March 14, 2023 Gee Whiz Education Providing Free Onboarding Training for Product Users Gee Whiz Education, a family child care curriculum company, is providing free onboarding training to product users. Offered through a series of recorded webinars, training is available on YouTube and continually accessible to child care providers who use Gee Whiz Education. Each webinar is 30 minutes, and providers have the opportunity to follow up with session presenters via email. Onboarding Training Details Gee Whiz Education Onboarding Training consists of four recorded webinars designed to help providers use Gee Whiz: Webinar 1 – Accessing Gee Whiz & Understanding the Components Webinar 2 – Understanding How Gee Whiz Addresses the Ten Developmental Areas Webinar 3 – Adapting & Individualizing Gee Whiz Webinar 4 – Gee Whiz & Assessment Language Offerings and Webinar Captions Non-English speaking providers can take the training in their native languages by turning on captions. To turn on captions: Click the “Watch Now” button to start the video. Once the video begins, pause it and click the CC symbol on the bottom of the display. Then, click the gear/cog symbol to the right of the CC symbol. Click “subtitles/English” from the resulting pop-up box. Then, click “auto translate” and choose the language you want. Learn More A link to printable Certificate of Attendance will be made available to providers who complete a short assessment after each webinar. To learn more, visit the Gee Whiz Education website or view the training flyer.
March 10, 2023 OCDEL Releases Updated Approved Listings for Curricula and Assessment Tools The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) recently released updated approved listings for Keystone STARS curricula and developmental assessment tools for use by STAR 3 and 4 programs.. These updates will become available for use on July 1. Update Summary Newly Approved Curricula for Infants/Toddlers Learning Beyond Paper Second Step Newly Approved Curricula for Pre-K Learning Beyond Paper Newly Approved Assessments None. OCDEL has not approved any new assessments. Sunsetting Assessments for Infants/Toddlers Curriculum Associates: BRIGANCE® Early Childhood Developmental Inventory (ECDI) Curriculum Associates: BRIGANCE® Head Start Developmental Inventory (HSDI) Please note: These previously approved assessments will sunset on June 30, and become inactive on July 1. Learn More Find a full list of currently approved curricula and assessments on the Pennsylvania Keys website. Programs should refer to ELRC Announcement 22 #07-OCDEL-Approved Developmental Assessment and Curriculum Tools in Keystone STARS-FINAL for more information on expectations for using OCDEL approved tools in Keystone STARS.
March 9, 2023 PennAEYC Names Linda D. Grinage as 2023 VOICE for Children Award Honoree The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) recently named Linda D. Grinage, a Pittsburgh-based child care provider and advocate, as one of two 2023 VOICE for Children Award Honorees. Grinage shares the honor with Dr. Jean Allison, an Associate Professor of Early Childhood at Delaware County Community College. Both women will be recognized at the Annual VOICE For Children Award Celebration on March 31. Learn More Linda Grinage is the founder and Chief Servant Operator (CSO) of of Blessed Assurance Christian Childcare & Early Learning Center, LLC., and a dedicated, Pittsburgh-based child care provider with over 20 years of experience in the industry. In addition to leading Blessed Assurance Christian Childcare, Grinage serves as an active member of the Woodland Hills School District Kindergarten Transition Team and collaborates with other early childhood practitioners to establish kindergarten transition processes and agreements with the district’s schools. Additionally, she serves as a community advocate through ELRC Region 5’s quality partner, Trying Together. In the past, Grinage served as a Keystone STARS Mentor, and remains affiliated with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), PennAEYC, Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA), and National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). Grinage earned her bachelor’s degree in Child Development & Family Relations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and holds both a Pennsylvania State Teaching Certificate in Nursery and Kindergarten, as well as a Pennsylvania Director’s Credential. Her commitment to providing quality care and education to children, combined with her compassionate and nurturing approach to child care, have made her a beloved and respected pillar of the community. Read Grinage’s full biography to learn more. More Information To learn more about Grinage’s recognition as a VOICE for Children Award Honoree or the PennAEYC VOICE awards, visit the PennAEYC website.
