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Month: November 2025

News

November 11, 2025

ECE Professionals Must Submit T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Application for Spring by Nov. 14

Early childhood education professionals interested in attending college for the upcoming spring semester should apply for the TEACH scholarship by the November deadline.

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Applications for the TEACH Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship must be completed and submitted with all required documentation and information by Friday, November 14 to be considered for the spring semester.

For more information on eligibility or to download an application, visit the PACCA website. For questions, contact a TEACH counselor at teachinfo@pacca.org.

About TEACH

The TEACH (Teacher Education And Compensation Helps) Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship Program offers early learning professionals a debt-free higher education, supporting them while they work to become stronger teachers and earn thriving wages.

By building a more educated and fairly compensated workforce, TEACH raises the quality of care and education that Pennsylvania’s youngest children receive, setting them on a path to future learning and success.

News

November 10, 2025

PennAEYC Calling for 2026 VOICE for Children Award Nominations

PennAEYC is calling for nominations for the 2026 VOICE for Children Award, which is the only statewide award in Pennsylvania that recognizes the grassroots leaders whose work affects the quality of care for young children in diverse settings. 

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The VOICE Award celebrates not only individual award recipients, but also the early childhood profession. Nominees should be early childhood education professionals who stand out as an advocate for early childhood education and have demonstrated outstanding efforts to make others know about the importance of early care and education investments.

Nominations must be made by Saturday, November 15. The winners will be honored at the VOICE for Children Award Reception and Dinner on Friday, April 10 at the Hershey Lodge, located at 325 University Drive in Hershey.

Nominees must:

  • Display dispositions of a model early childhood advocate or student advocate including (but not exclusive to) serving as an expert witness, providing public testimony, appearing in media, serving on a board in a public policy capacity, receiving distinctive honors or awards for advocacy work, leading advocacy campaigns or actions, working with leaders or elected officials, or recognized as an early childhood advocate or leader in their community
  • Be a current member of PennAEYC

Nominators must:

  • Submit completed nomination forms by the deadline; include specific documentation (for example, links to newspaper articles, titles, awards, etc.) to substantiate a nominee’s advocacy efforts
  • Limit the description of the nominee’s advocacy to a 500-word maximum
  • Include a biography of the nominee if possible (not required)
  • Submit additional letters of support and endorsements of the nominee
  • Membership with PennAEYC is not required for the nominator.

To submit a nomination, email Rose Snyder at rsnyder@pennaeyc.org using “2026 VOICE Nomination” in the subject line by November 15.

The nomination form is available on PennAEYC’s website.

News

Trying Together Exec Director to Participate in Discussion on How Child Care Shapes PA Economy

Trying Together Executive Director Cara Ciminillo will take part in an upcoming virtual discussion on how child care shapes Pennsylvania’s economy.

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The state Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women will host a virtual discussion on Monday, November 17 on child care’s role in Pennsylvania’s economy. 

The event will be a candid conversation featuring participants from business and economic development, state government, and child care advocacy. It will explore the workforce, policy, and cultural shifts needed to strengthen child care in Pennsylvania.

The state is currently facing a child care crisis that affects every sector of its economy. Due to a shortage of 3,000 child care positions affecting care for more than 25,000 children, families are being forced to choose between cutting work hours or leaving the workforce entirely.

Since nearly 70% of children have working parents and 95% of child care workers are women, the issue is deeply intertwined with women’s economic opportunity.

The virtual discussion will focus on identifying the problem and shaping solutions that help families, employers, and the economy.

Panelists include Ciminillo; Shante Brown, the deputy secretary of the state’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL); Alex Halper, senior vice president of government affairs for the PA Chamber of Business and Industry; and Kevin Schreiber, president and CEO of the York County Economic Alliance.

Tracy Lawless – government affairs counselor for K&L Gates and chairwoman of the Women in the Workforce Subcommittee of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Women – will be the moderator.

Those interested in attending can RSVP online.

News

Will You Give Big This GivingTuesday?

This GivingTuesday, Trying Together will participate in Give Big Pittsburgh, a 24-hour online fundraising effort hosted by Pittsburgh Magazine and presented by GBU Life. 

When you donate to Trying Together on December 2, you are part of a community of supporters who value the work of early childhood. Your financial support ensures that Trying Together can continue to advocate for young children and their caregivers, provide professional growth opportunities, and develop community resources. 

Will You Help Us Reach Our Goal?

This year, we’ve set a goal of $5,000 — but we can’t reach that goal without your help! We encourage you to not only donate, but also to also raise money on behalf of Trying Together. Make a plan for December 2 to share with your friends and family members the important work we do, and ask them to join us in making a difference.

You also have an opportunity to maximize your impact through our Double the Donation page. Simply search for your workplace and if they offer a matching gift program, you will be guided through how to submit a matching gift request.

How to Give

Gifts to Trying Together will be accepted on the Give Big Platform from Tuesday, Dec. 2 through Tuesday, Dec. 31. 

Donating to Trying Together on GivingTuesday is easy – simply complete the online donation form on the Give Big Pittsburgh platform.

How Your Donation Helps

When you donate to Trying Together, you are supporting a number of initiatives, including:

  • Community-Based High School Child Development Associate (CDA) Program
  • The Buzzword literacy initiative
  • Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Resources Series
  • Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center Diaper & Formula Banks
  • Institute for Early Childhood Career Pathways
  • Pediatric First Aid/CPR Facilitation and Instruction
  • Home-Based Child Care Business Cohort
  • Rapid Response Team

News

November 5, 2025

PA Partnerships for Children’s Report Describes State “Crisis” in Early Childhood Education

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s 2025 State of Early Care and Education report described the state’s early childhood education system as a “crisis” for families, educators, and the state’s economy.

