July 2, 2020 ZERO TO THREE Annual Conference Are you interested in learning about the latest early childhood research and connecting with thousands of fellow educators from around the world? Join ZERO TO THREE from October 5-9 for their Virtual Annual Conference! About This year’s virtual conference will give participants the added flexibility to be connected safely to thousands of colleagues from around the world; be inspired through an immersive experience into the latest research and education; and be prepared to move their practice forward in our changing and challenging world. The conference package includes five days of exceptional programming and 30 days of exclusive, on-demand access to recorded sessions. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are included. Pre-Conference Forums will be available as well from September 22 to October 1 for an additional fee. Each Forum package includes a single two-day Forum event and 30-day access to the recorded session. CEUs are included. Featured Sessions The conference features many presentations and breakout sessions, including, but not limited to the following: Bringing Self-Compassion and Care Home: Learning by Nurturing Supporting Healthy Development Through Meaningful Relationships With Mother Nature, a Growing Global Movement Operation HealthySteps: Promoting Safe Childcare Practices Across a Large Medical System Where Trauma and Grief Collide: CPP With Child Traumatic Grief How to Incorporate Mindfulness Techniques Into Family-Based Practices With Infants and Toddlers Interrogating Whiteness in Early Intervention Equity and Inclusion in Family Engagement Programs See the full schedule. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. Member and group discounts are available. If you require any assistance with your registration, contact the Customer Support team at 855.868.1192
July 1, 2020 PACCA Zoom Series: Racial Equity in Early Learning Are you interested in learning how to embed racial equity into your early learning program? Join the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) on Fridays from July 10 – 24 for their Zoom Series, “Racial Equity in Early Learning.” About This three-part professional development series is designed to help early learning and school-age programs embed racial equity from recruiting, hiring, and on-going training offerings for staff to interactions with children of color. After defining key racial justice terminology such as implicit bias, cultural competency, race, racism, antiracist ally, etc., participants are encouraged to identify concrete ways to embrace racial equity personally and professionally. These Zoom meetings will be informative and interactive, and will provide participants with real resources and supports for classroom situations. Individuals who participate in all three meetings will receive 4.5 hours of PQAS credits and/or 4.5 Act 48 hours. Cost PACCA Members: $20 for all three meetings Non-Members: $45 for all three meetings Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. Zoom links will be sent in a confirmation email when your registration is received. If you do not receive confirmation, please check your Junk inbox or contact maureen.murphy@pacca.org.
June 30, 2020 National Family Child Care Conference Are you interested in celebrating and exploring the field of family child care? Join the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) on July 17 and 18 for the 30th National Family Child Care Conference! About Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAFCC will host its annual National Family Child Care Conference virtually on the evening of Friday, July 17 and all day on Saturday, July 18. The conference will feature: live and on-demand workshops, an opportunity to earn up to 24 hours (or 2.4 continuing education units) of training credit, a Spanish track with four live sessions presented in Spanish, a Black and Latina caucus where participants can discuss the things that are important to them, and a virtual exhibit hall where participants can view vendors without leaving their homes. Featured Topics Live and on-demand workshops will cover a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, the following: record-keeping and tax implications of COVID-19, organizing a sustainable daily routine that supports health and wellbeing, how to make your home a place of inquiry, play, and experimentation, strategies for creating an environment that promotes a variety of social-emotional skills, finding out and improving your business’ profit margin, and recognizing early signs of mental illness in young children. View the schedule and full workshop descriptions. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. For questions, submit NAFCC’s online contact form.
Child Care Providers: Share Your Successes & Challenges To better understand the success and challenges child care providers are experiencing as they operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) released a brief survey that providers can complete to share their experiences. Child care providers are encouraged to complete this survey by Wednesday, July 8, 2020. About Since March 2020, COVID-19 has had significant impacts on the child care provider community. The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is interested in understanding the success and challenges child care providers are experiencing as they operate during the pandemic. One strategy they are using to collect information is a brief monthly survey on staffing and enrollment. While the survey is voluntary, OCDEL encourages every child care operator to participate. OCDEL will issue the same survey at the end of June, July, August, and September to compare and analyze changes. Take the Survey To share your successes and challenges, complete the survey today!
June 29, 2020 Connections and Conversations: The Power of Self-Compassion Are you interested in learning about the important role authentic relationships play in the early learning and development of young children? Join Trying Together on August 5 at 6 p.m. for our online session, “Connections and Conversations: The Power of Self-Compassion.” About Connections and Conversations Virtual Check-Ins are interactive sessions that highlight topics of interest to the field of early childhood education. Participants will engage in virtual discussions via Zoom with child development experts while interacting with early learning practitioners to share questions, experiences, and expertise about the highlighted topic. This session will highlight how children benefit greatly from authentic relationships with the adults in their lives. It will explore how the critical messages we learned from our childhood affect our interactions and relationships with children in our care. We will utilize self-reflection as a tool to develop self-compassion to build our intentional use of compassion in early learning environments. Participants will receive the course Zoom link via email within 24 hours before the start date for the course. For questions, contact Rosie Hogan at rosie@tryingtogether.org or Sarah Grubb at sarah.elrc5@alleghenycounty.us. Session Details Session Date: Wednesday, August 5 | 6 – 7 p.m Instructors: Mimi Loughead CKC: K6.4 C2 CDA Subject Area: Supporting children’s social and emotional development. Registrations must be submitted by Monday, August 3. Space is limited. Sessions will be offered biweekly and will offer one hour of PQAS credit. Act 48 credit will not be offered. Registration To register and learn more, visit the course webpage. Session Rules and Guidelines These virtual discussions are designed to provide educators the opportunity to grow professionally and share knowledge on early childhood topics. During the meeting, participants should follow the guidelines below to ensure a successful virtual meeting for all participants. Please allow all participants a chance to speak. Listen respectfully and actively. Commit to learning about each other, not to debating the topic. Embrace differences of opinion as healthy and support each person’s authentic self-expression. Participants will be muted for the beginning portion of the session. Participants may use the “Raise Hand” feature in Zoom to request an opportunity to comment or ask a question. Individuals will be temporarily unmuted by the moderator. Participants may type a comment or question in the Chat or may send comments or questions directly to the moderator for them to share. To receive PQAS credit, you must complete an evaluation at the end of the session and include your PD Registry number. Have fun, make connections, and engage in the conversations! More Information For questions or more information, please contact Rosie Hogan at rosie@tryingtogether.org.
