Trying Together has launched the Institute for Early Childhood Career Pathways to support new and current early care and education professionals in Southwestern Pennsylvania by centralizing workforce recruitment, placement, retention, and ongoing professional development.

About the Institute for Early Childhood Career Pathways

The Institute for Early Childhood Career Pathways connects early educators to: professional learning partners; certification, credentialing, degree, mentoring, and workforce development programs; and a variety of other advancement opportunities as they work their way through Pennsylvania’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Career Pathway.

The Institute is the place where:

• early educators can go to achieve their Early Childhood Education (ECE), School-Age Care (SAC), and Out-of-School-Time (OST) career objectives by meeting with a Career Advisor and building out a professional development plan; and
• early learning program directors can go to identify funding opportunities and navigate career paths for their staff to help meet Keystone STARS standards.

Within the Institute, educators have access to a variety of supports, courses, and services to meet their personal needs and professional goals. Individuals who are looking to enter the early childhood field can also work with a Career Advisor at Trying Together to get them started on the ECE Career Pathway.

Complete details are available in The Institute for Early Childhood Career Pathways booklet (PDF) and on the Trying Together website.

The Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA) is inviting child care providers to take the 2024 Pennsylvania Head Start Wages and Benefits Comparability Survey.

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This survey, which PHSA members participate in to meet their federal Head Start grant requirements, compares the wages and benefits of Head Start grantees to other organizations that employ similar types of staff.

The survey is open for the month of March. Organizations that complete the survey will receive a $100 gift card. Providers who are interested in taking the survey can fill out an interest form. to receive a link to the survey.

For more information about the survey, email phsawage@phmc.org.

Early childhood education professionals interested in attending college in the Summer 2024 semester can now submit applications to receive a T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education And Compensation Helps) Scholarship and earn their teaching degree at little to no personal cost.

Interested applicants must complete and submit their T.E.A.C.H. applications with all required documentation/information by Friday, April 5, 2024.

About T.E.A.C.H. Scholarships

T.E.A.C.H. encompasses several different scholarship programs. These programs help child care professionals complete coursework toward a degree or credential in early childhood and increase their compensation.

Every T.E.A.C.H. scholarship has five key components:

1. Scholarship – The scholarship covers most of the cost for tuition and books. Additionally, recipients receive a travel stipend each semester they are enrolled in class. Also, T.E.A.C.H. requires that the sponsoring child care program offer paid release time for the student to attend class, study, or handle personal needs.

2. Education – In one scholarship year, each participant must successfully complete a required number of credit hours (usually 9-15) toward a degree in early childhood education.

3. Compensation – At the end of the scholarship year, if they complete their educational requirement, participants are eligible to receive either a stipend or a raise.

4. Commitment – Participants agree to continue working in their child care program for one year after each scholarship year.

5. Counseling – Each recipient gets assigned a counselor able to assist the student in securing a scholarship, navigating the college processes, setting goals, and monitoring progress and needs.

Eligibility

The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a variety of T.E.A.C.H. scholarships to meet the needs of the early care and education workforce in center and home-based settings. Eligible applicants must:

• work a minimum of 25-30 hours per week directly with children in a DHS-certified child care program;
• make $21.63 or less an hour ($25 or less per hour for directors); and
• remain interested in pursuing coursework at a participating college toward a degree or credential in early childhood.

Apply

To apply, download a scholarship application on the PACCA website and submit your completed application by Friday, April 5 through one of the following methods:

• Email: teachinfo@pacca.org
• Fax: 717.657.0959
• Mail: 20 Erford Road, Suite 302, Lemoyne, PA 17043

Additionally, begin the college admissions process and contact an early childhood education (ECE) advisor at your intended college/university. This helps to ensure that scholarship applicants get admitted to their college/university and can register for courses if/when they receive a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship. T.E.A.C.H. can provide contact information for early childhood education advisors at partnering institutions if needed.

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For questions about scholarship eligibility or requirements, contact a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor at teachinfo@pacca.org.

Information is now available about kindergarten registration in southwestern Pennsylvania districts for the 2024-2025 school year.

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When a child is five, it’s time to register them for kindergarten.

View details about Kindergarten registration in the region:

• Kindergarten Registration Information for the 2024-25 School Year: Allegheny County

• Kindergarten Registration Information for the 2024-25 School Year: Westmoreland, Fayette, Armstrong, Greene, and Butler counties

Hi5! is a kindergarten readiness and registration campaign coordinated by The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, and Trying Together.

Early and on-time registration allows schools and districts to plan for classroom materials, resources, and staff as they prepare to welcome a new group of students. It also enables families to establish relationships with teachers and administrators that are so important for easing the stress and anxiety of children (and their families) as they begin elementary school.

More Information

For more information about the Hi5! project, transition teams, and activities, please email hi5@tryingtogether.org, or view the Hi5! overview (PDF) and the Kindergarten Transition Whitepaper (PDF).

For more information about helping your child make the move to Kindergarten, view the Kindergarten Transition: A Guide for Families and Top 10 Kindergarten Readiness Checklist resources.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has released an updated listing of approved curricula and developmental assessment tools for use by early childhood programs.

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Keystone STAR 3 and STAR 4 providers who wish to continue to meet EC 3.4.1 and EC 3.4.2 need to confirm that the curriculum and developmental assessment tool they are using are OCDEL-approved and that the tools they are using will not be sunset at the beginning of the following fiscal year (ELRC Policy Announcement 22 #07 OCDEL-Approved Curricula and Developmental Assessment Tools in Keystone STARS).

Providers should make this review a regular part of their annual Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities and CQI plan update.

