June 14, 2021 Mission: Readiness – Lessons Learned from Military Child Care Join Mission: Readiness to discuss a new report on lessons learned from the military child care system. This event will be hosted via Zoom. More Information Retired military leaders and child care experts will gather virtually to release a new report discussing key investments made by the military to address problems with quality, workforce, access and affordability and how this experience serves as a roadmap for PA policymakers looking to utilize American Rescue Funds to stabilize and strengthen the commonwealth’s child care system to better support families returning to work and reopen PA. Participants will also reinforce new recommendations made by the Start Strong PA Campaign on how best to utilize these $1.2 Billion in federal child care funds. Registration is available online.
June 4, 2021 Free Virtual ECE Courses Available These virtual professional development sessions explore a range of early childhood topics. Register to build on your professional knowledge, meet professionals in the field, and advance your career. Virtual Session List Creating an Inclusive Space for Children and Families Wednesday, June 9, 2021 | 6 – 7 p.m. | Free This session will focus on identifying components of an inclusive learning environment, including a discussion on optimal use of space, materials, and room arrangement in an ECE classroom. This course is a part of Trying Together’s Connections and Conversations series. Needs Assessments for PD Planning Wednesday, June 23, 2021 | 6 – 7 p.m. | Free Need help planning your professional development? Join Trying Together on June 23 to engage in conversations that will assess needs for professional development planning. Registration Process To register, use the hyperlinked event titles above. Some registrations will take place on the PD Registry. If you do not have a PD Registry account, complete this form to create one. Ask A Question For questions about our professional development sessions, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org. For PD Registry questions, contact pdregistry@pakeys.org.
May 10, 2021 Grandparent Council Become an Advocate for Young Children The Grandparent Council helps to ensure that all young children receive high-quality care and education. Members meet monthly through virtual Zoom meetings to: learn more about the importance of an early childhood education; receive guidance and support in identifying high-quality early learning environments; and learn how to advocate for the well-being of all children in our communities. Join the Council To join Trying Together’s Grandparent Council, please complete and submit the sign-up form. Submit The Online Form First Name * Last Name * Address City State/Province * AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamMarshall IslandsNorthern Mariana IslandsPalauPuerto RicoU.S. Minor Outlying IslandsVirgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces Europe, the Middle East, anArmed Forces PacificAlbertaBritish ColumbiaManitobaNew BrunswickNewfoundland and LabradorNova ScotiaNorthwest TerritoriesNunavat TerritoryOntarioPrince Edward IslandQuebecSaskatchewanYukon Territory Zip Phone * Email * How many grandchildren do you have and what are their ages? (optional) Other Ways to Sign-Up If you would like to submit the form via mail, please print, fill-out, and mail this form (PDF) to: ATTN: Grandparent Council 5604 Solway Street Pittsburgh, PA 15217. If you would like to submit the form via email, please print, scan, and email this form (PDF) to info@tryingtogether.org. Courses Zoom 101 Presenter: Peter Sloan Navigating technology in our new virtual reality can sometimes be very challenging. This Zoom training will provide a brief overview of how to properly use the Zoom platform, along with tips and tricks to help everyone become more technologically savvy. View a transcript of Zoom 101 Zoom Training from Trying Together on Vimeo. Grandparent’s Council Introduction and Advocacy 101 Presenters: Emily Neff and Lindsey Ramsey This workshop gives an overview of the origin and need for grandparent advocacy in our region. Participants will receive an overview of the Early Learning Pennsylvania (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, and guidance on how to complete the mandated reporter training. View a transcript of Grandparent’s Council Introduction and Advocacy 101 Grandparent’s Council Introduction and Advocacy 101 from Trying Together on Vimeo. Developmentally Appropriate Practice and the Importance of Play Presenters: Cristina Codario and Lainey Yockey As grandparents and caregivers of all types spend quality time with the young children in their lives, it is important to make every moment count! Young children need to engage in developmentally appropriate activities to ensure healthy development. This training will provide an overview of child brain development and the interactions and best practices that are needed to support it. We will also discuss the importance of play for children and provide caregivers with family resources to help support them along their journey. View a transcript of Developmentally Appropriate Practice and the Importance of Play Developmentally Appropriate Practice and the Importance of Play from Trying Together on Vimeo. The Early Learning Landscape and Relative Providers Presenter: Bliss Letang The Early Learning Landscape in Pennsylvania is full of care options for our little learners. Caregivers even have the opportunity to become “Relative Providers” for children who are receiving subsidized child care. This training will outline the care options available for children and families in our region along with giving detail on the steps it takes to become a “Relative Provider”. View a transcript of The Early Learning Landscape and Relative Providers The Early Learning Landscape from Trying Together on Vimeo. More Information For questions contact Lindsey Ramsey, Public Policy Regional Coordinator by calling 412.567.4173 or emailing lindsey@tryingtogether.org.
