News

November 5, 2020

Early Childhood Job Openings: 11/5 – 11/11

Are you looking to start or transition your career in the early childhood field? You’re in luck! Early learning programs in Pennsylvania are currently looking to fill positions. To view this week’s featured job descriptions, see the list below.

Featured Jobs

Lead Pre-K Teacher

Hilltop Children’s Center is looking to hire a Pennsylvania-licensed early childhood educator for their pre-k classroom. This is a year-round position. Interested professionals must be nurturing, empathetic, and dependable. Excellent classroom management skills desired.

To apply for this position, please contact lisazappa@hilltopccc.org or submit the online application.

Teacher/Assistant Teacher

Beulah Christian Preschool and Child Care is looking to hire an experienced, positive educator to successfully lead a team or to work with an established team in providing engaging, developmentally appropriate activities based on the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards within NAEYC high-quality criteria. Successful candidates should be comfortable with all ages and available for an eight-hour shift from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, year-round.

To apply for this position, please email Tracy Belmonte at tbelmonte@beulahpresby.org.

Young Toddler Teacher

Helping Hands Childcare is looking to hire a passionate teacher to work with one- and two-year-old children. Applicants should have two or more years of experience working with children and/or an early childhood degree. Applicants must be able to work between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., and must have or be able to obtain clearances for working with children. This position will start in November.

To apply for this position, call 724.695.9200 or email helpinghands001@verizon.net. Please ask for Lori or Melissa.

Assistant Group Supervisor

Stubblefield’s Childcare and Early Head Start is looking to hire an Assistant Group Supervisor to supervise children ages six months to 12-years-old. To apply for this position, please email  stubblefielddaycare@yahoo.com.

Metropolitan Preschool and Nursery

Metropolitan Preschool and Nursery is looking to hire Group Supervisors and Assistant Group Supervisors to ensure that all children are actively supervised and that their individual needs are met. To apply for this position, contact Dawn Fowler at 412.281.8315 or info@pghchild.care.

Early Learning Program Certification Representative

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services is looking to hire an Early Learning Program Certification Representative to conduct inspections of child care facilities and assess compliance with regulations that are in place to ensure the health and safety of children in regulated child care settings. This is a full-time position. This professional must be willing to travel.

To qualify, applicants must meet a Pennsylvania residency requirement and have at least two years of professional experience providing direct services to children and youth and a bachelor’s degree that includes 24 semester hours of college-level courses related to early childhood, or have an equivalent combination of professional experience and training.

Before you apply, please read the full job description. If you qualify, please contact Abigail O’Shura at 717.772.2219 or aoshura@pa.gov to apply.


Submit a Job Description

Each week, Trying Together publishes a news post that features employer-submitted job positions from early learning programs across Pennsylvania. Trying Together shares these posts online through our website, social media channels, and newsletter. To make it into next week’s post, please submit the Child Care Provider Job Post Submission Form no later than Wednesday, November 11.

This form is intended for positions in the early childhood field. Job descriptions not related to the early childhood field will not be included. All job descriptions submitted after November 11 will be published in the next week’s news post. Please note that news post publication dates may vary due to state and federal holidays. For questions, contact Lainey Yockey at lainey@tryingtogether.org.


Search Additional Jobs

Are you interested in starting or shifting your career in early childhood care and education? Visit the ECE Hire website or sign up for their weekly newsletter for current job listings and helpful tips on interviewing, resumes, and more. To stay up to date on our featured positions and more, follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter.

News

October 23, 2020

2020 Family Support Needs Assessment

On October 22, the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) released a new Family Support Needs Assessment that covers the needs and challenges experienced by families with young children and opportunities to address these needs and better serve families.

Overview

Developed in partnership with PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the assessment found that substance abuse, intimate partner violence, and mental health challenges are among the most pronounced issues facing young families across urban and rural communities. The assessment also shows an overall improvement in maternal and child health outcomes across many of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties since the last statewide needs assessment in 2014.

Assessment Findings

Informed by community surveys, interviews, and statewide data sets, the 2018-2020 Family Support Needs Assessment categorizes Pennsylvania’s counties as having “elevated need,” “moderate need,” and “low need,” across six domains: maternal and child health; socioeconomic status; substance abuse; child safety and maltreatment; community environment; and child care.

