Maria Pisano, Author at Trying Together

News

February 22, 2023

Office for Civil Rights Issues Fact Sheet on Diversity & Inclusion Activities

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently released a fact sheet for educators, parents, and students on the legality of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training in federally funded spaces.

The fact sheet confirms that DEI training and similar activities are generally consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In most circumstances, they are permitted in states, school districts, public schools, and public and private colleges.

About the Fact Sheet

This fact sheet was created in response to confusion regarding the legality of diversity, equity, and inclusion activities in schools. It clarifies that federal civil rights laws do not categorically prohibit schools from offering activities such as instruction on the impact of racism, cultural competency training, or school climate surveys.

Download the Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet: Diversity & Inclusion Activities Under Title VI | English

Fact Sheet: Diversity & Inclusion Activities Under Title VI | Spanish

About Title VI

Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. Activities intended to further objectives such as diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not prohibited under Title VI.

Title VI allows activities such as:

diversity, equity, and inclusion training
instruction in or training on the impact of racism or systemic racism
cultural competency training or other nondiscrimination trainings
efforts to assess or improve school climate, including through creation of student, staff,
and/or parent teams, use of community focus groups, or use of climate surveys
student assemblies or programs focused on antiharassment or antibullying
investigations of and issuance of reports concerning the causes of racial disparities within a
school
use of specific words in school policies, programs, or activities, such as equity, discrimination,
inclusion, diversity, systemic racism, or similar terms

Learn More

OCR is responsible for the enforcement of Title VI. To contact OCR for technical assistance, call 1-800-421-3481 (TDD: 1-800-877-8339) or email OCR@ed.gov.

The Department of Education also funds regional Equity Assistance Centers, which provide technical assistance and training at the request of school boards and other related governmental agencies on issues such as racial harassment, prejudice reduction, and other issues occasioned by desegregation. To contact the Equity Assistance Centers, visit the Department of Education’s website.

To learn more at www.ed.gov/ocr.

News

February 15, 2023

Home Grown Child Care Shares Tax Guidance for Home-based Child Care Providers

Home Grown Child Care has partnered with Civitas Strategies to develop a tax workbook for home-based child care providers. “Preparing for Tax Season: A Guide for Home-based Child Care Providers,” is available in English and Spanish.

About the 2022 Tax Workbook

This tax workbook was created to provide home-based child care providers with timely guidance on navigating tax preparation. It is designed to simplify the process of completing taxes and to alleviate tax-based stress by providing step-by-step guidance on tax work.

Home-based child care providers can share this resource with a tax professional or use it to complete their own taxes.

Download the 2022 Tax Workbook

Download the workbook in English

Download the workbook in Spanish

Learn More

To learn more about Home Grown Child Care’s 2022 tax workbook, visit the Home Grown Child Care website.

To find tax guides for all child care providers, visit the “New Tax Guides for Child Care Professionals,” Trying Together webpage.

News

February 14, 2023

NAEYC Report Quantifies Impact of Recent Child Care Challenges

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has released a report on the results of their fall survey. Entitled, “Uncertainty Ahead Means Instability Now: Why Families, Children, Educators, Businesses, and States Need Congress to Fund Child Care,” the report quantifies the impact of recent child care challenges.

About the NAEYC Survey and Report

The NAEYC survey was conducted in October 2022 using SurveyMonkey.

The resulting report represents the responses of 12,897 individuals working in all states (including 941 individuals working in Pennsylvania child care programs) and early childhood education settings, including faith-based programs, family child care homes, Head Starts, and child care centers. It is intended to present the experiences of the respondents, as captured in the moment that they took the survey.

Summary of Pennsylvania Survey Data

Data on Stabilization Grants

Over the course of the pandemic, Pennsylvania utilized federal relief funding to stabilize the child care sector. This included one-time bonuses for child care teachers and increased subsidy payments for providers to increase staff salaries. However, this relief funding will soon end. As a result of the end of pandemic relief funding:

62% of Pennsylvania child care center directors reported that they will have to raise tuition
29% of Pennsylvania child care center directors reported they will have to cut staff salaries

Data on Staffing and Supply

57.7% of Pennsylvania child care center directors reported serving fewer children than they would like, primarily due to staffing shortages
- 65.8% of Pennsylvania child care center directors reported currently experiencing a staffing shortage
33.7% of Pennsylvania early childhood educators (ECE) indicated “yes” or “maybe” to considering leaving their job or closing their family child care home
- 45.8% of family child care providers indicated “yes” or “maybe” to considering leaving their job
- 35.4% of ECEs in minority-owned child care businesses indicated “yes” or “maybe” to considering leaving their job
- 9.9% of ECEs in non-minority-owned child care businesses indicated “yes” or “maybe” to considering leaving their job
- However, the majority of ECEs indicated competitive wages would convince them to stay at their jobs.

