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.

Learn More

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.

Learn More

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.

Trying Together is inviting early childhood program directors to join them at the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community to raise funds for their early learning programs.

About the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community

The Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community is an annual fundraising walk that benefits local health and human service agencies. The primary goal of the walk is to help participating organizations raise money for their individual missions. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, June 22, at Stage AE.

Though the Highmark Walk is a great opportunity for nonprofit organizations to raise funds, not all entities meet eligibility standards. If you are the owner or director of an early learning program, your program may be ineligible. However, Trying Together is inviting all early childhood program directors to join Trying Together at the walk to raise funds for their program.

Raise Money for An Early Learning Program

To raise funds for an early learning program, create a program walk team on behalf of Trying Together and join Trying Together at the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community. After the walk, Trying Together will give 75% of all funds raised by early learning program teams back to their respective programs.

Create a Walk Team

Interested in teaming up with Trying Together? Start a team now! Start by visiting Trying Together’s Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community registration page. Once on the page, select “Click Here to Form Team.” Next, enter the name of your organization as the team name when prompted, and, finally, complete the registration form.

Learn More

If you need assistance creating a team or want to learn more, visit the Highmark Walk page on the Trying Together website.

Share this flyer with your networks.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that Pennsylvania is among the states that plan to be the first to launch the new, permanent summer grocery benefits program for children – known as Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) – in summer 2024.

About Summer EBT

Summer EBT benefits will come in the form of pre-loaded cards that families can use to purchase groceries. Beginning in summer 2024, families will receive $40 per eligible child, per month. These benefits work together with other available Food and Nutrition Service assistance programs, such as summer meal sites, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and WIC, to help ensure children have consistent access to critical nutrition when school is out.

For details, visit the USDA’s Summer EBT webpage.