Overall, the findings show that 44 counties have elevated need in at least one of the domains and 15 counties across the state met elevated need thresholds in three or more domains. Importantly, the data collection occurred prior to the arrival of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, and the researchers anticipate that the pandemic will exacerbate many areas of community need.

Despite the elevated need recorded in the report, maternal and child health outcomes have dramatically improved across much of the state since the 2014 federally-mandated statewide needs assessment. For example:

    • nearly every county (63) saw improved rates of preterm birth and teen birth;
    • 60 percent of counties saw improvements in infant mortality rates;
    • half of the counties saw a reduction in the percentage of children under age five living in poverty; and
    • more than half of the 2,220 individuals surveyed for the needs assessment have a favorable view of the availability and quality of health and social services in Pennsylvania for families with young children.

The assessment also includes a review of the capacity and scope of the state’s home visiting programs, which provide voluntary, in-home services to under-resourced pregnant moms and families of young children. Pennsylvania significantly increased its investment in evidence-based home visiting over the last four years so that today, six evidence-based home visiting models serve a total of 10,150 families.

More Information

For more information, read the full press release and review the 2020 Family Supports Need Assessment Report.

News

October 13, 2020

Remake Learning Days Across America Launch

Are you a Remake Learning Days event host or educational stakeholder who is interested in learning more about Remake Learning Days Across America 2021? Join Remake Learning on Tuesday, October 13 from 7 – 8 p.m. EST for the National Launch!

About

Remake Learning Days Across America (RLDAA) is an innovative learning festival for families and youth. Hosted in 16 regions across the United States, RLDAA features hands-on and engaging events designed for kids of all ages at libraries, schools, tech centers, museums, play spaces, and more. Most events are free.

This year’s events will run nationally from April 22 – May 23, 2021, and from May 6 – 16, 2021 in Southwestern Pennsylvania. To view all dates and activities, visit the Remake Learning Days webpage.

RLDAA Kickoff Event

If you are an event host or educational stakeholder who is interested in learning more about RLDAA 2021 and celebrating family-engaged learning, join Remake Learning on Tuesday, October 13 from 7 – 8 p.m. EST for the National Launch! The event will feature special guests, hands-on activities, and national and regional partners. To register, visit the event webpage.

More Information

For more information on RLDAA 2021, visit the Remake Learning Days webpage.

News

October 12, 2020

Grants Available for Child Care Programs

In partnership with the Pennsylvania Key, the GIANT Company is offering a grant opportunity for early childhood education providers licensed by and in good standing with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS).

About

Through this grant opportunity, early learning programs can apply for grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. This funding is intended to assist programs with meeting the unique needs of families and children served during the pandemic. These needs may include, but are not limited to, increased staffing, expanded operating hours, care of school-age children, Personal Protective Equipment or other sanitation measures, increased technology needs or services, school-age virtual learning labs, serving of meals, or addressing food insecurity needs of families and children served.

Eligibility Criteria

    • Applicants must operate a family child care home, group child care home, or child care center that is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services; the program must be in good standing with DHS.
    • Applicants must serve families that receive child care subsidy/Child Care Works funding or demonstrate other means of serving families in need.
    • Applicants must remain operational through part of all of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide services to children in any age range (birth through school-age).
    • The early childhood education facility must be located in one of the following counties: Adams, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Union, York.

Submit An Application

To apply for a grant, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. All applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2020. Funds will be dispersed by January 29, 2021.

News

September 29, 2020

Supporting Young Students with Remote Learning

Are you interested in learning tips from education experts on how to support children in remote and blended learning environments? Join Zoom and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) on October 7 and October 8, 2020 for their two-part Back-to-School webinar series designed for families and caregivers.

About

Session 1

Tips and Strategies for Families and Caregivers (K-12)
October 7, 2020  |  4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

In this webinar, families and caregivers will learn key strategies for building a positive, effective home learning environment and implementing concrete tips to advocate for their learner’s needs. ISTE Certified Educators and Trainers Dr. Daisy Sam and Dr. Sonn Sam will lead this timely discussion as an effort to ensure a more successful, productive school year during these challenging times.

