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May 14, 2020

Virtual UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’

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Virtual UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’

Join Trying Together on May 26 for our first virtual UnConference as we dive into topics that are relevant to child care centers as they begin to re-open to a ‘new normal’ due to the effects of COVID-19. A recording of this event will be available for those who are unable to attend.

UnConference Details

We are facing a “new normal” in our field that has never been envisioned before. COVID-19 has taken our state, our country, and our world on a tumultuous journey, invoking fear, anxiety, reflection, and change-making at unprecedented levels. As an early childhood educator, you are most likely thinking about how to continue supporting children and families while maintaining high-quality programming, business operations, and personal health for both you and your colleagues.

This free three-hour online UnConference will help you virtually connect with other educators while gaining information about the steps you can take to prepare for and respond to the effects of COVID-19 on early childhood programming. Three PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

About

UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’ will be hosted via Zoom. It begins with a “rapid-fire” keynote by four speakers, featuring Michelle Figlar of The Heinz Endowments, LaTrenda Leonard Sherrill of LaTrenda Consulting (and Board Member of Trying Together), Muffy Mendoza of Brown Mamas, and mental health expert Diana Schwab.

The keynote is followed by two workshops. Participants can choose from the following:

    • Coping with COVID – HR Thoughts and Tips for Child Care Centers,
    • Building Community and Connection with Digital Technologies,
    • How to Stay Healthy and Provide Safe Child Care During COVID-19, and
    • Everyday Interactions Matter: Noticing the Simple and Ordinary

Course Objectives

Through successful participation and completion of the UnConference, participants will:

    • become familiar with regional, state, and national resources to support child care programs in response to COVID-19;
    • gain appropriate strategies recommended for caring for young children and families in response to COVID-19, including health and safety practices and innovative ECE practices (social-emotional learning);
    • discuss appropriate strategies for supporting the early education workforce in response to COVID-19; and
    • learn how to create authentic connections with families and community members using digital tools.

Schedule

Each session will have its own Zoom link which will be provided to you upon registration. Upon completion of the UnConference, three hours of accredited professional development will be given.

1:00 – 1:30 p.m.: “Rapid Fire” Keynote featuring Michelle Figlar, LaTrenda Leonard Sherrill, Muffy Mendoza, and Diana Schwab

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.: Workshop #1 (choose between two options)

3:15 – 4:30 p.m.: Workshop #2 (choose between two options)

Available Workshops

There are four workshops provided for this UnConference. Two options are available between 1:45 – 3:00 p.m. and two other options are available between 3:15 – 4:30 p.m. View the list of workshops for the Virtual UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’.

Registration

This virtual UnConference is free. Participants must pre-register for the UnConference by 3 p.m. on Monday, May 25 in order to receive links to each session via email. Visit the event page to register and learn more.

How to Virtually Attend

The sessions will be hosted using the web-based video conferencing platform Zoom. Please download Zoom prior to the UnConference to your device of choice. We will send you a Zoom link for the keynote as well as a Zoom link for each workshop based on what you select. A recording of this event will be available for those who are unable to attend.

How to Receive Credit

Three PQAS and Act 48 hours will be available. Participants must attend the UnConference and complete the survey at the end of each session (keynote and two workshops) in order to receive credit. Once completed, Jasmine Davis, Professional Learning Program Manager at Trying Together, will process your credit. If you have questions specific to receiving credit for coursework, please email Jasmine at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.

More Information

For questions, please contact UnConference Director, Yu-Ling Cheng, at conference@tryingtogether.org.

News

May 12, 2020

Learning to Play, Playing to Learn: Encouraging Play within Early Childhood Classrooms

“Play acts as a mechanism into courageous, creative, and rigorous thinking in adulthood.” (T. Bruce,., 2013)

The benefits of children’s play can be life-lasting, as long as the experiences are developmentally appropriate, positive, and engaging. This free online course focuses on children’s play and the role of play in early education settings. Participants will take part in varied individual and group activities that pertain to the definitions, developmental mechanics, and functions of play as well as new strategies for encouraging play within children’s earliest classrooms.

