February 16, 2023 Weathering the Storm: Keeping Immigrants and their Families Covered During the Medicaid Unwinding The 2020 Families First Coronavirus Response Act created a continuous coverage requirement, ensuring that anybody enrolled in Medicaid would stay enrolled without going through the process of redeterminations. However, on April 1, 2023 the pandemic-era’s continuous coverage requirement will come to an end. States will have 12 months to initiate Medicaid redeterminations for more than 80 million people nationwide. Although this “unwinding” puts all people enrolled in Medicaid at risk of coverage loss, immigrants and their family members face unique obstacles to remaining covered. These include language barriers, privacy concerns, and fear of immigration-based consequences. Advocates, enrollment professionals, and allies can help. Join Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) for this webinar to hear from national experts and state advocates about how to keep immigrants and their families covered and learn how to partner with PIF in these efforts. Session Details Thursday, February 23 | 12 – 1 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More To learn more, visit the Protecting Immigrant Families website.
Cost Estimation – Improving Child Care Subsidy Rate Setting In Pennsylvania, child care programs operate on razor-thin margins. Additionally, child care teachers and staff get paid low wages. Still, the price of child care remains high and a burden for most families. Join Start Strong PA at this webinar to learn how cost modeling offers practical and achievable ways to change this reality. Session Details Wednesday, February 22 | 12 – 1:30 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More Cost modeling is the process that Pennsylvania needs to undertake to estimate the true cost of care for child care programs providing high-quality child care, including appropriate compensation for teachers and staff. Determining the true cost of care is critical to addressing the underfunding in the child care system. It is up to all of us to understand the solution, so that we can promote this change. At this webinar, attendees will hear more about cost modeling from the following presenters: Jeanna Capito, Principal, Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies Daisy Lira, Director, Bumble Bee Learning Center, Sunland Park, New Mexico Kelly Hoffman, Vice President of Data and Strategy, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children Jen DeBell, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children Kimberly Early, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children
March 1, 2022 Apply: PA ECE Provider Advisory Board The Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Campaigns are seeking out early childhood professionals to apply to participate as a lead advocate in their region by serving on the first statewide Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Provider Advisory Board. About the Provider Advisory Board The advisory board will be composed of 30 early childhood professionals from across the state, working in diverse roles in all setting types. Participants will have: an opportunity to elevate the voices of early childhood professionals by providing the field’s professionals with a consistent platform for policy updates and advocacy opportunities; a space to identify the diverse needs of the early childhood workforce through a consistent feedback loop of what they are experiencing in the field; free access to consistent advocacy related professional development, leadership development, and growth opportunities; a chance to create equity driven strategies and connect practice to inform policy recommendations that support the needs of all providers, children, and families in Pennsylvania; and opportunities to strengthen connections with community partners. The advisory board will meet virtually once a month beginning in April 2022. All participants will be compensated for their time. Apply The application period will be from March 1 to March 28, 2022. Providers can apply online. Applicants will be notified of their application status via email the first week of April. Share this flyer with your networks.
February 10, 2022 Advocacy 201: Crafting and Sharing Your Story Effective messaging helps advocates communicate key points to their audience that can potentially influence their level of support. This workshop is for ECE professionals who have taken our Advocacy 101 or any other foundational advocacy training and would like to take the next step in preparing to speak with elected officials. We will review early childhood research and effective messaging such as brain science, return on investment, impact on workforce and business community, and high-quality teaching. Attendees will leave the workshop with talking points for meeting with elected officials to advocate for early childhood. This session will be virtual via Zoom. Register online to obtain the Zoom link. Objectives Apply ECE experience, child development knowledge, and storytelling to develop advocacy messaging and talking points. Demonstrate strategies for engaging with elected officials and communicating advocacy priorities for early learning. This course is available for 1.5 hours of PQAS credit (K6.10 C2). Learn More Learn more about the Early Learning Pennsylvania campaigns and sign up for public policy alerts on the training together website.
Advocacy 101 The Advocacy 101 workshop gives an overview of the origin and need for advocacy in our region. Participants will receive an overview of the ELPA campaigns, how ECE programs are impacted by the budget process, and ways professionals and families can use their experience and knowledge to advocate. Participants should leave with foundational knowledge of the ELPA campaigns, and various advocacy actions they participate in or lead. This session will be virtual via Zoom. Register online to obtain the Zoom link. Objectives Gain knowledge of the what advocacy is defined of in regards to early childhood efforts. Discover what the early childhood landscape consists of in the state of Pennsylvania. Begin to learn about advocacy strategies and messaging to elevate the early childhood profession. This course is available for 1.5 hours of PQAS credit (K6.5.C1). Learn More Learn more about the Early Learning Pennsylvania campaigns and sign up for public policy alerts on the training together website.
