Trying Together

Pittsburgh Ready Virtual: Winter 2025 Literacy Workshops
2025-12-11 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-12-04 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host two upcoming literacy workshops in December.
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The first session, Sensory Strategies, helps to identify activities, strategies, and Library resources that can generate positive sensory experiences for all young children.
The second session, Using Digital Media Resources with Early Learners, helps to understand how to incorporate digital media into existing practices. With current research and activities designed for joint engagement, the class will share how technology can lead to positive outcomes for children.
The classes will be held on:

Sensory Strategies: Thursday, December 4 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Using Digital Media Resources with Early Learners: Thursday, December 11 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Attendees will receive one hour of PQAS credit per session and a small gift that they can pick up from their ACLA library. The Pittsburgh Ready Virtual – Winter 2025 literacy workshops are virtual only. Registration is required for these Teams events.
Register online for the virtual sessions.

Drop-In Playtime
2025-12-10 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-03 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-26 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-19 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-12 11:00 - 13:00
Drop-in play hours offer a fun and safe space for children to grow, learn, and play while building social skills. Caregivers must stay with their children. The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center staff are available for support.
Drop-in Playtime runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Tummy Time
2025-12-10 10:00 - 10:45, 2025-12-03 10:00 - 10:45, 2025-11-26 10:00 - 10:45, 2025-11-19 10:00 - 10:45, 2025-11-12 10:00 - 10:45
Tummy Time provides caregivers and pre-walking infants an opportunity to socialize in a safe and welcoming setting.
Tummy Time runs from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Homewood Early Learning Hub and Family Center.

Collaborating for Inclusive Practices in Early Childhood: Focus on Attitudes and Beliefs
2025-12-09 18:00 - 20:00
Attitudes and beliefs shape actions, and societal attitudes shape service systems. Participants will have opportunities to explore the benefits of inclusion for all children and all adults, reflect on how their individual attitudes and beliefs developed, and how they impact their practice, their colleagues, and the service system.
Participants will identify strategies to create a sense of belonging for all children in the classroom, explore perceptions about disability, and reflect on how attitudes and beliefs impact early care and education practices.
Location: Zoom
Cost: $20
Register

Visit Trying Together's Table at Butler County Chamber of Commerce Women's Alliance Event
2025-12-09 17:00 - 20:00
Trying Together will set up a table at the Butler County Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Alliance event on Tuesday, December 9.
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The event will be an empowering evening that celebrates the connection between personal well-being and community impact. The fair-style event will explore self-care and civic involvement through:
Self-Care and Wellness Vendors – Discover resources, tools, and inspiration for balance, growth, and personal wellness.
Local Nonprofits and Community Organizations – Learn how to get involved, volunteer, and give back to Butler County causes.
The event is free to attend and will include mocktails and appetizers. It will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Founders Hall on the campus of Butler Community College, located at 107 College Drive in Butler.
Those interested in attending can RSVP on the event’s website.

Story Time at the Hub
2025-12-09 10:30 - 11:15, 2025-12-02 10:30 - 11:15, 2025-11-25 10:30 - 11:15, 2025-11-18 10:30 - 11:15, 2025-11-11 10:30 - 11:15
Story time at the Hub! is an interactive story time geared toward children birth to five years of age and their families!
Story time runs from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on Tuesdays.

Classroom De-escalation in Early Childhood
2025-12-04 18:00 - 20:00
Understand the causes of escalation in young children, learn about foundational classroom practices to prevent escalation, practice de-escalation strategies, and learn about ways to reconnect and reengage children after the escalation has ended.
Location: Zoom
Cost: $20
Register

