April 30, 2024 April 2024 Recalls on Children’s Products Parents and caregivers should be aware of several child-related product recalls. Learn More Here is a list of April 2024 recalls for child-related products. The list was collected from the following federal agencies: the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning customers to stop using Randder Liquid Fuel Bottles due to a violation of the Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act. The closure for the products is not child resistant, posing a risk of burns and poisoning. Gasaciods Children’s Helmets were recalled due to the risk of head injury in violation of the Federal Safety Regulation for Bicycle Helmets. The helmets can fail to protect in the event of a crash, posing a risk of head injury. Yoto Mini Speakers for Children were recalled because they can overheat and catch fire. The speakers pose burn and fire hazards to consumers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled Zazaba International’s Grao de Gente Baby Nests because they violate the safety requirements of CPSC’s Safety Standard for Infant Sleep Products. The nests pose a suffocation risk as well as fall and entrapment hazards to infants. Zazaba International’s Grao de Gente Crib Bumpers were also recalled in violation of the Federal Crib Bumper Ban. The cribs were found to pose a suffocation hazard. Padded crib bumpers are banned under the Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021. Lovey & Grink Children’s Pajamas were recalled in violation of federal flammability regulations. The pajamas were found to pose a risk of burn injuries to children. Thule’s RideAlong Rear-Mounted Child Bike Seats were recalled because the harness padding can contain flame-retardant DecaBDE in excess of regulatory limits, posing a chemical hazard. DecaBDE can be toxic if ingested or if it comes into contact with skin or eyes. The FDA recalled Sammy’s Milk goat milk toddler formula because the product does not provide sufficient nutrition when used as an infant formula.
Resources for May Observances Various organizations, states, and nations recognize a number of observances each month. Resources help parents, caregivers, and child care professionals acknowledge and navigate them. Here is a list of resources for May observances: Month-Observances May is National Foster Care Month Foster and Adoptive Families, Trying Together What to Know About Becoming a Foster Parent in PA, Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption & Permanency Network (SWAN) Top Ten Tips for New Foster Families, Fostering Families Today Parenting Resources for Foster Parents, Child Welfare Information Gateway Ways to Help Foster Children, Adopt US Kids National Foster Care Month 2024, Children’s Bureau 5 Things Foster Youth Want All Teachers to Know, We Are Teachers May is Mental Health Awareness Month Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Childhood Mental Health, Trying Together Where to Find Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents in Pittsburgh, The University of Pittsburgh: Youth and Family Research Program Mental Health Awareness Month, Community Care Behavioral Health (UPMC) Preventing Parent Burnout: Meeting the Emotional Challenges of Caring for Children with Mental Health Issues, The Child Mind Institute Parenting with a Mental Health Condition, Mental Health America 77 Children’s Books About Mental Health, The Child Mind Institute May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Month Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – Kids Club, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh DEI Resources: Supporting AAPI Communities, National Head Start Association Talking to Kids About Asian American Identity & Racism, Immigrant History Initiative AAPI Books for Kids of All Ages, Chicago Parent 100 Brilliant Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI) Children’s Books, Imagination Soup 10 Ways to Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with Kids & Teenagers, Boys & Girls Club of America May is Jewish American Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Month Starts May 1, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History Jewish American Heritage Month, Britannica Kids Weeks of Recognition May 1 – 7 is Children’s Book Week Children’s Book Week Poster and Activity Pages, Every Child a Reader Creative Ways to Celebrate Children’s Book Week, BookTrust 125 Kids Books We Love, New York Public Library May 8 -12 is National Teacher Appreciation Week 10 Ways to Celebrate Teachers, National PTA 50 Ways to Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Waterford Teacher Appreciation Week 2024, Scholastic How Can Parents Best Support Teachers? We Asked, Education Week Why Teacher Self-Care Matters and How to Practice Self-Care in Your School, Waterford Days of Recognition May 7 is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day Family-Based Mental Health Services, Community Care Behavioral Health (UPMC) Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Children and Mental Health: Is This Just a Stage?, National Institute of Mental Health Teacher’s Guide to Anxiety, The Child Mind Institute May 12 is National Child Care Provider Appreciation Day Self-Care Tips for Family Services Professionals and Home Visitors, Head Start ECLKC (Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center) Remember to Take Care of Yourself: Six Ideas for Family Child Care Providers, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) 75 Staff Appreciation Ideas, Brightwheel Take Action to Fix Child Care and Keep Classrooms Open, Trying Together May 14 is Mother’s Day Celebrate Mother’s Day in Pittsburgh, Visit Pittsburgh 10 Mother’s Day Craft Ideas for Kids, Artful Parent 33 Mother’s Day Preschool Activities: DIY Gift Ideas, Games, and More, Teaching Expertise Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Caring for the Caregiver, Trying Together Find Local Child Care, ELRC Region 5 Mom’s Mental Health Matters, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-943-5746 (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS) Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) May 28 is World Hunger Day Hunger & Poverty in America, Food Research and Action Center Child Hunger Keeps Kids from Reaching Their Full Potential, Feeding America Food Resources for Pennsylvanians, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Food Resources in Pittsburgh, City of Pittsburgh Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Walk-In Food Distribution at the Hub, Trying Together