Providers will need to choose a new tool before their next full Keystone STARS designation if they wish to meet the relevant STARS Quality Indicators. In addition, by the time of their next full designation, these providers would need to have all onsite leadership team members and teaching staff take appropriate professional development (PD) in the new vendor-related tool if they wish to meet the relevant STAR PD Quality Indicators (SQ 3.4.6 and SQ 3.4.8)

The curricula and developmental assessments that will be inactive beginning July 1, 2024 are shown in red in this document.

Pittsburgh City Council approved legislation last week to amend the City of Pittsburgh’s Zoning Code to allow for child care facilities within single-family residentially zoned neighborhoods and accessory structures and to eliminate parking requirements for such facilities.

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The legislation allows facilities that will care for up to six children to be permitted by-right within R1D (single-unit detached residential) and R1A (single-unit attached residential) zoning districts without getting a special exemption. It also removed off-street parking requirements.

Council first introduced the legislation in October 2023. Trying Together applauds Pittsburgh City Council’s efforts to make these crucial changes to the Zoning Code — allowing more home-based providers to open and operate and increasing families’ access to quality child care.

Read the Pittsburgh Tribune Review for more details.

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) will be accepting pre-applications for its Housing Choice Voucher Program waiting list from Monday, March 11, 2024 to Friday, March 15, 2024.

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The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, the nation’s largest rental assistance program, helps low-income families, the elderly and the disabled rent decent, safe and sanitary housing units in the private market. Each year, HCVs help lift more than one million people nation-wide out of poverty and give families the opportunity to move to safer, less poor neighborhoods.

Apply

Pre-applications can only be submitted online from any computer, laptop or smartphone with internet access.

All pre-applications successfully submitted will be taken. Placement on the waiting list will be determined by a random sorting system. All completed pre-applications will be accepted and placed on the waiting list.

No pre-applications will be accepted before 8 a.m. on March 11 or after 11:59 p.m. on March 15.

Printed pre-applications will not be available at any HACP properties or offices.

People with disabilities requiring accommodations to submit a pre-application can contact the HACP Disability Compliance Office at 412-456-5282.

More Information

Additional information is available by contacting the HACP Occupancy Department at 412-456-5030 or visiting the HACP website.

The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) named Marcia Walters, a retired Pittsburgh-based child care program director, as one of two 2024 VOICE for Children Distinguished Career Award Honorees.

Walters shares the honor with Deb Green, the Executive Director of the Parent Infant Center in Philadelphia. Both women will be recognized at the Annual VOICE For Children Award Celebration on Friday, April 5.

About

Walters dedicated her career to serving the South Pittsburgh communities in early care and education for more than 25 years.

As an advocate for young children and their families, Walters recognized the importance of an educational foundation for young children that is rooted in supporting the family. Walters created such a program through the development of Hilltop Community Children’s Center, a non-profit child care program.

Led by Walters’ dedication to the mission and vision of Hilltop and financial support, the program was able to offer onsite services such as a family support specialist and a parenting support group. The support group offered education about violence prevention, support and education to end generational poverty, and additional supports for at-risk children in the community.

Walters earned an Associates of Arts and Associates of Science degree with a certification in Women’s Studies from the Community College of Allegheny County. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and certifications in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from the University of Pittsburgh.

Read Walters’ full biography to learn more.

More Information

To learn more about the PennAEYC VOICE awards, visit the PennAEYC website.

Playful Pittsburgh is seeking playful vendors and volunteers for Ultimate Play Day 2024.

Ultimate Play Day, hosted by Playful Pittsburgh, Trying Together, and CitiParks, is a celebration of playfulness for people of all-ages.

The event will be held at Riverview Park in the Northside on Saturday, May 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. as part of Remake Learning Days – Southwestern PA in 2024.

Become a Playful Vendor

Ultimate Play Day aims to foster community connections and learning through playful activities.

If your organization would like to facilitate a playful activity at Ultimate Play Day, please fill out the vendor application form.

Special attention will be paid to organizations that submit interactive, playful ideas that do not involve strictly passing out literature or other informational handouts.

Volunteer

Playful Pittsburgh is in need of volunteers to help throughout the day. Volunteers can assist with set up, registration, game and playground support, teardown, and more. View descriptions of each volunteer role.

Anyone interested in volunteering can fill out the sign up form and indicate the role that they are interested in.

More Information

If you have any questions, contact Adam James Zahren, Program Director, Playful Pittsburgh at adam@tryingtogether.org.

Parents and caregivers should be aware of several child-related product recalls.

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Here is a list of February 2024 recalls collected from the following major federal agencies: the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

• Spring Spirit and Biloban Pack and Play Mattresses were recalled due to suffocation hazard for infants and violation of the Federal Safety Regulation for Crib Mattresses.
• Magik & Kover Pack and Play Mattresses due to suffocation hazard for infants and violation of the Federal Safety Regulation for Crib Mattresses.
• Bell Sports recalled Bell Soquel Youth Bicycle Helmets due to risk of head injury and violation of the Federal Safety Regulation for Bicycle Helmets.
• Nanchang Zhongcangjishi recalled children’s bathrobes due to fire and burn hazard.
• Flat River Group recalled children’s bicycles due to crash and injury hazards and violation of Federal Safety Regulations for Bicycles.
• Ekouaer recalled children’s nightgowns due to fire and burn hazard.
• Lovevery recalled Slide & Seek Ball Runs with wooden knobs due to chking hazard.
• DailySale recalled High-Powered Magnetic Balls due to magnet ingestion hazard and violation of the Federal Safety Regulation for Toys.
• Huihuang Trading recalled fishing games due to magnet ingestion hazard and violation of the Federal Safety Regulation for Toys.
• Stripe and Stare children’s nightgowns were recalled due to fire and burn hazard.

More Information

For recall details, visit the links above or review the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration websites.