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Resources for October Observances

News

September 28, 2026

Resources for October Observances

Various organizations, states, and nations recognize a number of observances each month. Resources help parents, caregivers, and child care professionals acknowledge and navigate them.

Here is a list of resources for October observances.

Month-Long Observances

HEAD START AWARENESS MONTH

DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH

NATIONAL BOOK MONTH

Week-Long Observances

FIRE PREVENTION WEEK IS OCTOBER 4 – 10

NATIONAL FRIENDS OF LIBRARIES WEEK IS OCTOBER 18 – 24

NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK IS OCTOBER 19 – 23

Days of Recognition

OCTOBER 1 IS NATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY

OCTOBER 3 IS NATIONAL PLAY OUTSIDE DAY

OCTOBER 5 IS NATIONAL CHILD HEALTH DAY

OCTOBER 10 IS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

OCTOBER 12 IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY

OCTOBER 11 IS NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

Pennsylvania Key’s September Health Trend is Supporting Early Literacy

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Pennsylvania Key’s September Health Trend is Supporting Early Literacy

To celebrate September’s National Early Literacy Month, The Pennsylvania Key’s monthly Health Trends in Early Childhood is highlighting how early literacy helps to support children’s well-being and health.

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Early childhood literacy is important because it lays the foundation for the lifelong health and well-being of a child, The Pennsylvania Key writes. It was chosen as September’s health trend because exploring and cultivating literacy in young children enhances their ability to understand and use health-related information effectively to make healthy choices.

Some resources cited by The Pennsylvania Key include Sesame Workshops that can support families and children to practice healthy habits and build health literacy, a workshop to help children develop healthy relationships with food, and a list of books that encourage young children to develop habits that promote their health and hygiene, from diet and dental care to exercise and sleep.

The Key defines family health literacy as families being able to find and understand health information and use it to support their health, being able to reflect on and evaluate their health experiences, and being able to share accurate information and new learning to family, friends, and neighbors.

Actions to Promote Health Literacy

Actions to promote health literacy include:

  • Enhance children’s health literacy through engaging books to inform, inspire, and entertain them on everything from germs and personal hygiene to body systems and anatomy.
  • Share culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate science-informed health education materials with children, families, and staff. Make sure the materials are accessible to learners with disabilities. 
  • Get children interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and medicine) at an early age.
  • Utilize Reach Out and Read, which helps integrate guidance about reading into pediatric practices, advises families about the importance of building healthy relationships, and shares books that promote healthy childhood development.
  • Start reading to children at an early age.

Pittsburgh-Region Events to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

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September 23, 2026

Pittsburgh-Region Events to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Residents of southwestern Pennsylvania will have the opportunity to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, with upcoming events and learn more about the month through a variety of resources.

Origins

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a proclamation to establish Hispanic Heritage Week. President George Bush proclaimed the 31-day period between mid-September and mid-October as National Hispanic Heritage Month in 1989.

The month includes the celebration of a number of independence days, including September 15 (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua), September 16 (Mexico), September 18 (Chile), and September 21 (Belize).

The name of the month emphasizes the word Hispanic because it is used to signal a connection to Spain or the Spanish language, whereas Latino describes the diverse residents of the United States with cultural or ancestral ties to Latin America or the Caribbean, according to the National Museum of the American Latino. 

Events in the Pittsburgh Region

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations in the Pittsburgh region will be held throughout September and October. 

The Heinz History Center will host Little Historians Storytime: Hispanic Heritage Month on Wednesday, September 23 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. The storytime, which is aimed at children ages 5 and below and their caregivers, will also include songs and crafts.

The Indiana Free Library in Indiana will hold DOL Homeschooler’s Club: Hispanic Heritage Month and Paper Picados from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23. The children’s program is for homeschooled children, ages 6 to 11.

The Andy Warhol Museum will hold an event on Saturday, September 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that will be free with museum admission. It will include Latin dance and drag performances, Spanish-language tours, screen printing, music and dance lessons with Flamenco Pittsburgh, and other activities.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will hold a special author talk with Jared Lemus at the library’s Main (Oakland) branch, located at 4400 Forbes Avenue, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. Lemus is a Guatemalan-American author who has released a short story collection titled “Guatemalan Rhapsody” and will debut his first novel, “Magic in the Land of Eternal Spring,” in 2027.

