April 15, 2024 School-Age Mental Health Consultation Accepting Appointments The Pennsylvania Key Infant-Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) program is now offering a new service to help school-age children as well as their teachers and families with mental health counseling. Learn More School Age Child Care (SACC) Mental Health Consultation is aimed at assisting Keystone STARS programs looking for support with children who are struggling with behavior, attachment, peer relationships, or emotion regulation. It also assists teachers and families of students with self-care, stress, and coping. SACC Mental Health Consultation is now accepting consultation appointments across the state. Mental health consultants are available by telephone or video conference appointments. The consultation is a problem-solving and collaborative approach to develop goals and strategies for: Child social-emotional concerns Child behavioral or developmental concerns Emotional well-being of teachers and caregivers Partnering with families Services are available to child care professionals – such as teachers, directors, and staff in center, group-based child care programs – participating in Keystone STARS school-age child care programs. How to Request an Appointment Appointments are conducted on Tuesdays with the option to schedule follow-up appointments based on individual needs. Those interested in scheduling an appointment with a SACC mental health consultant can register online. Those who register will receive an email confirmation with appointment information and a Zoom link invitation for the video appointment if they chose a virtual option. Registration will be accepted until the day before a consultation date.
The Buzzword Is: EMERGE As part of its programming, Buzzword distributes its signature “BUZZ Boxes” to local families to help excite children from birth to age five as well as their caregivers about new words that are all around them. These family engagement kits come complete with a high-quality children’s book and enriching activities that support early literacy skills and development. This Month’s Buzzword This month’s Buzzword is EMERGE, which means to come out into view. The EMERGE Activity Book will give children – ages birth to five – and their caregivers the opportunity to connect through science, art, music, and early literacy activities. Caregivers are encouraged to read through “Bloom Boom!” by April Pulley Sayre with their child. Then, they should take part in the different activities and experiments in the EMERGE Activity Book. Time should be spent explaining the meaning of the words in the book and connecting them to their child’s life experiences. Buzzword has also provided an EMERGE book list of recommendations from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for further reading. View the EMERGE Activity Book and book recommendations. More Information Buzzword is a free literacy resource for families. BUZZ Boxes are available at local Allegheny County Family Center locations for children up to age five. Each box contains a children’s book, activity guide, and materials for completing the activities. Want to learn more on how to get involved with Buzzword? Ask your local family center about the program. You can also visit the Buzzword website or email buzzword@tryingtogether.org for more information about Buzzword.
April 9, 2024 State Releases Meaningful Family Engagement Tool Kit The state Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) has released a collection of resources to strengthen engagement in child welfare. The Pennsylvania Meaningful Family Engagement Toolkit is a web-based resource that was developed through statewide quality improvement efforts. It was designed to improve safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children, youth, and families served by the state’s child welfare system. The toolkit includes resources for a variety of topics. Learn More Meaningful engagement in child welfare, as defined by OCYF, is an active, ongoing, and genuine curiosity about an individual’s history, perspectives, challenges, and accomplishments. It involves the proactive partnership between caseworkers and families to increase safety for children by using inquiry to identify service needs and available supports and to work together to define achievable goals. The objective is to develop family plans, address challenges, achieve goals, form new connections, and strengthen existing supports. This involves ensuring that families have an active role by empowering them to make joint decisions to ensure a child’s safety, permanency, and well-being. Topics covered in the toolkit include: Cultural awareness and responsiveness Engagement models and strategies Engagement of incarcerated parents Engagement of out-of-state parents Engaging youth Father engagement Leadership Legal Parenting resources Teaming with extended family and kin The toolkit’s development was guided by data and information gathered through the state’s Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) efforts. These were designed to evaluate and improve how the state’s Child Welfare Practice Model is demonstrated at the system level and through daily practice behaviors and skills of professionals. The OCYF said data provided evidence of the benefits of strong engagement behaviors and skills. However, it also drew attention to populations needing additional support for engagement, such as fathers and incarcerated or out-of-state parents. Explore the Pennsylvania Meaningful Family Engagement Toolkit online.