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The report arrives amid the state’s ongoing budget impasse during which providers such as Pre-K Counts and Head Start haven’t been paid for months.

“Pennsylvania’s early care and education system is in crisis,” Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children wrote in the report. “Families can’t find or afford child care, educators are underpaid and leaving the field, and the state is losing billions in economic productivity.”

According to the report’s key statistics, a total of 72% of families with children under age 6 have all caregivers in the workforce. However, only 23% of eligible infants and toddlers are served by Child Care Works and 84,000 preschoolers lack access to high-quality, publicly-funded pre-k.

Infant care costs approximately $13,354 per year, which is nearly equal to college tuition, the report noted.

As a result of all this, many children in Pennsylvania are missing out on critical early learning that sets the foundation for lifelong success. When caregivers can’t access care, they are often forced to leave the workforce or reduce hours. 

Child care workers earn an average $15.15 per hour, which is lower than many entry-level jobs, and, as a result, providers are struggling to recruit and retain employees. Educators are leaving the profession for better-paying jobs in other industries.

There are currently more than 3,000 open positions statewide and Pennsylvania has lost 393 child care providers since 2019. Without adequate staffing, classrooms close in communities, leaving families desperate for care.

The report found that Pennsylvania loses $6.65 billion annually due to child care shortages.

For more information, read Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s full report.

News

After-School and Summer Program Leaders Asked to Take OST Survey

The Learning Agenda and the William Penn and McElhattan foundations are calling for Pennsylvania after-school and summer program leaders to take part in a survey on out-of-school programming.

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Input from the survey will inform plans to strengthen out-of-school advocacy around the state to enable more young people to be able to access high-quality programs.

The survey takes about 10 minutes and is confidential. To protect participants’ identity, responses will be combined with other responses when sharing information with funders and field leaders. Participants’ names and organizations will not be attached to their responses.

Questions cover everything from types of programs, geographic locations, whether programs are licensed child care centers, which types of funding that programs rely on, and whether participants have communicated with elected officials about after-school or summer programs.

Those who participate will have the chance to win one of three $100 Visa gift cards.

Those interested can take the survey online.

News

Initiative to Connect Mothers in Need of Food Assistance with Groceries

Brown Mamas and Healthy Start are launching a new initiative that will help to connect mothers and community members in need of food assistance with groceries.

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The two organizations are starting The Bridge Project in the wake of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) restrictions tightening and amid SNAP benefits not being paid out during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The project will be a grocery transportation network rooted in mutual aid to connect mothers and community members who need food assistance with others who can pick up, deliver, or help to distribute groceries across local neighborhoods.

Organizations that are interested in working as partners should email Brown Mamas at hello@brownmamas.com. 

Mothers in need of help with groceries, volunteer drivers, those with groceries to share, or community organizations can sign up online to get or give help.

News

November 4, 2025

Study Finds More Parents Want Children in After-School Programs But Needs Not Being Met

Despite an increased number of parents wanting their children to participate in after-school programs, such demands are not being met for more than three in four children, according to data from America After 3PM.

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A report titled “Lost Opportunity: Afterschool in Demand, But Out of Reach for Many” noted that the after-school field has made great strides in the past 25 years from growth in federal and state funding to strong investment and positive outcomes for young people.

America After 3PM conducts a study every five years to help guide work in the field and to examine how children and youth spend the hours after school and over the summer.

The study’s 2025 edition found that after-school programs address many of society’s problems, give youths opportunities to connect them with peers and mentors while developing their skills and leadership, and provide parents with a lifeline to help them keep their jobs and lower stress.

However, the study found that the nation is far from realizing its potential because many families cannot access after-school programs. A total of three out of four children whose parents want programs don’t have them, the study found.

Since the previous America After 3PM study, a number school programs have closed, community organizations have been shuttered, and there has been a rise in youth mental health challenges and absenteeism.

The report notes that after-school and summer programs play a critical role in supporting youth, their parents, and the economy. It calls for programs to be made available to all families who want to utilize them.

For more details, read the entire America After 3PM study.

News

Child Mind Institute Resources Aim to Focus NVLD’s Visual-Spatial Problems

There are many misconceptions about nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD), from the fact that those with it might be highly verbal to the fact that the disorder is not in the DSM-5, the official guide to mental health disorders.

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The Child Mind Institute has released a series of resources from nonverbal learning disorder experts who have worked to sharpen the focus on the visual-spatial problems at the core of the disorder’s disparate symptoms. The experts have even proposed a new name: developmental visual-spatial disorder.

In the series of resources, the institute explains the new definition and criteria for a developmental visual-spatial disorder diagnosis. There are also articles on how to help children with the disorder.

Another resource focuses on why children with learning disabilities have social challenges, while another discusses how to boost their executive functioning skills. There is also a piece on the importance of keeping an eye on the emotional well-being of a child with the disorder.

Below are the Child Mind Institute’s resources:

News

November 3, 2025

Pennsylvania Key to Offer School-Age Care Professional Development This Fall

The Pennsylvania Key will offer several courses in November and December that will focus on school-age care professional development.

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The courses – as part of the Pennsylvania Key’s Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) – cover five topics all having to do with child and youth development, behavior, and emotions.

One course focuses on how youths’ behavior may reflect their big emotions as well as how to manage those emotions. Another involves tools to use for challenging behaviors by children in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The topic of one course is what to expect at each stage of development from kindergarten through sixth grade and how to identify developmentally appropriate milestones, while another discusses the developmental needs of fourth to sixth grade students and how to empower them to have a great after-school experience. There is also a class that focuses on social-emotional standards and how to incorporate them into daily activities. 

All courses include PQAS credits.

The class schedule includes: