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March 31, 2026

PennAEYC Honors Educators with 2026 VOICE for Children Award

The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) will honor five educators during its 2026 VOICE for Children Celebration in April.

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The VOICE for Children Award is the only statewide award in Pennsylvania that recognizes early care and education professionals, who are not paid advocates but go above and beyond in their daily work in the field by being grassroots leaders through advocacy and public policy efforts.

This year’s awards ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10 at the Hershey Lodge, located at 325 University Drive in Hershey.

This year’s honorees include two educators who have worked with Trying Together – Sue Polojac, M.Ed., who is the director of the Rae Ann Hirsch Apprenticeship Program for Early Childhood Education at Carlow University, and Meghan Strawcutter, M.Ed., the executive director for LOLA’s Early Care and Education Center in Homer City.

PennAEYC’s  2026 Voice for Children Award Honorees include Strawcutter; Charles Coe, MSW, MPH, MSN, CPNP, LCSW, C-ACYFSW, the chief executive officer and founder of Incredible Kids Learning Center in Philadelphia; and Nicole Fetherman, M.Ed., the executive director of LifeSpan School & Daycare in Quakertown.

This year’s Distinguished Career Award Honorees include Polojac and Anu Sachdev, Ph.D, a faculty member of East Stroudsburg University.

Sue Polojac

Polojac has more than three decades of experience in early childhood education. Since joining Carlow University in 2020, she has directed the growth and expansion of the Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program, a model that allows early educators to pursue full-time work in the field. Through her leadership, the program has strengthened the connection between higher education and the early childhood community and provided educators with real-world pathways to professional advancement while addressing workforce shortages. 

Previously, Polojac served as the director for the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Grant and the Preschool Development Grant Birth-Five for the state’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).

Meghan Strawcutter

Strawcutter has been the executive director of LOLA’s Early Care and Education Center for 10 years as well as serves on such committees and advisory boards as the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Provider Advisory Board, where she advocates for high-quality child care and early education and the professionals that serve the early childhood education field.

Her teaching experience includes instructing undergraduate students at Westmoreland County Community College and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She has more than 18 years of professional experience in educational settings, including six years as a teacher in a Keystone STAR 4 and NAEYC-accredited early learning center. In 2015, she began working alongside a financial investor to develop LOLA’s Early Care and Education Center, a nonprofit child care center and preschool from the ground up.

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State Survey Asks for Women’s Input on Child Care, Education, and Other Topics

The Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women is asking Pennsylvania women to take a survey on such issues as child care, health care, education, and employment prior to an upcoming statewide listening tour.

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The survey, which takes about 20 minutes, is part of the commission’s initiative to collect information on women to help shape public policy.

Women are asked to share their stories involving child care, health care, education, employment, safety, and other issues of importance to them.

The testimony will be included in a 2026 State of the Woman Report that will highlight progress women have made in the state over the past 60 years as well as identify the gaps that still exist.

The statewide listening tour kicked off in Philadelphia on March 19. The tour will continue through May 30 in locations across the state. Registration for the Pittsburgh event, which takes place on Thursday, May 14, is available online.

Start Strong PA noted that the survey is an opportunity for mothers, grandmothers, child care teachers, and program directors and owners to make their voice heard. It encouraged women to provide testimony about how the state’s child care crisis affects a parent’s ability to work, an educator’s ability to earn a living wage, and a child’s ability to have a stable learning environment, among other topics.

Those interested can take the survey online.

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March 30, 2026

Substack Highlights Initiative That Promotes Intergenerational Play Spaces in Pittsburgh

A new post by the Zero2Eight substack focuses on a Pennsylvania initiative that provides funding to local organizations to create playful learning experiences for people of all ages in public spaces.

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In the post “How Pittsburgh is Promoting Intergenerational Play to Support Early Learning,” the Zero2Eight substack discusses Let’s Play PGH!, an initiative that launched in summer 2023 when Remake Learning brought together organizations to work on prototypes for play installations. 

Let’s Play PGH! was inspired by research from Playful Learning Landscapes, a joint project from Temple University’s Infant and Child Laboratory and the Brookings Institution. Researchers examined how children spent their time outside of school and how everyday experiences in urban spaces could be transformed into learning opportunities.

One of Let’s Play PGH!’s initiatives is the Firefly Gardens in Washington, Pa., that includes a sensory playground filled with wind chimes, grassy tunnels, and a mud box. Each activity at the gardens is paired with caregiver-focused messages and QR codes that encourage activities that can be enjoyed at home.

The Washington County Park system and WQED, which is Pittsburgh’s PBS station, created the sensory garden through a pilot grant from Let’s Play PGH! and Remake Learning, a peer network for Pittsburgh educators.

The garden is located in a community green space and activities at the site were designed to foster intergenerational play and exploration. Its aim is to help caregivers see that – as Fred Rogers once asserted – play is the work of childhood and understand how to support learning through shared activities. 

“The messaging really is for adults,” Gina Masciola, program director for learning neighborhoods at WQED and a member of the Remake Learning Council, told Zero2Eight. “It’s really about modeling and helping parents connect to their kids.”

While building Firefly Gardens, Masciola said the grant was used to buy materials for the prototype of the playground, such as purchasing supplies at thrift stores to create homemade wind chimes. The site’s sensory tunnel was built with sticks, long grasses, and bark. The PBS Kids show “Elinor Wonders Why” inspired the signs and play prompts in the garden that are intended for both children and caregivers.

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Resources for April Observances

Various organizations, states, and nations recognize several observances each month. Resources help parents, caregivers, and childcare professionals acknowledge and navigate them.

Here is a list of resources for April observances:

Month-Long Observances

Month of the Young Child

Celebrate Diversity Month

World Autism Month

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Week-Long Observances

April 11-17 is the Week of the Young Child

April 19-25 is National Library Week

April 20-24 is Every Kid Healthy Week

Day Observances

April 2 is International Children’s Book Day

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day

April 4 is National School Librarian Day

April 5 is National Self Care Day

April 6 is National Library Day

April 15 is National American Sign Language Day

April 21 is National Kindergarten Day

April 22 is Earth Day

April 23 is World Book Day

News

March 27, 2026

OCDEL Announces Opportunity to Increase Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Bonuses

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced an increase in the bonus amount given through the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention (CCSRR) Program. 

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The 2025-26 enacted state budget includes $25 million for retention and recruitment funding to qualified DHS certified providers. While the initial bonus amount was set at a maximum amount of $450, OCDEL recently announced an increase in that amount to $645.

Updated bonuses will be issued to qualified child care providers whose applications were submitted by the January 29 deadline, met all eligibility criteria, and were approved. No additional new applications will be accepted. 

Early Learning Resource Centers will send qualified providers a Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention award agreement amendment. Providers will need to sign and submit to the ELRCs the award agreement amendment to be eligible for the increased bonus amount of $645 for eligible staff. 

The completed amendment is due to the ELRC by April 3 or the provider forfeits the bonus increase and the previous award agreement amount of $450 will be final.

Retention bonus payments will be released to qualified providers by May 15. Providers are encouraged to contact their quality coach with any questions.

See the official announcement for more information. 

News

March 26, 2026

Trying Together to Launch Online, Self-paced Course on ‘The Business of Family Child Care’

Are you a family child care owner looking to strengthen your business? Do you currently care for children as a relative provider but are considering becoming licensed?

Trying Together will launch on April 1 “The Business of Family Child Care”, a self-paced online course that dives into starting and maintaining a family child care business. This course will be hosted through the PD Registry and is worth 12 PQAS hours. 

The course is designed especially for current family child care owners and relative providers exploring business ownership and licensing. Recognizing that caregivers have busy lives and many responsibilities, the self-paced nature of this course allows learners to complete the work at their own speed and when convenient for them. 

The course guides learners through nine modules that include practical tools, clear explanations, and real-world examples. Each module includes a quiz to test understanding, and learners can download helpful tools and resources for use in their business. 

These modules focus on creating a safe, compliant, and relationship-centered program where children and families thrive. Learners will discover how to price their services, manage expenses, attract families, and create a sustainable program that supports both passion and income.

Module Details

  • The Heart of the Business
  • The Developmental Bottom Line
  • Child Care Certification and Regulations
  • Health and Safety Standards
  • Caring Adults, Safer Children
  • Family & Community Engagement
  • Financial Management & Business Operations
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Long-Term Planning

Check back next week for more information and a link to sign up for this course.

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March 25, 2026

Submissions Open for Meaningful Play Conference to Be Held in October

Submissions are open for the 2026 Meaningful Play conference that will be held this fall in Pittsburgh.

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Meaningful Play 2026 is a conference about theory, research, and game design innovations, principles, and practices. The conference brings scholars, industry professionals, and games practitioners together to understand and improve upon games with the intention of entertaining, informing, educating, and persuading in meaningful ways.

The conference will be held from October 13 to 15 and will be followed by Pittsburgh Play Day on October 16. 

