News

October 12, 2023

Adagio Health Power Up and SNAP-Ed Nutrition for Life Virtual Cooking Classes

Join The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center for a series of virtual cooking class sessions.

Courtney Lylo from Adagio Health Power Up and SNAP-Ed will be facilitating the Nutrition for Life curriculum via Zoom during this cooking class series on the following dates:

  • Monday, 12/11
  • Monday, 01/08

The next recipe will be Shepherd’s Pie and Spinach Salad with Apples and Raisins. The Hub & Family Center will purchase the recipe items for the first five (5) families that register!

REGISTER

For more information or questions, contact Nicole Banner at nicole@tryingtogether.org.

News

Adagio Health Power Up and SNAP-Ed Nutrition for Life Virtual Cooking Classes

Join The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center for a series of virtual cooking class sessions.

Courtney Lylo from Adagio Health Power Up and SNAP-Ed will be facilitating the Nutrition for Life curriculum via Zoom during this cooking class series on the following dates:

  • Monday, 12/11
  • Monday, 01/08

The next recipe will be Shepherd’s Pie and Spinach Salad with Apples and Raisins. The Hub & Family Center will purchase the recipe items for the first five (5) families that register!

REGISTER

For more information or questions, contact Nicole Banner at nicole@tryingtogether.org.

News

Adagio Health Power Up and SNAP-Ed Nutrition for Life Virtual Cooking Classes

Join The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center for a series of virtual cooking class sessions.

Courtney Lylo from Adagio Health Power Up and SNAP-Ed will be facilitating the Nutrition for Life curriculum via Zoom during this cooking class series on the following dates:

  • Monday, 12/11
  • Monday, 01/08

The next recipe will be Shepherd’s Pie and Spinach Salad with Apples and Raisins. The Hub & Family Center will purchase the recipe items for the first five (5) families that register!

REGISTER

For more information or questions, contact Nicole Banner at nicole@tryingtogether.org.

News

November 20, 2020

Tuition-Free Courses Available for ECE Professionals

Are you an early learning professional who is interested in earning an Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, or Child Development Certificate? No- and low-cost options are available for eligible professionals in Pennsylvania through the Professional Development Organization (PDO).

Professional Development Organization

The Professional Development Organization (PDO) is a grant-funded educational collaboration among four universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and numerous partner universities, colleges, and community programs across the state to advance the career pathways of the early childhood workforce. PDO funding covers tuition, expenses, and other supports to help eligible early childhood educators earn credit-bearing credentials and degrees.

Tuition-Free Courses

Tuition-free courses are eligible for early childhood professionals who:

    • are Pennsylvania residents,
    • work in a Keystone STARS program, and
    • work a minimum average of 25 hours per week over an entire work year (during non-COVID times).

To determine your eligibility, complete the online application. Once your eligibility is confirmed, a PDO Liaison from your region will contact you to discuss your professional development options.

Available Pathways

The following pathways are available to advance your academic and professional development:

    • Child Development Associate Certificate (CDA)
    • Associate’s Degree, Early Childhood Education
    • Bachelor’s Degree, Early Childhood Education

Steps To Take

If you are interested in taking advantage of this limited-time opportunity, complete these three steps:

    • Apply for Tuition Assistance 

      Complete the application. Once submitted, an ECE Liaison will contact you to confirm your eligibility for tuition assistance, guide you through the application at a PDO partner university, college, or program, and help you register for classes. Be sure to check your spam folder as it may contain an email from your ECE Liaison.

    • Register for Classes 

      Class offerings at all schools and programs may change each semester. Check with an ECE Liaison or the school for details. View this document for examples of available classes.

More Information

For more information, contact Mimi Loughead at mimi@tryingtogether.org.

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September 18, 2020

What We Can Learn from Children About Mindfulness

Are you interested in gaining a deeper understanding of how to practice mindfulness together with young children? Join Gryphon House on October 14 for their webinar, “What We Can Learn from Children About Mindfulness to Transform Our Learning Environments.”

About

During this webinar, Dr. Elizabeth Joy Erwin, Professor of Education at Montclair State University, will discuss why we have so much to learn from children, especially the youngest ones; how to develop and maintain a culture of mindfulness; and simple mindfulness practices to engage in starting now. By discovering how to integrate simple ideas and practical strategies to calm the body and quiet the mind, educators can select the exact tools they want to ensure all children learn and thrive.

This webinar is best suited for PreK-5 teachers, librarians, therapists, and school and district leaders. Time for questions will be provided.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

English Learners: Strategies for Digital Learning

Are you interested in learning digital learning strategies to support English Learners in your online classroom? Join Digital Promise on September 30 for their webinar, “English Learners: Strategies for Digital Learning and the Language of Academic Content.”

About

During this webinar, speakers will share research-based learning strategies and supports that address learner variability, the shift to digital, and the specific challenges and opportunities for English Learners. Additionally, speakers will:

    • provide a framework for teaching the language of content, with a focus on math and science examples;
    • examine how to translate word walls, manipulatives, sentence frames, and many other research-based strategies to a digital-learning environment;
    • highlight the importance of family-teacher-student partnerships that help learning happen; and
    • explore research-based factors of learning that have an impact on all English learners.

