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Author: Maria Pisano

DAP Series Parts X, XI, and XII Now Available

News

March 31, 2022

DAP Series Parts X, XI, and XII Now Available

Trying Together is excited to announce Parts X, XI, and XII of the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Series. Through these Parts, caregivers will receive information and resources on Gender and Gender Identity; Family Dynamics; and Caring for the Caregiver.

About

As an early childhood nonprofit, Trying Together recognizes that a child’s parent is their first and most important caregiver. That’s why we created the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Series to assist parents and caregivers in creating high-quality learning experiences at the earliest stages of their child’s life. The series features digital and print content that provides information on critical early childhood topics.

As of April 2022, 12 Parts have been published, including: Part I: Developmentally Appropriate Practice; Part II: Childhood Physical Health; Part III: Child Care; Part IV: Early Intervention and Inclusion; Part V: Safety and Emergencies; Part VI: Social-Emotional Development; Part VII: Childhood Mental Health; Part VIII: Race and Equity; and Part IX: Transitions & Routines.

Featured Resources

The Series features many helpful resources for families. To help you get started, Trying Together compiled a short list of featured resources for each new Part.

Part X: Gender and Gender Identity

Part XI: Family Dynamics

Part XII: Caring for the Caregiver

Navigating the Series

The Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series features a search bar and filtering options to connect parents and caregivers to content that is relevant to them. Caregivers can filter available content by Topic, Age Group, Relationship to Child, Resource Type, and Geographic Location. To test it out, visit the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series page.

More Information

To learn more and access the full list of resources, visit the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series webpage.

March Recalls on Children’s Products

News

March 30, 2022

March Recalls on Children’s Products

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

About

Here is a list of March recalls collected from the 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.

FAQs: Health and Safety Training Certification Requirements

News

March 29, 2022

FAQs: Health and Safety Training Certification Requirements

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Bureau of Early Learning Policy and Professional Development, and Bureau of Certification have released answers to frequently-asked-questions about updated health and safety training requirements for child care providers.

About

The Health & Safety FAQs address various questions relating to the OCDEL announcements below:

The FAQ document provides detail relating to professional development, compliance with new certification requirements, cost of trainings, and more.

ARPA Stabilization Grant Spending Report Available

News

March 28, 2022

ARPA Stabilization Grant Spending Report Available

Child care providers who applied for and received an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Stabilization Grant are required to report on the use of funds and child care capacity as a condition of receiving funds. Any grant recipient that wishes to begin reporting can access the Spending Report and begin to enter their spending amounts.

About

Grant reporting will be completed in the Professional Development (PD) Registry. Directors, owners, administrators and/or designated fiscal staff members can now access the reporting tool for their program under the Keystone STARS/Grants tab in their organization’s profile.

Recipients will be able to log in and out of the Spending Report to update their spending amounts, but they will not be able to finalize and submit their Spending Report until eight months after the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) submitted their grant for payment.

Providers are encouraged to preview the Spending Report to prepare for the simplified reporting requirements.

Use this step-by-step tip sheet on how to access and complete the Spending Report. Grant recipients should contact registry@pakeys.org to problem solve issues with accessing their Spending Report.

Early Childhood Toolkit: Young Kids & Screens

News

March 25, 2022

Early Childhood Toolkit: Young Kids & Screens

Common Sense Education has developed an early childhood toolkit for providers to share with their families who have children ages zero to eight.

About Early Childhood Toolkit: Young Kids & Screens

Common Sense’s six turnkey workshops, available in English and Spanish, are all designed to for providers to help families nurture young children’s development in the digital age.

The workshops, available in English and Spanish, are meant to facilitate meaningful conversations with parents and caregivers on the following six topics:

  1. Raising Healthy Kids in a Digital World
  2. Finding Balance with Media and Tech Use at Home
  3. Choosing High-Quality Media for Your Kids
  4. How to Make Meaningful Family Connections Using Media and Tech
  5. Introducing Online Safety to Young Kids
  6. How to Use Media and Tech to Build Life Skills in Young Kids
The workshop activities are based on Common Sense’s in-depth analysis of the relationships between children’s use of high-quality media content and their screen time, and the development of executive functioning skills: Children, Executive Functioning, and Media: A Review 2020.
Learn more about the toolkit and workshops on the Common Sense website.

Remake Learning Days 2022

News

March 24, 2022

Remake Learning Days 2022

With events beginning in April 2022, Remake Learning Days brings together a variety of organizations to provide youth and families with innovative learning experiences!

About Remake Learning Days

Remake Learning Days Across America (RLDAA) is a celebration of innovative experiences and opportunities for youth to develop their sense of creativity, perseverance, and curiosity. The celebration includes a festival of hands-on events designed for kids of all ages (pre-k through high school) at local libraries, schools, technology centers, museums, play spaces, and more.

Families, caregivers, and educators are invited to join as well. A majority of the events are free and open to kids of all ages.

Event Themes

Events are organized around specific learning themes such as:

  • Arts

  • Maker

  • Outdoor Learning

  • Science

  • Technology

  • Youth Voice

A calendar with Southwestern PA events is available on the Remake Learning Days website.

Professional development sessions are also available for school, out-of-school, child care, and non-traditional educators. Families, youth, and professionals can search events by date, time, location, learning theme, age group, and more.

