News

November 8, 2021

New Resource: Child Care & Pre-k in the Build Back Better Act

The Hunt Institute has released Child care and Pre-kindergarten in The Build Back Better Act: A Guide for Policymakers, which condenses roughly 100 pages of pertinent Build Back Better Act bill language into six pages of question and answer-style summary.

About

Aspects of the $1.75 billion Build Back Better (BBB) Act spending proposal hold the potential to fundamentally transform America’s early care and education landscape – creating universal pre-k for three- and four-year-old children, expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care, and addressing the compensation needs of the early childhood workforce.

The guide highlights:

Child care and universal pre-k provisions and what it means for families;
child care support eligibility information for families and child care providers;
state quality rating systems for child care;
funding that will be made available to support child care and pre-k;
and more.

Based on the current working version of the House bill released October 28, 2021, the summary document will be updated regularly as the Act works its way through the legislative process.

Read the full guide for details.

News

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Spring 2022 Deadline

Are you interested in attending college in Spring 2022? The Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H) Scholarship application period is now open!

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship

- Pays for a percentage of the cost of tuition and books.
- Provides a travel stipend each semester.
- Reimburses child care centers for a percentage of the release time given.
- Provides counseling and administrative support for the child care program.

Eligibility

To be eligible, applicants must:

- work a minimum of 25 – 30 hours per week directly with children in a DHS-certified child care program,
- make $19 or less an hour ($25 or less per hour for directors), and
- be interested in pursuing coursework at a participating college toward a degree or credential in early childhood.

More Information

T.E.A.C.H. applications must be complete and submitted with all required documentation/ information by Friday, November 14, 2021, to be considered for the spring 2022 semester. The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis, however, incomplete applications and applications received after this date will not receive priority for consideration. For a full list of eligibility requirements, visit the PACCA website.

News

November 5, 2021

Child Care Providers Needed for Focus Group

Children First, formerly known as Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), and the Children Matter Action Fund (CMAF) are hosting focus groups for child care providers during the month of November as they look to engage families as advocates.

About

State and federal legislation have a major impact on the child care sector, so Children First and CMAF are working to identify parents who are willing to commit to being child care voters to ensure elected officials always work to improve child care and the child care sector for all Pennsylvanians.

Children First and CMAF are hosting virtual focus groups this month specifically for child care providers to talk about successful ways to connect with parents and motivate them to be a child care voter.

Each group is capped at 15 people, and each participant will receive $50.

The dates are as follows:

Tuesday, November 9, from 1 to 1:45 p.m.
Register
Wednesday, November 10, from 1 to 1:45 p.m.
Register
Thursday, November 11, from 1 to 1:45 p.m.
Register
Friday, November 12, from 6 to 6:45 p.m.
Register
Monday, November 15, from 6 to 6:45 p.m.
Register

Children Matter Action Fund strategically works in a non-partisan fashion to help lawmakers learn what it takes for Pennsylvania children to succeed and persuade them to support legislative measures. Learn more on the website.

News

November 4, 2021

Child Care Career Openings in the Pittsburgh Area

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

Child Care Positions in Pittsburgh

Manager of Early Childhood Programs

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is seeking a Manager of Early Childhood Programs to work with teachers, school districts, teaching artists, and partner organizations to implement and manage arts integration residencies, workshops, and performances led by teaching artists and serving early childhood education providers and community organizations. A key component of this position is recruitment, training, and mentorship of teaching artists, including observation and evaluation of classroom or workshop instruction.

Apply: To apply, send your resume and cover letter to: Director of Human Resources, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 803 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or shannon@trustarts.org

Program Director

Manchester Youth Development Center is seeking an After School Group Lead to prepare students at their center for success and engage positively with them.

Apply: To apply, email your resume to jfilmore@mydc.org

Assistant Group Supervisor/Teacher

YWCA Greater Pittsburgh is seeking an Assistant Group Supervisor/Teacher to support the implementation of daily activities under the guidance of the Group Supervisor towards the goal of quality program (in particular, PA DHS Certification regulations, Keystone STARS criteria and NAEYC requirements for accreditation) for all groups in the Children and Youth Development and Education Department. This is a hands-on position, working with children from Infants to Older Toddlers.

