August 8, 2019 Applications Open | Building Capacity for Coaching Initiative In collaboration with The Pennsylvania Key, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) recently announced the “Building Capacity for Coaching Initiative” in support of developing internal coaches in STAR 3 and STAR 4 facilities. About The purpose of this initiative is to leverage coaching supports from Penn State Better Kid Care (BKC) and other professional growth activities to develop internal coaches in STAR 3 and STAR 4 facilities. Selected applicants will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of early childhood practices and must have the approval of their administrator or director as this will require a time commitment. Family Child Care providers can apply if they are able to support other family child care providers in their coaching efforts and commit the time necessary to complete the program. Benefits Facilities will develop the internal capacity to offer coaching to other staff to ensure continuous quality improvement; receive exceptional professional development opportunities at no cost as well as access to the Learning Community; and gain valuable insight as OCDEL works to learn about needed coaching supports for ECE providers. Coaching & Staff coaches receive a one-time stipend of $2,500 and teachers receive supports and coaching on areas of practice that can strengthen or improve child experiences in their classroom. What Will Be Expected Facilities participating in this program must meet the following expectations: Facility identify a coach (lead teacher, director, assistant director, or another instructional leader); have two teachers, identified by the coach, complete four free modules; have coach-staff teams select one coaching guide as a framework for coaching; and complete additional recommended professional development supports as needed. Coach attend a one-day in-person coach training; complete two free BKC online modules; observe and then facilitate bi-weekly coaching sessions with selected teachers; complete a coaching log; participate in monthly learning community webinars; and participate in two touchpoints per month. Applications To apply for this program, visit their online form. All applications must be submitted by Friday, September 20, 2019. Learn More To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. Questions For more information or questions, contact Barbara Willier at barwil@pakeys.org.
March 19, 2019 Tech Tuesday: Circuits! What makes a light turn on? How does a motor work? Explore electricity by experimenting with circuits to learn how everyday items function. Join the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to test out different kinds of circuits or build your own! This program is designed for our youngest learners (0-5) but is suitable for all ages. The event is drop-in, so guests may come and go as they please! For more information, visit the event page!
Tech Tuesday: MaKey MaKey Use the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh‘s MaKey MaKey invention kit to compute with your body! Discover different conductive materials, design a controller and build sensors. What will you invent? This program is designed for our youngest learners (0-5) but is suitable for all ages. The event is drop-in, so guests may come and go as they please! For more information, visit the event page!
