August 10, 2021 PPS First Day of School Changing to September 8 Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) is changing the first day of school for all Pre-k – 12 students to September 8. Continue reading below to learn more. PPS First Day of School In order to prepare for the arrival of all students and lessen the strain of wearing masks during the summer, Pittsburgh Public Schools plans on changing the start of the school year for all students to September 8, 2021, with teachers returning on August 30. Transportation carriers are also short 426 drivers, resulting in a seating gap of approximately 10,996 students in the City of Pittsburgh. District Strategies Expanded walk zones, increased use of Port Authority, and the proposed changes to school start and end times will reduce the seat gap by more than half. Delaying the first day of school allows the Transportation Department to address the remaining seat gap and prioritize transportation services for the District’s youngest students and those that receive specialized transportation. The District will: support newly added transportation carriers as they complete onboarding of new drivers; transition additional middle school students to Port Authority where feasible; finalize new partnerships with community stakeholders for other transportation channels; and launch a release your seat campaign that reimburses families who can transport their students to school. Families who are able to transport their child to and from school are asked to sign up at pghschools.org/releaseyourseat. The new start date will change the last day of school for students to June 22, making the last day for teachers June 24. Board Education Committee Meeting The District shared further details about its back-to-school readiness at the Board Education Committee Meeting on Tuesday, August 10. The meeting is archived and available for viewing online. Board Approval Timeline The Board will vote on the adjusted school year calendar at a Special Legislative Meeting on August 18. The revised calendar will change the start of school from August 25 to September 8 for all students Pre-k – 12. More Information For more information, visit the PPS website. To read more news, visit our News page.
BankWorks: Free Training in Retail Banking The Energy Innovation Center Institute is recruiting for their no-cost, eight-week BankWorks program. A $575 stipend is awarded upon completion. What Does BankWorks Offer? BanksWorks is a no-cost, eight-week interactive training program that prepares individuals for careers in retail banking. Digital classes are held three days a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Upon graduation, participants receive a $575 stipend and are invited to hiring events with eight local banks. Coaching for career advancement is available. Potential Jobs: Teller, Customer Service Representative, Relationship Banker, and Personal Banker. Class Schedule Classes will be held online and in-person from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. In-person classes will be hosted at the Energy Innovation Center Institute in Pittsburgh. Am I Eligible? To be eligible, you must: be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, possess general computer skills, and pass a background check. Submit an Application To learn more or apply, contact 412.482.3361 or BankWorks@EICPittsburgh.org. For more news, visit Trying Together’s News page. Share this flyer with your network.
August 5, 2021 Child Care Provider Pages Live on ELRC Region 5 Website ELRC Region 5 launched new web pages to support Allegheny County child care providers as they work through and reach continuous quality improvement goals. View ELRC Child Care Provider Pages The ELRC Region 5 website now features resources to support a variety of early learning programs and educators with: the certification process, subsidized child care program (CCW) enrollment, Keystone STARS Standards, accessing professional growth opportunities, and more! To view the new Child Care Provider pages, visit the ELRC Region 5 website. Request Assistance For assistance, contact ELRC Region 5 at 412.350.3577 or elrc5@alleghenycounty.us. To read more news, visit the Trying Together News page or ELRC Region 5 website.
Demo of the New Keystone STARS Designation Process The new Keystone STARS designation process will launch in the PA PD Registry on October 1, 2021. Watch a recorded demonstration to see how it works! Keystone STARS Designation Demo In October 2021, the new process for Keystone STARS pre-designation and designation applications will launch in the Pennsylvania Professional Development (PD) Registry. This system will streamline multiple processes into one system and include more functionality. To see how it will work, watch this demonstration from the Pennsylvania Key. How to Prepare Early Childhood Education Professionals To prepare, early childhood education (ECE) professionals should: update or complete their personal PD Registry profile, add in their current employer information, and apply for placement on Pennsylvania’s ECE Career Pathway. Directors, Administrators, and Owners Directors, administrations, and owners can prepare by: updating or completing their individual or personal PD Registry profiles and applying for placement on Pennsylvania’s ECE Career Pathway, claiming the organization profile for their programs, uploading their program’s important documents (staff and family handbooks, lesson planning materials, etc.) to the new Document Vault library so they are readily available during the Keystone STARS designation process, setting up classrooms for their organizations, verifying their current staff list and end date of any former employees still linked to their organizations, and assisting their staff members in completing or updating their PD Registry profile and applying for placement on Pennsylvania’s ECE Career Pathway. Support Documents and Videos The Pennsylvania Key offers tip sheets and video tutorials on how to complete these steps and more! Live Keystone STARS Demo Child care directors, administrators, and owners are invited to live demonstrations of the new designation process on July 28, 2021. Use the links below to register. These demons will be recorded. For center-based child care programs. Wednesday, July 28, 2021 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. For family and group child care programs. Wednesday, July 28, 2021 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. More Information For more information, read the full announcement or watch a demonstration of the new system. If you have questions, email registry@pakeys.org or call 1.800.284.6031. To read more news, visit Trying Together’s News page.
