September 12, 2024 RSP Newsletter
Hello RSP Leaders!
Welcome to the new messaging format!
ORIMHA has created a section of their website just for YOU and it is live! This is where you will find:
FAQs and downloadable reports related to this project on the landing page
RSP Newsletter section for current and archived messages from us (and a place for folks to subscribe if they want but have not been receiving these messages)
A glossary of common terms used in this project
A collection of resources curated for RSPs
Details about our Community of Practice meetings (and more) in an events page
We will continue to add to this site and welcome your feedback on how to make it more useful to you!
Important Information and Updates
For those who attended on September 5 it was wonderful to see so many of you! We thoroughly enjoyed our time talking, collaborating, and hearing your needs and ideas. We were very impressed with the level of work and thoughtfulness you have already put into this for your communities, providers, and families. To keep building on this time and work, we encourage you to pick at least four items for your implementation plan that you identified through the planning tools. If you need additional help or support with this please reach out! (Sondra sondra.stegenga@utah.edu and/or Nichole nichole@or-imha.org). We are happy to set up a virtual meeting to continue to support you. Also, we will be continuing to share materials and ideas at monthly CoP as well as during the November in-person opportunity in Portland to help you with your implementation plans. We are also customizing mini-sessions for November based on identified implementation-related needs during our time together and the survey you completed in August! More to come soon!
For those who could not attend on September 5 in Salem, we are offering virtual slots to help you get your implementation plan up and running. Up to two RSPs can sign up per slot. If you have more than one person representing your RSP, be sure you select just one slot. A link to join will be sent to the person who signs up. The link should be shared with co-workers from the same RSP who will participate. SIGN UP HERE.
To get ready for your virtual session (or if you were present on September 5 and want to review), the presentation slides can be found HERE. Sondra and Nichole will also record the presentations in their own words and links to those recordings will be posted under RSP Resources. We strongly recommend that you watch the recordings (once available) and/or review the slides to prepare for your virtual support session.
Save the Dates
Next Community of Practice (CoP) is October 3 from 9-11am. To join: Zoom link CoP for RSP
Meeting ID: 817 7555 3096
Passcode: 847022
Please keep the November 7 from 9-11am CoP time on your calendar. We will use the meeting to “prime the pump” for our in-person gathering in Portland the following week. To join: Zoom link CoP for RSP
Meeting ID: 817 7555 3096
Passcode: 847022
As a companion event to the Northwest Early Learning and Pyramid Summit, ORIMHA will be hosting an in-person meeting for RSPs on November 14-15. Agenda and registration details will be sent as soon as they are available. Please plan to have at least one representative from your RSP there to take the next critical step in the implementation of this project!
Big Picture
Resources
Addressing Suspension and Expulsion in Early Childhood Education Settings: An IECMH-Informed Approach
The Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health Policy & Systems Development Workgroup, in collaboration with its Briefing Paper Subgroup, has developed a valuable resource, "Addressing Suspension and Expulsion in Early Childhood Education Settings: An IECMH-Informed Approach," to aid in advocacy efforts on the critical issue of suspension and expulsion in early childhood education.
To enhance the practical application of this tool, Allison Lowe-Fotos, Aditi Subramaniam, Angela Webster, and Anat Weisenfreund have created an engaging 1.5-hour webinar based on its content.
This free webinar takes a strengths-based, systems approach to framing the issue of suspension and expulsion. It explores its relevance for infant and early childhood mental health providers and organizations, while emphasizing the importance of a proactive stance. Featuring real-world examples from two states that have successfully implemented strategies to reduce suspension and expulsion, the webinar also demonstrates how this tool can be used to support similar efforts in other states and organizations.
2. Free Live Webinar on September 19 from 3:30–5:00pm PT
Fostering Equity-Grounded Emotional Relationships that Reduce the Use of Exclusionary Discipline in P-3 Settings
This webinar is intended to support local educational agencies, community-based organizations, and their partners to:
Understand the meaning behind children’s behaviors using an equity mindset.
Understand that children’s behavior is a form of communication rooted in their culture and experiences.
Understand the importance of establishing equity-grounded emotional relationships to improve outcomes and peer relationships.
Increase educators’ knowledge to provide equitable discipline, individualized instruction, and culturally sustaining social and emotional opportunities to reduce exclusionary discipline.
This webinar will amplify the voices of researchers and practitioners who will share best practices that foster equity-grounded emotional relationships and reduce the use of exclusionary discipline.
External partners for this webinar will feature:
Dr. Stephanie M. Curenton, first author of Assessing Classroom Sociocultural Equity Scale, founder of Early Learning Access
Kristie Norwood, M.Ed., Senior Manager Professional Learning, Start Early
Your RSP Implementation Support Team,
Nichole Paradis, nichole@or-imha.org
Sondra Stegenga, sondra.stegenga@utah.edu
Erin Kinavey Wennerstrom, erin@or-imha.org