Limited spaces are available. All registrations must be submitted by May 27 at 5 p.m.

Course Information

    • Timeline: May 29 – June 19, 2020
    • Trainers: Chasta Shaw and Alicia Sebastian
    • CKC: K2.14.C1
    • Keystone STARS Alignment: SQ.3.4.10
    • CDA Subject Area: Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development.
    • Three PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

Registration

To register, please visit the event registration page.

More Information

For more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org.

News

Working with Diverse Families: Supporting Dual Language Learners

In this online course, participants will engage in an interactive session to build and strengthen knowledge working with diverse children ages birth to five and families. In order to support early childhood practitioners serving this population, this session will focus on current research, strategies when teaching dual language learners, and techniques to engage families.

Limited spaces are available. All registrations must be submitted by May 26 at 5 p.m.

Course Information

    • Timeline: May 28 – June 18, 2020
    • Instructor: Mimi Loughead
    • CKC: K3.1 C2
    • Keystone STARS Alignment: SQ. 3.4.3
    • CDA Subject Area: Building Productive Relationships with Families.
    • Three PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

Registration

To register, please visit the event registration page.

More Information

For more information, contact Rosie Hogan at rosie@tryingtogether.org.

News

May 11, 2020

Professionalism – Styles & Dispositions in the Workplace

This three-week online workplace professionalism course will allow early care and education professionals to communicate, reflect, and update the professional styles they may use or want to use to improve in the field of early childhood education. Today’s early childhood professional must demonstrate knowledge of the skills, styles, and dispositions required to succeed in the workplace. This requires a commitment to the profession, including commitments to their regular work environment and beyond. Using activities and resources, this course provides participants with strategies to adopt positive and ethical habits that will serve them personally and professionally.

Limited spaces are available. All registrations must be submitted by May 20 at 5 p.m.

Course Information

    • Timeline: May 22 – June 12, 2020
    • Instructors: Jasmine Davis and Theresa Hetler
    • CKC: K6.9 C2
    • Keystone STARS Alignment: SQ. 3.4.5
    • CDA Subject Area: Maintaining a Commitment to Professionalism.
    • Three PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

Registration

To register for this workplace professionalism course, please visit the event registration page.

Workplace Professionalism Styles & Dispositions

For more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org. For more on Trying Together’s professional development programs, visit our courses page.

News

February 11, 2020

Refugee Education Workshop Series: Putting Information into Action

Join Dr. Xia Chao for the last interactive workshop of the 4-part series dedicated to helping educators understand the literacies, cultures, and needs of the Pittsburgh area’s refugee communities.

About

Through a grant from the National Geographic Society, Dr. Chao has conducted research over the past several years that explores the experiences and narratives of local refugee communities including the Nepali, Karen, and Somali Bantu.

This workshop series seeks to incorporate the findings of Dr. Chao’s research in order to offer local educators insight into working with students from these communities and resources for supporting immigrant and refugee families in their interactions with the American educational system. This session will help educators learn specific strategies for teaching English learners.

Registration

To register, visit the Eventbrite page.

Light refreshments and Act 48 credits will be provided.

More Information

For more information on the workshop series and content, please contact Dr. Xia Chao at chaox@duq.edu. For information about the event, ticketing, and logistics, please contact Taya Jackson at taya.jackson@theglobalswitchboard.org.

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News

January 15, 2020

Documenting Learning Through Photography

Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on March 7 for their professional development session, “Documenting Learning Through Photography.”

About

Cameras are ubiquitous these days, but how can educators best use them in the classroom? In this workshop, educators will consider how they might use photography to enhance, expand, and document learning for both themselves and their students. Participants will learn about free simple apps for photo editing and how to use visual artifacts in student assessment. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mobile device, however, iPads will be made available for use during the class.

This course is designed for K-12 educators. Act 48 and PQAS hours available.

Registration

To register, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website.

More Information

For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, contact Customer Service at 412.456.6666. To learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

Joyful Transitioning for Toddlers with Music and Movement

Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on February 8 for their professional development session, “Joyful Transitioning for Toddlers with Music and Movement.”

