Gerrie's Gazette November 2024

Celebrate the Occasion!

Native American Heritage Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions, traditions, and rich ancestry of Native Americans throughout history.

November is National Family Caregivers Month — a time to celebrate the incredible dedication of family members who provide essential care for loved ones managing health challenges, including mental health conditions. This month, Mental Health America (MHA) wants to help ease the journey for caregivers by offering resources that promote both caregiver and care recipient well-being.

• Explore MHA’s Caregiver Resource Center: MHA’s one-stop shop for information on essential caregiving topics, from recognizing caregiver burnout to building resilience. Find insights and tips to help you navigate the caregiving journey with confidence.
• Watch & learn on MHA’s YouTube Channel: From personal stories to expert-led webinars, MHA’s videos provide relatable advice and evidence-based tips to help you navigate the challenges and rewards of caregiving. Be sure to sign up for our webinar on November 13!
• Discover blogs from caregivers: Managing stress, setting boundaries, and finding joy are just some of the topics tackled on MHA’s blog.
• Try Mental Health Screening tools: If you or the person you care for is struggling with mental health concerns, MHA’s free, anonymous, online screening is a quick way to check your symptoms and get information about the next steps.
• Follow MHA on social: Check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn at @mentalhealthamerica or on X at @mentalhealtham for updates on events, new resources, and inspiration.
• Care 4 The Caregivers: This resource was created for caregivers, by caregivers who often feel isolated and overwhelmed. The organization offers an informational space, an empowering environment, and programs and services that help families thrive.

Arizona State University's Early intervention specialization program

On November 12, DES issued a press release that celebrates the launch of the ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Early Intervention Specialization, as DES helped guide ASU in building the program.

This specialization targets early education professionals or families who would like to learn more about the Early Intervention. Find more information about the program or see how it came together.

Target Setting Survey

Each year, AzEIP gathers feedback from families and stakeholders to provide feedback and help review targets for data for our results measurements. AzEIP uses the feedback to help draft the narrative of our report as well as stakeholder feedback to determine if we should keep our targets the same or if any changes are needed. Please provide feedback by the end of the day on Dec. 1, 2024.

Feel free to forward to any family members or stakeholders we may have missed. We appreciate your time and efforts to help ensure our targets are both rigorous and achievable.

2024 Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Survey

Arizona’s Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Recruitment and Retention workgroup is issuing its annual Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Survey to help understand recruitment and retention processes impacting the staff in the State’s early childhood systems including early intervention, early childhood special education, Early Head Start/Head Start, child care, and many others.

AzEIP may share the confidential results of the survey with other early childhood partners to help with planning the recruitment and retention of staff broadly across early childhood programs. This survey is confidential, meaning identifying information is only shared on a need-to-know basis.

If you have a hard time accessing the survey, please contact Arizona CSPD at azcspd@azdes.gov.

AzEIP Spotlight

Family Seeking Answers, Support for Newborn with Disabilities turns to AzEIP

When Jamie Hillman and family welcomed Gavin to the world, celebrations were met with anxiousness as he had numerous medical issues. AzEIP was able to provide clarity through uncertainty.

5 Things to Know about the Arizona Early Intervention Program

As children grow, they also develop socially, emotionally, and cognitively. When a child is not meeting developmental milestones, the DES Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP) can help.