Data on ECE Workforce Well-Being

34.9% of Pennsylvania respondents reported experiencing financial insecurity in the last year, despite 54.7% reporting an increased wage
Additionally, 78.6% of Pennsylvania respondents indicated that burnout/exhaustion contributed “greatly” or “to some extent” to problems retaining teachers

NAEYC Recommendations

NAEYC recommends that congress build on the successes of child care funding to prioritize additional, sustainable investments.

These investments ensure programs and educators can meet the needs of families, children, and businesses, and states can continue to build towards an early childhood education system that works.

Learn More

To learn more about the NAEYC survey results, read the full report.

News

February 13, 2023

Nominations for the 2023 Fred Rogers Institute Helper Awards Now Open

The Fred Rodgers Institute recently announced the inaugural Fred Rogers Institute Helper Awards.

Informed and inspired by the legacy of Fred Rogers, the Helper Awards are an opportunity to honor and recognize the individuals who care for children in ordinary and extraordinary ways in their daily and professional lives.

Nominations for the awards are now open and will be accepted through Monday, May 1, 2023.

About the Fred Rodgers Institute Helper Awards

Helpers will be selected across the following categories:

First Responders (such as Police Officer, Firefighters, etc.)
Healthcare Professionals (including Medical and Mental Health)
Early Childhood Educators or Administrators
Elementary Educators or Administrators
Middle Grades Educators or Administrators
High School Educators or Administrators
Post-secondary Educators or Administrators
Out of School Time Educators (Librarians, Museum Educators, Afterschool Educators, Camp Counselors, Coaches)
Community Leaders (such as Religious Leaders, Activists, Community Organization Leaders, etc.)
Everyday Helpers (Crossing Guards, Bus Drivers, Neighbors, etc.)

Winners will be honored at The Neighborhood Gala at the Fred Rogers Institute in the fall of 2023.

Learn More

To learn more about the Fred Rodgers Institute Helper Awards or to nominate someone for an award, visit the Fred Rodgers Institute website.

News

February 9, 2023

Shapiro Administration Urges CHIP Recipients To Update Contact Information

The Shapiro Administration and the Department of Human Services (DHS) is urging anyone enrolled in Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program, also known as Medical Assistance (MA), to update their contact information.

Under new federal law, continuous MA eligibility will end on April 1, 2023. By keeping contact information up-to-date, recipients of MA and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will receive timely, necessary updates about their coverage and benefits.

About Changes Medicaid Eligibility

Changes to MA eligibility come following passage of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. These changes force states to resume normal MA renewal determination processes after April 1, 2023. Prior to this passage, pandemic aid allowed individuals to remain enrolled in MA, even if they became ineligible.

No one will lose their health coverage without having an opportunity to complete a renewal. Renewals will be completed over 12 months, with March renewals being first affected by the end of continuous coverage.

If a person is found ineligible for their current coverage, their MA coverage will end. Additionally, if a person does not complete their renewal on time, their coverage will end.

Government employees will direct those who become ineligible for coverage to other sources of affordable medical coverage, like CHIP and Pennie, Pennsylvania’s health and dental insurance marketplace.

Preparing for Renewals

Individuals can find the timeline for their renewal on COMPASS or the myCOMPASS PA mobile app.

Anyone can set up a COMPASS account. If they have a mobile device, they can download the myCOMPASS PA mobile app for free.

Instructional videos on downloading and using the myCOMPASS PA app are available on DHS’s YouTube channel.

Those without computer or mobile access can call DHS’ Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930 or 215-560-7226. The Customer Service Center is open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. These individuals also have the option to visit their local County Assistance Office.

Updating Contact Information

Pennsylvanians whose contact information or personal circumstances have changed can use COMPASS to make the following updates to their case file at any time:

Changes to the number of people living in your household
Changes to your email address
Changes to your phone number
Changes to your mailing address

COMPASS also allows users to sign up to receive e-notifications about their benefits. Additionally, DHS encourages Pennsylvanians to opt-in to text messages to receive information about their benefits.

Keeping information up to date will help Pennsylvanians receive reminders about their annual benefit renewal quickly so they can prevent an avoidable lapse in coverage or services.

Medicaid recipients can update their contact information on the COMPASS website.

