October 13, 2020 Talking About Race and Justice With Children Are you interested in using children’s books to engage young children in critical conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice? Join EmbraceRace on October 22 for “Using Books to Engage Young Children in Talk about Race & Justice.” About During this online event, Aija Simmons, Sara Rizik-Baer, and Savitha Moorthy will describe Mirrors, Windows, and Glass Doors*, a community-focused effort from Tandem, Partners in Early Learning that uses children’s books as a departure point for expanding the capacity of families with children under five years old to engage in critical conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Presenters will explain the factors that led to its creation, how it continues to evolve, the questions the working group is actively grappling with, and what they hope to accomplish. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and comment. Registration To register, visit the event webpage.
October 6, 2020 Dance the Story: Dracula! Are you interested in participating in an up-on-your-feet program for children and families that introduces basic ballet steps and movement concepts through stories and characters? Join the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre on October 20 for, “Dance the Story: Dracula!” About The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre invites you to a special edition of “Dance the Story: Dracula!” as a part of RADical Days. During the event, children aged pre-k to fifth grade and their caregivers will join together on Zoom for a pre-Halloween exploration of dance and movement. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. Admission is free, but attendance will be limited based on Zoom capacity.
October 1, 2020 Remix! New Ways to Play Using STEM Provocations Are you interested in stimulating curiosity in your classroom to build children’s STEM skills? Join Trying Together on Monday, October 12 for our online course, “Remix! New Ways to Play Using STEM Provocations.” About In this course, participants will explore building early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills by using classroom resources in fun new ways, with materials you already have. Re-energize your science table, or bring STEM play into a new classroom area using research-based (and kid-tested) recommendations. Session Details Session Date: Monday, October 12, 2020 | 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Instructors: Jasmine Davis and Wendy Brenneman Core Knowledge Area: Curriculum and Learning Experiences CDA Content Area: Safe, Healthy Learning Environment Registration Deadline: Saturday, October 10, 2020 Registration To register, visit the course PD Registry page. Space is limited. Participants will receive the course Zoom link via email within 24 hours before the start date for the course. PQAS and Act 48 credit available. If you do not have a PD Registry account, please complete this online form to create one. If you are unable to create an account, please contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org for more information. More Information For questions or more information, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
September 30, 2020 Digital Media Literacy: A Deeper Look Are you interested in exploring guidance on technology and digital media use with young children? Join Trying Together on October 8 for our virtual session, “Digital Media Literacy: A Deeper Look: NAEYC/Fred Rogers Center Position Statement.” About This professional development course is designed for educators and administrators to critically examine and develop a deep understanding of the intentions and guidance of the NAEYC Fred Rogers Center position statement. The course will encourage reflective practices to positively influence teaching, policy development, and dialogue about young children and technology. Session Details Session Date: Thursday, October 8, 2020 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Instructor: Katherine Gullone Core Knowledge Area: Professional and Leadership CDA Content Area: Maintaining Professionalism Registration Deadline: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 Registration To register, visit the course PD Registry page. Space is limited. Participants will receive the course Zoom link via email within 24 hours before the start date for the course. PQAS and Act 48 credit available. If you do not have a PD Registry account, please complete this online form to create one. If you are unable to create an account, please contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org for more information. More Information For questions or more information, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
September 28, 2020 Health and Safety Trainings Available The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced that COVID-19 Health and Safety System Supports Training Webinars are available on the Pennsylvania Key website. About Each webinar provides COVID-19 guidance on topics related to the early childhood field, including: CDC Guidance for Child Care Parent, Family and Community Engagement Implementation Considerations Re-Imagining ECE Environments Supporting the Social-Emotional Well-Being of ECE Professionals, Children, and Families Watch the Webinars To watch the webinars, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. The guidance provided in these videos has been based on evidence and information available at the time of publishing. Guidance will be reviewed as new information continues to emerge. To ensure you are implementing the most up-to-date guidance, visit the OCDEL or CDC website.
September 25, 2020 Honoring Each Person’s Experience to Support Mental Health Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center on October 19 for “Honoring Each Person’s Experience to Support Mental Health” to learn how to apply reflective practice and perspective-taking to your virtual work with children and families. About When working with families, especially within today’s current crises, it is important that everyone’s experience of a situation is heard and understood. This requires reflecting on all points of view: one’s own, the child’s, and that of their family members. In this webinar, participants will learn how to adapt and apply reflective practice and perspective-taking to their virtual work with children and families. This session is best suited for professionals who work with families of young children, including early care educators, family child care providers, mental health consultants, home visitors, pediatricians, early interventionists, and more. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event registration page. Space is limited. For questions, contact btcsitenetwork@childrens.harvard.edu.
September 21, 2020 Transitions and How Using Them Helps Are you interested in learning about strategies that help make transitions easier for children, families, and educators? Join Trying Together on October 14 for our online session, “Connections and Conversations: Transitions and How Using Them Helps.” About Connections and Conversations Virtual Check-Ins are interactive sessions that highlight topics of interest to the field of early childhood education. Participants engage in virtual discussions with child development experts and interact with early learning practitioners to share questions, experiences, and expertise about the highlighted topic. Sessions offer one hour of PQAS credit. Act 48 credit not provided. This session will highlight best practices that help make transitions easier for children, families, and educators. The course instructor will share strategies and suggestions and provide opportunities to analyze scenarios and share expertise. Session Details Session Date: Wednesday, October 14 | 6 – 7 p.m. Instructor: Jasmine Davis CKC: Curriculum and Learning Experiences CDA Subject Area: Social & Emotional Development Registration Deadline: Monday, October 12 Registration To register, visit the course PD Registry page. Space is limited. Participants will receive the course Zoom link via email within 24 hours before the start date for the course. PQAS credit available. If you do not have a PD Registry account, please complete this online form to create one. If you are unable to create an account, please contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org for more information. 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, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
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.
September 18, 2020 The Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers Are you interested in learning strategies to support infant and toddlers’ emotional development? Join Gryphon House on October 28 for their webinar, “Crying and Laughing: The Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers.” About During this webinar, Donna Sasse Wittmer, Ph.D. will highlight ten keys that early childhood professionals can use to support infant and toddler emotional development and learning. When these keys are used, they are the foundation for helping children develop emotional competence. This webinar emphasizes the knowledge and skills that enable you to be a compassionate infant and toddler professional who provides the emotional nourishment that young children need and who supports children’s emotional well-being. This webinar is best suited for pre-k teachers and school leaders. Time for questions will be provided. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
