: Call or text the CalHOPE Warm Line: (833) 317-HOPE (4673) The CalHOPE warm line connects callers to people who have persevered through struggles with stress, anxiety, depression—emotions triggered by circumstances and events in everyday life. The peer counselors listen with compassion, provide non-judgmental support, and guide you to additional resources that can give hope and help you cope.
Stanislaus County Warm Line—available by phone 24/7. Call 209-558-4600 Stanislaus Co residents can call when they are having a hard time making it through the day but not in crisis, need a caring listener to provide effective feedback to help explore options, or want support, assistance and resources toward recovery.
Stanislaus Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (STAN BHRS) Access Line: 1-888-376-6246
CA state hotline 833-544-2374 that people — particularly older, isolated Californians — can call for local non-medical services, such as food delivery and mental health care.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline—available by phone 24/7. No holds and no busy signals Dial 988
Your health insurance. Call the phone number on your card to access a provider who accepts your insurance. You can access a professional at just the cost of a co-pay
Anthem Total Health, Total You-created to help you take care of your health, work on lifestyle changes and connect with specialized health professionals. Services include 24/7 Nurseline, Behavioral Health Resource, Case Management, Emotional Well-Being Resources & Inclusive Care
Carelon Wellbeing provides support with counseling, work-live support, legal services and financial services
Kaiser-Mental Health and Addiction Care Services
Week of October 20
Is it too hot to go outside?
To answer this question, we will be following the guidance of the National Weather Service https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heatrisk/ (updated link). We will be reviewing this website weekly to plan for safe outdoor time. For the week of October 20th we are expected to be in Yellow Mon-Tues and Green the rest of the week. Here is the Heat Risk Guidance for Sites (print and reference weekly). Also, for more detailed information, here is the full Heat Risk Grid from the National Weather Service (English/Spanish). Now that we are out of the heat, I will stop reporting out weekly but you can still access the information as needed on the link above.
Pediatric CPR/First Aid
We have had several staff struggle to find a SCOE sponsored Pediatric CPR/First Aid class that aligns with their expiration date, which has created additional stress and expense for staff. While we are working with the vendor to provide a schedule of planned courses, currently it is recommended that you register for a course two months in advance of your expiration date.
CFS Gives 2025—Christmas Project
Well, it is a little over 2 months until Christmas... If you, your team or your family are interested in adopting one of our CFS Families for Christmas please sign up here. https://forms.gle/rFpeXoEdJnLLWmmG7
Center and Home Based Staff, please discuss your families with your teams and nominate one family per site and one family for every two home based units by Friday, November 7th. Based on the number of sign ups by gift givers, we will likely have capacity to adopt any additional families so please keep a few extra families in mind. https://forms.gle/625XQatidS81ns8TA
California Workforce Registry
Due to severe funding cuts, the California Workforce Registry will be closing. If you have data or information stored in the Registry, please download and save your records before December 15, 2025. Individuals must download all verified and unverified documents and their Education and Training Report. You can access the site here: https://www.caregistry.org/
After December 15th, information in the Registry will no longer be accessible. The California Workforce Registry serves as the statewide system for tracking and recognizing the education, training, and professional experience of early learning and care educators. SCOE is working on an alternative solution to meet this need. Stay tuned!
Casenotes
Here is the updated Casenotes policy. Please note that casenotes related to CPS reporting are now to be categorized as “Mandated Reporter Calls”
Race and Ethnicity Changes
Due to changes with the PIR, going forward instead of choosing both Race and Ethnicity, we are now choosing Race and/or ethnicity. PIM is working on updating COPA and data entry procedures. Here is some information from the draft PIR. PIM will do their best to transition to the new questions but will reach out if needed for support transitioning the data of staff and children
“Hispanic or Latino” is now a selection and we do not need to mark “Other add a comment
“Other” has been eliminated as a choice but individuals can still identify as “unspecified”
“Biracial” and “multiracial” selections are being removed. Instead, we will check multiple boxes for families who identify with multiple races
WIC
WIC Updates - website attached and has updates on the federal shutdowns for how WIC is impacted. Encourage families to continue using WIC resources they still have. Jazmin is working on resources for food insecurities in case WIC does not have funding at some point in time. Information will be in the google drive.
Public Health Resources to share
Public Health Reporting Reminders (Work with your nurse on any required reports to public health
Feedback on New Child Development Permit Matrix
The Commission on Teacher Credentialing is requesting feedback on the proposed Child Development Permit Performance Expectations (CDP PEs). THESE PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS ARE INTENDED TO GUIDE PREPARATION FOR EACH LEVEL OF THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. Each survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Please complete all surveys by Monday November 10, 2025. They are collecting names and emails to avoid bot, AI, or repeat responses. All answers will be anonymized. Your personal information will be removed before any results are shared. Here is the draft revised permit matrix for your reference. Thank you for your time and your commitment to the field of early learning.
ECE 1 Child Development Permit Performance Expectations Field Survey: Early Childhood Educator 1
ECE 2 Child Development Permit Performance Expectations Field Survey: Early Childhood Educator 2
ECE 3 Child Development Permit Performance Expectations Field Survey: Early Childhood Educator 3
ECA 1 Child Development Permit Performance Expectations Survey: Early Childhood Administrator 1
ECA 2 Child Development Permit Performance Expectations Survey: Early Childhood Administrator 2
Free Workshop: Immigrant Rights in Child Care Spaces
The Child Care Law center is offering these free workshops.
In these challenging times, when uncertainty and fear weigh heavy on so many in our community, we want you to know one thing: you are not alone.
The Child Care Law Center stands in solidarity with child care providers and families, many of whom are immigrants. We believe in a future where every child is cared for, every family is supported, and every provider is valued and paid fairly for the essential work they do.
