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Author: Maria Pisano

Child Care Career Openings in Pittsburgh

News

April 6, 2023

Child Care Career Openings in Pittsburgh

Are you looking for open child care positions? Early learning programs in the Greater Pittsburgh Area are hiring! See featured jobs for this week.

Child Care Positions in Pittsburgh

 Group Supervisor, Infant Room

The Group Supervisor ensures the coordination of quality programs for all age groups. This individual will plan and execute the creative curriculum, use OUNCE and ASQ assessments, observe and evaluate child progress, and communicate with parents daily, scheduling conferences when needed.

More information is available online.

Interested individuals should apply at www.ywcapgh.org.

Infant & Preschool Teachers

Southminster Child Care Center is looking for energetic and caring individuals to join their team of exceptional teachers. They are hiring full- and part- time teachers in their infant and preschool classrooms. Paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, and health insurance assistance are a few of the benefits associated with these positions.

Interested individuals should email childcare@spchurch.org.

Preschool Teacher-Assistant

TLC for Kids is seeking a Preschool Teacher-Assistant to care for and educate 2, 3, 4 and 5 year-old children in a preschool setting.

More information is available online.

Interested individuals should apply at app.joinhomebase.com/loc/tlc-for-kids/job/preschool-assistant-teacher.

Lead Preschool Teacher

Little Rubies Learning Academy is seeking a full-time Lead Preschool Teacher to encourage the healthy intellectual and psychological growth of the children in our facilities. The Lead Preschool Teacher will teach and supervise children, while also motivating them to use their mental capacities and exercise their imagination.

More information is available online.

Interested individuals should apply at www.littlerubies.com/careers/.

Submit a Job

Trying Together highlights employer-submitted jobs on our website, social media, and in our newsletter.

All jobs submitted after Tuesday each week will be published in the following week’s news post. Publication dates may vary due to state and federal holidays. Unrelated jobs will not be included.

For questions, contact Heidi Winkler at heidi@tryingtogether.org.

Other Jobs in Early Childhood

ECE HIRE

Visit the ECE Hire website to view early childhood education job listings and helpful tips on interviewing, resumes, and more.

SUBMIT A JOB TO PACCA

Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a Job Board for its members to post jobs for free and sends out submitted jobs via their Facebook page and e-newsletter. PACCA members can submit jobs online after signing into their membership account. For questions, contact Maureen Murphy at maureen.murphy@pacca.org.

Receive Jobs in Your Inbox

To receive the latest job opportunities, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook.

The Learning Lamp Offering Free Summer Camp Lesson Plans Through Best Day Ever

News

April 5, 2023

The Learning Lamp Offering Free Summer Camp Lesson Plans Through Best Day Ever

The Learning Lamp, a Pennsylvania-based program that aims to give children, families, and schools greater options for improving academic achievement, is offering free preschool and school-age summer camp lesson plans to out-of-school time (OST) and summer camp educators.

Part of the Best Day Ever! curriculum, the lesson plans are designed by and for teachers. They offer a turnkey solution for both preschool and school-age summer camp programs, at no cost to Pennsylvania educators.

About Summer Camp Lesson Plans

The Learning Lamp will offer 24 Best Day Ever! units through August 2023. Each themed unit features high-interest topics, engaging hands-on activities, and opportunities for children to practice concepts in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).
Examples of available lessons include:
  • S’mores and More
  • Water World
  • Eager Engineers
  • World Travelers

The Learning Lamp writes and tests all lessons. They are aligned with PA learning standards, and can be adapted to meet the needs and interests of individual students.

Access the Lesson Plans

To access the lesson plans, visit the Learning Lamp’s website and complete the online registration form.

Learn More

The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization partially funded the development of Best Day Ever!

For more information about Best Day Ever!, visit the Learning Lamp website.

Applications Open for Educators’ Neighborhood 2023-24 Cohort

News

Applications Open for Educators’ Neighborhood 2023-24 Cohort

The application for the 2023-24 cohort of the Fred Rogers Institute Educators’ Neighborhood is now open.

Educators’ Neighborhood is a community of educators who learn together through the life and work of Fred Rogers by studying artifacts from the Fred Rogers Archive and connecting ideas to daily practice.

All applications must be submitted by May 26 at 5 p.m.

About Educators’ Neighborhood

This year-long opportunity brings together a cohort of educators from across the world who learn together, primarily through virtual meetings, and consider how to deepen their application of Fred Rogers’ work and theory to their work with children.

The Fred Rogers Institute defines “educators” as any adult who directly serves children, youth, families, and/or other educators.

Members of the 2023-24 cohort will have opportunities to participate in community discussion, present to other educators and leaders in the community, and attend:

  • monthly whole community meetings to connect with educators across different contexts
  • monthly small group meetings with other educators from similar contexts
  • an opening and closing community convening to prepare for and reflect on learning from the year
  • a mid-year community convening featuring presentations from educators within the community

Application Process

Before completing the application, applicants may want to consider and prepare responses to the open-response questions. Those questions include:

  • Why do you want to be part of the Educators’ Neighborhood community? (50-100 words)
  • What questions and topics would you like to explore with others in the community? (25-50 words)
  • “There’s a world of difference between insisting on someone’s doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.” What comes to mind as you reflect on this quote in the context of your work? (50-100 words)

To apply, visit the Fred Rogers Institute website and complete the online application.

Learn More

To learn more, visit the Fred Rodgers Institute website or sign up for the Educators’ Neighborhood newsletter.

APOST Relaunches as Independent Nonprofit

News

APOST Relaunches as Independent Nonprofit

After 13 years of support for more than 150 out-of-school time (OST) organizations in Allegheny County, Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) has relaunched as an independent nonprofit organization.

