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July 15, 2025

Trying Together Joins ELPA in Praising Passage of House Bill That Includes Early Care and Learning Workforce Investments

The principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA) applauded the Pennsylvania House’s bipartisan passage of House Bill 1330 that includes Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed investments in the early care and learning workforce.

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ELPA, a statewide coalition of advocates of which Trying Together is a member that focuses on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age 5, issued a statement following the passage of the bill on Monday.

“The governor and Pennsylvania House of Representatives responded to the pleas of Pennsylvanians to prioritize early care and learning by investing in early childhood educators and ensuring that their critical work of caring for and educating young children is valued,” the statement read. “These educators are the workforce behind the workforce in Pennsylvania, and their work matters to children, families, businesses, and Pennsylvania’s economic security.”

House Bill 1330 includes the following investments above Fiscal Year 2024-25 appropriations:

A $55 million investment in a new and recurring Child Care Recruitment and Retention line item to grant licensed child care providers participating in the child care subsidy program with $1,000 per educator
$17 million in additional funding for Pre-K Counts
A $16.2 million increase for infant/toddler early intervention and a $38.1 million increase for preschool early intervention

ELPA noted that the House’s passage of the bill is a positive step toward a final budget agreement and that this demonstrates that state lawmakers stand with families with young children on early childhood line items.

The coalition’s partners also encouraged the state Senate to support the investments and ensure that $9.5 million is provided for Pennsylvania’s Head Start Supplemental Assistance Programs in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget.

“These urgently needed investments will stabilize and reverse the exodus of early educators, directly benefit tens of thousands of early childhood professionals and keep child care centers open, so parents can go to work,” the ELPA’s statement read. “Additionally, these investments will begin to reverse the billions of dollars in lost productivity and earnings suffered by working families and employers when families do not have the reliable child care they need.”

Take Action

The PA House took the next step in funding early learning programs, but the budget process is far from over. PA Senators need to hear from you immediately. Take action by visiting https://tryingtogether.org/advocacy/current-issue/

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Child Mind Institute Provides Resources for Summer Sensory Processing Issues

The Child Mind Institute has compiled a list of resources for sensory processing issues that are exacerbated by summer.

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For many children with autism, The Child Mind Institute writes, summer can be a challenging season. Because many of them can be sensitive to light or certain sounds and textures, they might not enjoy things that other children do – such as playing in the sand on the beach or watching July 4th fireworks.

The Child Mind Institute has put together some resources that parents can utilize to help children with autism enjoy the season on their own terms.

Tips on how to navigate overstimulating summer activities involve planning and letting children know what to expect, whether you’re going on vacation or outside on a hot day, as well as smoothing transitions from one environment to another since unfamiliar sensations can lead children to act out.

Rather than avoiding potentially stressful situations, The Child Mind Institute notes that it’s better to prepare for them by carrying comfortable clothing, earplugs, sunglasses, and other items. Showing kids how to deal with unpleasant sensory experiences helps them to recognize their needs and learn to manage situations on their own.

Here are The Child Mind Institute’s resources on managing sensory processing issues during the summer:

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July 14, 2025

PA Promise for Children Lists 11 Books for Children During Shark Week

With Shark Week kicking off on July 20, PA Promise for Children has put together a list of books that might be fun for young fans of the ferocious fish.

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The list includes 11 shark-themed books that children might enjoy.

The list includes:

Hello, World! Kids’ Guides: Exploring Sharks (Jill McDonald)
Stella: The Shark Who Loves Treasure (Sarah Cullen and Carmen Ellis)
I Am the Shark (Joan Holub)
Good Night Sharks (Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper)
The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark (Ken Geist)
I’m Getting a Shark (Brady Smith)
Big Shark, Little Shark (Anna Membrino)
Pizza Shark: A Fin-tastic Feast (Mike Lowery)
Shark in the Park (Nick Sharratt)
Five Little Sharks Swimming in the Sea (Steve Metzger)
Gilbert the Great (Jane Clarke and Charles Fuge)

More information on the list can be found on PA Promise for Children’s website.