Creativity Concepts Are you interested in learning about the role creativity plays in your early learning program? Join Trying Together on July 15 for our online course, “Creativity Concepts.” About This course will serve as an introduction to creativity and children’s developmental stages with arts learning. The course instructor will share ideas for visual art, music, movement prompts, and activities. A supply list will be shared before class for those interested in participating in hands-on artmaking. All registrations must be submitted by Monday, July 13. Space is limited. Course Details Session Date: Wednesday, July 15 | 6 – 8 p.m. Instructor: Alison Babusci CKC: K11.C2 CDA Subject Area: Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development. Two PQAS and ACT 48 hours available. Registration To register and learn more, visit the course webpage. More Information For more information, contact Community Engagement Assistant Rosie Hogan at rosie@tryingtogether.org.
June 23, 2020 Allegheny Child Care Finder Provider Profile Office Hours If you are a child care provider in Allegheny County currently using or interested in using the Allegheny Child Care Finder, you can join Bridgecare during open office hours to get your questions answered! Wednesday, 6/24 1:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 468 916 5631 One tap mobile +16699009128,,4689165631# US (San Jose) Thursday, 6/25 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 468 916 5631 One tap mobile +16699009128,,4689165631# US (San Jose)
June 16, 2020 Choosing Child Care | Virtual Workshop Choosing high-quality child care is a complex process, and to many it may feel overwhelming right now. Join the Center for Women Pittsburgh, Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5, and Trying Together on June 28 for their virtual workshop “Choosing Child Care.” About Through this virtual workshop, participants will: learn about the CDC guidelines that early learning professionals are incorporating into their programs; hear questions they can use to ask providers about sanitation and physical distancing; see a live demonstration a new search tool for child care in Allegheny County; get tips on the application process, as well as what you need to apply for assistance; and know how they can help advocate for needed changes to the child care system. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
Allegheny Child Care Tool Expands Services Are you interested in learning about child care, after-school, out-of-school, and summer programs in Allegheny County? Visit the Allegheny Child Care website to search for available child care spots at programs near you! What is Allegheny Child Care? Allegheny Child Care is a unique pilot project that has been developed to support the child care needs of families. Through this online tool, parents and caregivers can search for available child care spots at all Allegheny County early learning programs, including after-school, out-of-school, and summer camps. To search for a program near you, visit the Allegheny Child Care website! Information for Early Learning Professionals If your organization provides child care, after-school, out-of-school, and/or summer programming, update your listing as soon as possible on the Allegheny Child Care website. By updating your information, the Allegheny Child Care tool will assist you in promoting and marketing your program(s) to families. In turn, this will allow your program to expedite the process of getting children enrolled, thus making an often stressful task less burdensome for families. For questions or concerns, please read the FAQ guide or email info@alleghenychildcare.org. Additional Resources Trying Together developed the following resources to assist families in identifying high-quality early learning programs, as well as what questions to ask to better understand their program’s COVID-19 procedures. How to Find, Choose, and Pay for High-Quality Child Care: A Guide for Families Family Checklist: Questions to Ask Your Early Learning Provider During COVID-19 For additional support in finding child care and/or funding your child care needs, visit the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5 website or call 412.350.3577. More Information The Allegheny Child Care initiative is managed by Trying Together in partnership with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, and Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST, an initiative of the United Way of Southwestern PA); with additional support from the City of Pittsburgh; and was developed in collaboration with Child Care Aware of America, The Heinz Endowments, and technology partners Bowtie, BrightHive, and BridgeCare. To learn more and search for programs near you, visit the Allegheny Child Care website.
June 10, 2020 Fostering Fathers’ Leadership Skills Are you interested in learning how to build a father-friendly program? Join the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness (NCECHW) on June 16 for their webinar, “Fostering Fathers’ Leadership Skills.” About In this webinar, participants will explore tools, resources, and ideas they can use to build a father-friendly program. Register to learn how to create an environment that actively encourages fathers to engage with their child’s learning and development. Participants will also review examples of program efforts that help fathers continue to build their voices as leaders in early childhood programs and their communities. This webinar is best suited for Head Start and Early Head Start directors, managers, family services staff, and parent leaders; T/TA providers; and early childhood leaders who support children and their families. Participants will receive a certificate of participation upon completion of the webinar. Featured Topics Topics for the webinar include: exploring the importance of developing a program environment that promotes fathers’ leadership; preparing staff to successfully integrate father engagement into their programs; and sharing tips from programs that engage fathers as leaders and advocates in their work. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. More Information For questions, contact NCECHW at pfcewebinars@ecetta.info or 855.208.0909. Photo Credit Photography by Emily O’Donnell.