This is why we developed our new training for families with children in child care and child care providers working in various California child care programs.
Immigrant Rights in Child Care Settings
This training will include:
A general overview of immigration laws and policies impacting child care programs,
Immigrant rights of child care providers, child care staff, families and children in child care,
Best practices for child care programs, like:
Preparing for law enforcement trying to enter or search the program
Responding to law enforcement requests involving the program
Addressing immigration-related questions and concerns with families, children, and staff.
Immigrant rights resources, guides, and toolkits in multiple languages, and
A space to test your knowledge and ask questions.
Upcoming Dates:
Monday, October 27 6-7 PM
Tuesday, November 4 6-7 PM
Thursday, November 6 6-7 PM
Friday November 14 6-7 PM
These workshops will be hosted by Child Care Law Center, Public Council, and East Bay Community Law Center, and will not be recorded for privacy.
Help is available when you need it:
Access support from CFS Mental Health & Wellness team at cfs-mentalhealth@stancoe.org
SCOE’s Employee Assistance Program—In the moment counseling support is available by phone 24/7 at 800-295-8323.
CalHOPE: Call or text the CalHOPE Warm Line: (833) 317-HOPE (4673) The CalHOPE warm line connects callers to people who have persevered through struggles with stress, anxiety, depression—emotions triggered by circumstances and events in everyday life. The peer counselors listen with compassion, provide non-judgmental support, and guide you to additional resources that can give hope and help you cope.
Stanislaus County Warm Line—available by phone 24/7. Call 209-558-4600 Stanislaus Co residents can call when they are having a hard time making it through the day but not in crisis, need a caring listener to provide effective feedback to help explore options, or want support, assistance and resources toward recovery.
Stanislaus Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (STAN BHRS) Access Line: 1-888-376-6246
CA state hotline 833-544-2374 that people — particularly older, isolated Californians — can call for local non-medical services, such as food delivery and mental health care.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline—available by phone 24/7. No holds and no busy signals Dial 988
Your health insurance. Call the phone number on your card to access a provider who accepts your insurance. You can access a professional at just the cost of a co-pay
Anthem Total Health, Total You-created to help you take care of your health, work on lifestyle changes and connect with specialized health professionals. Services include 24/7 Nurseline, Behavioral Health Resource, Case Management, Emotional Well-Being Resources & Inclusive Care
Carelon Wellbeing provides support with counseling, work-live support, legal services and financial services
Kaiser-Mental Health and Addiction Care Services
Week of October 27
DRDP 2025 Updates
Here are updated tracking sheets for the DRDP 2025 Infant Toddler & Preschool. Updates were made to correct titles and typos. You do not need to transfer data if you have a current tracking sheet you are using. Additionally, here are updated DRDP 2015 Infant Toddler & Preschool Fundamental Tracking Sheets.
Additionally, HLTH 3, 4, & 5 are now conditional for the DRDP 2025. They are only required for children on IFSP. Since we are using the DRDP 2015 for children with IEP/IFSP, we will no longer be using these measures this program year. These measures were already conditional for Preschool.
Sierra Vista Family Resource Center
Here is some information from a recent presentation by Sierra Vista FRC: Informational Presentation, Dad Café, Promotora classes
Pour in Play Maintenance
Below is the schedule for the PIP maintenance at our sites. These dates will need to be a little flexible as we move through the sites some might take longer, and some might take less time. As each site is completing, we will communicate with you and your team so that the next site is aware that we will be there the next day. With weather being a factor, it is hard to come up with the perfect schedule, but this gives us a starting point. The contractor will fence off their working area. We will start at Del Puerto HS this Wednesday the 29th. Robert will be onsite this Wednesday as the project gets started. Estimated Dates:
Del Puerto Head Start—Preschool Oct 29th-31
Oakdale Child Development Center—Preschool Nov 3rd-5th
Riverbank Head Start Preschool Nov 6th-10th
Sylvan Head Start Nov 11th-13th
Coleman F Brown Nov 14th-17th
Chrysler Head Start 2818 Nov 18th-19th
Muncy Child Development SCOE SPED Nov 20th-21st
MLA Dec 12th-15th
Almond Terrace Dec 12th-15th
Help is available when you need it:
Access support from CFS Mental Health & Wellness team at cfs-mentalhealth@stancoe.org
SCOE’s Employee Assistance Program—In the moment counseling support is available by phone 24/7 at 800-295-8323.
CalHOPE: Call or text the CalHOPE Warm Line: (833) 317-HOPE (4673) The CalHOPE warm line connects callers to people who have persevered through struggles with stress, anxiety, depression—emotions triggered by circumstances and events in everyday life. The peer counselors listen with compassion, provide non-judgmental support, and guide you to additional resources that can give hope and help you cope.
Stanislaus County Warm Line—available by phone 24/7. Call 209-558-4600 Stanislaus Co residents can call when they are having a hard time making it through the day but not in crisis, need a caring listener to provide effective feedback to help explore options, or want support, assistance and resources toward recovery.
Stanislaus Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (STAN BHRS) Access Line: 1-888-376-6246
CA state hotline 833-544-2374 that people — particularly older, isolated Californians — can call for local non-medical services, such as food delivery and mental health care.
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline—available by phone 24/7. No holds and no busy signals Dial 988
Your health insurance. Call the phone number on your card to access a provider who accepts your insurance. You can access a professional at just the cost of a co-pay
Anthem Total Health, Total You-created to help you take care of your health, work on lifestyle changes and connect with specialized health professionals. Services include 24/7 Nurseline, Behavioral Health Resource, Case Management, Emotional Well-Being Resources & Inclusive Care
Carelon Wellbeing provides support with counseling, work-live support, legal services and financial services
Kaiser-Mental Health and Addiction Care Services
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