April 29, 2024 Trying Together Exec Director Touts Importance of Child Care Access on Our Region’s Business Trying Together Executive Director Cara Ciminillo was featured on WPXI’s Our Region’s Business segment on Sunday, April 28. Ciminillo discussed the importance of child care access after the issue recently topped a survey from the Allegheny County Executive’s office. Learn More During the segment, WPXI’s Bill Flanagan noted that a lack of access to affordable child care could be the biggest barrier to building a workforce pipeline in the region. Ciminillo joined Kendra Ross, Director of Social Impact at Duolingo, and Dan DeBone, President & CEO of the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce, to discuss the issue. Ciminillo said Trying Together works to support child care workers in the field as well as improve quality and advocate on their behalf. “The crisis existed before the (COVID-19) pandemic, but the pandemic really just squeezed it,” she said. “All the other sectors have been able to move up their wages, but child care is really limited in its ability to do that. We know this is because families can’t afford more. The average infant-toddler child care slot is $12,000 per year. So, you can’t put more of those costs on families – they’re struggling already.” Ciminillo said the provider workforce doesn’t bring in enough money from state subsidies to augment that revenue formula. “The tax credit is great, but if you have 100% of the tax credit but you don’t have the staff to support the children who need the care, you can’t use the tax credit,” she said. “It’s really important that we invest in recruitment and retention of the workforce.” Ross said Duolingo was trying to provide grant money for child care organizations that don’t have enough resources. DeBone said the chamber of commerce advocates for legislation to help early child care programs. Last year, Trying Together partnered with Duolingo, the Early Excellence Project, and Candor & Co in the creation of a new program called “Early Learners First.” The program’s goal is to strengthen and enhance Pittsburgh’s early education system by investing in local child care programs. Duolingo, headquartered in East Liberty, pledged $1 million to the program. Trying Together also is a member of the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce and has partnered with the chamber to host informational sessions about the impact child care has on the economy. Affordable Child Care Access Tops Survey In the recent All in Allegheny Community Survey, increasing access to affordable child care and care for older adults to make it easier for workers and people participating in workforce training programs ranked first. The Allegheny County Executive’s office invited county residents to share their ideas, priorities, and needs with County Executive Sara Innamorato’s office through the survey. According to the survey results, affordable child or family care options was the top priority for 50.8% of all respondents. Other top issues included reduced-fare public transit, the creation of good-paying jobs, and protecting worker’s rights. To listen to what Ciminallo had to say, watch the Our Region’s Business segment. For more information on Trying Together’s advocacy regarding access to child care, visit our Public Policy Agenda page.
Remake Learning Days to Offer Hundreds of Events in May The Remake Learning Days Festival will offer more than 350 events – including Playful Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Play Day – in May. The three-week festival offers activities for children ages two to 17 as well as adults. Learn More From May 2 to 22, families can take part in a variety of events and celebrate learning. Activities include building a robot, coding an art spinner, directing a film, doing scientific work, exploring the outdoors, making music, printing inventions with a 3-D printer, and more. The festival will include in-person and virtual events hosted by schools, museums, libraries, after-school organizations, child care centers, and tech companies. There are a number of free activities as well as others that range from $1 to $50. Most of the events take place in Southwestern Pennsylvania, while a few others will be held in West Virginia. Ultimate Play Day – which is co-hosted by Playful Pittsburgh, Trying Together, and CitiParks – will take place during Remake Learning Days. The event emphasizes the importance and power of play for people of all ages. The free event will be hosted at the Activities Shelter at Riverview Park from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. The festival will also include a performance of “Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster.” Color puppets and props will bring characters from Mo Willems’ book to life on stage. For more information on the Remake Learning Days Festival, visit the festival’s website.
