September 18, 2020 Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens Are you interested in learning how to promote equity in your preschool classroom? Join the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in October and November for their facilitated online mini-course, “Each & Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens.” About This online course will focus on what equity can look like for teachers working with children ages three to five years old on a day-to-day basis in the classroom. Participants will learn strategies and tips on how to support the learning and development of each child in their classroom through intentional play opportunities and guided instructional supports. Course Timeline This course includes four hours of self-paced learning and three hours of face-to-face video meetings with a facilitator over the course of four weeks: October 5, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. October 19, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. November 2, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Registration To register for this facilitated course, visit the NAEYC website. All registrations must be submitted by October 1, 2020. Space is limited.
September 17, 2020 Recess Helps Students Reach Their Full Potential As we begin a very different school year, the Recess Advocacy Team continues to elevate play and provide support to educators and families. Recess is key to helping students reach their full potential within the classroom and beyond. Several studies show that recess increases children’s attention span and productivity in the classroom. New Resources from the Recess Advocacy Team Send a letter to your child’s teacher The Recess Advocacy Team updated their student letter asking teachers to remember the importance of play to reflect our current times. Instructions: (1) Download the letter (2) Enter information for the teacher, your child’s name, and your name in the editable boxes (3) Save the letter with your information (4) Send the electronically signed letter via email If your child is attending school in person, you can still download, print, and share a hard copy. Play and Physical Activity Resource Guide for Educators and Families The Recess Advocacy Team compiled a list of resources for educators and families to make sure play and physical activity are a part of childrens’ days and serve as a foundation for their learning, growth, and development. This list includes resources, activities, and considerations for ensuring play shows up in our daily lives—and ways that educators and families can incorporate play/physical activity into children’s learning. Families are encouraged to share this resource when sending the letter to the teacher. Learn More About the Recess Advocacy Team The Recess Advocacy Team is a group of organizations dedicated to health, wellness, education, and play with a focus on recess practices and policies in pre-k through sixth grade. You can learn more about the Recess Advocacy Team on the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative website.
September 11, 2020 How to Design Socially Distanced Classrooms Are you interested in learning how to create a socially distanced classroom that works for your students? Attend the webinar “How to Design Socially Distanced Classrooms During COVID-19” on September 17 to hear practical strategies for educators. About By the end of the presentation, viewers will be able to: define physical distancing versus social distancing; identify potential classroom design mistakes; apply suggested solutions for classroom setup; and encourage classroom community while practicing physical distancing. This webinar will be of interest to preschool and pre-k teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. Time for questions will be provided. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
September 9, 2020 Connections and Conversations: Infant Sensory Experiences Are you interested in learning about the importance of sensory development in infants and toddlers? Join Trying Together on September 16 for our online session, “Connections and Conversations: Infant Sensory Experiences.” About Connections and Conversations Virtual Check-Ins are biweekly interactive sessions that highlight topics of interest to the field of early childhood education. Participants engage in virtual discussions with child development experts while interacting with early learning practitioners to share questions, experiences, and expertise about the highlighted topic. Sessions offer one hour of PQAS credit. Act 48 credit will not be provided. This session will define and explore the processes of sensory integration and the importance of sensory development in infants and toddlers. Participants will receive an overview of infant sensory development and ways to contribute to children’s learning within classroom settings as well as adaptations that can be made for students with behaviors due to the way they process sensory experiences differently. Participants will be lead in creating various developmentally friendly sensory toys with objects found in their own homes. Session Details Session Date: Wednesday, September 16 | 6 – 7 p.m Instructors: Jennifer McKain and Alicia Sebastian CKC: Child Growth and Development CDA Subject Area: Principles of Child Growth & Development Registration Deadline: Tuesday, September 15 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. For questions, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org. 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 Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
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.
August 10, 2020 Child Care Virtual Conference Join Child Care Lounge and other early learning professionals on August 18 for the Child Care Virtual Conference! About The Child Care Virtual Conference will feature over 15 live sessions. Registration includes access to three live Zoom sessions and one month of free access to all recorded sessions. Certificates will be issued for each class that had documented attendance. Featured Topics Presenters will explore a variety of child care topics, including, but not limited to, the following: preventing teacher burnout, supporting young children who display challenging behaviors, establishing a DAP classroom through virtual learning, fostering social skills while maintaining social distancing, thriving in a responsive classroom, and strategies to surviving a recession. To see an overview of each session, visit the PD Registry website. Registration To register and learn more, visit the Child Care Lounge website. After you register, you will receive a link to the Conference portal as well as a passcode for entry. More Information For questions, contact Joni Levine at 412.885.5172 or joni@childcarelounge.com. Share this event with your network via Facebook.