New PA Standards & Competencies for ECE Educators Pennsylvania is adopting a new set of professional standards and competencies for early childhood educators. These standards, known as the PA PSCECE for short, will replace the current PA CKCs. New Standards and Competencies The Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE) will list the general knowledge and skills educators need to know and demonstrate. Thes PA PSCECE will replace the Pennsylvania Core Knowledge Competencies (PA CKCs). However, they are not the specific standards and competencies needed for individual professions and occupations within the early childhood field. The anticipated release date of the PA PSCECE (and an introductory course) is September 2021. What will the standards guide? The PA PSCECE will guide Pennyslvania’s early learning professional development system, including: educator preparation and non-certification programs in ECE; ongoing professional growth and development activities; and credentials. In addition, other components of the Early Childhood Education System will be aligned with the new Professional Standards including, but not limited to, the PD Registry and STARS standards. What do the standards and competencies include? The PA PSCECE will include seven areas, six of which were adopted directly from the national Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. The seventh standard is Pennsylvania-specific. These areas include: Child Development and Learning in Context; Family–Teacher Partnerships and Community Connections; Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment; Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices; Knowledge, Application, and Integration of Academic Content in the Early Childhood Curriculum; Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator; and Health and Safety, which includes Nutrition and Mental Health. Why were they adopted and developed? The PA PSCECE were designed to increase the reliability, portability, and relevance of early childhood education (ECE) professional development nationwide. The standards will help ensure that Pennsylvania’s ECE professionals are prepared to support the growth and development of each child, birth through age eight, across the Commonwealth. What support is available? An asynchronous course is currently in development that will help professionals understand the new PA PSCECE standards and the next steps in implementation. The anticipated launch date is September 2021. Over the next year, OCDEL will survey varying audience types to better understand professional development needs and develop tailored professional development, resources, and supports to meet these needs. More Information For more information, contact Maryanne Olley at molley@pa.gov. For more news, visit the Trying Together News page. Information provided by the Pennsylvania Key.
Early Childhood Jobs in Pittsburgh (Now Hiring) Early learning programs in the Greater Pittsburgh Area are hiring for several positions, including Group Supervisor, Assistant Group Supervisor, Infant & Toddler Teacher, and more! If you are interested in a career in early childhood, apply today! Early Childhood Jobs in Pittsburgh Group & Assistant Group Supervisor St. Margaret Mary Child Care Center is looking to hire Group and Assistant Group Supervisors to work with three- to five-year-old children. Applicants must have experience working with children or an Associate’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood. Apply: If you are interested in applying, email stmmccc@gmail.com. Location: 807 Beaver Grade Rd, Coraopolis, PA 15108 Early Childhood Teacher The Children’s Home is seeking a full-time Early Childhood Teacher for Child’s Way, a child care program for medically fragile children. This professional will be responsible for developing and implementing a program of activities that promote social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development for each child in accordance with DHS, Head Start, and Keystone Stars Standards. Apply: To apply, complete an online application. Location: 5324 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Teacher – Infant & Toddler Primrose School of Wexford, an accredited private preschool that provides premier educational child care experiences, is seeking experienced and enthusiastic Teachers to plan and implement an ongoing program of activities that promote the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of each child, in accordance with the Primrose Balanced Learning approach to teaching and learning. They offer year-round programs for infants and children through elementary school. Apply: To apply, submit an online application. Location: 2598 Wexford Bayne Rd, Sewickley, PA 15143 Child Care Educator Fran’s Child Care & Learning Center is searching for two full-time Child Care Educators to work with toddlers ages one to two years old and three to four years old. Apply: To apply, email your resume to fmckelvia217@gmail.com. Location: 2002 Waverly Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 Teacher The Lloyd D. Hayden Center is looking to hire a teacher to plan, set up activities, and lead an after-school program from 1:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Apply: To apply, send your resume to sydneyspalace@yahoo.com or by mail to 253 Park Avenue, Natrona Heights, PA 15065. Location: Park Ave, Natrona Heights, PA 15065 Submit a Job Each week, Trying Together highlights employer-submitted early childhood jobs on our website, social media, and in our newsletter. Submit a Job: To make it into next week’s post, submit the Child Care Provider Job Post Submission Form no later than Tuesday, August 10. All jobs submitted after August 10 will be published in the following week’s news post. Publication dates may vary due to state and federal holidays. Unrelated jobs will not be included. For questions, contact Lainey Yockey at lainey@tryingtogether.org. Other Early Childhood Jobs See More Job Descriptions For more teaching jobs in Pittsburgh, view our news posts from previous weeks: July 29 – August 4 July 22 – July 28 July 14 – July 21 July 7 – July 14 ECE Hire Visit the ECE Hire website to view early childhood job listings and helpful tips on interviewing, resumes, and more. Submit a Job to PACCA Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a Job Board for its members to post jobs for free and sends out submitted jobs via their Facebook page and e-newsletter. PACCA members can submit jobs online after signing into their membership account. For questions, contact Maureen Murphy at maureen.murphy@pacca.org. Receive Jobs in Your Inbox To receive the latest job opportunities, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook.