March 8, 2023 Child Care Providers to Invited to Join Family and Group Child Care Home Committee Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is inviting child care providers throughout Pennsylvania to participate in the Family Child Home (FCCH) and Group Child Care Home (GCCH) Committee. Pennsylvania child care providers interested in participating with the committee will have to sign-up by Monday, March 20, 2023. About the Family Child Care Home (FCCH) and Group Child Care Home (GCCH) Committee The goal of the FCCH and GCCH Committee is to form a culturally relevant and diverse group of child care providers and educators that is representative of the state of Pennsylvania. This group will connect to celebrate and share their strengths, struggles, and uniqueness with each other, as well as collaborate to identify effective early childhood strategies, enhance leadership skills, enhance quality-of-care provided to children and families that are served in Pennsylvania. Discussions will also include updates on state and federal initiatives centered around child care, sharing of resources, opportunities, and concerns specific to child care providers, and thoughts on general workplace well-being for child care educators and professionals. Meetings will be held virtually by Zoom in the evening, on a quarterly basis, with the opportunity to meet with the FCCH Coordinator during monthly office hours. The date and time of first meeting has not been announced yet. See the flyer for more details. Interested child care providers in the state of Pennsylvania can express their interest in joining the Committee directly with OCDEL.
ECE Professionals Invited to Participate in Workplace Well-Being Research Study The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has announced an opportunity for for early childhood education (ECE) professionals to participate in an early access research study – Workplace Well-Being, Powered by Science! – to measure the impact of the Healthy Minds program‘s newest offering. In 2022, OCDEL partnered with Healthy Minds Innovations, a non-profit organization dedicated to the science of human flourishing, to bring the Healthy Minds@Work app to Pennsylvania ECE professionals. About ECE teams of two or more from each center or program who have not yet used the Healthy Minds app are invited to apply for the research study, which is set to begin in April 2023. Participation details include: Participation in a four-week well-being program, tailored to suit the participant’s needs with short, 3-10 min activities using the latest tools. Three 20- to 30-minute sessions of research activities (surveys and web-based mini-games). These sessions will occur: Upon enrollment Immediately following the four-week Healthy Minds program Three months later Some users will be invited for an optional interview with the Healthy Minds Innovations team. Participants will also have the chance to receive an Amazon.com gift card. The Workplace Well-Being, Powered by Science research program is designed to improve the sense of belonging and inclusion; decrease stress and burnout; and reconnect with the individual’s sense of purpose at work. Healthy Minds Innovations will keep all responses private and share only aggregated findings to improve the program and support other organizations. Participation in the Workplace Well-Being, Powered by Science research program is optional. A live kick-off event will be announced soon. For more information on how to participate in the program as an ECE program or center team, visit the PA Keys website or contact Marnie at healthyminds@pakeys.org.
Trying Together Offering MOYC Opportunities Trying Together is offering families, community members, and child care providers a number of opportunities to celebrate Month of the Young Child. MOYC-in-a-Box Trying Together is offering child care programs in Allegheny County the opportunity to receive Month of the Young Child (MOYC) materials. Programs may request a mailed box of materials related to Month of the Young Child including: Posters to display at their program location or to give to local businesses to promote the importance of child care in the community Buttons for staff and families to wear during the month of April Printed materials and resources from Trying Together and ELRC Region 5 A copy of this year’s PA One Book, “Mel Fell” by Corey R. Tabor Materials will be shipped by the end of March, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Request your MOYC box. Month of the Young Child Events MOYC Resource Open House Friday, April 7 The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center, 7219 Kelly St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208 Details to come Student Affiliate Dinner Wednesday, April 12 | 5 – 8:30 p.m. Seton Hill University, Cecilian Hall Administration Building (2nd Floor), 1 Seton Hill Dr., Greensburg, PA 15601 Register Homewood Block Party Saturday, April 15 | 12 – 4 p.m. The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center, 7219 Kelly St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208 Pre-registration not required Annual Celebration Dinner Thursday, April 27 | 6 – 8:30 p.m. Acrisure Stadium, UPMC Club, 100 Art Rooney Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Register About Month of the Young Child First established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in 1971, the Week of the Young Child is an opportunity to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.Over the years, with growing interest and focus, Trying Together designated the entire month of April as the Month of the Young Child (MOYC). In April 2023, we will offer opportunities to elevate and celebrate early childhood by providing resources, hosting, co-hosting, and participating in child and caregiver -focused events, and working with early learning programs to share MOYC materials and experiences. Learn More To learn more about Month of the Young Child, visit Trying Together’s Month of the Young Child webpage.
