Events

During the Month of the Young Child (April), Trying Together will host a free three-day Virtual Annual Celebration to celebrate the important work of early childhood. Early educators, families, and other individuals who support young children are invited to enjoy LIVE Happy Together Half-Hour sessions; presentations from Trying Together Executive Director Cara Ciminillo and keynote speaker Dr. Denisha Jones; and more!

Celebration Agenda

Trying Together’s Virtual Annual Celebration will take place from April 27 – 29, 2021 on Zoom, with sessions available from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Each event will feature the following sessions:

• • 6:30 p.m.  |  LIVE Happy Together Half-Hour
    Attendees may select a breakout room, each with an interactive activity to choose from including: yoga, trivia, PowerPoint Karaoke, and a brief screening of the early education documentary, No Small Matter followed by a group discussion.
  • 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.  |  Encore Program
    Guests will hear from Cara Ciminillo, Trying Together Executive Director about the past year’s accomplishments as well as highlights of things to look forward to in 2021 and beyond. This year’s honoree will be Marc Cherna, the newly retired Director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Denisha Jones.

Registration

To participate in these events, individuals must register online. One gift box will be mailed by Friday, April 9 for each person who completes their registration by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 4, 2021. Registration will remain open until 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 26, 2021. Individuals who register after April 4 will not receive a gift box.

Our Keynote Speaker

Denisha Jones is the Director of the Art of Teaching Program at Sarah Lawrence College. She is a former kindergarten teacher and preschool director who spent the past 16 years in teacher education. Denisha is an education justice advocate and activist. She serves as the Co-Director for Defending the Early Years, Inc, and is the Assistant Executive Director for the Badass Teachers Association. Since 2017, she has served on the steering committee for the national Black Lives Matter at School movement. In 2020 she joined the organizing committee for Unite to Save Our Schools. Her first co-edited book, Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice, was published in December 2020 by Haymarket Books.

About Month of the Young Child

First established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in 1971, the Week of the Young Child is an opportunity to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.

Over the years, with growing interest and focus, Trying Together designated the entire month of April as the Month of The Young Child (MOYC). MOYC is a time to plan how we will better meet the needs of all young children, families, caregivers, and early care and education professionals.