May 5, 2021 Teaching Policy Fellowship Opportunity Are you a teacher in Pennsylvania who is interested in learning more about education policy? Sign up for the Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship. About In summer 2021, Teach Plus will launch a Teaching Policy Fellowship in Pennsylvania. This highly selective leadership opportunity is for 30 outstanding teachers looking to deepen their knowledge of education policy and amplify the voices of teacher leaders in Pennsylvania. Policy fellows, who will receive a $1,500 stipend for their commitment, will expand their influence without leaving the classroom and elevate teacher voice on important student equity issues. Early childhood educators are particularly encouraged to apply! Fellows will attend two in-person training sessions (dependent on COVID-19 restrictions), monthly virtual meetings, and smaller, issues-focused working groups. Qualifications Teach Plus seeks a cohort of teachers who reflect the cultural, linguistic, and geographic diversity of our state. Applicants must: Be a current teacher of record (PK-12) in a PA public or charter school or early childhood education setting with at least two full years of teaching experience by June 2021. Have a track record of success teaching students in Pennsylvania. Be ready to dedicate time and energy to learning about policy and advocating on behalf of changes that impact your students — while continuing to teach full time. Have a passion for sharing the diverse perspectives and experiences of students and teachers with policy makers. Apply To learn more about the fellowship or to apply, visit the Teach Plus website. Educators can also be nominated for the opportunity. Teach Plus will host an information session about the fellowship on May 10, 2021 at 5 p.m. Register. Fellowship applications are due May 17, 2021. Interested? Email Laura Boyce at lboyce@teachplus.org.
December 16, 2020 Preparing for ECE Advocacy in 2021 Are you interested in learning about newly elected state legislators, the budget process, and forthcoming policy agenda priorities? Join Trying Together on January 20 for our free virtual workshop, “Connections and Conversations: Preparing for ECE Advocacy in 2021.” About Connections and Conversations Virtual Check-Ins are interactive sessions that highlight topics of interest to the field of early childhood education. This conversation will focus on preparing professionals to advocate for early childhood education (ECE) investments and policy priorities in the new year. Instructors will discuss newly elected state legislators in our region and how to best inform them about the needs of the early learning field. The instructor will also provide foundational knowledge on the beginning stages of the budget process – the Governor’s budget address. Finally, the instructor will discuss forthcoming policy agenda priorities and how participants can be more involved as advocates for their profession. Session Details Session Date: Wednesday, January 20 | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Instructors: Emily Neff Core Knowledge Area: Professional and Leadership CDA Content Area: Maintaining Professionalism Registration Deadline: Monday, January 18, 2021 Registration To register, visit the course PD Registry page. Space is limited. Participants will receive the course Zoom link via email within 24 hours before the start date for the course. PQAS credit will be available. If you do not have a PD Registry account, please complete this online form to create one. If you are unable to create an account, please contact pdregistry@pakeys.org for more information. Session Rules and Guidelines These virtual discussions are designed to provide educators the opportunity to grow professionally and share knowledge on early childhood topics. During the meeting, participants should follow the guidelines below to ensure a successful virtual meeting for all participants. Please allow all participants a chance to speak. Listen respectfully and actively. Commit to learning about each other, not to debating the topic. Embrace differences of opinion as healthy and support each person’s authentic self-expression. Participants will be muted for the beginning portion of the session. Participants may use the “Raise Hand” feature in Zoom to request an opportunity to comment or ask a question. Individuals will be temporarily unmuted by the moderator. Participants may type a comment or question in the Chat or may send comments or questions directly to the moderator for them to share. To receive PQAS credit, you must complete an evaluation at the end of the session and include your PD Registry number. Have fun, make connections, and engage in the conversations! More Information For questions or more information, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
November 23, 2020 2018-2020 Community Report Now Available In 2018 Trying Together rebranded and embarked on its Strategic Roadmap. Now two-years in, Trying Together pauses to reflect on what has been accomplished, what still needs to be done, and what has changed in the midst of these turbulent times in the 2018 – 2020 Trying Together Community Report. Moving forward, Trying Together will provide an updated version of this report biennially to share continued progress and future plans. More Information Caregivers of young children today are facing unprecedented challenges. From extensive changes in the early learning field to the current COVID-19 pandemic and more, adults and children are being asked to try together to grow and learn in ways like never before. In response, Trying Together has strived to continue supporting parents and educators so they know how much they and their efforts are appreciated. The newest Community Report provides an overview of the work that Trying Together has accomplished in the last two fiscal years, with the following outcomes in mind. By 2022, Trying Together will be: A national leader offering its expertise in coordinating and connecting systems at the neighborhood, local, and regional levels to support early childhood development and early learning. The premier provider of in-person and online professional growth opportunities for home, center, and school-based professionals to ensure that every child has access to high-quality early childhood and early learning experiences. A ‘go to source’ for families to aid them in making well-informed decisions regarding their child’s early experiences. An expert policy resource in western Pennsylvania and a leading advocate for high-quality early care and education in the state, mobilizing its network to take action on issues important to young children and their families. About Trying Together Trying Together supports high-quality care and education for young children by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them. Trying Together works regionally (in Southwestern Pennsylvania) and takes its expertise and models to statewide and national audiences.
November 17, 2020 Child Care Programs: Submit Your Experience The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is conducting a survey to gather information from the early childhood field to inform federal and state actions on child care. This survey is intended for early learning professionals. About Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NAEYC has been collecting survey responses from early learning professionals to convey the challenges child care programs are facing across states and settings. Data collected through this survey will be shared with policymakers to build a deeper understanding of the ongoing urgency of the challenges programs are facing. Early childhood educators can answer the questions regardless of whether their child care program is open, closed, or somewhere in between, and regardless of what kind of child care program they work in, or what role they have there. Take The Survey To submit your experience, complete the online survey by November 22, 2020. NAEYC will select 10 respondents at random to receive a $50 gift card. Winners will be notified on December 18, 2020. Child Care Survey (English) Child Care Survey (Spanish) More Information For more information, contact advocacy@naeyc.org.
November 12, 2020 Apply for New Early Childhood League Trying Together invites parents, caregivers of children, and community organizations to apply to its new Early Childhood League to advocate for positive changes in early learning policies. Online applications are being accepted through December 14, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. About Through the generosity of The Grable Foundation and a Remake Learning TOMORROW grant, Trying Together is launching the Early Childhood League in the Pittsburgh Region. The League will empower marginalized families to work with local organizations and other community partners to advocate for positive changes in early learning policies that affect them and their children. Improvements in local early learning environments will be achieved by members of the League who will receive training from and be supported by Trying Together staff and other experts. Details The Early Childhood League will be composed of: a minimum of 25 selected parents and other caregivers of young children; a minimum of five community organizations; and one large institution. From January through September 2021, members of the League will meet once a month to discuss learning topics such as: communications techniques; community organizing strategies; early childhood education principles; and public policy processes. With ongoing programmatic support from Trying Together and the TOMORROW grant, the League will acquire the agency to not only develop, but implement their own advocacy plan to further advance the efforts of existing statewide early childhood policy campaigns including: child care (Start Strong PA); pre-k (Pre-K for PA); and home visiting (Childhood Begins At Home). Individuals interested in joining the League must submit an application and a resume. To apply, complete the application and upload your resume via the online form by December 14, 2020. Organizations interested in participating should upload their latest annual report and a document including contact information and a brief statement summarizing why they would like to engage in advocacy for early learning. Chosen participants will receive a stipend for their time. Share this flyer with your networks. More Information For more information about public policy efforts at Trying Together, contact Cristina Codario by email at cristina@tryingtogether.org or by calling 412.567.3673.