March 7, 2023 ELPA Responds to Governor Shapiro’s 2023-24 Pennsylvania Budget Proposal On March 7, 2023, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro released his 2023-24 state budget proposal. The principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, are pleased with proposed investments in pre-k, evidence-based home visiting, and perinatal and child health. ELPA operates four issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins at Home, and Thriving PA. Governor Shapiro’s state budget proposal included: Pre-k $30 million in additional funding for the state’s Pre-K Counts program to boost reimbursement rates by nearly $1,000 per child (full-day) / $500 per child (part-day). $3 million in additional funding for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program to boost cost per child. This funding is intended to further support pre-kindergarten providers in combating rising inflation and address increasing staffing shortages. In the press release, ELPA states, “It is worth noting, however, that the classroom closures and teacher shortages resulting from low wages found in the child care sector is also impacting pre-k availability because 48 percent of the children served in Pre-K Counts classrooms are located in high-quality child care centers. “As part of his budget address, the Governor also noted the importance of giving Pennsylvania children a ‘ladder up’ through pre-k. Unfortunately, this budget proposal does not provide the resources necessary to expand publicly-funded pre-k opportunities to more of the 100,000 Pennsylvania children that are eligible but not served. “The General Assembly should respond to the 78 percent of Pennsylvania voters that supported increasing state funding to serve more eligible children in pre-k programs by building on the Governor’s proposal and expanding pre-k access.” Child Care $66.7 million in new funding for the state’s Child Care Services line item to maintain subsidized child care access to 75,000 low-income working families and sustain Child Care Works (CCW) reimbursements to meet or exceed rates at the 60th percentile of the market rate for child care facilities. According to ELPA, “Governor Shapiro correctly emphasized the importance of high-quality child care for working families and the need to boost child care wages to get ‘more teachers and professionals on the job,’ and eliminate growing wait lists. Unfortunately, the Administration’s $66.7 million proposal merely maintains a system already in crisis. “The proposal continues subsidized child care access to 75,000 low-income working families and sustains Child Care Works reimbursements to meet or exceed base rates at the 60th percentile of the market rate for a child care provider’s region. This represents a continuation of the current child care operating environment that has been in place since January 2022 after utilizing one-time federal funds to boost rates. Since that time, conditions within the system have not improved, in fact, wait lists have increased. “Currently, Pennsylvania’s child care system is experiencing a 4,000 person workforce shortfall resulting in more than 35,500 children sitting on wait lists making it difficult for parents to work. “The average child care teacher earns less than $12.50/hr. with approximately 21 percent of those child care teachers relying on SNAP benefits and 21 percent insured by Medicaid. As many of these staff are college educated, it’s no surprise that nearly 50 percent of educators surveyed say they are unlikely to remain in their child care jobs. Without a direct investment in the child care sector’s workforce, this crisis will continue and is likely to mean that more classrooms will close and more working parents will struggle to find care for their children. “The child care crisis is costing working families, employers, and taxpayers $6.65 billion annually in lost wages, productivity and revenue. Fortunately, child care is an issue that crosses over the political divide with 81 percent of Pennsylvania voters in favor of allocating state funding to increase wages of child care workers and 78 percent percent of voters supporting an increase in state funding to help more low-income working families afford high-quality child care. “The PA House and Senate must build on what’s been proposed by Governor Shapiro and not simply maintain a system that is currently in crisis but invest more, prioritizing the sector’s workforce to get ahead of this staffing shortage. Pennsylvania businesses depend on working families and working families depend on child care.” Home Visiting Level funding for evidence-based home visiting in the Community-Based Family Centers line item as well as level funding for the Nurse Family Partnership line item. ELPA stated, “Following last year’s historic budget increase for evidence-based home visiting, the Childhood Begins at Home campaign appreciates the continued funding in the proposal. Voluntary, evidence-based home visiting programs mentor parents and others raising children and provide supports for child development and school readiness, child health, family economic self-sufficiency, linkages and referrals, maternal health, positive parenting practices, reductions in child maltreatment and reductions in juvenile delinquency, family violence and crime. “While there is a large unmet need for services with only 5 percent of eligible pregnant women, young children and families currently receiving them, we acknowledge increased access must be done in a manner that home visiting programs can effectively implement.” Perinatal and Child Health $10.4 million increase for the Part B Early Intervention program (age three to five) offered through PDE. $20 million increase funding for the Early Intervention Part C (infant and toddler) program through DHS. $2.3 million increase to expand Maternal Health Programing, implementing strategies outlined by the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC). “All children birth through age five with developmental delays must be identified, referred to and accepted for the services they need to reach their fullest potential. The proposed state budget includes a needed investment in Early Intervention services with an increase of $10.4 million for the Early Intervention Part B (age three to five) program in the Department of Education (PDE) budget and a $20 million increase for Early Intervention Part C (infants and toddlers) program in the Department of Human Services (DHS) budget,” ELPA stated. Learn More Read ELPA’s full budget response statement to learn more. The Pittsburgh-based early childhood nonprofit Trying Together and other partners of ELPA will continue to advocate for these investments as the budget process continues. Stay up-to-date on how to advocate for these issues by signing-up to get public policy updates from Trying Together.
