April 18, 2022 Healthy Minds for Educators All Pennsylvania early childhood education (ECE) professionals will have two years of free access to the Healthy Minds app, Healthy Minds @Work. About Healthy Minds The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has invested in providing access to the Healthy Minds app to all ECE professionals in an effort to support them as they learn to cope with their personal trauma from the COVID-19 pandemic while also supporting the children and families they serve. The Healthy Minds @Work program offers tools to help individuals train their minds to be more calm and focused, develop healthier relationships with colleagues, gain perspective in workplace interactions, and bring more meaning to work. With a combination of podcast-style lessons and both seated and active meditations, users learn what the science says about the brain and practice skills based on these insights. According to an OCDEL announcement, users of the Healthy Minds @Work Program report burnout symptoms reduced by 25% and 70% reported a clinically significant decrease in depression, anxiety, and stress. Access can be found on the Pennsylvania Key website where you will: Search for your Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region, Click on the link to get to to the login page for Healthy Minds. Download the app on your smart phone device and get started. Community of Practice for Child Care Providers The ELRC Region 5 will be hosting virtual Healthy Minds Communities of Practice sessions every Monday at 1:30 p.m. from May 9, 2022 through October 2022 for all child care providers. These are short sessions (15-minutes) where you can engage in a mindful practice together and talk about successes and challenges in practicing. Learn more about the Healthy Minds CoPs.
October 21, 2021 Strengthening Business Practices for Child Care Providers The National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance, in partnership with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the PA Key, is offering a new curriculum series, Strengthening Business Practices for Child Care Programs. Learn More The training content and activities are designed to strengthen child care providers’ foundational knowledge of sound fiscal management and business operations. The series contains four modules: Budgets, Projections, and Planning Financial Reports and Internal Controls Marketing for Child Care Programs Staff Recruitment and Retention for Center-based Child Care Programs There are two versions of this series: one for center-based providers and one for family child care (based) providers. Sessions will begin as early as November and as late at February. See this flyer for session dates and registration details. Trainings are available at no-cost to participants. PQAS and ACT 48 available. Attendance of full series is required for credit. Sessions Attendance of full series is required for credit. Please select and attend the series that makes sense for your program type (center or family). Center Providers Series 1 Wednesday 11/10 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Wednesday 11/17 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Wednesday 12/01 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Wednesday 12/08 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Series 2 Wednesday 11/03 | 9 – 11 a.m. Wednesday 11/10 | 9 – 11 a.m. Tuesday 11/16 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Wednesday 11/24 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Series 3 Tuesday 11/30 | 1 – 3 p.m. Wednesday 12/01 | 1 – 3 p.m. Wednesday 12/08 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Thursday 12/09 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Wednesday 12/15 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Thursday 12/16 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Series 4 Tuesday 1/04 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Tuesday 1/11 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Tuesday 1/18 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Thursday 1/20 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Tuesday 1/25 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Thursday 1/27 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Series 5 Friday 1/07 | 12 – 2 p.m. Friday 1/14 | 12 – 2 p.m. Friday 1/21 | 12 – 3 p.m. Friday 1/28 | 12 – 3 p.m. Series 6 Wednesday 1/12 | 12 – 2 p.m. Wednesday 1/19 | 12 – 2 p.m. Wednesday 1/26 | 12 – 3 p.m. Wednesday 2/02 | 12 – 3 p.m. Series 7 Friday 2/11 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Friday 2/18 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Friday 2/25 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Friday 3/04 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Series 8 – Spanish Sessions Thursday 1/20 | 1 – 3 p.m. Thursday 1/27 | 1 – 3 p.m. Thursday 2/03 | 1 – 3 p.m. Thursday 2/10 | 1 – 3 p.m. Thursday 2/17 | 1 – 3 p.m. Thursday 2/24 | 1 – 3 p.m. Family Providers Series 1 Wednesday 12/08 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday 12/16 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Wednesday 12/22 | 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Series 2 – Spanish Sessions Thursday 2/23 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday 3/02 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday 3/09 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday 3/16 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Series 3 Wednesday 2/02 | 6 – 8 p.m. Wednesday 2/09 | 6 – 8 p.m. Wednesday 2/16 | 6 – 9 p.m.
January 9, 2018 UnConference Through the generous support of PNC Grow Up Great, Trying Together is proud to present a series of UnConferences as part of its leadership and professional development courses. <span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> About The UnConference is an innovative, hands-on professional development training format where a deeper experience is provided around a particular theme. Local and national speakers are invited to present and participants are encouraged to engage hands-on in the workshops. The day concludes with a roundtable discussion on how to apply these experiences and ideas in the early childhood environment as well as share ideas on how to partner with new colleagues. Would you like to hear about future UnConferences? Sign up to receive emails from us. Upcoming Unconferences UnConference: Authentic Engagement in Out-of-School Time Programs, June 5 (registration now open!) UnConference: TBD, October UnConference: Kindergarten Transition, February 2026 Past UnConferences 2025 UnConference: Navigating Early Intervention Partnerships, March 8 2024 Beyond the Playground: Advancing Racial Equity in Play, October 14 UnConference: Launching School Age Summer Programming, June 6 UnConference: Mental Health in Early Childhood Education, February 19 2023 UnConference: Race Equity in Practice, February 11 2022 UnConference: Creating a Safe Place with Trauma-Informed Care, February 8–18 2021 Exceptional Care with a Team Approach to Inclusion, January 19–29 2020 Virtual UnConference: Caring in a “New Normal”, September 14–23 Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’, May 26 2019 The Business of Child Care, October 19 Young Learner’s Guide to Tech, March 30 2018 P.R.I.D.E. Speaker Series – Reimagining Early Childhood: Being Intentional About Race and Young Children, September 27 Being Intentional about Race and Young Children, September 29 Play for Change, October 30 Destination Moon, November 3 2017 Maker Tots, May 20 (part of Remake Learning Days) Mindfulness, August 10 Get Dirty!, September 22 Friedberg-Segel Early Literacy featuring Hervé Tullet, October 14 2016 An unprecedented six UnConferences were held, including: Total Leadership, March 9 Maker Tots, May 14 Children+Arts 2.0 Get Dirty! Fred Rogers—The Friend, Teacher, Advocate Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood 2015 The UnConference: Children+Arts was presented with the Reggio Emilia Pittsburgh Initiative, NAREA and the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh. In addition to a private tour of the “Wonder of Learning” exhibit presented by NAREA, this UnConference explored the importance of arts in early childhood education and highlighted its evolution of innovation through the lens of Reggio Emilia’s philosophy. Keynote speaker was Reggio Emilia expert Jennifer Strange. Workshop presenters included: Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Attack Theatre, Gemini Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, Carnegie Museum of Art and the Andy Warhol Museum. 2013 The inaugural UnConference, Game On! was presented in collaboration with the CREATE Lab and Google Pittsburgh. This UnConference focused on how to embrace and appropriately use old and new technology with young children. In addition, Trying Together presented a “hackathon,” during which app ideas presented by teachers were brought to life through a hackathon team of programmers, designers, and teachers. Keynote speaker was Illah Nourbakhsh from CREATE Lab. Workshop presenters included: Google Pittsburgh, TechShop, Dream Flight Adventures at Shaler Elementary, Pittsburgh Center for Creative ReUse, Schell Games, MAYA Design, Education Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University, CREATE Lab, MakeShop at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Etcetera Edutainment and Assemble.