About APOST

APOST is an intermediary, convener, and champion of the out-of-school community in Allegheny County. OST programs, which typically take place during afterschool hours and summer months, provide youth access to enrichment activities.

Enrolling Children in OST Programs

OST programs provide safe and supervised spaces for children and youth to engage in academic and enrichment programming when they would otherwise be unsupervised or unengaged.

Enrollment for OST programs is now open throughout Allegheny County. Please use the Allegheny County Child Care tool at www.alleghenychildcare.org/welcome to find more information about programs in your neighborhood.

Inaugural Executive Director and Board Leadership

As an independent nonprofit, Executive Director Dr. Karen Dreyer will manage APOST.

Dreyer has focused her career on increasing access to opportunities for learning and healthy development for young people. Most recently, she served as the Director of Child Nutrition Programs at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

An inaugural Board of Directors will join Dreyer in her leadership. Kathryn Vargas, the director of the City of Pittsburgh Department of Parks and Recreation, will chair the board. Find the full list of board members on the APOST website.

Learn More

To learn more, visit the APOST website.

NAEYC Sponsoring Week of the Young Child Sweepstakes

News

NAEYC Sponsoring Week of the Young Child Sweepstakes

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is sponsoring a Week of the Young Child (WOYC) Sweepstakes.

Week of the Young Child is the first week of April, and NAEYC is offering prizes to seven lucky parents, caregivers, and early childhood educators who participate in the sweepstakes, which runs March 31 through April 14.

WOYC Sweepstake Prizes

  • Three people will win a free one-year Entry Level Membership ($30 value)
  • Two people will win a free NAEYC Book Bundle ($70 estimated value)
  • Two people will win a free module of Each and Every Child Training ($120 estimated value)

Participate

All parents, caregivers, and educators are invited to participate in the sweepstakes. To participate, simply visit the NAEYC website and complete the participation form.

Learn More

To learn more, visit the NAEYC website.

Trying Together Offering Fundraising Opportunity for Child Care Providers

News

Trying Together Offering Fundraising Opportunity for Child Care Providers

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, May 13, 2023 at Acrisure Stadium.

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 or view the event flyer.

Diaper Bank at ELRC Region 5

News

April 4, 2023

Diaper Bank at ELRC Region 5

The ELRC Region 5’s main office in downtown Pittsburgh is now a Diaper Bank location in Allegheny County.

Learn More

Emergency diapers and wipes are available at the ELRC Region 5. Families can receive up to 50 diapers and two packs of wipes per month. Opened diapers and wipes may not be returned or exchanged.

The office is located at:

304 Wood Street, Suite 400
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Call 412.350.3577 for more information.

Resources for April Observances

News

Resources for April 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.

April Observances

Here is a list of resources for April observances:

April is Month of the Young Child

April is World Autism Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April 2: International Children’s Book Day

April 2: World Autism Awareness Day

April 15: National American Sign Language Day

April 22: Earth Day

April 23: World Book Day

NAEYC Issues Call for Papers on Identity and Early Childhood Education

News

March 29, 2023

NAEYC Issues Call for Papers on Identity and Early Childhood Education

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recently issued a Call for Papers for the fall 2023 issue of their online journal, “Voices of Practitioners.”

Themed, “Reflecting on Our Own Identities in Early Childhood Education,” NAEYC seeks stories that explore how early childhood professionals’ reflections on their own identities (specifically social identities) impact their work with young children.

Paper proposals are due by Friday, April 7.

About Voices of Practitioners

“Voices of Practitioners: Teacher Research in Early Childhood Education” is an online, peer-reviewed journal in which teachers provide a critical perspective on their roles in children’s development and learning. Published by NAEYC, it disseminates early childhood teachers’ systematic study of an aspect of their own classroom practice.

Call for Papers

Social Identities and Early Childhood Education

The concept of identity is complex and shaped by individual characteristics; family dynamics; historical factors; and social, cultural, and political contexts. Social identity refers to the group categories that each society creates and defines. These categories include race, family structure, language, gender, religion, and economic class.

Reflecting on how these identities intersect and influence practice can help early childhood educators understand and challenge how systems of oppression and privilege operate in early childhood settings.

Considerations for Writing About Social Identity

NAEYC is interested in receiving submissions that explore a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

  • how your social identities have informed your understanding of the children and families you work with
  • how your social identities have influenced your teaching practices and classroom dynamics
  • the role of self-reflection and professional development in understanding and addressing how your social identities impact your teaching

Submission Guidelines

Who can submit a paper proposal?

  • teachers and administrators at any stage in their career working with young children aged birth to 8 years
  • early childhood educators with various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives
  • teacher educators, particularly those working with associate degree students

What should paper proposals include?

Proposals should be 500-750 words in length and should include the following features:

  • an idea for a personal narrative essay that discusses identity and practice, relative to the broader issues of equity and social justice
  • a statement of the challenge or opportunity for reform the paper intends to address
  • a brief contextual overview of the submitter’s program (e.g., geography, the population of children and families served, etc.)
  • a key anecdote or descriptive narrative that captures the heart of the submitter’s message
  • bullet points of two to three lessons the submitter has learned from their experience and their reflections about it

How do interested educators submit?

  • Interested educators should email their completed proposal to editorial@naeyc.org.
  • Please indicate in the subject line that it is a submission for “Voices of Practitioners” Fall 2023.
  • Proposals are due by April 7.

Learn More

To learn more, read the full submission guidelines or visit the NAEYC “Voices of Practitioners” webpage.

March Recalls on Children’s Products

News

March Recalls on Children’s Products

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

Learn More

Here is a list of March 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.

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.