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PA Promise for Children Resource Emphasizes the Importance of Play

PA Promise for Children has put together resources on the importance of play for children’s well-being and brain development.

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In The Importance of Play, PA Promise for Children notes that play is as important to a child’s well-being as work is for an adult. Play is important for brain development by teaching children new skills and how to share with others. It helps them to make decisions and learn about the world as well as work through scary and confusing experiences.

But, PA Promise for Children writes, nearly 40 percent of elementary schools have eliminated recess or are considering it, and many kindergartners in full-day programs have no break for recess.

Real Play

Play workers in the United Kingdom consider real play to be “socially interactive, first-hand, and loosely supervised.” The American Academy of Pediatrics argues that play should be child-driven – not adult-directed – and that it is important that children have independent time away from TV, tablets, and video games for the purpose of producing “healthy, fit young bodies.”

Encouraging play, PA Promise for Children notes, can help children who have time for free, open-ended play to score higher in reading and math tests. A lack of real play, on the other hand, can lead to childhood obesity, higher levels of frustration, stress, and aggression as well as a lack of creativity and imagination.

Some of the types of play encouraged are:

Large and small-motor play
Language play (telling stories, making up silly songs)
Construction play (building things)
Sensory play (playing in mud or water)
Make-believe play
Rough-and-tumble and risk-taking play
Symbolic play (turning a stick into a magic wand, for example)
Mastery play (learning how to do new things)

To learn more, read PA Promise for Children’s The Importance of Play.

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July 11, 2025

Pittsburgh Announces New Traffic Safety and Calming Measures Across City

Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure has announced new traffic safety and calming measures at multiple locations around the city as part of the Safe Routes to School program.

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The city secured a federal grant to fund safety improvements for students who walk or bike to school. The initiative is a partnership with PennDOT.

Construction work is expected to start on Monday, July 14 at three locations over a period of two weeks. Hours of construction will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Temporary no-parking signage will be posted throughout the corridor where work is taking place.

Locations

The three locations for the initiative include:

Pittsburgh Arlington Elementary – intersection improvements near Rectenwald and McManus streets, including new ADA ramps, curb extensions, and upgraded LED lighting
Propel Hazelwood Elementary – two speed humps on Glenwood Avenue and pedestrian refuge island on 2nd Avenue at Alameda Street
Faison Elementary Homewood – chokers/curb extensions on Tioga Street to prevent wrong-way driving and pedestrian refuge island at N. Braddock Avenue and Susquehanna Street

Impacts to traffic will be minimal, with the exception of Glenwood Avenue. During the speed hump construction, the road will be closed to through traffic, although flaggers will be stationed at each end to allow traffic access to and from their residences.

Questions about the project should emailed to saferoutestoschool@pittsburghpa.gov. For more information on the city’s traffic calming program, visit the Safe Routes to School website.

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July 10, 2025

CDA Exam Scheduling Changes to Go Into Effect on Aug. 1

The Council for Professional Recognition has announced CDA exam scheduling changes that are effective as of early August.

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Beginning on Aug. 1, the council is implementing a new exam-first approach for the CDA credentialing process. The change enhances standardization and streamlines the process, allowing candidates to demonstrate their expertise in a structured manner.

Candidates must now complete the CDA exam before scheduling their verification visit with a professional development specialist.

Updated Process

After payment, candidates will receive their first Ready to Schedule notification, outlining their six-month deadline to complete the exam and verification visit as well as authorize them to schedule their exam.

Once the exam score is received, candidates will get a second notification, authorizing them to schedule their verification visit with a professional development specialist.

The six-month timeline to complete the exam and verification visit remains unchanged. Therefore, candidates should schedule their exam as soon as possible.

The exam scheduling process has been changed to ensure standardization by creating consistency across all CDA holders and support future enhancements by aligning with future changes that will further strengthen the CDA credentialing process.