Buzzword Day at the Theater The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Education department invites families to request complimentary tickets for a May performance of “Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster.” The production is based on Mo Williems’ books about the character. How to Sign Up Families can request up to four complimentary tickets for the Friday, May 18 performance at 10 a.m. The production will occur during the Children’s Theater Festival. The last day to register is Friday, May 10 by 5 p.m. About the Show The show tells the story of Leonardo, a terrible monster who tries to be scary – but isn’t. When Leonardo finds Sam, a scaredy-cat kid, it’s his chance to finally scare someone. Or, it could be the start of an unlikely friendship. The plot thickens when the pair meets Kerry and Frankenthaler, an even scaredier-cat and her monster friend. “Leonardo!” uses hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, book pages, two-dimensional props, furry monster puppets, and songs to bring Willems’ books to life. Manual Cinema wanted to recreate the experience of holding one of the books, which are big, bold, colorful, and full of visual rhythm. Similar to all Manual Cinema productions, attendees are invited to watch the big screen like a traditional movie or watch the artists below as they create the story in real time.
April 24, 2024 How to Get to Ultimate Play Day on May 18 Playful Pittsburgh will host its annual Ultimate Play Day on Saturday, May 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Activities Shelter in Riverview Park. There are three bus routes that can drop participants off close to the event. Learn More Ultimate Play Day is a celebration of playfulness for people of all ages. The event – co-hosted by Playful Pittsburgh, Trying Together, and Citiparks as part of Remake Learning Days – celebrates the importance of play. A number of city organizations will take part in the event – including the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Carnegie Science Center, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Fred Rogers Institute, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and many more. A complete list can be found on Ultimate Play Day’s event page. Directions Participants driving to the event and taking 279 N should avoid Milroy Street. Instead of making the first left, continue on to East Street and take Baytree Street to the park. Three bus routes will drop participants close to the event. Riders can take Bus 8 from the Northside to Riverview Park. They can pick up this bus at Cedar, East North Avenue, or Federal Street. The closest stops to the park are Perrysville and Watson or Perrysville and Cherryfield. Riders can take Bus 12 from the Northside. The closest stop to the park is East Street and Venture Street, which is about a mile walk to the event. Riders can also take Bus 15 from Downtown. More Information If you have questions, contact Adam James Zahren, Program Director for Playful Pittsburgh, at adam@tryingtogether.org. To plan a route to Ultimate Play Day, visit Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s True Time System’s website.
Study with Questionnaire Explores Field of Play A new study is exploring the current state of the field of play, specifically in games and related areas. Areas covered by the exploratory, qualitative study include mixed reality, themed entertainment, and tech. The study, led by Carnegie Mellon University’s Drew Davidson, also includes a questionnaire in which anyone can participate. Learn More The study’s aim is to define and reflect on the field of play. ETC Press will publish the results. The concept of play is broad and diverse, so the study is less a focus on a specific discipline and more an exploration of the extensive ideas around play. The questionnaire asks participants where they are located, what type of work they do, and what they believe is going on in the field of play. All responses are anonymous, and only a few of the questionnaire’s 16 questions are required. It should take between 20 to 25 minutes. More Details The study incorporates assistance from such groups as the Pittsburgh Remake Learning Initiative, Pittsburgh Technology Council, and the Connected Learning Alliance. Participating organizations will form a committee to provide local focus on regions to help ensure an inclusive process that offers perspectives from the diverse groups engaged in the field. The study includes questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and community participation. It aims to find patterns, commonalities, and differences across various regions amongst the education, industry, professional, foundation, and government groups involved in the field of play. The goal will be to collaboratively produce a white paper with the help of the committee. The final report’s aim is to document the global state of play. It will also serve as a reference for current practices and problems. Those who are interested in participating can take the questionnaire or contact the study team for more information.
April 23, 2024 Pittsburgh CLO Offering Suburbs Trolley, Family Pass This Summer The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) is offering new services – including trolley service in the suburbs, a family pass, and child care during shows – for families this summer. To entice families to attend the shows, the CLO is offering several new services and discounts this summer. Transportation Guests can now board the PCLO Show Shuttle at specific locations in the city’s suburbs. To ride the trolley, PCLO show tickets must be purchased in advance. Guests can then add a trolley ticket for $10 directly through Molly’s Trolleys Pittsburgh. The shuttle will only be offered on select show dates and times during the summer. View the schedule. Family Pass For every adult ticket purchased, up to four child tickets can be added for $10 each with a family pass. The passes can be purchased in all price zones for any show date and time of show offered. The family pass will be available for “West Side Story,” “The Music Man” and “Seussical” for children, ages three to 18. For “The Color Purple,” children should be at least 13 years old due to the show’s content. Child Care Available for Families PCLO Show Care will enable parents to entrust their children – ages three (fully potty trained) to 12 – to the care of CLO Academy of Musical Theatre Faculty while they take in a show. Limited spaces are available, so show care registration should be completed in advance when purchasing tickets. Show Care will be offered at the Saturday matinee performances of “West Side Story,” “The Color Purple,” and “The Music Man.” More Information Summer shows include “Lady Day” (May 17-June 30), “West Side Story” (June 11-16), “The Color Purple” (June 25-30), “The Music Man” (July 9-14), “Young Frankenstein” (July 19-Sept. 1), and “Seussical” (July 30-Aug. 4). Learn more on the Pittsburgh CLO website.
Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books Offers Author Talks, Activities for Youths This year’s Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books will include a schedule full of author talks, panel discussions, poetry readings, book signings, and workshops as well as food trucks and exhibitors. Learn More The third annual festival will be held May 11 at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in East Liberty. More than 70 writers spanning such genres as romance and thrillers to horror, cozy mysteries, and nonfiction will attend. Among this year’s featured writers are Ross Gay, author of four books of poetry, including “Be Holding,” winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award, and Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of “Tribe” and “The Perfect Storm” and co-director of Oscar-nominated documentary “Restrepo.” Other featured authors include Eloisa James, bestselling author of more than 30 historical romance novels, and Benjamin Herold, author of “Disillusioned,” which explores American public schools. Pittsburgh Stories Part of this year’s programming will focus on stories revolving around Pittsburgh. Herold’s book focuses on a Black family’s experience in his childhood neighborhood, which was once predominantly white. Additionally, a lineup of Pittsburgh-themed panels will uncover little-known parts of the city’s history, discuss social justice in Pittsburgh, and dig into the city’s true crime stories. Screenwriter and University of Pittsburgh lecturer Carl Kulander will moderate a panel of Pittsburgh memoirists. Activities for Youths For young children and their caregivers, the festival will feature interactive storytime with popular children’s authors. Erin Danielle Russell will discuss “Seoul Food,” which takes readers on the journey of a young biracial girl who celebrates her Korean and Black cultures through cuisine. Attendees will be able to visit a tent dedicated to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s 2024 Best Books for Babies, a nationally recognized section updated annually by local librarians and child development experts. Older youths can attend panels on a variety of topics. Pittsburgh young adult authors and married writing team Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick will discuss “From Pittsburgh With Love.” Young readers can pre-register for the annual summer reading program, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s 2024 Read-a-Palooza Book Bowl, which runs from June 16 to Aug. 11. The program challenges young readers to log at least five books during that time period. The festival will also feature workshops and activities for children and teens. Attendees can make their own zine with author-illustrator Sharee Miller (“Don’t Touch My Hair!”) and create digital comics with Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Makerspace. Guests can also create friendship bracelets. The city’s website has a complete listing of all activities, workshops, and participating authors. More Details The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 11 at 616 North Highland Avenue. Free parking will be available on the campus of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and across the street at the Obama Academy. Those interested in volunteering can sign up on the festival’s website. Although not required, registration is encouraged for select author sessions and panels as space might be limited.
April 22, 2024 Rapid Survey Project Fact Sheet Examines Postpartum Parents’ Well-Being The RAPID Survey Project, based at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, has released a new fact sheet examining how postpartum parents’ emotional well-being and physical health affect their caregiving abilities. Learn More The experience of having a new baby in the home is an exciting time for most families, but caring for a newborn can also be stressful, the fact sheet says. As parents navigate having to care for themselves and new family members, stress can affect their overall health and well-being. This can lead to anxiety and stress and, in turn, drive increases in children’s levels of distress. According to the fact sheet, data showed that many parents are having positive experiences bonding with and caring for their new babies. A vast majority of them said they were interested in and enjoyed interacting with their child. However, data also indicated that there’s more that can be done to ensure postpartum parents are connected to resources and support. Three common feelings among new parents were being tired, disorganized, and isolated, according to the fact sheet. While most of those interviewed believed they were managing stress and maintaining a healthy diet, many were not getting exercise and a majority said they were not getting enough sleep. As a result, half of postpartum parents interviewed said their emotional well-being and physical health affected their caregiving abilities. To compile the fact sheet, researchers sought to get a better sense of the experiences of those parenting new babies by surveying them within the first two months after their child was born. For more information on the RAPID Survey Project’s findings and how it conducted the study, view the fact sheet.
