News

October 15, 2020

Virtual Service Delivery Webinar Series

Are you interested in learning how to build and sustain relationships with families virtually? Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center for their free Virtual Service Delivery Webinar Series.

About

Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center for a series of free webinars and an online learning community to explore the challenges and opportunities posed by virtual service delivery, and learn about strategies providers have found for building and sustaining strong relationships with families virtually.

Featured Topics

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

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.

News

December 20, 2018

Let’s Chat About Early Language and Literacy

The PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) are hosting chat sessions during the winter months to discuss early language and literacy development topics.

Join these 30-minute online chat sessions, offered at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., to discover resources to share with families and implement in your classroom or center. These sessions will take place on the second and fourth Friday of every month from January through March 2019.

Chat Sessions

  • Disconnecting to Connect | January 11, 2019
  • Building Vocabulary | January 25, 2019
  • Storybook Reading | February 8, 2019
  • Print in the Environment | February 22, 2019
  • Playing with Sounds | March 8, 2019
  • Supporting Dual Language Learners | March 22, 2019

More Information

Visit their event website to learn more about the topics, credits, and registration.

PQAS credit hours and Infant/Toddler hours available.

News

November 7, 2018

The Paulson Recreation Center Reopens in Lincoln-Lemington

The City of Pittsburgh announced that the Paulson Recreation Center in Lincoln-Lemington is reopening today, November 7, 2018, after undergoing three months of renovations.

While the center is reopened for all residents – including popular afterschool activities for area youth – further improvements will be made to the building through the rest of the year.

Improvements completed and underway include:
  • Complete new HVAC/heating & cooling system
  • Two new roofs–flat roof portion of building and pitched roof portion of building
  • Repointing and restoring of the block side of the building: painting and waterproofing
  • Addition of new windows to main teaching room of building
  • New ventilation system added to kitchen
  • Interior repainting
  • New concrete steps and entryway
  • New doors coming in late December and new Rec Center sign coming soon
  • Gym floor stripped, scrubbed and refurbished

The budget for the work was  $432,986.90.

Interested in Visiting?

The Paulson Rec Center is located at 1201 Paulson Avenue and is open 12-8 p.m., Monday through Friday. The center can be reached by telephone at 412.665.3627.

*Information Provided by The City of Pittsburgh‘s November 7, 2018 Press Release*