November 6, 2020 GivingTuesday 2020 Join Trying Together, your neighbors, and the global community on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, in celebrating kindness, collaboration, and generosity. Join us in #GivingTogether this #GivingTuesday. What Is GivingTuesday? First established in 2012, GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. It’s also an opportunity for people to stand together in unity—to use their individual power of generosity to support and champion the organizations and causes they care about. Why Should You Participate? 2020 has been a difficult year, and it has been especially difficult for our nation’s families. Due to job loss, financial strain, education challenges, and limited access to child care, families have been working tirelessly to make ends meet and support the learning and development of their children. However, they cannot do it alone. That’s why Trying Together’s mission to reinforce the work of early childhood is more important than ever before. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trying Together has: mobilized our advocates to ensure child care businesses receive the emergency funds they need to stay in business and provide services to families; distributed critical health and safety supplies to early learning programs that serve essential workers and their families; developed an online search tool to assist essential workers and families with quickly finding and choosing early learning programs that meet their needs; created an online community for families to connect, discuss, and support one another in their care and education planning for the 2020-21 school year; and curated comprehensive COVID-19 resource lists online, one of which is for families and caregivers and the other for early care and education professionals. During the COVID-19 pandemic and after, Trying Together will continue to develop our programs, resources, and services to meet the needs of our communities. Will you join us in this work by showing your support on GivingTuesday? What You Can Do We all have gifts to give, and thanks to social media, online giving, mail, and phones, there are limitless ways to use your generosity to reinforce the early childhood field. For examples of how you can give this giving season, see the list below! Submit A Donation If you would like to support Trying Together’s work directly, consider submitting a financial donation! We appreciate donations of any size. However, for those looking for recommended amounts, Trying Together has identified the following tiers: Early Childhood Supporter ($60) Early Childhood Sustainer ($120) Early Childhood Champion ($1,000) Thanks to the generosity of Trying Together’s Board of Directors, all donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to $2,000. Help us secure these matched dollars by donating! Share Your Story When you think of a good teacher, who do you think of? Take time this GivingTuesday to thank that person via social media, phone, or email and let them know how their work has positively impacted your life or the life of your child. SOCIAL MEDIA 1. Join the larger community in celebrating gratitude by posting your thank you message, picture, or video on social media using #GiveThanks or #GivingTogether. Example: I’d like to say thank you to @amymiller for the wonderful work she’s been doing to support my child’s learning and healthy development! Ashton still can’t stop talking about the caterpillar craft he did last month! 🐛🦋 #GiveThanks #GivingTuesday 2. Set a goal for how many educators you’d like to thank this giving season and share it out on social media using #GiveThanks or #GivingTogether! Example: This #GivingTuesday, I’m celebrating gratitude by thanking three early learning professionals who have had a positive impact on my life and child. Will you join me? #GiveThanks 📞💌 #GivingTuesday is on December 1 this year and to celebrate, I’d like to #GiveThanks to the early learning professionals who work tirelessly to make sure my child is safe, supported, and cared for. Your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thank you!CLICK TO TWEET PHONE OR EMAIL If you have their phone number or email, contact your early learning professional and let them know how much you appreciate the work they do to support your family. Share Our Fundraising Page Another great way to support Trying Together is by sharing our fundraising page with your network. To help get you started, we have created a GivingTuesday Social Media Toolkit that features sample social media posts and more! More Information For questions, please contact Trying Together at info@tryingtogether.org.
October 30, 2020 Recess Advocacy Team Community Conversation Are you interested in joining fellow advocates to discuss the important roles play and physical activity have in children’s lives? Join the Recess Advocacy Team on November 17 for a Virtual Community Conversation. About The freedom to play improves children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. Children make sense of what’s happening in the world around them through play, and it impacts their mental health and wellbeing. The Recess Advocacy Team is convening a virtual space for educators, families, and community members to discuss play and physical activity while balancing health, safety, and remote learning in the time of COVID-19. We must ensure children have opportunities to safely experience play and physical activity. This virtual community conversation is for play advocates to come together to discuss successes, challenges, and share strategies to elevate play. Registration Sessions will be held virtually via Zoom. Please register to receive more information about accessing the sessions. Lunch & Learn November 17, 2020 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Register Dinner & Dialogue November 17, 2020 | 6 – 7 p.m. | Register More Information For more information about the Recess Advocacy Team and to subscribe to their newsletter, visit the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative website. Please share this flyer with your networks.