This webinar is best suited for K-12 teachers and administrators, especially those who teach English Learners; instructional coaches; ELS coordinators; EdTech coordinators; and other school and district leaders. Time for questions will be provided.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

August 24, 2020

Early Childhood Garden Education Program Available

Interested in integrating garden and cooking activities into its classroom curriculum? Submit your application today for Grow Pittsburgh and the Sampson Foundation’s Early Childhood Garden Education Program.

About

Grow Pittsburgh and the Sampson Foundation are offering an Early Childhood Garden Education Program for early childhood centers across the Pittsburgh region. Gardens are outdoor classrooms that are adaptable to most play yards and are designed to fit the space and needs of each center.

The program will integrate garden and cooking activities into the classroom curriculum to support the development and education of the whole child. The partnership aims to support educators in teaching their students how to grow, cook, and eat fresh food while celebrating the cultures and experiences of their families and city. To learn more about the program, view the full description.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this program, early childhood centers must:

    • complete and submit the application (parts 1-6, including photos);
    • be located in Allegheny County;
    • be an early childhood facility (includes: family, group, and center) licensed in Pennsylvania;
    • have at least five organized and motivated people in your garden leadership group (can include staff and parents, but must include at least three teachers interested in supporting the program), exceptions made for smaller facilities;
    • have signatures of support from both the director and head custodian;
    • have a sustainable site for gardening on the property that gets at least six hours of sunlight a day with supporting photos for the completion of Part 3 (Grow Pittsburgh can provide support);
    • have enrollment that includes at least 50 percent of children receiving subsidized funds through CCIS, CACFP, Head Start, or Pre-K Counts.

If your program doesn’t meet these criteria, please submit as much information as possible and program hosts will work to help you in alternative ways.

Submit An Application

To apply, complete and submit the application. Applications can be submitted via email at victoria@growpittsburgh.org or postal mail at:

Grow Pittsburgh
6587 Hamilton Ave #2W
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

More Information

For general application questions and assistance, please contact Victoria Thurmond at 678.977.9389 or victoria@growpittsburgh.org.

News

August 19, 2020

Virtual Back to Out-of-School-Time Conference

Join Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School-Time (APOST) from August 24–September 10, 2020 for their Virtual Back to Out-of-School-Time Conference!

About

Over a period of three weeks, the Virtual Back to Out-of-School-Time Conference will offer relevant workshops to assist professionals in continuing to provide high-quality programming for youth during this challenging time. This Conference is open to any youth practitioner who desires to increase their skills in working with youth in out-of-school-time programs or mentoring relationships.

If there is a workshop that you would like to attend but are not able to due to schedule conflicts, recordings and resources for all workshop offerings will be available for at least one month after all of the workshops have concluded.

Available Workshops

Registration

To view all workshop descriptions and register, visit the full Conference Agenda. Registration links will be included at the bottom of each event description.

More Information

For questions, contact Jaron Paul via email at jaron.paul@unitedwayswpa.org.

News

June 19, 2020

Adaptive Dance | Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Hosted by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Adaptive Dance is an online class series intended for children ages six and up with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or other sensory sensitivities.

About

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) emphasizes creative movement principles and modified ballet technique in a welcoming and structured studio environment. Classes are taught by PBT School instructors experienced in adaptive dance and are limited to 15 students. Live music/percussion accompany each class. Caregivers may observe and/or participate in classes if they wish.

This class is for children ages six and up. All classes will be held on Zoom. Each student that registers for the entire semester will also receive an adaptive dance kit to bring even more of the studio experience to their home. Session costs five dollars each or you can buy purchase all six sessions for 25 dollars.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre website.

More Information

For questions about the class or registration, email accessibility@pittsburghballet.org.

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April 24, 2020

Don’t Look Away: Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms

Are you looking to better understand and embrace anti-bias and anti-racist teaching approaches in your early learning classroom? Join Iheoma U. Iruka, Stephanie M. Curenton, and Kerry-Ann Escayg on April 28 for their webinar “Don’t Look Away: Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms.”

About

In this webinar, the lead authors of “Don’t Look Away: Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms” call all early education professionals to lean in as “sheroes” and “heroes” in the lives of children. The goal of this webinar is to ensure that participants understand and embrace anti-bias and anti-racist teaching approaches by creating affirming culturally-rich classroom environments that protect children from psychological trauma and heals them from the inside out.

Participants will learn how institutional racism is visited in the early childhood space and the roles of implicit bias, microaggression, and white privilege in undermining the excellence and learning of minoritized Black and brown children and for those who teach them. Participants will also learn about several tools and strategies.

This webinar will be of interest to pre-k through elementary teachers, school and district leaders, coaches, trainers, and child care providers, owners, and administrators. Time for questions will be provided.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.