More Information

RLDAA is presented by Remake Learning and many nationwide partners and host organizations. For more information, visit the RLDAA website.

GrowMamaGrow Mentoring Program

News

March 23, 2022

GrowMamaGrow Mentoring Program

Brown Mamas is accepting applications for its GrowMamaGrow Mentoring Program.

About the Mentoring Program

With a focus on emotional and social wellness, resource connection and intergenerational cultural and social bridge-building, the GrowMamaGrow Mentoring Program seeks to help moms recognize their internal value, develop a set of parenting principles, and see their communities as resourceful over the course of 12 weeks.

Eligibility

The program is for mothers who:

  • can commit to a 12-week program

  • would like a mentor

  • are working

  • are between the ages of 30-45

  • have a goal they would like to accomplish

During the 12-week program, Brown Mamas’ expects mentees to:

  • Commit to weekly communication with their mentor

  • Show up to group coaching sessions having completed their bi-weekly activity

  • Attend monthly in-person meet-ups

  • Be committed to meeting their goal and implementing the steps our mentors and resource providers will give them

  • Fill out necessary assessments and feedback forms

  • Be committed to the process of growth defined during the program

Apply

Applications will be accepted until April 1, 2022. For more information and to apply, visit the Brown Mamas website.

Top 10 Skills for Children Entering Kindergarten

News

March 21, 2022

Top 10 Skills for Children Entering Kindergarten

Hi5! — a kindergarten readiness and registration campaign coordinated by The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, and Trying Together — collaborated with a group of pre-k and kindergarten teachers to develop a list of academic, social, emotional, and physical skills for children entering kindergarten based on the PA Early Learning Standards.

Kindergarten Readiness List

A list of more than 30 skills was sent to educators in school districts, child care programs, and Head Start programs throughout the region—including Allegheny, Butler, Fayette, Greene, and Westmoreland counties. The purpose of this exercise was to develop a useful tool for parents/caregivers of children ages birth to five in the SWPA region by teachers in the SWPA region. Over 120 pre-k and kindergarten educators responded to share their expertise and insight.

The top skills include:

  1. Following rules and routines
  2. Following simple one- and two-step directions
  3. Writing their own name
  4. Recognizing some letters (8-12) from the alphabet (upper and lower case)
  5. Interacting appropriately with peers during play, both in reciprocal play activities and communication
  6. Expressing and communicating wants and needs
  7. Asking for help from adults and peers, when needed
  8. Responding to adults and peers appropriately in conversations
  9. Recognizing written numbers to 10
  10. Expressing feelings appropriately to a variety of situations

View the checklist (Spanish version PDF)

Kindergarten Registration

The purpose of this list of skills and resources is to support families and their young children as they prepare for kindergarten. When a child turns five and meets their district’s birthdate requirement, it is time to register whether or not a child has mastered every skill listed. View Trying Together’s Kindergarten Transition page to learn about Kindergarten registration in your area.

2022-23 Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines

News

March 17, 2022

2022-23 Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for child nutrition programs from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

Child Nutrition Programs

The eligibility guidelines are used by schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and Commodity School Program), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program. Eligible children receive free and reduced price meals and free milk.

The income eligibility chart is available on the USDA website.

2022 Teaching Policy Fellowship Opportunity

News

March 16, 2022

2022 Teaching Policy Fellowship Opportunity

In summer 2022, Teach Plus will launch its second full cohort of Teaching Policy Fellows in Pennsylvania. This highly selective leadership opportunity is for 30 outstanding teachers looking to deepen their knowledge of education policy and amplify the voices of teacher leaders in Pennsylvania.

About the Teaching Policy Fellowship

Policy fellows, who will receive a $1,500 stipend for their commitment, will expand their influence without leaving the classroom and elevate teacher voice through guided work, including:

  • Two in-person training sessions (dependent on COVID-19 restrictions), monthly virtual meetings, and smaller, issues-focused working groups.

  • Training through expert-led modules on topics such as Storytelling for Impact, Policy 101, Advocacy & Organizing, Evidence-Based Policymaking, Testifying and Meeting with Decision Makers, Op-Ed Writing, & Media Relations

  • Direct engagement with key stakeholders and policymakers

  • Pursuit of a policy research or advocacy project that addresses a pressing state-level policy issue

Tentative policy focus areas for the upcoming fellowship include early childhood education; equitable funding; reimagining teacher preparation; expanding and diversifying the teacher pipeline; and rigorous, culturally responsive instruction and curricula.

Qualifications

Teach Plus seeks a cohort of teachers who reflect the cultural, linguistic, and geographic diversity of our state.  Applicants must:

  • Be a current teacher of record (early childhood – grade 12) in a PA public or charter school or early childhood education setting with at least two full years of teaching experience by June 2022.

  • Have a track record of success teaching students in Pennsylvania.

  • Be ready to dedicate time and energy to learning about policy and advocating on behalf of changes that impact students.

Information Sessions

Teach Plus Pennsylvania will host virtual information sessions on the following days and times:

Apply

To learn more about the fellowship or to apply, visit the Teach Plus website. Educators can also be nominated for the opportunity. Fellowship applications are due May 2, 2022.

Interested? Email Laura Boyce at lboyce@teachplus.org. ​