Take Action to Fix Child Care In February, Gov. Josh Shapiro released his 2024-25 state budget approval. While the governor mentioned proposed investments in pre-K, evidence-based home visiting, and perinatal and child health, his proposal did not directly address the state’s ongoing child care teacher shortage. To accomplish our goal of keeping classrooms open and staffed, we need supporters to send a message to the General Assembly and the governor, telling them to fix child care in the 2024-25 state budget. Details on the Teacher Shortage A September 2023 survey conducted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s PolicyLab – on behalf of Start Strong PA – provided details on the staffing crisis in 762 of Pennsylvania’s child care programs. The survey found that nearly 26,000 additional children could be served at child care programs if they were fully staffed. Additionally, 2,395 open positions have resulted in the closure of 934 classrooms. Lastly, child care providers’ inability to recruit and retain staff is having a direct impact on the quality of programming. As a result, thousands of families are unable to find the care they need to go to work. Take Action Pennsylvania lawmakers can fix this problem by tackling the child care teacher shortage. They must establish and fund a program that will help providers to better recruit and retain staff. Make your voice heard: Send a message to the General Assembly and the governor. Tell them they must fix child care in the 2024-25 state budget. Get Updates By signing on to Trying Together’s Public Policy Agenda, you’ll receive action alerts to advocate on behalf of young children, their families, and the early care and education professionals who interact with them.
April 8, 2024 Educators to Celebrate Family Child Care Awareness Day in Harrisburg The Family Child Care Advisory Council, with support from PennAEYC and First Up, is inviting home-based educators from around the state to gather in Harrisburg on April 30 to celebrate Family Child Care Awareness Day. The event will recognize the impact of home-based child care programs. Learn More Family Child Care Awareness Day will include a visibility event, which will give attendees an opportunity to showcase to legislators and the public what it means to be a home-based child care educator. Participants can showcase their programs through a variety of means. Some options include creating the following: A trifold poster highlighting the learning that occurs in their program A poster recognizing the families the home-based program serves that includes their testimonies about their experiences A cardboard cutout displaying the quote: “Of course, I’m a home-based child care educator…” More Details Family Child Care Awareness Day will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 30 at the state capitol, located at 501 N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg. Those interested in participating should contact Trying Together’s policy team at elizabeth@tryingtogether.org. Also, registration is now open for an April 23 training in connection with Family Child Care Awareness Day. For those who cannot attend the April 30 event, Trying Together is leading capitol caravans from Pittsburgh on May 7, May 22, June 4, and June 25.
Family Scholarships Offered for National Autism Conference The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is offering family scholarships to attend the 2024 National Autism Conference in Harrisburg. The conference, which runs from Aug. 5-8, provides comprehensive, evidence-based information to assist educators, other professionals, and families in developing effective educational programming for all students with autism spectrum disorders. Who Should Apply The Parent/Caregiver Scholarship is available to parents or caregivers of a child with an individualized education program (IEP). It is also available for caregivers of a child who receives early intervention (EI) services and meets certain qualifications. Other qualifying factors include: Parents or caregivers who have never previously received the scholarship or who received it previously, but not more than two years in a row Parents or caregivers who receive early intervention services, regardless of whether they have attended in the past Parents who are employed in a professional capacity as educators by any of the following: school, school district, charter school, intermediate unit, parent training and information center, community parent resource center, or other federally-funded educational or advocacy organization are not eligible for a scholarship and should seek funding through their employer. The scholarships offered include full (covers conference registration, lodging, and travel expenses), partial (registration, but not lodging), and lodging for full scholarship applicants traveling for more than 50 miles, one way. More Details The registration window for the scholarship is open through May 30. Scholarships will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. However, priority will be given to parent or caregiver scholarship recipients for the Children’s Institute. Eligible recipients are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Notifications on whether a recipient is accepted for the scholarships will be sent out by June 20. More scholarship details are available on the PaTTAN website.
Apply for Home Lead Paint Removal Allegheny County families who rent or own a home can apply for free home repairs involving lead paint. Learn More The Allegheny Lead-Safe Homes Program tests homes for lead and removes, replaces, and covers all areas in a home with damaged lead paint. Services include repairing and repainting chipped and peeling lead-painted surfaces as well as window and door repair or replacement and covering lead paint on the outside. Lead is a common ingredient in household paint in homes built before 1978. No level of lead is safe as it is toxic, especially for young children. Even low levels of lead can cause IQ loss, behavioral problems, developmental delays, and other health issues. What It Takes to Qualify Allegheny County homeowners might qualify if they have children, ages five or younger, or a pregnant woman living with or regularly visiting them. Renters might qualify if their landlord is willing to participate and give priority to low-income families with young children for a period of three years. Other qualifiers include whether a home was built before 1978 or if a household’s yearly pre-tax income falls below these limits: Family size of 1 – $56,250 Family size of 2 – $64,250 Family size of 3 – $72,300 Family size of 4 – $80,300 Family size of 5 – $86,750 Family size of 6 – $93,150 How to Apply Those interested should contact the Lead-Safe Homes Hotline by calling 412-227-5700, by visiting its website, or by emailing alleghenylead@actionhousing.org.
