Tell Your Congressperson to Support the Child and Adult Care Food Program

We understand that healthy food is more expensive than junk food. And, we know that you work hard to serve good meals and snacks. Recently, we were excited to share the good news about a Senate bill to improve the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which helps child care providers to serve healthy meals and snacks by subsidizing meal costs and providing nutrition support.

Now, we need your help to get the House of Representatives on board. Rep. Paul Tonko just (D-NY) introduced the same bill in the House, H.R. 4402. This bill, the Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children Act of 2009 will raise reimbursement rates, add a third meal, expand area eligibility/adjust tiering, and help support sponsors.

Now, we need your help to get more Representatives behind this important bill.

Please contact your Representative byclicking here to send a letter asking them to co-sponsor H.R. 4402 and help kids eat better meals in child care.

*Infant/Toddler Mental Health Scholarships*
We are excited to announce an opportunity for eligible child care providers to receive a scholarship to participate in PSU's Infant/Toddler Mental Health Certificate Program
http://www.ceed.pdx.edu/imh/. The graduate certificate in /Infant/Toddler Mental Health: A Relationship-based Approach/ is designed for professionals who are working with families who have children from the prenatal period to 36 months of age. Oregon's share of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes funding for quality improvement of infant and toddler care. The purpose of this scholarship is to increase the knowledge base and practical skills of child care and early education providers and staff that work directly with infants and toddlers. The goal is to serve practitioners in all types of licensed care, serve a diverse geographic area of Oregon, and ensure that scholarship recipients continue to serve Oregons early childhood care and education community for an extended period of time.

See the *eligibility requirements*
http://www.centerline.pdx.edu/forms/4%20Scholarship/1%20English/2009-12-10_Criteria.pdf

for more information, or download an *application *
http://www.centerline.pdx.edu/forms/4%20Scholarship/1%20English/2009-12-18_I-TAppPacket.pdf 

submit before April 1, 2010.

Please help us spread the word about this great professional development opportunity provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars.

Pam

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Pamela Deardorff, Director
Oregon Center for Career Development
in Childhood Care and Education
Portland State University
503.725.8527
deardops@pdx.edu