February 9, 2022 Overcharged and Undervalued: How Blackness Colors the Worth of a Home Join the Homewood Community Engagement Center for a virtual panel exploring discriminatory home valuation. Learn about home valuation disparities in Pittsburgh, PA. Panelists will discuss the barriers to equitable taxation, how we got here, and what we can do to repair the broken systems. Home value estimates play an important role in property taxation system. However, throughout U.S. history and up to present day, biased home evaluation practices and intentional price manipulation have produced a property tax landscape that favors the white and wealthy at the expense of all others. Register to Attend Registration is available on the Homewood CEC website. Participate in the conversation virtually (via Zoom) or in-person (at the Community Engagement Center in Homewood or the Mattress Factory Museum). Additional Information Overcharged and Undervalued: How Blackness Colors the Worth of a Home is part of a series of virtual programming around Sed Valorem, an installation by Harrison Kinnane Smith currently on display at the Mattress Factory Museum in Pittsburgh, PA as part of the making home here exhibition. This event was organized by the Mattress Factory Museum in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center in Homewood and the University Art Gallery.
NAEYC Virtual Public Policy Forum Join NAEYC for live engagement, virtual Congressional visits, and opportunities to build connections with educators, advocates, and allies in your state and local community. Visit the 2022 Public Policy Forum website for more information on sessions and speakers, and to register for this event. Registration will close on February 22, 2022. Reserve your spot today to become part of this strong, supportive, and growing community of advocates standing up for our nation’s children, families, and early childhood educators. NAEYC Members may attend this year’s Virtual Public Policy Forum at no cost. Individuals must be a member by February 20 to qualify for this benefit. About the Event Sunday, February 27 | 1 – 4:30 p.m. Monday, February 28 | 1 – 2:30 p.m. In order to provide participants with the most timely and relevant information and access to speakers and content, NAEYC shares the agenda and resources shortly before the start of the policy forum. Once registered, the state leader will contact participants in mid-February with details and state and community Congressional visits. About NAEYC NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. They advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
NAEYC Virtual Public Policy Forum Join NAEYC for live engagement, virtual Congressional visits, and opportunities to build connections with educators, advocates, and allies in your state and local community. Visit the 2022 Public Policy Forum website for more information on sessions and speakers, and to register for this event. Registration will close on February 22, 2022. Reserve your spot today to become part of this strong, supportive, and growing community of advocates standing up for our nation’s children, families, and early childhood educators. NAEYC Members may attend this year’s Virtual Public Policy Forum at no cost. Individuals must be a member by February 20 to qualify for this benefit. About the Event Sunday, February 27 | 1 – 4:30 p.m. Monday, February 28 | 1 – 2:30 p.m. In order to provide participants with the most timely and relevant information and access to speakers and content, NAEYC shares the agenda and resources shortly before the start of the policy forum. Once registered, the state leader will contact participants in mid-February with details and state and community Congressional visits. About NAEYC NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. They advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
January 7, 2022 Participate in the Child Care and Pre-K Voter Project With important upcoming elections in Pennsylvania, early childhood educators are invited to participate in a voter project to ensure that people running for office know and act on the issues that face everyone in early learning. About the Child Care and Pre-K Voter Project Through the Child Care and Pre-K Voter Project, early childhood educators will be provided with: Weekly online communication to help them educate their families and have them become part of a child care and pre-k voter online community Resources to learn more about how politicians and policies affect the child care and pre-k industry via brief, monthly Zoom webinars “Be a child care and Pre-K voter!” signage for their center/program (optional) T-shirts for families (one adult, one child size) who sign up for the campaign through their communication $100 incentive for providers’ participation Participate Help elevate issues facing early learning to the people running for political office in 2022 and sign up to participate in the Child Care and Pre-K Voter Project! More Information Want to learn more? Email Kyle McMillen at Children First for more details!
November 3, 2021 State Strategies to Strengthen Infant-Toddler Care as Public Pre-K Expands Expanding public pre-k for three- and four-year-old children can unintentionally reduce access to infant toddler care. Join ZERO TO THREE for a discussion about how states can protect and expand infant-toddler care, ensuring that families have affordable access to a full continuum of high-quality early care and education. Individuals may register on the ZERO TO THREE website. About ZERO TO THREE ZERO TO THREE works to ensure that babies and toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their well-being and development.
