November 13, 2020 2021 Terri Lynne Lokoff Teacher Awards: Apply Do you know an exceptional child care professional or are you one yourself? Apply for the 2021 Terri Lynne Lokoff Teacher Awards to nominate that person for a chance to win the Helene Marks Award, a $1,000 cash prize, and more! About In collaboration with the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation (TLLCCF), First Up is hosting the 2021 Terri Lynne Lokoff Teacher Awards to honor exceptional child care professionals. In 1987, Kay and Fred Lokoff formed the TLLCCF to honor the memory of their daughter. Terri was a passionate child care teacher who knew the incredible value of Early Childhood Education and was committed to making a difference by giving children a strong start in their lives. Applications for the 2021 Terri Lynne Lokoff Teacher Awards are now available. Child care teachers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and on U.S. Military bases and installations around the world are invited to apply. Fifty awards are presented each year. What Will Recipients Win? Every award recipient receives: a $1,000 cash prize, a trip to Philadelphia for the award ceremony (COVID permitting), and a chance to win the Helene Marks Award with the additional honor of being named the National Child Care Teacher of the Year. Application To apply, complete the online application. For those who would like to print and mail their completed application, a downloadable PDF version is available. Applications are due by January 29, 2021. More Information For more information, please contact Sharon Bell at Sharon.Bell@firstup.org.
July 15, 2020 T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Fall 2020 Deadline Early childhood education professionals interested in attending college for the fall semester can submit applications to receive a T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education And Compensation Helps) Scholarship. Eligibility The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a variety of T.E.A.C.H. scholarships to meet the needs of the early care and education workforce in center and home-based settings. Eligible applicants must: work a minimum of 25-30 hours per week directly with children in a DHS-certified child care program; make $19 or less an hour ($25 or less per hour for directors); and be interested in pursuing coursework at a participating college toward a degree or credential in early childhood. Scholarship awards are dependent upon the availability of funds and priorities of funders. Other eligibility criteria may apply are subject to change without notice. See the brochure. Application Details To be considered for the Fall 2020 semester, T.E.A.C.H. applications must be completed and submitted with all required documentation by Friday, August 7, 2020. PACCA will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis, however, incomplete applications and applications received after this date will not receive priority for consideration. New scholarship awards for the Fall 2020 semester will be dependent upon funding availability at that time. Interested applicants should also begin the college admissions process now and contact an early childhood education (ECE) advisor at their intended college/university. This helps to ensure that scholarship applicants are admitted to their college/university and can register for courses if/when they receive a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship. T.E.A.C.H. can provide contact information for early childhood education advisors at partnering institutions if needed. Submit an Application To download a scholarship application, visit the PACCA website. Completed applications must be submitted to PACCA by Friday, August 7 through one of the following methods: Email: teachinfo@pacca.org Fax: 717.657.0959 Mail: 20 Erford Road, Suite 302 Lemoyne, PA 17043 More Information For questions about scholarship eligibility and requirements, contact a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor at 717.657.9000.
July 1, 2020 Grants Available for Small Businesses in Pennsylvania The COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance program will provide grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to small businesses that have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligibility To be eligible for this program, a business must: be physically located, certified to do business, and generate at least 51 percent of their revenues in Pennsylvania; have annual revenue of $1 million or less prior to the impact of COVID-19; have 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees prior to February 15, 2020; and have been in operation as of February 15, 2020. Eligible businesses may be structured as C-corporations, S-corporations, limited liability corporations, sole proprietors, independent contractors, or self-employed individuals. Visit the Bridgeway Capital website to view what makes an entity ineligible to apply. Application Period The first application window for the COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance program is now open until 11:59 p.m. on July 14, 2020. This is not a first-come, first-served program. There will be multiple rounds of application windows. The application window will remain open for 10 business days. Additional application windows will be announced soon. Eligible small businesses can begin applying online. Bridgeway Capital is a participating CDFI and will support small businesses in western Pennsylvania to access the grant funds. An application toolkit, including information about eligibility, priorities, and required documents, can be found on their website. More Information For more information, visit the Bridgeway Capital website. For questions and technical support, contact pacdfinetwork@lendistry.com or 866-897-9336.
