February 27, 2018 Applications Open For The P.R.I.D.E. Teacher Cohort Apply to the program now! The P.R.I.D.E. Teacher Cohort is a collection of like-minded early education teachers and professionals eager to learn more about implementing positive racial identity development strategies into the classroom. Requirements Engage in enriching professional development, and learn how to incorporate P.R.I.D.E.-ful activities in the classroom: Commit to one year of participation, beginning in May, 2018; Attend at least two P.R.I.D.E. speaker events and follow-up training sessions; Extend your learning throughout the year by participating in private online forums aimed at exploring P.R.I.D.E.-related issues and questions; Create and disseminate P.R.I.D.E. related activities, ideas, and experiences to be compiled in a publicly-sharable document; Participate in two Zoom meetings per year along with local colleagues and educators from across the country. Eligibility Any teacher currently teaching in pre-K to 3rd grade classrooms in the City of Pittsburgh Questions Email Dr. Aisha White P.R.I.D.E. Program Director aiw9@pitt.edu Share this flyer with your networks.
February 26, 2018 PPS Strike: Info for Families The Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) plans to strike this Friday, March 2, 2018. Listed below is information to assist families with finding child care options, food assistance, and continued mental health services for their children. Child Care To assist with locating child care options during the strike, here are a list of FAQs. Parents should complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey to help the district understand the needs of their child. To date, several community partners have stepped up to ensure safe spaces for students during the strike. School telephone lines will be redirected to the PPS Parent Hotline. Families can receive support each day between the hours of 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM at (412) 529-HELP (4357). Food Assistance To locate food service options, visit any of these locations. Mental Health Services Student services staff will stay in close contact with community providers to ensure students requiring mental health services can continue receiving those services. School leaders will be available to support students who arrive to school unaware of the required closure due to the teacher’s strike. If you need immediate assistance, please call The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania 2-1-1 hotline for support. Thanks to our partners at A+ Schools for providing this list of resources! Read more about the strike in this release issued by PFT on February 26.
February 23, 2018 Where Does Your Child Care Dollar Go? Use this interactive tool. High-quality early education is linked to a variety of positive outcomes. Yet to most families, the cost of care comes as a huge burden. Using an interactive online tool, it is now easier than ever to see where the money spent goes, and why early childhood programs cost so much. This invaluable information is useful for early care and education professionals, families, and other individuals to advocate together, partner together, and learn together. Share this tool and share your story.
February 22, 2018 The Great Remake Apply for a Great Remake Micro-Grant! Remake Learning works to ignite engaging, relevant, and equitable learning opportunities that help young people thrive in a time of remarkable change. They are inviting school districts and nonprofit organizations involved in Remake Learning to help spark wonder, compassion, and a sense of belonging among the region’s learners. They are specifically seeking to support equitable learning experiences through projects that work alongside — as well as uplift and support — the voices, strength, and potential of learners in poverty; learners of color; learners in rural areas; girls in STEM; and learners with exceptionalities. Applications for micro-grants are due Friday, March 23, 2018, by noon. Grants of $2,500 and $7,500 will be awarded in May 2018. Download the application.
PA’s Children’s Trust Fund RFA Released Apply today for the Children’s Trust Fund. The CTF promotes primary and secondary child abuse and neglect prevention programs in community-based settings. Organizations in Pennsylvania that provide direct services and meets specific criteria are highly encouraged to apply. Unsure of what CTF can do for your program? Participate in the pre-proposal webinar on Monday, February 26, 2018 from 10am – 12pm. Learn more and apply.
February 13, 2018 Support the Child Care for Working Families Act Sign the Petition Now! In a perfect world Congress would pass a bill that would … Lower child care costs for low-income and middle-income families to a maximum of seven percent of household income through a sliding scale, regardless of how many children they have. Support universal access to high-quality preschool programs for all low- and middle-income three- and four-year-olds. Significantly improve compensation and training for the child care workforce to ensure that our nation’s teachers and caregivers have the support they need. Improve the quality of child care by ensuring that funding is available to enable providers to maintain high standards. The good news is a bill like this exists – it’s called the Child Care for Working Families Act. It was introduced in September, with our own Senator Bob Casey helping to lead the charge, but for this bill to move forward, we need you to speak out. Tell Congress: Co-Sponsor and Support the Child Care for Working Families Act We are working with our colleagues on the state and national level to generate signatures to move our members of Congress to Co-Sponsor and Support the Child Care for Working Families Act. We need your help. Please share this email with your families, friends and colleagues. Post this link to your Facebook page and share on other social media outlets. Our timeline is short. The petition will end at close of business February 20th. Please sign-on today.
February 7, 2018 PA Governor’s 2018–2019 Budget Proposal Aligns with our Public Policy Agenda Governor Tom Wolf’s 2018-2019 budget proposal with increased investments for young children is being applauded by principal partners of the Pre-K for PA and Early Learning PA campaigns including the Southwestern Pennsylvania-based non-profit Trying Together. The proposal includes: $40 MIL for Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program; $6.5 MIL for evidence-based home visiting programs; $10 MIL for child care subsidy; $10 MIL for increased tiered reimbursement rates for Keystone STAR two, three, and four child care providers; $3 MIL for high-quality child care programs serving infants and toddlers; and $14 MIL for early intervention to continue to support current programs. Executive Director Cara Ciminillo says these proposed investments align with the Trying Together 2017–2018 Public Policy Agenda. “One of our [public policy] agenda positions is to ‘invest adequately’ in order to increase access to high-quality infant and toddler care and pre-kindergarten classrooms. This includes providing resources for child care providers to improve and maintain quality. If the Governor’s pre-k budget proposal is approved by the state legislature, 4,400 more children, along with their families and providers, will benefit from these investments.” Support our public policy agenda Early childhood advocates who are interested in supporting the Trying Together public policy agenda and participating in future action alerts may sign up to receive emails from us. Download the press release.