About

Transitioning into a classroom for the first time can be a big challenge for young toddlers. Ease the transition and even make it joyful by using music and movement! In this workshop, participants will experience a variety of soothing songs and rhythmic movements that can be incorporated into their daily practice to support children’s social-emotional development. PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

Registration

To register, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website.

More Information

For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, contact Customer Service at 412.456.6666. To learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

August 13, 2019

Come Play!

Guided by the staff at Trying Together, Come Play! is an opportunity for group and family child care providers to bring their enrolled children for hands-on professional learning.

Provider Benefits

By participating, providers will receive:

  • PQAS / Act 48 Hours
  • Mentoring
  • Program Resources

Questions

For more information or to ask questions, contact Mimi Loughead at 412.567.5163 or mimi@tryingtogether.org.

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News

August 5, 2019

For Children’s Long-Term Success, Families Need Paid Leave

When a family introduces a new child into their life, the last thing they should have to worry about is if they have the time and money to properly care for and bond with their child. However, families across the Commonwealth are in that exact situation, with many caregivers involuntarily reducing their work hours, changing jobs, or leaving the workforce entirely.

Early Interactions Matter

While many may associate childhood learning with the education system, learning and development begin much earlier than a child’s first classroom experience. Parents and caregivers are children’s first teachers, and to support the long-term success of the next generation, we need to ensure that all caregivers are afforded the opportunity to care for and bond with their children.

In Pennsylvania, there are more than 870,000 children under the age of six. Of those children, 41 percent live in low-income households. While about 51 percent of children birth to age five are in non-parental care for at least 10 hours per week, accessing such services can be difficult and expensive. Due to high costs, limited seats, and child care deserts, families across the Commonwealth are left without access to the affordable, high-quality child care services they need.

The difficulties don’t stop there. Without child care access, families have limited options. They can rotate their child through a list of available family members and friends; reduce or shift their work hours; change their profession; or leave the workforce entirely. More often than not, these challenges disproportionately affect women who make up 94 percent of workers that involuntarily work part-time due to child care problems. While these options exist, all of them can lead to negative outcomes, including financial insecurity, inconsistent caregiving, increased family stress, and difficulties reentering the workforce.

Research shows that positive interactions with consistent adult caregivers are important during children’s early development, as they optimize the development of brain pathways for the visual and auditory senses, motor and language processing, higher cognitive functioning, and emotional regulation. This challenge is more than just having someone around to look after a child. It’s about establishing the conditions children need to experience success later in life.

Current Policy

In the current family leave system, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. FMLA was designed to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities, providing this benefit to employees at public agencies, public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees. However, just because unpaid leave is available does not mean that it is accessible. In January 2019, the National Partnership for Women and Families reported out that unpaid leave under the FMLA is inaccessible for 59 percent of working people.

The Family Care Act

If Pennsylvania passes the Family Care Act, families will no longer have to choose between remaining financially stable in the workforce and caring for their young child in the most critical period of their life. The Family Care Act establishes a statewide insurance fund, similar to Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation fund, which allows individuals to draw down a portion of their salary for:

    • Up to 12 weeks to care for a family member with a serious health condition
    • Up to 12 weeks to care for a covered service member as covered under FMLA
    • Up to 20 weeks to care for their own serious health condition
    • Up to 20 weeks to care for a new child after a birth, adoption, or placement through foster care

In Pennsylvania, families should come first. To ensure caregivers’ financial security, healthy relationship development, and workplace success, we need to make sure that they have access to the paid leave they need to care for their family. For the long-term personal, academic, and professional success of our youngest generation, we need to pass the Family Care Act.

Take Action

Paid family leave is not only a family value, it’s also a Pennsylvania value–and that’s a fact. Use your voice to advocate for families by encouraging the state government to pass the Family Care Act. Visit the campaign page to learn more.

To stay up-to-date on advocacy opportunities, sign up for Trying Together’s Public Policy newsletter or visit our Take Action page.