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds will honor Hispanic Heritage Night on Saturday, October 10 at Highmark Stadium with a celebration honoring the cultures, traditions, and contributions of the region’s Hispanic community during a game. Ticket prices will vary by seating.

More Resources

To learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month and to read books on Spanish-speaking cultures, check out these resources:

Application Deadline for PA NAPSACC Grant is October 2

News

September 22, 2026

Application Deadline for PA NAPSACC Grant is October 2

Licensed child care providers can help young children build healthier eating habits by applying for the 2026-2027 PA NAPSACC Wellness Grant.

The Pennsylvania Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (PA NAPSACC) grant helps providers to strengthen nutrition and physical activity practices and policies while helping children to build healthy habits. 

Application Process

Applications must be received by midnight on Friday, October 2. Participating programs can receive:

  • Individualized technical assistance
  • Support from a child care health consultant at no cost
  • Guidance with self-assessment, action planning, policy development, and continuous quality improvement
  • Up to $500 in grant funding upon completion of grant requirements

An informational webinar will take place for participants on Tuesday, October 27 at 12:45 p.m. There are 75 spots available in the program, and enrollment will be on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 12 a.m. on Monday, November 2.

Past participants may apply, but priority will be given to programs that have participated no more than once since 2020.

To be eligible, providers must serve a minimum of four children, ages 3 to 5 years, in Pennsylvania. 

More information on the program and eligibility is available online.

Early Childhood Educators Asked to Take Survey on Resources for Children Experiencing Homelessness

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Early Childhood Educators Asked to Take Survey on Resources for Children Experiencing Homelessness

The Pennsylvania Youth Homelessness Coalition is conducting a statewide survey to better understand which resources and services are helping children and youth experiencing homelessness succeed in school as well as where additional supports are still needed.

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State Head Start and Early Head Start programs and other partners who work with children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness are asked to participate and help the coalition to reach others who may have valuable perspectives.

The survey takes about five to 10 minutes to complete. Those who take it are asked to share it with others in their networks, especially:

  • People with lived experience, including parents and young people
  • ECYEH staff
  • School district McKinney-Vento/homeless liaisons
  • Teachers, principals, counselors, and other school staff
  • Community-based organizations serving children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness
  • Early childhood programs and other partners whose work connects with families experiencing housing instability 

The survey asks about approaches that have been successful in helping students experiencing homelessness participate and succeed in school as well as resources or supports that schools and communities still need.

Survey participants are encouraged to think particularly about spending in the following categories:

  • Programs to support outreach, identification, housing navigation, and casework support for unstably-housed students and families
  • Creating basic-needs pantries in schools – including washers and dryers – so students who might be living in motels or shelters have access to facilities and supplies they might lack
  • Emergency, short-term housing
  • Supporting timely transportation to and from school via gas cards, bicycles, and public transit passes
  • Investing in therapeutic services for students experiencing homelessness 
  • Academic tutoring and support outside the classroom

Responses will help to inform the PA Youth Homelessness Coalition’s statewide advocacy efforts to strengthen educational support for children and youth experiencing homelessness.

The survey is available online.

TEACH Scholarship Application Process Open for Spring Semester with Updated Income Criteria

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TEACH Scholarship Application Process Open for Spring Semester with Updated Income Criteria

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has updated income criteria for the TEACH scholarship as the application process for the spring semester has opened.

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Applications for the scholarships – which supports staff retention and program quality by helping early learning professionals to advance their education while continuing to work – are accepted on a rolling basis, but priority consideration is given to complete applications submitted by Friday, November 13. The spring semester begins in mid-January.

OCDEL recently announced that it had updated TEACH income criteria for the scholarship. Early childhood professionals can now earn up to $25 per hour, while directors can earn up to $30 per hour.

Eligible applicants must:

  • Work directly with children in a state Department of Human Services-certified child care program for a minimum of 25 hours per week year-round
  • Be a Pennsylvania resident
  • Be employed with a sponsoring program for at least six months before enrolling in a course through the scholarship program
  • Make $25 or less per hour (or $30 or less per hour for directors)
  • Be interested in pursuing coursework at a partnering college or university toward a degree or teacher certification in PreK-4/Early Childhood Education

Those interested in applying can learn how to do so on the PACCA website, where applicants can also find an enrollment checklist.