Session 2

Zoom Basics and Tips for Families and Caregivers (K-6)
October 8, 2020  |  4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

In this webinar, Zoom experts will provide important tips to help support your child in remote and blended learning environments. Presenters will cover everything from platform basics and troubleshooting to remote learning soft skills to help them succeed as students. This session will be geared towards younger learners, primarily in grades K-6, however parents and caregivers of all ages are welcome to attend.

Registration

Both sessions will be broadcast in English with the option to listen to a live language interpretation in Spanish. Live American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will also be available. To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

September 21, 2020

State Office Candidate Conversation: Child Care

In Allegheny County, 48 percent of eligible children do not have access to publicly funded pre-k programs and 67 percent of Child Care Works subsidy-eligible children under age five remain unserved. Before you vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, find out what your candidates think about early childhood education.

Registration

Join the Children Matter Action Fund on September 23 for an online conversation about child care with Allegheny County candidates for state office in House Districts 28, 30, 44, and 45! To register, visit the event webpage.

Unable to attend? Check out each candidate’s views on the Children Matter Action Fund website.

News

News

September 10, 2020

Together Toward Transformation: Roundtable Series

Are you interested in discussing opportunities to build a child care system that actually works for children, families, child care providers, and employers? Join Child Care Aware of America this September for “Together Toward Transformation: A CCAoA Roundtable Series.”

Available Sessions

    • Parents & Families
      Saturday, September 12, 2020  |  1:30 – 3:30 p.m.  |  Register
    • Employers*
      Thursday, September 17, 2020  |  3:00 – 5:00 p.m.  |  Request to Attend
    • Child Care Providers
      Saturday, September 26, 2020  |  2:00 – 4:00 p.m.  |  Request to Attend

*The Employers session is intended for local businesses, corporations, or any non-child care business that has been impacted by their employees’ child care challenges and are interested in improving the child care system.

Registration

Seating is limited. To register and learn more, visit the Child Care Aware website.

More Information

For questions, contact Marlana Kelly at events@usa.childcareaware.org or 703.341.4115.

News

Pennsylvania’s Child Care Crisis: A Virtual Public Forum

Child care providers, teachers, parents, and advocates in Pennsylvania are invited to join Start Strong PA on September 16 for “Pennsylvania’s Child Care Crisis: A Virtual Public Forum.” The Forum will include an important discussion with the congregational delegation regarding Pennsylvania’s child care crisis.

About

During the Forum, featured speakers will present the following:

    • PennState’s Dr. Philip Sirinides will review major takeaways and recommendations from a new study documenting the financial impact of COVID-19 on the child care sector.
    • Pennsylvania Chamber of Business Industry President and CEO Gene Barr will discuss child care’s vital role in Pennsylvania’s economic recovery.
    • Providers, advocates, and others will detail the changing face of child care and challenges caused by COVID-19, the essential role that child care will have for working families in a recovering economy, and the need for additional financial stabilization assistance to prevent the collapse of the sector.

A question and answer session with panelists and members of Congress will follow these presentations.

Registration

To register for the Forum, visit the event webpage. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

News

September 8, 2020

Policy Change: Parents Caring for Their Own Children in Child Care

OCDEL’s Bureau of Policy and Professional Development recently released Announcement 20 #15 which explains changes to the policy regarding parents and caregivers caring for their own children in a child care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic-related Proclamation of Disaster Emergency. This policy change is effective as of September 1, 2020. Read below to learn more.

About

For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic-related Proclamation of Disaster Emergency, the current policy will be revised to allow for parents and caregivers to provide care for their own children in a child care facility. This change allows a parent or caretaker who is a teacher, assistant teacher, or aide in a classroom at the same child care facility where their children are enrolled to have their children in their classroom.

Parents and caregivers will be able to receive subsidized child care payments for their children as long as there is another paid teacher, assistant teacher, or aide present in the classroom for a majority of the day. Additionally, there must be at least one other child in the classroom, that is not the child of the parent or caregiver, for which the parent or caregiver is caring for.

More Information

For more information, read the full announcement.