Donate to Trying Together This GivingTuesday
2025-12-02 00:00 - 23:30
Trying Together will participate in Give Big Pittsburgh, a 24-hour online fundraising effort hosted by Pittsburgh Magazine and presented by GBU Life, this year on GivingTuesday.
When you donate to Trying Together on December 2, your financial support ensures that Trying Together can continue to advocate for young children and their caregivers, provide professional growth opportunities, and develop community resources.
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This year, we’ve set a goal of $5,000. We encourage you to not only donate, but also to also raise money on behalf of Trying Together. Make a plan for December 2 to share with your friends and family members the important work we do, and ask them to join us in making a difference.
You also have an opportunity to maximize your impact through our Double the Donation page. Search for your workplace and if they offer a matching gift program, you will be guided through how to submit a matching gift request.
How to Give
Gifts to Trying Together will be accepted on the Give Big Platform from Tuesday, Dec. 2 through Tuesday, Dec. 31.
Donating to Trying Together on GivingTuesday is easy – simply complete the online donation form on the Give Big Pittsburgh platform.
How Your Donation Helps
When you donate to Trying Together, you are supporting a number of initiatives, including:

Community-Based High School Child Development Associate (CDA) Program
The Buzzword literacy initiative
Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Resources Series
Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center Diaper & Formula Banks
Institute for Early Childhood Career Pathways
Pediatric First Aid/CPR Facilitation and Instruction
Home-Based Child Care Business Cohort
Rapid Response Team

All for One Community Talk
2025-12-01 11:00 - 15:00
Hosanna House will host a final All for One Community Talk on Monday, December 1.
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At the event, Hosanna House will discuss how it is working to improve the health and well-being of growing families in the community.
The event will include food, bingo, raffles, resources, and community conversation.
The talk will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hosanna House, located at 807 Wallace Avenue in Wilkinsburg.

Free Developmental Screenings for Children
2025-11-21 08:30 - 16:30, 2025-11-20 08:30 - 16:30, 2025-11-17 08:30 - 16:30
ELRC Region 5 is hosting free Ages & Stages Questionnaires developmental screening events in November.
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Families with children between the ages of two months and 5 years are invited to participate on the following dates:

Monday, November 17 at 304 Wood Street, Suite 400, Pittsburgh
Thursday, November 20 at Hosanna House, 807 Wallace Avenue, Pittsburgh
Friday, November 21 at 304 Wood Street, suite 400, Pittsburgh

Screenings will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The screening can take 40 minutes to an hour and results are immediately provided. Staff can offer referrals for full evaluations and developmental resources if necessary.
Those interested in taking part in the screenings should call 412-350-3577 or email elrc5@alleghenycounty.us to make an appointment.

Growing Together | Career Pathways in Early Childhood
2025-11-19 18:30 - 19:30
Join Trying Together virtually every third Wednesday of the month for a free professional development focused on frequently requested topics relevant to early childhood educators. The topic for November is Career Pathways in Early Childhood.

Participants can choose to attend any or all of the mini-sessions and registration is highly recommended. However, participants can access any session using the Zoom link.
Attendees will be awarded one hour of PQAS each month and the topics will be shared in advance.
Click here to register

Upcoming sessions in the series include:

December 17, 2025: Introducing the Early Intervention Toolkit
January 21, 2026: Reframing Children’s “Challenging” Behaviors
February 18, 2026: Building and Maintaining Positive Relationships with Parents
March 18, 2026: Utilizing Your ELRC Quality Coach: What is Their Role and How Can They Support You?
April 15, 2026 Aligning Curriculum With Daily Practice
May 20, 2026: The ELPES (Early Learning Program Engagement Specialists) Team: Who Are They and How Can They Support Providers?
June 17, 2026 Child Development: Expectations vs. Reality
July 15, 2026 Navigating Public Policy and Systems

Each session runs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month.