August 4, 2021 Information About Summer P-EBT Benefits Families who were enrolled in SNAP as of June 1 will automatically receive a P-EBT benefit in September of October. Eligible families who enroll by August 31 can still receive the benefit. Summer P-EBT Benefits The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) helps families cover the costs of breakfasts and lunches that their children would have been eligible to receive for free or at a reduced price through the National School Lunch Program. The American Rescue Plan authorizes the continued distribution of P-EBT benefits over the summer months to assist households in accessing food that children would have otherwise received at school or in a child care setting. Who receives this benefit? Families with children younger than six who were enrolled in SNAP as of June 1, 2021 will automatically receive the benefit starting in late September or early October 2021. Families who are not currently enrolled but are eligible to receive SNAP can enroll up until August 31, 2021 to receive the benefit. See if your child is eligible. More Information For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services website. For more news, visit Trying Together’s News page!
Dormont Pool Swimming Coupons Now Available The City of Pittsburgh Department of Parks and Recreation announced a new program that offers swimming vouchers to City residents to swim at the Dormont Pool for the summer 2021 season. Swimming Coupon Program City of Pittsburgh residents can now use coupon vouchers to receive free entry for children and $2.00 off entry for adults at the Dormont Pool. As of July 30, coupons are available at eight City of Pittsburgh pool locations during business hours or from the Brookline or Phillips Recreations Centers from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. City season pool tags are not transferable at the Dormont Pool. This program was initiated under the leadership of the Pittsburgh City Council in partnership with the Borough of Dormont. More Information To view City pool schedules, visit the Citiparks website. For more news, visit our News page.
August 3, 2021 Civic Leadership Academy Accepting Applications Applications are now open for Mayor William Peduto’s Fall 2021 Civic Leadership Academy. Apply to learn about city operations, services, and resources from department leaders and more! What is the Civic Leadership Academy? Mayor William Peduto’s Civic Leadership Academy (CLA) is a free 11-week course where participants learn about city operations, services, and resources from leaders of city departments, offices, bureaus, and authorities. The program is open to individuals over the age of 18 who live in, or own and operate a business in, the City of Pittsburgh. What are the program dates? The program is held twice per year, with Fall 2021 sessions being held virtually on Wednesdays, September 22 – December 8, 2021, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. This cohort will be mostly virtual, but some sessions will be available in person to offer hands-on experiences. Spanish Language Access Spanish language access is available. Visit the CLA webpage to access the application and information in English and Spanish. Accommodations and Modifications If you require an accommodation or a modification to participate, contact the City of Pittsburgh ADA Coordinator Hillary Roman at hillary.roman@pittsburghpa.gov or 412.255.2102, int. 457. Submit an Application To apply, complete the online application by August 27, 2021. Residents are encouraged to view recordings of the most recent sessions of virtual Civic Leadership Academy on YouTube. More Information For more information, visit the City of Pittsburgh website. For questions, contact Gisele at 412.255.4773 or gisele.betances@pittsburghpa.gov. For more news, visit our News page.
August 2, 2021 Plan for Fall: Find Child Care Now Trying to find child care? Allegheny Child Care can help! Through the online tool, families can search real-time availability at early learning, out-of-school, summer camp, and virtual programs in Allegheny County. Allegheny Child Care Families: Find Child Care Allegheny Child Care was developed to support the child care needs of families. By visiting www.alleghenychildcare.org, parents can caregivers can: view open spots at early learning, after school, summer camp, and virtual programs in Allegheny County, sort through programs by age, location, program type, and more, create an account to “favorite” programs and save a list for future reference, and call, email, or message providers directly from the tool. For additional support, email info@alleghenychildcare.org, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page, or contact ELRC Region 5 at 412.350.3577 or elrc5@alleghenycounty.us. View this flyer for more information. Providers: Update Your Profile Allegheny Child Care also assists early learning providers in promoting and marketing their programs and vacancies to families. Providers can view and confirm that their public profiles are up to date at providers.alleghenychildcare.org by: updating their profile when openings are available, listing which age group their location(s) serves, confirming basic profile information (including current operational status), adding recent photos of their location(s), and offering a tour of their facilities. Providers who need assistance can schedule a 20-minute one-to-one session online. For questions, email info@alleghenychildcare.org or visit the Frequently Asked Questions page. View this flyer for instructions.