November 6, 2019 T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Spring 2020 Deadline Early childhood education professionals interested in attending college for the spring semester (beginning January 2020) can submit applications to receive a T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education And Compensation Helps) scholarship. Eligibility The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a variety of T.E.A.C.H. scholarships to meet the needs of the early care and education workforce in center and home-based settings. Eligible applicants must: work a minimum of 25-30 hours per week directly with children in a DHS-certified child care program; make $19 or less an hour ($25 or less per hour for directors); be interested in pursuing coursework at a participating college toward a degree or credential in early childhood; and Bachelor’s degree applicants must meet additional eligibility criteria, which includes having at least 55 transferable credits towards a degree in Early Childhood Education or equivalent. Scholarship awards are dependent upon the availability of funds and priorities of funders. See the brochure. Application Details To be considered for the Spring 2020 semester, T.E.A.C.H. applications must be completed and submitted with all required documentation by Friday, November 15, 2019. PACCA will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis, however, incomplete applications and applications received after this date will not receive priority for consideration. New scholarship awards for the Spring 2020 semester will be dependent upon funding availability at that time. Interested applicants should also begin the college admissions process now and contact an early childhood education advisor at their intended college/university. This helps to ensure that scholarship applicants are admitted to their college/university and can register for courses if/when they receive a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship. T.E.A.C.H. can provide contact information for early childhood education advisors at partnering institutions if needed. Click here to download a scholarship application. More Information To learn more, visit the PACCA website. For questions, contact a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor at 717-657-9000 or teachinfo@pacca.org. *Information provided by PACCA
October 8, 2019 Navigating Pittsburgh Public Schools Community members are invited to join together on October 21 for an educational session on how to best navigate Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS). About Presenters will discuss the following topics: what is a magnet school and what do they offer? magnet school application timelines procedures for applying to a magnet school navigating the city school system In addition to these discussions, the event will feature a Q&A session with Ebony Latham of Pittsburgh Public Schools. Child care will be available. Learn More For more information, contact Bob Haddad at 412.849.4799 or rjhaddad5@gmail.com. Share this flyer with your network.
July 9, 2019 New Clearance Required for Child Care Providers Due to a federal requirement under the reauthorization of the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG), child care providers are required to complete a new clearance—the National Crime Information Center/National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR). About The NSOR clearance will verify that a check of the National Sex Offenders Registry was conducted and if the individual can or cannot work for a regulated child care provider. This clearance is required in addition to a Child Abuse History Clearance, Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check for Employment or Volunteers, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Fingerprinting. There is no fee for the NSOR clearance. Requirements The following individuals must complete the NSOR verification certificate by July 1, 2020: any individual 18 years or older residing in the child care facility; all individuals working for Regulated Child Care Providers; any individual with an ownership interest (corporate or non-corporate) in a Regulated Child Care Provider and who participates in the organization and management of the operation. Application Process By late summer/early fall 2019, there will be a paper application process for the NSOR clearance, and in late fall there will be an electronic process in place at keepkidssafe.pa.gov. Learn More For more information on required clearances, visit the Keep Kids Safe website. Share this handout with your network. *Information provided by the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning
April 3, 2019 2019 P-3 Governor’s Institute Encourages Applications The Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Child Development and Early Learning announced the 2019 Prenatal to Grade 3 (P-3) Governor’s Institute: P-3 Collaboration – Working Together for Student Success. Purpose The purpose of Pennsylvania’s P-3 Governor’s Institute is to help school districts, early learning providers, and community organizations throughout the Commonwealth make the vital connections and collaborations necessary for student success from prenatal through grade 3. The 2019 P-3 Governor’s Institute is being offered June 24- 25, 2019 in Hershey, PA. Application Details Participation in the 2019 Institute is limited to 22 teams that have not previously attended a P-3 Governor’s Institute. Participating teams will be selected through an application