May 13, 2020 Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time Join the Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) from May 26 through June 5, 2020 for their Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time! About The Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time will offer relevant workshops to help professionals continue to provide quality programming for youth during this troubling time. This conference is open to any youth practitioners who desire to increase their skills in working with youth in out-of-school time programs or in mentoring relationships. Available Workshops The Virtual Conference will include the following workshops: Afterschool Programming and Communication Pivot during COVID-19 Tuesday, 5/26, 10 – 11 a.m. Presenter: Adeshewa Metzger, Assemble The Power of Parent Engagement: Parents as Partners Tuesday, 5/26, 3 – 4:30 p.m. Presenter: Shannon Prentiss, The Neighborhood Academy Building Resiliency: From Brain Development to Practicing Self-Care in a Virtual World Wednesday, 5/27, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Presenters: Courtney Smalt, Ling Deng, and Autumn Detchon, Adagio Health Fostering Healthy Transitions Wednesday, 5/27, 3 – 4 p.m. Presenter: Sophia Duck, The Mentoring Partnership Engaging Kids Outside Friday, 5/29, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Presenters: Lo Zemanek and Kelly Sarkis, Venture Outdoors Yes, And’ing Youth Voice During COVID-19 Friday, 5/29, 1 – 2 p.m. Presenter: Lori Crawford, Improviding The Culturally Inclusive Check-In Monday, 6/1, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Presenters: Adeshea Metzger and Ja’Sonta Roberts, Assemble Staff Wellness and Role Modeling Wednesday, 6/3, 10 – 11:30 a.m. Presenters: Shrenik Gadagkar and Jenny Park, UPMC Children’s Hospital Techniques to Address Helper’s Trauma in OST Providers Friday, 6/5, 10 – 11:30 a.m. Presenter: Debralyn Woodberry-Shaw, ELIE Circle To register and learn more, utilize the links above or view the full conference agenda. More Information For questions or more information, please contact Jaron Paul at jaron.paul@unitedwayswpa.org.
April 28, 2020 APOST Requests Virtual Summer Conference Workshop Submissions The Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) will be hosting a Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time from Tuesday, May 26 through Friday, June 5, 2020. At this time, APOST is accepting workshop submissions from education leaders. Continue reading below to learn more. About The Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time will target youth workers in out-of-school time and summer settings. This includes frontline staff, program managers, executive directors, mentors, and more. In regard to workshop submissions, APOST is looking for depth of experience and expertise rather than breadth. With this, they strongly encourage workshops focused on the following themes: social-emotional learning; community trauma and trauma-informed care; health and wellness in out-of-school time; creating inclusive spaces in out-of-school time; engaging children and parents during COVID-19; how to speak to youth about COVID-19; and ways to successfully implement virtual programming. Workshop sizes will most likely not be capped as this event will be virtual, but facilitation preference will be left up to the presenters. Submit Your Proposal To learn more or submit a proposal, please complete APOST’s online form. All submissions must be received by Tuesday, May 5. Event hosts send out their final decision on Friday, May 8. More Information For questions or more information, contact APOST at 412.456.6876 or apost@uwac.org.
March 19, 2020 UnConference Postponed Due to COVID-19 Concerns Due to the presence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Allegheny County and many other Pennsylvania communities, Trying Together has decided to postpone the UnConference: Exceptional Care with a Team Approach to Inclusion, originally scheduled for March 28, 2020. About Trying Together has made this decision out of care for our community and partners, following the Allegheny County Department of Health’s lead and recommendation to postpone large group events. We are sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment this may cause. Like many of those who registered to attend, our organization was very excited about this UnConference topic, our great line-up of workshop presenters, and keynote speaker. We are actively working with our co-host, The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh, to reschedule this UnConference to a later date. Please know that this is a postponement, not a cancellation. Trying Together will provide further information in April when more concrete information is available. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility. Keep up the good handwashing! More Information For more information about COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For questions regarding this postponement, contact Trying Together at info@tryingtogether.org.
January 7, 2020 2020 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference Join the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on Friday, February 28 for their fourth annual Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference, “Resilient Youth: Strategies to Overcome Adversity,” at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott! About Resilient Youth: Strategies to Overcome Adversity is one of the only events in the region specializing in youth mental health. Participants from all over the country attend to learn about the newest research and best practices to assist and advance the mental health needs of young children, adolescents, and young adults. With this, the conference will explore how families and mental health professionals can work together to support young people dealing with mental health challenges using an evidence-based model built on strengthening relationships. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Act 48 credits are available. See the conference brochure. Registration Registration price varies depending on registrant type. Free parking, a continental breakfast, and lunch included. To register, visit the conference event page. More Information For questions, contact NAMI at 412.366.3788. Visit their website to learn more.
December 20, 2019 Insights & Innovations: Early Childhood Education Conference Early learning professionals are invited to join the Learning Lamp on March 14 for the Insights & Innovations Conference. The conference will feature insights on the latest ECE teaching and administration strategies and will offer 6 PQAS and Act 48 credits. Sessions Insights & Innovations will include a variety of session topics, including: Danielson Framework Training; Program-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PW-PBIS); Loving Spaces and Learning Spaces for Infants and Toddlers; Keys to Success: Recruiting, Onboarding, and Retaining Quality Staff; Everything You Need to Know about STARS; and more. Visit the conference Eventbrite page to view the full agenda, speaker list, and more. Registration To register, visit the conference Eventbrite page. Registration fees include light continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks. More Information For questions, contact Anne McGrath at 814.242.6079 or annefmcgrath@gmail.com. Share this flyer with your network.
December 12, 2019 NAFCC Calls for National Conference Workshop Proposals The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) is currently seeking workshop proposals for the 30th National Family Child Care Conference, taking place in Norfolk, Virginia July 15-18, 2020. NAFCC works to support and leverage a nationwide network of providers and partners in expanding and promoting the power of family child care. About Workshop proposals should focus on family child care providers and the many qualities that make family child care unique to early care and education. Attendees are looking for sessions that focus on practical solutions to increase their knowledge and effectiveness; to engage and challenge their thinking; and to nurture their purpose, creativity, and professional excellence. Presenters should focus their content for the various roles in family child care, such as: family child care providers; early Head Start community; child nutrition community; coaches, mentors, and trainers; family child care networks; and/or state agencies. Many conference attendees have a strong background in family child care and programs, so advanced level workshops are encouraged, as are Spanish speaking presentations. Submit Your Proposal If you’re interested in submitting a workshop proposal, visit the NAFCC website. Proposals must be submitted by January 15, 2020. Click here to learn more. *Information provided by the Pennsylvania Key
October 10, 2019 Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership Summit On December 3, staff from Trying Together’s Policy Team will be presenting at the 2019 Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership (GPNP) Summit. About Join the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership on December 3 for the 2019 GPNP Summit at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown Hotel. The Summit will be an intensive, collaborative enrichment opportunity to learn new skills and tactics for achieving measurable success based on strategy, partnership, data, and hard work. With this, a particular focus will be placed on addressing pressing social issues in southwestern Pennsylvania, including those that concern: education, economic stability, social and community context, neighborhood and the build environment, and health and health care. Onsite child care for children ages 2-12 years of age is available at no cost to the participant. However, pre-registration is required by November 15 as space is limited. Our Session At the event, Trying Together’s Director of Public Policy, Lissa Geiger Shulman, and PK-3 Public Policy Manager, Emily Neff, will be presenting their session, “Collaborating for Effective Early Childhood Advocacy.” Interested parties are invited to attend the session from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. on December 3, 2019. This session will explore: the history behind the formation of a coalition for early learning in Pennsylvania that represents both traditional and non-traditional stakeholders, advocacy successful of growing state funding in multiple line items through the launch of three coordinated campaigns, and challenges and opportunities presented by collaborating with partners in advocacy work. See the full agenda. Registration Regular registration closes on November 22, with varying fees dependant on registration type. Onsite registration will be available at an increased price. See the full pricing guide. To register, visit the event webpage. More Information For questions, contact Sue Gove at 412.431.5087 or sgove@gove.org. To learn more about the Summit, visit the event webpage.
September 5, 2019 Registration Open for UnConference: The Business of Child Care On Saturday, October 19, Trying Together will host UnConference: The Business Side of Child Care to explore the fundamentals of running a successful child care business. About Child care centers play a vital role in the success of families and their young children. For parents and caregivers, access to care is necessary to remain or renter the workforce, an effort often needed to ensure financial security. For children, access to care means access to a world of social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth opportunities. However, even with invaluable benefits, it can be expensive to establish, manage, and maintain a family, center-based, or relative child care facility. That’s why Trying Together is hosting UnConference: The Business of Child Care. From marketing and human resources to day-to-day accountability and business planning, this UnConference will dive deep into the business fundamentals of running a successful child care business. Participants will hear from Keynote Speaker Rona Nesbit, CFO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, participate in hands-on workshops, enjoy panel discussions with audience Q&A sessions, and more. The event will also feature presenters from Trying Together, PNC Financial Services, Shared Source PA, and more. Conference Details UnConference: The Business of Child Care Saturday, October 19, 2019 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Allegheny Intermediate Unit 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120 What’s Included By attending the UnConference, professionals will: enjoy a light breakfast and lunch, participate in hands-on, interactive workshops, network with professional colleagues, and be eligible to receive 5.5 PQAS/DHS credits and/or Act 28 hours. Registration Registrations to attend must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 11, 2019. For individuals or groups with less than six people, please register using the form below. For groups of more than six people, contact Yu-Ling at conference@tryingtogether.org to learn more about receiving a 10% discount. When workshops are finalized, participants will receive an email from Yu-Ling to select their preferred workshops. Due to limited space in each workshop, Trying Together recommends registering early as placement is dependent on the date of your registration. UnConference staff will do their best to match participants with their requested workshops, but placement is not guaranteed. More Information For more information, visit Trying Together’s UnConference webpage. Share this flyer with your network.
August 19, 2019 First Up Annual Conference Early childhood professionals are invited to join First Up on March 6, 2020 for their Annual Conference! About First Up’s Annual Conference will feature national and local experts presenting on a range of topics, including managing challenging behaviors, negotiating risky play, practicing mindfulness, and stress management for parents, children, and professionals! Come prepared to enjoy a full day of professional development, networking, and inspiration – all centered around building strong classroom curricula and engaging learning environments for young learners. Space is limited. Registration To register and for information on fees, please visit the First Up website. More Information For more information, including a complete workshop listing, visit the conference website. For questions, contact Rebecca Tyrrell at rebecca.tyrrell@firstup.org.