Honor Child Passenger Safety Week By Learning the Correct Way to Use Car Seats, Booster Seats, and Seat Belts

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September 21, 2026

Honor Child Passenger Safety Week By Learning the Correct Way to Use Car Seats, Booster Seats, and Seat Belts

Keeping children safe in a vehicle is a duty that extends to the entire year but Child Passenger Safety Week – which runs from September 20 to 26 – is a great time for caregivers to learn important information on the correct way that car seats, booster seats, and seat belts should be utilized.

The Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project has provided a fact sheet that shows the correct way for children to be placed in rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.

Rear-Facing Car Seats

Children should ride rear-facing until at least 2 years of age or until they outgrow their rear-facing car seat by height or weight. A rear-facing seat is considered the safest because it spreads crash forces across a child’s body and the back of the car seat, cradling the head, neck, and back. Plus, it is more convenient for placing in and out of the car.

When installing the seat, make sure it does not move more than an inch side to side or front to back. It should be at the recline angle specified by the car seat manufacturer. If you use a latch, the seat should be in a vehicle seat position allowed by the vehicle manual and car seat instructions. It should never be placed in front of an air bag.

To adjust the harness, tighten it so it is snug with no slack. The chest clip should be placed at armpit level, and harness slots should be at or below a child’s shoulders.

Forward-Facing Car Seats

Children should ride forward-facing when they are over 2 years of age and have outgrown the weight or height limits of the rear-facing car seat. They should remain in the forward-facing harness until the highest height or weight allowed by the car seat.

For installation, make sure the car seat is in tight and does not move more than an inch from side to side or front to back. If you use lower anchors, be sure the child is within the weight allowed by the car seat manufacturer. The child’s head should be within the car seat’s shell.

To adjust the harness, tighten it so it is snug with no slack. The chest clip should be placed at armpit level, and harness slots should be at or above a child’s shoulders.

The seat’s tether limits the forward movement of the child in a crash. Caregivers should follow the vehicle manual’s instructions to locate tether anchors and use the tether with the seat belt or lower anchors.

The types of forward-facing car seats include:

  • Forward-facing convertible: This seat goes from rear-facing to forward-facing, securing a child forward-facing once they have outgrown the rear-facing mode.
  • Combination car seat: This seat is used forward-facing with a five-point harness; once the child outgrows the harness, it can be used as a booster seat.
  • All-in-one seat: This seat can be used forward-facing, rear-facing, and then as a booster seat.

Booster Seats

Children ride in booster seats once they outgrow the weight or height limits of the forward-facing car seat and are at least 4 years of age. Booster seats position a child so the vehicle’s seat belt fits correctly over their body. Caregivers should always use the lap and shoulder belt to secure the child.

Booster seats are recommended because they lower the risk of injury by 45% among children ages 4 to 8 years when compared to a seat belt, which is designed for adults.

When adjusting the seat belt, make sure the shoulder belt lays across the center of the chest, while the lap belt lays across the upper thighs – not the stomach. The child should sit without slouching.

The types of booster seats include:

  • High back: Supports a child’s head, neck, and spine, and provides side impact protection; may ease the transition from a car seat with a harness to a booster seat.
  • Backless booster: Position the vehicle head restraint behind the child’s head; often used for older children before they transition to a seat belt.

Seat Belt Readiness

For a child to move from a booster seat to a seat belt, you must be able to say yes to all five of these items:

  • The child’s back is against the vehicle seat; no slouching.
  • Knees end at the front edge of the vehicle seat and feet are on the floor.
  • The shoulder belt lays across the center of the shoulder and the center of the chest, not across the neck or arm.
  • The lap belt lays across the upper thighs, never across the stomach.
  • The child can remain in the correctly seated position for the entire trip.

For more information, check out the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project’s tip sheet. And find information about recalls on car seats on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.

Confluence Podcast Episode Discusses How Providers Can Protect Programs from Falsified Documents

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Confluence Podcast Episode Discusses How Providers Can Protect Programs from Falsified Documents

The latest Confluence podcast episode on The Pennsylvania Key’s website discusses how early childhood education providers can protect their programs from falsified documents.

The episode, How to Protect Yourself from Falsified Documents in Your Child Care Program, is a conversation between podcast host Ruby Martin, director of Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s (OCDEL) Bureau of Certification Services, and Brad Hamm, the regional manager of the bureau’s Central Region.