Learn More

If you sign up to receive text messages and receive a text from the number 1-833-648-1964, it is not a scam. Messages sent by DHS via text will never ask you for personal information, and you should not provide it. These are intended to be reminders about your benefits and other important information about programs administered by DHS and the federal government.

DHS, along with other agencies across the Commonwealth, will continue to conduct outreach, informing MA recipients of these upcoming changes via mail, text, email, and phone calls.

For more information on the end of continuous coverage for MA and CHIP, visit the DHS website.

News

February 8, 2023

URA Offering Funds for Low-Income and First-Time Homebuyers

Low-income and first-time homebuyers looking to purchase a home in the City of Pittsburgh may now qualify for a grant from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)’s OwnPGH grant program.

The URA and First Commonwealth Bank will host an OwnPGH information session on Wednesday, February 22 at 10 a.m. in the lower level conference room of the URA office (located at 412 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15219). Attendees will have the chance to hear more about the homeownership program and talk one-on-one with URA and First Commonwealth Bank representatives.

For more information on the session, visit the OwnPGH Information Session event page.

This article was updated on February 15, 2023 to include information on the OwnPGH information session.

About the OwnPGH Program

The OwnPGH program seeks to promote affordable homeownership opportunities within the City of Pittsburgh. It provides grants and second mortgage financing for homebuyers at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI).

Participants in OwnPGH may receive up to $90,000 in grants and forgivable loans from the URA and the city’s housing authority, with $50,000 available in grants and $40,000 available in loans.

Additionally, eligible borrowers may qualify for the Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance Program (DPCCAP), which provides them an additional $7,500 in forgivable loans.

Who can apply?

Individuals who pre-qualify for a home loan through one of URA’s three bank partners.
Individuals who do not exceed 80% of AMI.
Individuals who would like to own a property within the City of Pittsburgh. Properties outside of City of Pittsburgh do not qualify for OwnPGH assistance.

Learn More

View OwnPGH income limits, find contact information for participating bank partners, and learn how to apply by visiting the Urban Development Authority website.

News

February 6, 2023

Prenatal-to-Three Playbook Details State of Child Care in Allegheny County, Shares Resources

Child Trends, in partnership with The Heinz Endowments, has published the Prenatal-to-Three (PN-3) Playbook. The playbook reveals PN-3 challenges and successes in Allegheny County, and provides resources and tools that equitably support Allegheny County families with children three years-old and younger.

About

The Heinz Endowments partnered with Child Trends in spring of 2020 to create the Prenatal-to-Three (PN-3) Playbook. The project
team at Child Trends worked with several local child care organizations, including Trying Together, and interviewed over 30 PN-3 stakeholders in Allegheny County to develop it.

Summary of Findings

State of Child Care in Allegheny County

Allegheny County’s maternal and child health programs and social supports, such as its five prenatal and postnatal
home visiting programs, successfully serve children.
- Between 2015 and 2019, 86.9% of women who gave birth in Allegheny County received a prenatal care visit in their first trimester, nearly 10 percentage points higher than the national average.
- Rates of prenatal care utilization do not vary by race/ethnicity in Allegheny County.
Allegheny County faces challenges with its disparately high rates of maternal and infant deaths among Black populations.
- The infant mortality rate among Black infants is more than four times higher than among White infants.
- The maternal mortality rate for Black mothers is higher in Pittsburgh than in 97 percent of similar cities.
Elements of early learning systems in the county are strong. For example, 43% of the county’s child care capacity meets high-quality standards.
There are notable gaps in access to high-quality early education.
- Among the infants and toddlers in Allegheny County who are eligible for Child Care Works (CCW), Pennsylvania’s
  child care subsidy program, 70% remain unserved.
- In the city of Pittsburgh, around 35% of children who potentially need child care are unable to access it. This is higher than the state’s average child care accessibility gap of 29%.
The evident disparities in maternal and child health outcomes and access to high-quality early childhood care are compounded by
other county- and state-level systems and supports for families, such as access to paid family and sick leave and affordable child care. Allegheny County is taking positive steps by offering paid family leave to county employees and recently requiring most businesses in
the county to offer paid sick leave to their employees.

New Governmental Support for Child Care

In 2018, Congress approved more than $2 billion in funding to support states in meeting Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) reauthorization requirements. After this, Pennsylvania’s child care funding increased by $66.1 million, allowing for more affordable and high-quality child care options.
Recently, child care advocates persuaded the Pennsylvania legislature to allocate $25 million in new state funding towards child care.
Allegheny County Department of Human Services created Hello Baby in 2019—a program that intends to serve all women and families of new babies, and specifically targets supports to the families most in need.
The Allegheny County Department of Health created an Infant Mortality Collaborative (IMC) to help address disparities in infant mortality rates in the region, as well as to raise awareness and knowledge of local maternal and child health issues.
Additionally, Allegheny County created a Department of Children’s Initiatives in 2021 to promote access to high-quality early learning.