Full paper submissions are due by Tuesday, March 31, while games, lighting talks, and posters must be submitted by Friday, May 15. Hosted sessions must be submitted by Monday, June 15.

The event is also seeking reviewers and volunteers. Those interested in taking part in the conference should fill out an interest form.

Submissions to the conference can be made online.

News

March 24, 2026

PA Promise for Children Pairs Activities with Booklist for Children

PA Promise for Children has put together a list of books for children that incorporate the subjects of math, social-emotional development, literacy, and science. 

The list includes two books per subject, and PA Promise for Children has recommended activities in which caregivers can participate with children in their care.

Social-Emotional Development

For social-emotional development, caregivers are suggested to role-play in a job. This includes setting up a space for a pretend post office, grocery store, restaurant, or other workplace. Caregivers should encourage children to use items and toys as props at the job.

Books that are paired with the activity include:

  • Curious George Takes a Job (H.A. Rey)
  • The Biggest Job of All (Harriet Ziefert)

Mathematical Thinking and Expression

For the math section, caregivers should ask children to search for sets of things found in the home or outside – for example, a rock, two forks, three balls, and so on. Then, they should match photographs of the different items to the actual items to help them develop visual recognition. 

Also, caregivers can incorporate sensory development by asking the child to trace numbers or letters with their fingers.

Books that are paired with this activity include:

  • One Mole Digging a Hole (Julia Donaldson)
  • 1,2,3 Peas (Keith Baker)

Language and Literacy

The activity for this subject involves helping children learn the days of the week. To start, add words to the days that begin with the same letter – such as Musical Monday or Fun Friday. Then, do the same with the months.

Also, caregivers can help children learn the months of the year by creating a calendar that includes special dates – such as holidays or birthdays. Encourage them to draw or color pictures or find pictures online that show which of these days happen each month.

Books that are paired with this activity include:

  • Today is Monday (Eric Carle)
  • The Day You Begin (Jacqueline Woodson)

Scientific Thinking

PA Promise for Children suggests an activity in which a child is asked to see how many things they can balance at once. Then, have a balancing race to see who can go the fastest balancing a paper cup on top of a paper plate. Add other items and keep on going.

Books that are paired with this activity include:

  • The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (Dr. Seuss)
  • I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! and Other Stories (Dr. Seuss)

News

Resources to Help Children with ADHD or Sleep Issues

Despite caregivers’ best efforts, most children do not get enough sleep, whether it’s because they are energized and do not want to go to sleep or they’re overwhelmed by homework.

But for children with ADHD, the Child Mind Institute notes, these struggles can be compounded with the fact that difficulty falling or staying asleep or waking up early are all common issues, and sleep problems can be a side effect of taking ADHD stimulant medication.

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The Child Mind Institute has shared resources regarding sleep issues for children with ADHD and what can be done to help them.

One article discusses how being able to wind down at night is a form of self-regulation and that children with ADHD have trouble stopping an activity they find stimulating – whether it’s reading or doing something online.

Another piece focuses on how caregivers can help children develop better routines to get to bed on time, such as providing support to help them set limits for themselves. If a child feels anxious about being able to fall asleep, the institute has provided tips on how to help them relax.

Occasionally, lack of sleep can cause children to have trouble focusing at school, according to one Child Mind Institute resource, and even lead to an ADHD misdiagnosis. 

Below are the resources shared by the Child Mind Institute.

News

March 23, 2026

National Nutrition Month Resources to Help Caregivers Make Healthy Choices for Children

March is National Nutrition Month, an education campaign by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that focuses on informed food choices, good eating habits, and physical activity. 

The campaign was founded in 1973 and the theme for 2026 is “Discover the Power of Nutrition,” which highlights how nutrient-rich foods can improve overall health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

To celebrate the month, the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Program (IECMH) has compiled a list of resources that can help caregivers make nutritious choices for the children in their care.

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Among the resources is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Early Child Nutrition Resources, which provide requirements for meals, food groups, and infant nutrition. 

Pennsylvania’s Department of Education also provides guidance on food and nutrition for early childhood education settings. Some of their resources include:

One article shared by the IECMH – “How Snack and Mealtimes Can Help Preschoolers Learn Social Skills, Vocabulary, Math, Science, and Cultural Awareness” – discusses how snacks and mealtimes are important opportunities for preschool-age children to learn and develop in a variety of ways. 

Other resources explore the role of food in emotional regulation, how snack time during after-school programs is important, and how predictable snack and meal times can teach children to listen to their bodies and foster healthy eating habits.