February 4, 2020 2020 Census | Count All Kids to Reinforce Early Education Did you know that in 2010, five percent of children under the age of five weren’t counted in the 2010 Census? That’s roughly one million young children, the highest of any age group. To ensure all young children have access to high-quality, affordable early learning experiences, we must #CountAllKids in the upcoming 2020 Census. About The United States Census informs funding decisions for critical services and infrastructure in our communities, including the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Toddlers (WIC); and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to name a few. However, in the 2010 U.S. Census, there was an undercount of 25,197 children in Pennsylvania, resulting in the loss of nearly $44 million in federal funding. That’s roughly $1,746 lost for every child who wasn’t counted. Undercounts like this negatively impact Pennsylvania’s children and families, as social service programs are unable to provide services to all eligible families due to limited funding. Why It Matters In their report “The Road to Success Includes High-Quality Pre-K,” Pre-K for PA states that “high-quality, publicly funded pre-k programs prepare students for kindergarten and beyond by supporting the development of the whole child.” When a child is 3- or 4-years-old, they’re developing critical skills like problem-solving, emotional self-regulation, collaboration, and more. These social-emotional skills are what the Harvard Education Magazine calls an “on-ramp” to later academic success. In fact, Pre-K for PA states that “studies of children who were enrolled in high-quality social-emotional learning programs have shown that ‘[enrolled children] score, on average, 11 percentage points higher on academic tests than children who do not receive such instruction.'” However, due to limited funding, “in nearly two out of three state Senate districts, less than half of eligible preschoolers attend a high-quality pre-k program. In half of the state House districts, less than 40 percent of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds are currently attending one.” Limited access to such programs is negatively impacting the lives of young children, as “children from low-income families are a year or more behind their more advantaged peers.” One partial solution to these issues is to ensure that all kids are counted in the upcoming 2020 Census. While an accurate count may not entirely eliminate issues of access, quality, and affordability, it will ensure that Pennsylvania receives federal dollars needed to provide health and social services to eligible families in the Commonwealth. Will you help us raise awareness about the need to #CountAllKids! Click here to view Pre-K for PA’s full report. Available Tools Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children To help increase awareness about the 2020 Census, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children developed a toolkit that features factsheets, posters, social media images, and social media post templates. In addition to the toolkit, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children highlighted a list of resources for advocates, stakeholders, businesses, elected officials, military members, parents, caregivers, families, and people with disabilities. To access the full list, visit the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children website. 2020 Census: Be Counted 2020 Census: Be Counted provides information and resources to Pittsburgh and Allegheny County residents about the upcoming U.S. Census. The website highlights important dates, census submission options, an example of the questionnaire, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and more. For organizations, the website offers a toolkit, email newsletter, mini-grants, and more. Request a Mail-In Ballot Pennsylvania is now offering two options community members can choose from to submit their vote if they are unable to get to the polls on election day, including a mail-in ballot and absentee ballot. Registered voters can submit either ballot via mail or in person at their county election office. To request a mail-in ballot, please complete the online application by clicking here. Both mail-in and absentee voters will receive a ballot in the mail to complete and return to their county election office by 8 p.m. on election day. More Information If you’re interested in learning more about the 2020 Census, read our “Count All Kids in the 2020 Census” news post. The post features additional resources and information about who counts, submitting your data, safety, confidentiality, and more. *Information provided by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, Pre-K for PA, and the United States Census Bureau
December 20, 2018 Inclusion Course Series Available on EITA Portal The Early Intervention Technical Assistance Online Learning Portal now features a five-course professional development session on Collaborating for Inclusive Practices in Early Childhood. These courses, designed for professionals working across all Pennsylvania Early Childhood and Early Intervention programs, will lead participants through activities and assignments that support the application of learning directly to the early childhood environment. Courses The Inclusion Course Series consists of the following courses: Working Together This online course provides a framework for successful collaboration to provide quality inclusive opportunities for every child. Focus on Attitudes & Beliefs This online course looks at how our actions are shaped by our attitudes and beliefs, and how societal attitudes and beliefs have shaped service systems. Building Relationships to Support All Children This session focuses on establishing, building, and maintaining positive relationships to support children in inclusive classroom settings. Universal Design for Learning in Early Childhood Settings This session provides early childhood educators with information, insights, and opportunities for practice related to the implementation of universal design in early childhood settings. Individualizing for Meaningful Inclusion Participants will be provided with information, tools, and resources to guide them through the process of making adaptations to the classroom environment, routines, and/or activities that support individuals or groups of children who are experiencing challenges. This session requires the completion of activities in an early childhood classroom environment. Learn More To learn more about each course and register, visit the Professional Development page of the EITA Portal. These courses are listed under the Collaborating for Inclusive Practices in Early Childhood section.
November 20, 2018 KaBOOM! Announces Let’s Play Everywhere Challenge Winners KaBOOM! recently announced the winners of the Let’s Play Everywhere Challenge. As part of the Challenge, 10 grantees in Allegheny County were selected to receive a combined total of $200,000 in prize funds. Trying Together is pleased to announce that the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative was awarded one of these grants for The Neighborhood Play Stop Project. Learn more about it and the other grantees below. Challenge Winners The Let’s Play Everywhere Challenge selected nine organizations as winners, with a total of ten ideas: Trying Together (Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative) The Neighborhood Play Stop Project Glassport Community Outreach, Inc. Families Will Go Gaga to Play GaGa Pittsburgh Fulton PTO From Pittsburgh to Paris and Beyond! Garfield Jubilee Association, Inc. James Sensory Park Grounded Strategies MACS Discovery Walk Race Me! Pitcairn Green Playce Community Forge Number Mountain Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Ping Pong in the Plaza UniversalWit Play! to End Blight Focus on Renewal POW! (Place of Wonder) The Neighborhood Play Stop Project The Neighborhood Play Stop Project will reimagine existing spaces within Hazelwood by using play stops to encourage community engagement and playful interaction. These play stops may be featured in public spaces near businesses and civic locations such as grocery stores, green spaces, fire stations, and more. Conversations are underway to identify the finalized play stop locations. Impact By placing play stops in spaces that are not typically associated with play, this project will prompt community members of all ages to rethink their daily routines. For children, it’s an opportunity for imaginative play. For adults, it may be a space where they can take a mental break and play chess or engage in a calming playful activity. Similar to the Little Free Library movement, these play stops will be stewarded by various entities (the businesses where they are located, Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative member organizations, interested community members, etc.). A Closer Look Each stop will be based upon the common concept of play and will have playful interactive parts that relate to the location and the party stewarding the installation. For example, a stop outside a grocery store may include play items such as plastic fruits and vegetables to “purchase,” paper and pencils to create grocery lists, and laminated sheets of information about grocery store products. However, if a stop is located outside of a fire department, their play items may include play items such as firefighter helmets, a mini fire drill tower, and fire safety facts. Each stop will include a chalkboard with permanently affixed prompts for participants to write their thoughts. Prompts may include statement starters such as “When I play outside I like to…” or “At the grocery store I can find these colors…” About the Challenge The Let’s Play Everywhere Challenge is a design competition that took place in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania—presented by Keurig Dr. Pepper and KaBOOM!—to develop innovative ideas for making play easy and available for kids and families. This challenge is about creating opportunities for free, unstructured, unplanned play to ensure that all kids, no matter where they come from or where they live, get the active play they need to thrive. Learn More To learn more about the challenge winners and their ideas, read KaBOOM’s post.