Apply: To apply, email your resume to Linda Broman at lbroman@ywcapgh.org

Accounting/Benefits/Payroll Coordinator

Carriage House Children’s Center is seeking an Accounting/Benefits/Payroll Coordinator. Primary responsibilities include monthly payroll, managing employee benefits and working closely with a hired accounting firm which handles all accounting needs. Candidates with a Bachelor’s or Associates’s degree in Accounting or Business Administration and a minimum of 3 years’ experience with basic accounting and payroll are preferred.

Apply: To apply, email your cover letter and resume to chcc@carriagehouse.org, attn. Sharon Amick.

Group Supervisor

Future Focus Child Care LLC is seeking a Group Supervisor to plan and implement daily program activities; coordinate activities of assistant group supervisors and aides; assist the director with designated activities.

Apply: To apply, email your resume to futurefocus5936@gmail.com

Assistant Group Supervisor

Future Focus Child Care LLC is seeking an Assistant Group Supervisor to assist in the implementation of daily activities under the guidance of the Group Supervisor, and coordinate daily activities and supervise aides in the absence of the Group Supervisor.

Apply: To apply, email your resume to futurefocus5936@gmail.com

Submit a Job

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

Submit a Job: To make it into next week’s post, submit the Child Care Provider Job Post Submission Form.

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 Kara Bayer at kara@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.

News

November 3, 2021

Child Development Associate (CDA) Programs for Spring & Fall 2022

Looking to receive a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential? Check out our programs to get certified, renew your certification, and more!

What is a CDA Credential?

A CDA Credential is the most widely recognized credential in the early childhood field and is a key stepping stone on the path to career advancement. The credential enables professionals to work in Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms, in addition to early learning programs across the United States, and provides opportunities for increased pay. Interested applicants may complete the CDA Interest Form to connect with a member of our staff.

Please share this flyer with your networks.

Trying Together’s CDA Programs

Trying Together offers the following CDA programs at no cost to eligible early childhood professionals in Pennsylvania:

CDA Credential Preparation Program

Spring 2022 Classes: 1/11/22 – 6/14/22 (Deadline to Register: 12/20/21)
Fall 2022 Classes: 8/30/22 – 3/28/23
Biweekly Zoom Meetings and Schoology

Participants complete 135 hours of professional development to earn their CDA Credential in six to nine months. Participants can matriculate up to nine course credits at Carlow University upon credential completion.

CDA Credential Community of Practice Program

Fall 2021 Classes: 11/16/21 – 1/4/22 (Deadline to Register: 11/11/21)
Spring 2022 Classes: Spring Classes: 3/1/22 – 4/26/22
Biweekly Zoom Meetings and Schoology

Participants receive support in building a portfolio and preparing for the CDA Credential Exam. Applicants must have proof of 120 hours of coursework completed via professional development hours, transcripts, etc.

CDA Credential Renewal Program

Participants review current standards, literature, strategies, and more to meet the criteria for eight early childhood subject areas upon completion. Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis.

More Information

For more information, visit our CDA Credential page. To ask a question about our programs, contact Theresa Hetler at theresa@tryingtogether.org or Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org. For eligibility questions, contact Judy Graca at judy@tryingtogether.org.

News

November 2, 2021

Initiative Launches to Address Racial Disparity Among Teachers in PA

Earlier this month, Remake Learning launched the inaugural cohort of an innovative program called OTIS: Operation Teacher (of Color) Irrigation System. This program aims to address the increasing disparity in the percentage of students of color versus the number of teachers of color in Pennsylvania.

This initiative was led by South Fayette School District’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, Dr. Chuck Herring. He came up with the “irrigation system” concept to convey that the Pittsburgh region doesn’t need one narrow pipeline—especially given all the negative connotations that “pipeline” now carries in the world of education. Instead, Herring aims to “flood the region” with talented teachers of color from around the country by introducing them to Pittsburgh while they’re in college.

The inaugural cohort is made up of four undergraduate students at Howard University studying elementary education. Howard University generally sends students to international locations for their months of student teaching, but one goal is to have OTIS participants do their student teaching in southwestern Pennsylvania. Continued funding will be sought out to continue and expand this program.

About Remake Learning

Remake Learning is a network that ignites engaging, relevant, and equitable learning practices in support of young people navigating rapid social and technological change.

