November 7, 2018 Children’s Fund Organizers Not Defeated by ‘No’ Vote The Allegheny County Children’s Fund will not be enacted after falling short of receiving the majority of votes during yesterday’s election. The Our kids. Our commitment. Allegheny County Children’s Fund Initiative is thankful for the community’s support and willingness to engage in conversation throughout the campaign. “Over the past six months, we had the opportunity to meet with thousands of community members, have conversations about proven programs for kids, and raise awareness about the challenges our community is facing. In our eyes, because of all of this, our campaign was still a success for our kids,” said Patrick Dowd, executive director, Allies for Children and steering committee member for the Our kids. Our commitment. Initiative. “Our work will not stop here. We know these services are needed for our kids, and we’ll continue working together to find a solution for Allegheny County.” The initiative was led by local organizations who are invested in the wellbeing of Allegheny County’s kids: Allies for Children, Allegheny Partners for Out of School Time (APOST), Higher Achievement, the Human Services Center Corporation, The Mentoring Partnership, Pressley Ridge, PUMP, Trying Together, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, along with numerous community-based partners. “We are so appreciative of our entire community’s willingness to engage in conversations about our kids. This is the biggest effort I have seen to provide dedicated funding for these programs and that is certainly something to be proud of,” said Colleen Fedor, executive director of The Mentoring Partnership and steering committee member for the Our kids. Our commitment. Initiative. In the summer, the Our kids. Our commitment. Initiative collected nearly 64,000 signatures. Throughout the campaign, with help from volunteers and supporters, they knocked on more than 13,000 doors, called over 64,000 voters, hosted and attended more than 100 community events, and reached nearly 900,000 people on social media in an effort to educate voters and raise awareness about the question. “Throughout this entire process, we have stayed focused on running a positive campaign focused on our kids,” said Dave Coplan, executive director, Human Services Center Corporation and steering committee member for the Our kids. Our commitment. Initiative. “We cannot thank our community enough for being open and willing to speak with us and have discussions about what works for kids. We are ending this campaign on a high note, but we’re certainly not finished. We have to continue working together to find the best solution for Allegheny County, so we can make sure our kids gain access to these programs.” More information about the campaign can be found at www.ourkidsourcommitment.org. About Our kids. Our commitment. The Our kids. Our commitment. Allegheny County Children’s Fund Initiative is an effort to change the way Allegheny County funds programs that are proven to ensure the wellbeing of our children across the county. For more information, visit www.ourkidsourcommitment.org.
The Paulson Recreation Center Reopens in Lincoln-Lemington The City of Pittsburgh announced that the Paulson Recreation Center in Lincoln-Lemington is reopening today, November 7, 2018, after undergoing three months of renovations. While the center is reopened for all residents – including popular afterschool activities for area youth – further improvements will be made to the building through the rest of the year. Improvements completed and underway include: Complete new HVAC/heating & cooling system Two new roofs–flat roof portion of building and pitched roof portion of building Repointing and restoring of the block side of the building: painting and waterproofing Addition of new windows to main teaching room of building New ventilation system added to kitchen Interior repainting New concrete steps and entryway New doors coming in late December and new Rec Center sign coming soon Gym floor stripped, scrubbed and refurbished The budget for the work was $432,986.90. Interested in Visiting? The Paulson Rec Center is located at 1201 Paulson Avenue and is open 12-8 p.m., Monday through Friday. The center can be reached by telephone at 412.665.3627. *Information Provided by The City of Pittsburgh‘s November 7, 2018 Press Release*
November 6, 2018 Vote Yes The day is here! Please join us and vote YES for Our kids. Our commitment. Here are some Election Day tips to help you vote and get the word out to your family and friends: Vote Find your polling place. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. As long as you’re in line before 8:00 p.m., you can vote! First-time voters are required to show a form of I.D. Share & Promote Tell your friends why you’re voting “YES” on Facebook. Send a personal letter to your friends. Download this sign and post a selfie on social media. Share this video. Read and share the steering committee’s full letter.
November 1, 2018 Deadline Extended for RFP: Child Care Funding and Finance in PA The deadline has been extended to November 9, 2018 for the Request for Proposal, Child Care Funding and Finance in Pennsylvania: The True Cost of Quality Part II. The Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU), in coordination with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission (PAELIC), released the RFP for submission of proposals to investigate the cost of providing high-quality early care and education across Pennsylvania. Part I Conclusions Part I of this project, CHILD CARE FUNDING & FINANCE IN PENNSYLVANIA: Budgeting for Survival or Paying for the True Cost of Quality? conducted by Research for Action found that: Infant and toddler care is more expensive than pre-K or school-age care. Current revenue streams and reimbursement rates are inadequate to cover the cost of infant and toddler care and, as a result, child care providers opt to serve more preschoolers and fewer infants and toddlers. Low compensation in child care programs leads to significant staff turnover and hiring of less-qualified staff. Part II Overview Knowing that the cost of infant and toddler child care is high, and the current public financing system is inadequate to cover the costs of quality in Pennsylvania, particularly teachers’ wages, leading to turnover and a less qualified workforce, Part II of this study aims to answer the question ‘What does it cost to support high-quality child care across Pennsylvania?’ Part II will build upon the previous work conducted in Part I, using a more robust data set to estimate the true cost of high-quality child care, as compared to child care that meets only regulatory standards, and how those costs vary across regions in the commonwealth. The findings from Part II will inform the evolution of Pennsylvania’s child care financing and quality systems to enable the greatest access to high-quality child care for the most at-risk children. Deadline The Request for Proposal represents the requirements for an open and competitive process. Proposals will be accepted until 5 pm EST, Friday, November 9, 2018. See the RFP for more information, including proposal guidelines, project description, project timeline and more. Information provided by PA Early Ed News.