March 3, 2023 New Survey Reveals Impact of Child Care Staffing Shortage Partners of the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA advocacy campaigns recently released new survey results detailing the wage-driven staffing crisis in the early care and education sector, which continues to contract the capacity of child care programs. About the Survey The new survey, conducted between January 31 and February 12 details the current child care staffing crisis in more than 1,100 Pennsylvania child care programs across 54 counties and its effects on working families’ ability to access care. Summary of Survey Results Staffing Crisis Programs need to fill nearly 4,000 open staffing positions. 85% of child care respondents reported staffing shortages. 50% of child care respondents have closed at least one classroom. Impact on Working Families Nearly 35,500 children currently sit on child care waiting lists. More than 30,000 additional children could be served at respondents’ sites if they were fully staffed. Over 2,200 children currently sit on Pre-K Counts waiting lists. Over 650 children currently sit on Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program waiting lists. Implications The February 2023 survey results depict a deepening crisis in the early care and education sector. In May 2022, Start Strong PA released a similar survey showing that Pennsylvania’s child care centers were experiencing a staffing shortage resulting in nearly 32,500 children sitting on waiting lists. These new survey results show that over the past 10 months, waiting list numbers have continued to increase across Pennsylvania. Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Campaign Recommendations Child care workers, on average, make less than $12.50 an hour, and 50% of them qualify for government benefits. Because of this, child care providers cannot compete against other industries, which offer higher wages and require less specialized skills, for staff. Child care advocates are calling on Governor Shapiro and the Pennsylvania General Assembly to increase investment in early care and education programs, using recurring funds as part of the 2023-2024 state budget. Learn More The following fact sheets are available with statewide and county results: Statewide results Allegheny Armstrong Beaver Butler Fayette Greene Indiana Lawrence Washington Westmoreland Trying Together is a principal partner of the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns. To learn more, visit the Trying Together, Start Strong PA, or Pre-K for PA websites.
March 1, 2023 March is National Reading Month March is National Reading Month. The month kicks off with National Read Across America Day on March 2, where children, teachers, parents/caregivers, and community members around the nation come together to read books and celebrate the joy of reading. Reading Month Activity Ideas Review the NEA’s recommended book titles on the 2023 Read Across America calendar. Have an young child that enjoys picture books? Find their next favorite from this NEA picture book list. Choose from ideas for sharing books and all kinds of ways to celebrate with stories in classrooms. Join Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) on Thursday, March 2 starting at 1 p.m. (and available on demand until March 31, 2023) for their celebration webcast “Read Together!” A downloadable viewing kit includes an activity for each of the three read-aloud books that will be featured during the event. You can also play RIF’s Book Bingo! View the Families and Schools Partnering for Children’s Literacy Success toolkit from National Department of Education’s National Center on Improving Literacy to support children’s literacy success in and out of school. Find a new book for your pre-k or kindergarten-aged early reader from the Million Book March Collection. Check out these resources from NEA and bring print and online books to qualifying schools and students. Attend one of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s events throughout the region for children and adults. Visit their events page for details. Donate a book to the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s 2023 Book Drive for Diversity. You can help put exciting and diverse books into the hands of young readers and promote literacy in our region. This year’s books have been hand-selected to focus on social diversity, including but not limited to various ethnicities, classes, genders, physical abilities/qualities, race, and work statuses. Fill out this form to register and receive the list of books they are accepting. Explore new words and early literacy activities on the Buzzword website with the early readers in your life, or attend an upcoming Buzzword event in March. About National Reading Month National Reading Month is celebrated not just to promote the love for reading but also to develop communication and learning. The National Education Association (NEA) has been leading the Read Across America initiative since 1998. Read Across America Day calls upon everyone to read and engage with children to make reading a more fun and interactive experience. Libraries, schools, book clubs, and communities organize events to celebrate and promote reading.