process. School districts, birth-5 early learning programs, and community organizations may submit an application. Applications may be submitted for more than one team from the same organization if each applying team represents a different elementary school and birth-5 feeder school/program. Teams should be built around a specific elementary school(s), its feeder early learning programs, and the local community. Selected teams will participate in this two-day event. Professional development will be offered to support team specific implementation of P-3 efforts. Most expenses, except meals, will be covered for participating teams using Preschool Development Grant funds. Act 48, and Act 45/PIL professional development credits and Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) hours will be offered. Required Agreements To be considered for participation in this event, participating teams must agree to the following: Participate in pre-conference assignment, webinar or call; Attend and actively engage in the entire two-day event; Bring a core team of no less than four educators (maximum participating team of eight members): a birth-5 administrator, a birth-5 teacher, a K-3 administrator, and a K-3 teacher. Preference will be given to applicants who include up to four of the following: family leader or family representative, Early Intervention representative, out of school time professional, community member, librarian, curriculum specialist, higher education partner, IU representative, Home Visiting, and Family Support; Applying team has not attended a past P-3 Governor’s Institute; Engage in continuous improvement via sharing and implementation of strategies/programs that will enhance student achievement; and Maintain an active role in the Governor’s Institute cohort subsequent to the event (e.g., professional learning community, webinars, monthly follow up). Application & Deadline Applications are being accepted via the Governor’s Institute P-3 2019 Application link until the April 30, 2019 deadline. Selected applicants will be notified via email by May 10, 2019. Questions For questions, contact Jolie Phillips at jolphillip@pa.gov. *Information provided by OCDEL’s PA Early Ed Newsletter
March 27, 2019 P.R.I.D.E. Seeks Early Educators & Artists for Upcoming Art Festivals Recently, the Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education program (P.R.I.D.E.) announced a call for submissions to Pittsburgh-based early childhood educators and Africana artists for the P.R.I.D.E. Pop Up Mini Art Festivals. About the Festivals Modeled after children’s activities offered during the popular Harambee || Black Arts Festivals, P.R.I.D.E. Pop Ups are small, half-day, outdoor art festivals hosted in three Pittsburgh communities: East Liberty, Homewood, and the Hill District. At the festivals, artists and educators engage young children (ages 3 to 8) and their families in hands-on activities. The goal is for adults to use art activities to teach children about their race and culture while building their positive racial identity. To see important dates and learn more, visit the P.R.I.D.E. website. Who Can Apply This call for submissions is open to early educators teaching grades Pre-K to 3rd grade and Africana artists working in the following disciplines: Literature, Performing Arts, Visual Arts & Crafts, and/or Multidisciplinary Arts. Applications are open to early childhood educators from all neighborhoods, schools, and child care settings, including public, private, charter, etc. Educators working in East Liberty, Homewood, and Hill District schools/settings are highly encouraged to apply. Participating educators and artists will receive the following compensation: Educator and Artist Cross-Training Compensation: $275 Educator and Artist Festival Participation Compensation: $260 per event ($780 total) End-of-Project Focus Group Participation Compensation: $25 Artist Material Stipend: $400 Application & Deadlines If you’re interested in applying or signing up as a volunteer, please visit the P.R.I.D.E. website. All applications must be submitted by Friday, April 5 at 11:59 p.m. About P.R.I.D.E. As a part of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education’s Office of Child Development, P.R.I.D.E. is a multifaceted program designed to help young African American children (ages 3 to 8) develop a positive racial identity, support teachers and parents by building their racial knowledge, and raise awareness of the impact of race on young children. The program provides a range of services, such as training opportunities for educators and artists, Parent Village sessions for Black children, and art festivals created to immerse young Black children in a space designed to celebrate them. See the P.R.I.D.E. Pop Up Mini Art Festivals flyer. *Information provided by the P.R.I.D.E. Program
February 11, 2019 NAEYC Offering Scholarships for Emerging Leaders NAEYC will offer six scholarships to individuals who can demonstrate their potential as emerging leaders in early childhood education. 2019 NAEYC Professional Learning Institute June 2-5 Long Beach, CA This competitive application process is open to current NAEYC members. Those awarded will receive complimentary registration, hotel accommodations, and a travel stipend (travel provided only within the United States) for the 2019 Professional Learning Institute. Previous scholarship recipients are not eligible to apply. The deadline for submitting an application is March 15, 2019. To learn more and apply, visit the NAEYC website.