News

November 1, 2021

Recruiting Teaching Artists for Substitute Roles

Arts Education Collaborative (AEC) is still recruiting teaching artists for the Teaching Artist Substitute Initiative supported by The Grable Foundation’s Tomorrow Campaign.

This effort aims to address the regional substitute teacher shortage, insufficient access to arts learning opportunities in schools, and teaching artist employment instability. During the spring of 2021, the AEC team worked with a cohort of teaching artists to investigate what a teaching artist needs to know and do to work as a certified substitute teacher. Interested individuals may register for the November 5th TASI training using this link. Additional information is available via AEC’s TASI information session recording.

Program Details

Interested teaching artists will benefit from:

In-person training through the Guest Substitute Teacher Program hosted by Allegheny Intermediate Unit (at no cost to teaching artist)
A self-paced online follow up course offered by Utah University (at no cost to teaching artist)
$300 stipend when training is complete to cover the cost of clearances, a physical, and other school district requirements
A printed Field Guide filled with lesson ideas and classroom strategies to support arts integration across creative disciplines and grade levels
Right-matching support from AEC staff to get connected with a school district open to exploring news way to increase arts learning during the school day

To qualify, teaching artists must:

have a bachelor’s degree (any subject area)
be a US Citizen
be available for mandatory in-person training on Friday, November 5th from 1-5pm

News

COVID-19 Best Practices for Child Care: Cohorting Strategies

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has developed best practices for early learning professionals navigating COVID-19 protocols in their child care programs. The third topic is cohorting strategies.

About

To keep child care providers informed on the latest best practices for keeping children, staff, and families safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pennsylvania Key created a webpage that highlights recommended best practices.

The latest information is about cohorting strategies in child care programs. “Cohorting” or assigning staff and children to groups every day limits the number of close contacts they have and lowers the risk for spread of COVID-19.

Strategies include:

assigning children to small groups and trying to keep them the same every day, to the greatest extent possible.
Assigning staff to individual groups and avoid mixing with other groups.
Tracking which groups come together (including children’s and staff’s names) and the timeframes they are together.
Staggering use of communal spaces such as indoor large motor spaces, active play areas, playgrounds, gyms, halls, cafeterias, etc.
Prioritizing outdoor drop-off and pick-up, if possible, and staggering them, if possible.

More Information

For more information about best practices on face coverings, indoor air quality, and cohorting, visit the PA Key website.

News

October 30, 2021

Drive-Up Food Distribution in Pittsburgh

Drive-up food distribution sites are available in Allegheny Valley, Duquesne, McKeesport, West End, and Wilkinsburg. Individuals and families can obtain at least 50 pounds of food in one or more pre-packed boxes. There is no required proof of eligibility, but advance reservations are required.

Make a Reservation

To make a reservation, go to the Pittsburgh Food Bank website or call the Food Bank at 412.460.3663, ext. 655. Reservations open four weeks before each event and close at 5 p.m. the day before the distribution. View a list of locations and times.

For the safety of those at the event, walk-ups are not permitted at drive-up distributions. If you do not have a vehicle, you may have another individual drive you to pick up food. Each household must complete a reservation to receive food. The same car and license plate can be used up to three times for the same event. There are no exceptions to one reservation getting one share of food. For one car to get two or three shares of food, the car must have more than one family or household.

News

October 29, 2021

Search for Child Care in Your School District

The Allegheny Child Care Finder Tool now has a new filter to search for available child care in your school district. When navigating the finder tool, the school district filter can be found by choosing “More Filters”.

About Allegheny Child Care

Allegheny Child Care is a unique pilot project that was developed to support the care and education needs of families. Caregivers and parents of young children can search available spots at all early learning, after school, summer camp, and virtual programs in Allegheny County in real-time with the Allegheny Child Care, After School, and Summer Camps finder tool.

The Allegheny Child Care initiative is: managed by Trying Together in partnership with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, and Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST, an initiative of the United Way of Southwestern PA); with additional support from the City of Pittsburgh; and was developed in collaboration with Child Care Aware of America, The Heinz Endowments, and technology partners Bowtie, BrightHive, and BridgeCare.

Additional Information

For additional support in finding care and education environments and with funding needs, visit the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5 website or call 412.350.3577.