April 3, 2024 Submit a Comment: Child Care Development Fund Members of the public are invited to review Pennsylvania’s 2025-27 Child Care Development Fund plan and submit comments online or in writing through the mail. Child Care Development Fund Plan Every three years, the state is required to submit a Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) plan that describes how CCDF money will be administered in the state’s child care system. The plan is a requirement for funding through activities prioritized in the Child Care Development Block Grant. The CCDF is one of the primary federal funding sources for monitoring regulated child care programs as well as providing child care subsidies through Child Care Works, improving child care quality through Keystone STARS, and offering professional development. Public Comment Period The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has finalized the first draft of the 2025-27 CCDF plan. The public comment period for the draft is now open. Early childhood education professionals and partners can either submit a comment online or in writing through the mail to: OCDEL, Attention: Jessica Sands 607 South Drive 4th Floor Rotunda Harrisburg, PA 17120 The deadline for submitting comments is April 26. Virtual Public Hearing Those interested in submitting a comment may also do so by attending one of two CCDF State Plan Virtual Sessions. Members of the public can attend the virtual sessions without providing a comment, but they must still register for the session. Registration is now open for the virtual session on April 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and for the session on April 17 from noon to 2 p.m. Trying Together’s Office Hours Trying Together will offer office hours in April regarding the Child Care Development Fund plan. Providers can attend any of the following Zoom meetings without registering in advance: April 12, 1-2 p.m. April 15, 9-10 a.m. April 24, 2-3 p.m. April 25, 10-11 a.m. April 26, 12-1 p.m.
April 2, 2024 United Nations Designates June 11 as International Day of Play The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution to create a new International Day of Play. The day will take place on June 11 every year, beginning in 2024. A Global Effort The adoption of the resolution on March 25 follows a global effort led by a coalition of organizations – including Right to Play, a nonprofit with a mission to use play to empower children to rise above adversity. The coalition’s goal was to spotlight the importance of play in children’s lives, learning, and development. It also aimed to call attention to the need to protect and support children’s right to play. Global research surveying more than 25,000 children across 36 countries revealed that as many as 73% of children don’t believe adults take the benefits of play seriously, according to Right to Play. “Play is powerful,” said Susan McIsaac, President and CEO of Right to Play International. “Through play, children explore and understand the world, learn how to collaborate and empathize with others, build the confidence to claim their rights, and develop a lifelong love of learning.” Adam James Zahren, Program Director of Playful Pittsburgh, applauded the UN resolution. “I think the designation of an official International Play Day is essential because it showcases the necessity of playing for children and adults alike,” Zahren said. “Play is important for physical, emotional, and social development. It reduces stress and builds relationships. I’m thrilled to hear this news.” Convention on the Rights of the Child This is not the first time that the United Nations has recognized the importance of play. In 1989, the UN approved the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This international treaty set benchmarks against which a nation’s treatment of its children could be measured. One of its tenets was that “every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child, and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.” Sign up for the Playful Pittsburgh newsletter to stay up to date on all things play-related in the region.
Allegheny County Offering Free Soil Screenings for Lead The Allegheny County Conservation District is performing free soil screenings for lead between April 3 and 7. Learn More Contaminants are common in urban soil and can be hazardous to health when ingested or inhaled during gardening or outdoor activities. Soil testing is a method of reducing the risk of exposure to contaminants. Registration is required and can be found online. The conservation district will contact those who register via email with detailed instructions on how to collect, label, and drop off soil samples. Any soil samples submitted with incorrect bagging or labels will be discarded. Samples can be dropped off at any partner sites during open hours between Wednesday, April 3 and Sunday, April 7. Pittsburgh drop-off site addresses will be provided during registration. Results will be sent back within approximately two weeks via email, along with information on how to understand and act on the results.