Supervision 101
2025-11-17 17:30 - 18:30
This session will give a foundational overview of supervision in licensed early childhood programs. Learning objectives will focus on the DHS Certification Regulations for child care in Pennsylvania. Participants will be able to define supervision per the regulations. This session will also focus on ratio and discuss various scenarios for practical application. This course is appropriate for both new early childhood professionals and those that might need a refresher on the vital importance of supervision.
Location: Zoom
Cost: $10
Register

Parenting While Rising to Child Developmental Challenges
2025-11-17 15:00 - 16:00
Brazelton Touchpoints Center will host a series from September through December that enables caregivers of children with differences in or challenges to their development to connect with each other.
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The free, four-episode virtual conversation series will feature conversations with parents of children with developmental differences, challenges, or disabilities. It will explore the unique and common experiences of loving and raising children whose developmental process is delayed or atypical.
Discussion will cover the joys and challenges of family life with children with a wide array of ways of being in the world. Participants will learn from each other how to best support and advocate for children.
The virtual series will take place from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the following Mondays:

Sept. 29 (Presuming Competence and Challenging Assumptions)
Oct. 20 (Holding On to Hope and Confronting Grief)
Nov. 17 (A Mother’s Perseverance Against All Odds)
Dec. 15 (Drawing on Family and Cultural Strengths to Thrive in Life

For more information, visit the series’ website.

American Red Cross First Aid, Pediatric First Aid, CPR, and AED Training
2025-11-12 10:00 - 13:00
Trying Together and ELRC Region 5 are partnering to provide in person and hybrid First Aid, Pediatric First Aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and automated external defibrillator (AED) trainings to early childhood professionals.
About the Course
This PQAS-certified in-person course provides life-saving skills in alliance with The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Best Practices for Workplace First Aid Training Programs.
Certification will be issued upon successful completion of the course. This certification is valid for two years.
The cost is $70.
PLEASE NOTE: Successful course completion requires full participation in classroom and skill sessions, as well as successful performance in skill and knowledge evaluations.
Participants will be conducting strenuous activities, such as performing CPR on the floor. If you have a medical condition or disability that will prevent you from taking part in the skills practice sessions, please let your instructor know so that accommodations can be made for the practice portion. The CPR and AED evaluations must be completed with the manikin on the ground.
Information for Hybrid Sessions
The online coursework for hybrid sessions must be completed prior to the in-person class. Access to the online coursework will be provided via email upon completion of registration. Allow yourself 3-4 hours to complete. We advise completing the online coursework at least 48 hours prior to your in-person course. You will need to provide proof of completion by providing a copy of your completion email either printed or on your mobile device of class in order to participate in the in-person class portion of the training.
Session Details

Wednesday, Nov. 12| Hybrid | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Pitt CEC-Homewood, 622 N. Homewood Ave., Pittsburgh
Register
Cost: $70

Thursday, Jan. 15 | Hybrid | 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
HeartPrints, 850 Cranberry Woods Drive #1227, Room 2219, Cranberry Township
Register
Cost: $70

Tuesday, Feb. 24 | Hybrid | 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Elizabeth Seton Center (Brookline), 1900 Pioneer Ave., Pittsburgh
Register
Cost: $70

Saturday, March 14 | Full Class | 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Trying Together, 5604 Solway St., Pittsburgh
Register
Cost: $70

Saturday, May 16 | Full Class | 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Elizabeth Seton Center (Brookline), 1900 Pioneer Ave., Pittsburgh
Register
Cost: $70

Monday, June 1 | Hybrid | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Pitt CEC-Homewood, 622 N. Homewood Ave., Pittsburgh
Register
Cost: $70

Questions?
For questions about the sessions, contact Amanda Murphy at amanda@tryingtogether.org.

Brazelton Touchpoints Center: Raising Accountable and Empowered Children
2025-11-10 15:00 - 16:30
Brazelton Touchpoints Center will host an upcoming conversation in English with live Spanish translation that covers the topic of machismo and traditional beliefs about masculinity.
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Raising Children Who Are Accountable and Empowered will explore where ideas about masculinity come from, how they’ve shaped our culture, and how the affect the way children grow, learn, and relate to one another. It will explore how cultural norms influence children’s emotional expression and sense of responsibility and how they also affect their confidence, voice, and leadership.
The discussion will also examine how beliefs show up in daily life and how caregivers can nurture emotional strength, mutual respect, and purpose in both girls and boys. The guest speaker will be Sheilla Alvarez, director of government affairs for the Barona Band of Mission Indians.
The event will begin at 3 p.m. on Monday, November 10. Registration is open.