July 6, 2020 Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms Are you interested in learning how institutional racism becomes present in early childhood environments? Sign up to receive a recording of the live webinar “Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms: A Response to Racism in America” on July 8. About In this webinar, the lead authors of the newly released book, Don’t Look Away, Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms, will participate in a roundtable discussion on how to explore and address issues of bias, equity, low expectations, and family engagement to ensure culturally responsive experiences. Equipped with the tools and strategies to promote classroom change, educators will be empowered to do the following: learn how institutional racism becomes present in early childhood environments; discover how implicit bias, microaggression, and white privilege can play a role in undermining the learning experiences of marginalized Black and brown children and those who teach them; embrace anti-bias and anti-racist teaching approaches; and implement best practices for creating culturally-rich and supportive classroom environments that protect children from social-emotional and psychological trauma by affirming personal healing. 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. Registration Live access to this event is sold out. Sign up to receive the event recording by visiting edWeb.net.
June 29, 2020 The Mindful Mindset Are you interested in learning how to incorporate mindful practices into your early learning classroom? Join Trying Together for our three-week, self-paced course, “The Mindful Mindset.” About Through this three-week online course, participants will learn about incorporating mindful practices into their early learning classrooms. Mindfulness has been shown to improve children’s attention spans, social skills, and emotional coping skills. It is also an imperative tool for educators to improve their practice by being more present and understanding with their learners. Even as we face the everyday onslaught of stimuli and emotion, we all possess the capacity for mindfulness. All registrations must be submitted by Wednesday, July 15. Space is limited. Course Details Timeline: July 20 – August 10, 2020 (Three Weeks, Self-Guided) Instructor: Sarah Byrne-Houser and Mimi Loughead CKC: K6.4 C2 CDA Subject Area: Maintaining a commitment to professionalism. Three PQAS and ACT 48 hours available. Registration To register and learn more, visit the course webpage. Please note that participants will not have to attend the virtual course every day during the three-week period. Rather, participants can log on to the virtual course platform at any time during the three-week period to complete the session. More Information For more information, contact Community Engagement Assistant Rosie Hogan at rosie@tryingtogether.org.
May 12, 2020 Learning to Play, Playing to Learn: Encouraging Play within Early Childhood Classrooms “Play acts as a mechanism into courageous, creative, and rigorous thinking in adulthood.” (T. Bruce,., 2013) The benefits of children’s play can be life-lasting, as long as the experiences are developmentally appropriate, positive, and engaging. This free online course focuses on children’s play and the role of play in early education settings. Participants will take part in varied individual and group activities that pertain to the definitions, developmental mechanics, and functions of play as well as new strategies for encouraging play within children’s earliest classrooms. Limited spaces are available. All registrations must be submitted by May 27 at 5 p.m. Course Information Timeline: May 29 – June 19, 2020 Trainers: Chasta Shaw and Alicia Sebastian CKC: K2.14.C1 Keystone STARS Alignment: SQ.3.4.10 CDA Subject Area: Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development. Three PQAS and Act 48 hours available. Registration To register, please visit the event registration page. More Information For more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
April 27, 2020 Exploring the Outdoor World Through Our Senses The outside world shapes children’s development through everyday, hands-on experiences. In this free online session, participants will explore ways to facilitate sensory experiences in outdoor play including natural materials in the outdoor environment, reusable loose parts, and classroom materials. Participants will discover the benefits of learning through the five senses and explore meaningful ways to encourage sensory learning with young children. Course Information Timeline: May 4 – 24, 2020 Trainer: Katie Gullone CKC: K2.4C2 Keystone STARS Alignment: SQ. 3.4.9 CDA Subject Area: Planning a safe and healthy learning environment. Three PQAS and Act 48 hours available. Registration To register for this course, please visit the event registration page. All registrations must be submitted by May 1, 2020 at 5 p.m. Limited spots are available. More Information For more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org. Share this flyer with your network.