Tips for Preventing Falsified Documents

In the podcast, Martin and Hamm discuss what falsified documents might look like, how to prevent receiving them, and the repercussions of submitting them.

“The deceit that occurs through falsified statements can be devastating to your program if health and safety are compromised,” Martin said. “Taking the extra step to make sure this is not occurring is important.”

Hamm listed a variety of documents that could be falsified by existing or incoming staff members:

  • Trainings that staff claimed to have – but didn’t – attend
  • Degrees or diplomas
  • Health assessments 
  • First Aid or CPR certificates
  • Fire and emergency drill documentation
  • Zoning and occupancy permits
  • Deleted camera footage that might have been useful for an investigation

“Case law makes it clear that altering documents constitutes deceit,” Hamm said. “Whoever is responsible for submitting documents has an obligation to vet them to make sure there is no falsification there. If a document doesn’t look right, question it.”

The background check process can be arduous, Martin said, but employers should be sure to give materials they receive a close look.

“If someone hands you a form or a background check, you’re usually thankful to have it – and it’s one more thing to check off,” she said. “But it’s important to review the information that staff hands to you.”

The Confluence’s monthly podcast helps listeners to understand the complexities of OCDEL’s Bureau of Certification Services. To listen to podcast episodes, visit The Pennsylvania Key’s website.

Celebrating Relative Providers During Family, Friend and Neighbor Appreciation Week

News

September 17, 2026

Celebrating Relative Providers During Family, Friend and Neighbor Appreciation Week

From September 13 to 18, Home Grown celebrates its fourth annual Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FNN) Appreciation Week to honor those who care for the young children in their life.

This week, we join Home Grown in celebrating the 460 relative care providers who reside in Allegheny County. Relative providers include grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings, and are a core pillar of Pennsylvania’s child care infrastructure.

Families often rely on these caregivers for child care during nontraditional hours, such as evenings and holidays, or because they share the same language, culture, values, and traditions. Relative care providers are vitally important because they give stability, intergenerational connection, and a nurturing learning environment to thousands of children across Pennsylvania.

Advocating for Relative Care Providers 

For the past year, Trying Together has partnered with Home Grown and the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania on the Thriving Providers Project. This initiative is focused on strengthening the economic stability of home-based child care providers through direct cash payments and policy innovation. In Allegheny County, 19 caregivers are participating in this pilot project.

Through the project, relative child care providers have consistently identified economic insecurity, administrative barriers, and limited access to resources and supports as challenges to providing stable care. 

The program’s mission is to support and stabilize caregivers and improve the availability and quality of child care for children and families- and there’s evidence that the support works.

Relative care providers participating in the program have shared the ways the direct cash payments have helped them, saying

  • The direct payment helps with unforeseen circumstances
  • Direct cash transfers have enabled providers to not worry about meals and utilities and be able to afford to stay home and provide care
  • The payments help with purchasing diapers, wipes, and snacks

To learn more, see the Thriving Provider Project webpage and Home Grown’s FFN Appreciation Week page.

Pittsburgh’s Recreation Centers to Extend Hours When Schools Are Closed or Have Early Dismissal

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September 16, 2026

Pittsburgh’s Recreation Centers to Extend Hours When Schools Are Closed or Have Early Dismissal

Mayor Corey O’Connor’s office announced this week that the city’s recreation centers will extend their hours on days when Pittsburgh Public Schools are closed or have early dismissal.

The extended hours are intended to bridge the gap in care coverage free of charge for families. 

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The centers will open at 8 a.m. on full-day closures and 11:30 a.m. on early dismissal days. Registration, which is required, opened this week. Caregivers can register at the recreation center where their child or children will attend and they may select multiple eligible dates during the school year, including:

Early Dismissal Days 

  • September 18
  • October 9
  • October 23
  • November 20
  • December 18
  • February 12
  • February 26
  • March 12

School Closure Days

  • September 21
  • October 12
  • October 16
  • November 3
  • December 28-31
  • January 19
  • January 20
  • March 10
  • March 22-26
  • May 18 (Election Day; some centers will not offer care on election days if they serve as polling locations)

Snacks will be provided in the afternoon on early dismissal days, while lunch and snacks will be provided on full days. Special programming and partner visits on these days will be posted on CitiParks’ social media accounts.

“It’s important that our local families have free options for where kids can go on their days off school to play, discover, and explore,” O’Connor said.