For more information and to view the FAQ section, visit the Council for Professional Recognition’s announcement.

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July 9, 2025

Webinar to Focus on How Extreme Heat Can Affect Young Children

Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child will host a webinar on how extreme summer heat can affect young children.

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Excess heat can affect young children’s development and health both in the moment of contact and across their lifespan. Putting together strategies to reduce exposure to extreme heat benefits children and their caregivers.

The Center for the Developing Child will host a live conversation, Addressing the Impact of Extreme Heat on Young Children, at 1 p.m. on July 17. The webinar will explore how communities are working to reduce the effects of extreme heat on early childhood development.

The discussion will be led by Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, the center’s science officer and founding director of the Early Childhood Scientific Council on Equity and the Environment.

Panelists will include Michelle Kang, chief executive officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and Jennifer Vanos, associate professor in the School of Sustainability and the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University. They will share strategies to protect children from extreme heat, support caregivers, and ensure the healthy development of all children.

Those interested in attending the webinar should register on the Center on the Developing Child.

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PA Promise for Children Releases List of July Books for Preschoolers

PA Promise for Children has released its list of July books for preschoolers that includes eight books and is broken down into four categories.

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The list is broken down into four themed categories – Language and Literacy Skills; Health, Wellness, and Physical Development; Science Thinking and Technology; and Mathematical Expression and Thinking.

Books on the list include:

Language and Literacy Skills

Sorting Through Spring (Lizann Flatt)
Stick and Stone (Beth Ferry)

Health, Wellness, and Physical Development

Fireflies! (Julie Brinckloe)
Summer Days and Nights (Wong Herbert Yee)

Science Thinking and Technology

When Day Became Night (Jules Miller)
Mud Puddle (Robert Munsch)

Mathematical Thinking and Expression

Two Speckled Eggs (Jennifer K. Mann)
Mouse Shapes (Ellen Stoll Walsh)

To view the entire list, visit PA Promise for Children’s website.

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IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED: PA Budget May Leave Out Child Care and Cut Pre-K Again!

Pennsylvania state budget negotiations have intensified, and we are learning that pre-k and the Child Care Recruitment Retention Initiative funding are IN JEOPARDY.

This is not a drill. Your elected officials need to hear from you immediately.

Now is the time for policymakers to show early childhood educators that their critical work of caring for and educating young children is valued and matters to children, families, businesses, and Pennsylvania’s economic security. The General Assembly needs to hear from you!

Steps to take today and every day until the budget is finalized:

1. Email your Senator using our Take Action page alert.

2. Find your legislator and their contact information using www.legis.state.pa.us.

Click on each of your legislators to find their social media accounts.
Go to their Facebook page and tell them the General Assembly MUST fully fund pre-k and child care in the 2025-26 final PA budget. Be sure to include the #PABudget, #FixChildCare, and #iamprek tags.

3. Phone your Senator and tell them child care and pre-k funding must NOT be cut in the final 2025-26 state budget. You can leave a message with their staff if not able to speak to them directly.

We will not give up and are asking that you continue the fight with us!

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July 8, 2025

The Mentoring Partnership Series to Focus on Caring for Young People and Caregivers

The Mentoring Partnership will offer a two-session series in August and September that will enable attendees to brainstorm, share, and learn from each other to make sure young people feel cared for and supported while also taking care of themselves and other early childhood educators.

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Discussions in the Mentoring in the Moment Collaborative Series will be facilitate by The Mentoring Partnership and include participatory methods and activities to dive deeper into topics and encourage collaboration.

A portion of each session will be focused on a topic chosen by participants and partners. The sessions will provide opportunities to engage with topic experts, learn new information and skills, and share access to resources and follow-up support.

The sessions will take place at The Mentoring Partnership, located at 4165 Blair St. in Pittsburgh on the following dates:

Tuesday, Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Registration for the sessions is now open.