Allegheny County Executive-Elect Sara Innamorato has named nearly 200 esteemed and diverse leaders from the county to nine policy committees that will inform her administration’s governing agenda. 

Trying Together Executive Director Cara Ciminillo will co-chair the Robust Education, Workforce Development, and Youth Investments Committee.

About

All in Allegheny invites people from every part of the County to share their ideas, priorities, and needs with the Innamorato Administration. Members are divided into policy committees that draw on a range of expertise from across the county. 

All In Allegheny – a large and inclusive community engagement process that will understand what people from every part of Allegheny want from County government and build an action plan for County government to deliver on community needs during the Innamorato Administration. 

The nine policy committees are each focused on activating the powers of County government to deliver on the following community priorities:

• Healthy Families and High-Quality Human Services 
• Housing for All
• Open and Accessible Government
• Reliable, Modern Transportation and Infrastructure
• Robust Education, Workforce Development, and Youth Investments
• Safe Communities and Justice for All
• Strong and Equitable Economic and Community Development
• Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and a Green Economy
• Vibrant Democracy

To learn more, visit Innamorato’s transition website, AlleghenyForAll.com.

This #GivingTuesday, November 28, make a donation to Trying Together so we can continue to advocate together, learn together, and partner together to make sure caregivers and families have the resources they need to make the best decisions regarding children’s early learning experiences.

Through its vision and mission, Trying Together remains committed to making sure all young children have high-quality early learning experiences. Trying Together aims to be:

A collaborative convener that coordinates and helps to connect systems to support early care and education.

“Education access is a necessary step in ensuring that children are set up for success. That starts at birth. I taught at a preschool in the past and have a passion for that kind of work. I want professionals in the field to feel supported. Professional development to early childhood educators professionalizes the ECE field and ultimately creates better quality for all children across the 10-county region that we serve.” – Ben Filio, ECE Project Coordinator at Trying Together

An experienced facilitator of inclusive learning opportunities for educators that aims to ensure every child has access to high-quality early care and education.

“My passion is working with the Child Development Associate (CDA) program students. Our newest CDA program is for high school students. When they graduate, they will be workforce ready and know different career paths that they can take in the early childhood field.  Our children are our future, and these CDA students are very passionate about their work. They are so valuable to the lives of children, and I love working with them.” – Theresa Hetler, Workforce Development Strategist at Trying Together  

A trusted source for families to collaborate with regarding their child’s early experiences.

“I have been working with families for the past 18 years, and this work is extremely important to me because I want to ensure that Homewood Early Learning Hub and Family Center is the bridge between the community and families and the support that they need to thrive. Families need to have a place where they can go where their voices are heard and their needs are met. The Hub and Family Center serves as a diaper bank and a formula bank; we have programming for all members of the family; and child care professionals.  We do it from the heart. We love what we do.” – Nicole Banner, Assistant Director of the Homewood Early Learning Hub and Family Center

A committed advocate mobilizing for policy change alongside communities to elevate the needs of young children, families, and educators for an equitable early care and education system.

“The work I am doing with the policy team helps elevate the stories and the reality of working in the early childhood education field. We facilitate face-to-face meetings between professionals and their legislators to ensure that their voices are heard. This work is important to me because as a parent, I have peace of mind knowing that my son has access to high-quality early childhood education and I believe that every parent, caregiver, adult, or person in a young child’s life should also have the same opportunity.”  – Lizzie Morasco, Policy and Outreach Coordinator at Trying Together

An accountable nonprofit that prioritizes ethics when raising funds in support of its mission and provides transparent stewardship to its donors.

“I could be the operations manager at any company but I love working with Trying Together because it is very rewarding and satisfying. I’ve been with Trying Together for 11 years and I’ve seen it grow year after year. We’ve gained a really good reputation in the community with early childhood teachers and families. I feel so proud to work for the organization.” – Sharon Seitam, Operations Manager at Trying Together

Donate Today!

Start Strong PA partners and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) Deputy Secretary Shante’ Brown are hosting 13 virtual child care provider listening sessions.

The sessions are designed to:

• Share the results from Start Strong PA’s September 2023 child care provider survey (focused on successes and challenges with the Pennsylvania child care system);
• Gather additional feedback on the Pennsylvania child care system from those working in the field;
• Offer opportunities for questions to be answered by Deputy Secretary Brown; and
• Present current and future opportunities to engage with Start Strong PA and OCDEL.

Event Details

Choose the Child Care Listening Session based on a child care program’s Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) and register today! Home-based providers have an additional evening option available! To see all the available listening sessions, visit the event post.