Family and Community Partnership Liaison
The Gallia-Vinton ESC has recently learned it has been awarded funds by the Ohio Department of Education to employ a Family and Community Partnership Liaison for the 2020-2021 school year. Gallia-Vinton ESC Consultant Brack Houchens will serve as Family and Community Partnership Liaison in response to the increased needs of school districts and families due to COVID-19. The Family and Community Partnership Liaison will work with school district leaders in their ESC region to build a network of community resources, partners and support services for vulnerable youth and families. Liaisons will soon receive training from the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at the Ohio State University to develop strategies to increase local-level communication, outreach and family engagement specifically for vulnerable youth and families. For more information contact Brack at [email protected].

Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds
The Gallia Vinton ESC has recently learned it has been awarded Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds by the Ohio Department of Education. GEER funds were awarded to Governors as part of the CARES ACT to provide educational agencies with emergency funds needed as a result of COVID-19. The purpose of the funds is to assist schools with providing ongoing educational services to students. GEER funds may also be utilized for carrying out emergency educational services, providing child care and early childhood education, providing social and emotional support, and protecting education-related jobs. For more information, please contact Dr. Denise Shockley at [email protected].

Charting a Course for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting Grant Awarded
The Gallia-Vinton ESC in partnership with Gallia County Job & Family Services and the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services Office of Child Support Enforcement has been awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services entitled, "Charting a Course for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting." The three- year grant worth $382,200 is intended to develop interventions to educate teens and young adults about the financial, legal, and emotional responsibilities of parenthood. The primary goal of the grant project is to leverage the child support program’s expertise on the legal and financial responsibilities of parenting to educate and motivate teens and young adults to postpone parenthood until after they have completed their education, started a career, and entered into committed relationship. The target populations are teens and young adults ages 13-25, including unmarried parents and those who have not yet started families. The grant project design will help identify existing public and private entities serving similar populations and establish and/or leverage partnerships to connect educational and motivational programs to additional supportive services promoting economic stability and healthy family formation.

K-12 Prevention Education Initiative for Area Schools
The Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center (MVESC) has received a grant to support Prevention Education in the Southeast Region of Ohio. The MVESC is partnering with the Gallia-Vinton ESC and Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) boards to assess prevention needs within the region and provide prevention education training for school personnel in the area school districts.  As part of a "council of practitioners" from a 22-county region, the Gallia-Vinton ESC will be working with the local ADAMHS board to oversee this work.  MVESC has produced a prevention webinar and power-point that will be shared with others to implement.

Gallia-Vinton ESC consultant, Jayne Burger, will be visiting schools in the area member districts served and will be able to either offer informational presentations or will be able to set up virtual sessions for teachers to view informational webinars.  Due to uncertain school schedules including hybrid, virtual, and in-person classes all taking place right now, the work will begin later this winter. The goal is to introduce teachers to prevention strategies and identify ways to connect parents/students to local initiatives already in place. For more information, contact Jayne Burger at [email protected].

The Gallia-Vinton ESC offers  Ohio Teacher Evaluation System Bridge Training sessions for area administrators including those who evaluate teachers.  Emily Crabtree and Thad Haines serve as facilitators for the  training offered through the Ohio Department of Education’s online Learning Management System.  The training is designed for administrators to gain an understanding of the new Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) 2.0 Framework and how it differs from the current OTES 1.0.  The training participants learned about the process of observations and coaching that will be associated with the new OTES 2.0. The framework is currently being  implemented in school districts across the state of Ohio.  

The implementation of the OTES 2.0 requires new credentials for those who evaluate teachers.  Those who hold a current credential to evaluate will need to participate in a two-day bridge training to upgrade their credentials to match OTES 2.0. Administrators seeking their initial credential to evaluate will need to attend a three-day OTES 2.0 training.  For more information contact Emily Crabtree at [email protected].    
 

Secondary Transitions