A PN-3 Map for Allegheny County

Child Trends created an interactive, online map of Prenatal-to-Three services in Allegheny County. The playbook includes a link to the report.

The map includes: median household incomes surrounding childcare organizations, organization types, services provided by organizations, and additional organizational information.

PN-3 State and County Policy Recommendations

Enact state laws that require employers to provide protections and accommodations to pregnant workers.
Extend Medicaid benefits beyond the nationally mandated 60 days postpartum.
Implement paid family leave, paid sick leave that covers time to care for a child who is sick, and a state minimum hourly wage of $10 or higher.
Increase families’ access to child care subsidies.
Implement policies and programs equitably to support all families in need.

Key Considerations for Child Care Funding Allocations

Commit to an equitable process.
Listen to the voices of providers, families, and the workforce and prioritize their stated needs.
Use data to inform decisions and enhance data capacity.
Prioritize direct payments for the early care and education workforce.
Identify indicators at multiple levels of the system that can be used to track and monitor progress.
Work closely with intermediaries who maintain strong community ties, and communicate decisions with key stakeholders.
Build training and technical assistance to support the application and implementation processes.
Fund recruitment efforts.
Provide necessary supplies and support the home visiting workforce.
Finally, elevate the urgency of supporting the child care workforce and strengthen opportunities to support parents with newborns.

Learn More

Read the full report to learn more.

News

February 3, 2023

Apply for Discounted Public Transportation Fares

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients ages 18 through 64 to participate in a 12-month pilot program to understand the impact of transportation affordability on low-income residents.

About the Allegheny County Discounted Fares Pilot Program

The goal of the Allegheny County Discounted Fares Pilot Program is to test new policies to help people connect with services and opportunities that will benefit themselves, their families, and their communities. This includes examining the effect of the reduced fares pilot on participants’ use of public transit, their access to jobs and services, and their socioeconomic well-being.

Since the pilot’s initial launch, the eligibility requirements for it have expanded. If you applied previously and were not eligible, you may be eligible now.

Applications are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. on February 12.

How does the pilot work?

Participation in the pilot is voluntary. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups, with an equal chance of being assigned to each group:

Free fares: This group will receive unlimited free fares on all Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) trips (bus, T, and incline) for 12 months
50% discount: This group will receive a ConnectCard (pre-loaded with $10) that reduces the cost of all PRT trips by half (50%) for 12 months
No discount: This group will receive a ConnectCard pre-loaded with $10 but will not receive a fare discount through this pilot.

Participants will be asked to complete optional surveys about once every three months and will be compensated as a “thank you” for completing each survey.

Details about the pilot, eligibility, and how to apply are available on the Allegheny County Discounted Fares Pilot Program website.

News

February 1, 2023

OCDEL Seeks Families to Participate with the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Advisory Committee

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is seeking pregnant individuals and caregivers of children birth to age five to participate with the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Advisory Committee.

Learn More

The ECCS team seeks diverse parents and caregivers who have experiences with many aspects of maternal and early childhood services in Pennsylvania. Participants will have the opportunities to ensure their family voice is heard, valued and influential in decision making at the state level, as well as share their experiences with using services such as child care, Early Intervention, home visiting, local libraries, health care visits, and more. Honorarium and child care reimbursement will be provided.

Selected family representatives will commit to a two-hour virtual quarterly meeting and a one-hour virtual prep meeting scheduled a few days prior to the quarterly meeting at the convenience of the family leaders on the Committee.

The 2023 ECCS Advisory Committee meeting dates are March 22, July 20, and October 19 from noon to 2 p.m.

Apply

Interested individuals can apply online. Applications are due by February 15, 2023.

News

February 2023 Staffing Crisis Survey

The Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns are collecting information from child care program owners and directors, Pre-K Counts grantees and Head Start program directors via a brief five-minute survey on the on-going child care crisis.

February 2023 Staffing Survey

The campaigns will use survey results to demonstrate the need for increased child care funding in the 2023-2024 state budget proposal and to continue to demonstrate the need for increased wages to the General Assembly while they negotiate their priorities for the 2023-2024 state budget.

Directors and owners who complete the survey by Friday, February 10, 2023 will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift card. Four gift cards will be awarded.

Take the survey.