May 12, 2020 Connections and Conversations: Virtual Check-Ins Connections and Conversations: Virtual Check-Ins are interactive sessions that highlight topics of interest to the field of early childhood education. Participants will engage in virtual discussions via Zoom with child development experts while interacting with early learning practitioners to share questions, experiences, and expertise about the highlighted topic. After registering, participants will receive a Zoom Meeting link via email from the session instructor. Each session will offer one hour of PQAS credit. Act 48 credit will not be offered for these sessions. Available Sessions Trauma and the Effects on Brain Development Wednesday, 6/17 | 3 – 4 p.m. | Instructor: Alison Babusci | Click here to register. The COVID-19 crisis has brought many new stressors into our lives. Participants will join Professional Growth and Advancement Strategist Alison Babusci to review how stress affects healthy brain development in children, learn about the brain’s response to stress, and talk about how early learning professionals can help our young children to cope. 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 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
May 7, 2020 Transform for Tomorrow – Virtual Series for School Leaders Are you a superintendent or school leader who is interested in learning how schools might prepare for a post-COVID-19 educational environment? Attend “Transform for Tomorrow,” a virtual series for school leaders that explores how educational organizations can make plans for what comes next, no matter what tomorrow may bring. About As abruptly as COVID-19 has struck, educational leaders had no prior training on managing after this dramatic change. The purpose of the Transform for Tomorrow virtual series is to share and learn from one another during this unprecedented time and examine 11 topics that can help in managing this major paradigm shift in education. To view session topics, view the series flyer. Participants must attend all sessions. To register, visit the event webpage. Sessions will continue from May through June, and will prepare participants for the still evolving environmental changes of the 2020 shift into 2021 school years. Come learn with us and share your experience. More Information For more information, contact Dr. Bart Rocco at rocco187@comcast.net or Dr. Billie Rondinelli at billejeanrondinelli@gmail.com. This virtual series is presented to you in Collaboration with Remake Learning, The Grable Foundation, and The Allegheny Intermediate Unit. Share this flyer with your network.
Preparation for Reopening SAC During COVID-19 Certified School Age Care (SAC) providers are invited to join the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) on May 7 for an online conversation with OCDEL Deputy Secretary, Tracy Campanini, to hear important information about preparing for reopening during COVID-19. Registration To join the conversation, visit this Zoom link and insert the password: 022124. Individuals can also join via phone by calling 312.626.6799 and inserting the Meeting ID: 957 4116 2918. Pre-registration is not required. Share this flyer with your network.
Keeping Our Children Well During COVID-19 Join former American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) president, Colleen Kraft, MD, FAAP, for a discussion on how early care and education (ECE) providers can support families’ medical care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. About ECE programs can support families’ access to needed medical care. The AAP recommends children under 24 months maintain their Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) immunization schedule to prevent the breakout of communicable diseases. Many pediatricians are conducting well-child visits through telehealth appointments. However, families may be struggling to access these services. To learn how ECE providers can support families’ medical care during the pandemic, register to attend this webinar. Registration To register, visit the event webpage. The registration link can be used for both the live event and on-demand viewing. The recording will be available to watch on-demand starting 30 minutes after the live event ends, until May 31, 2020. Because access to the live event is limited and the session may be full, event hosts recommend watching the webinar on-demand. A version with English closed captions will also be posted on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) in the future.
May 5, 2020 Promotion, Prevention, and Intervention Services for Children Join the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) on May 13 for their webinar “Promotion, Prevention, and Intervention Services for Children” to better understand how to support children, families, and staff as they seek to support young children during the COVID-19 pandemic. About Join Brandy Fox, Director of Cross-Sector IECMH Initiatives for the Pennsylvania Key, for a conversation about early childhood services grounded in a promotion, prevention, and intervention framework. Learn about the general landscape of early childhood services and “where” they fall on this continuum. Identify simple steps that may help families navigate these services to best meet the needs of their children. Registration To register, visit the event webpage.
Managing Mental Health During COVID-19 Join HiMama on May 7 for their HiMama Helps webinar, “Managing Mental Health During COVID-19.” About This online session will cover the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on well-being, as well as practical strategies to manage mental health. Presenters will discuss the following: the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, why and how to prioritize well-being during this time, practical exercises to do when feeling overwhelmed, and additional tips through a creative Q&A session. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
Caring for Children in Group Settings During COVID-19 Do you have questions on how to keep children and staff healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic? Join the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness (NCECHW) on May 6 for their webinar, “Caring for Children in Group Settings During COVID-19: A Follow-up Conversation.” About Early childhood education (ECE) programs have many questions about how to keep children and staff healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance for open programs is now available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. This question-and-answer chat is a follow-up to the webcast Caring for Children in Group Settings During COVID-19 to add guidance from pediatric infectious disease expert, Michele Cheung MD, FAAP. Registration To register, visit the event webpage. The registration link can be used for both the live event and on-demand viewing. The recording will be available to watch on-demand starting 30 minutes after the live event ends, until May 31, 2020. Because access to the live event is limited and the session may be full, the hosts recommend watching the webinar on-demand. A version with English closed captions will also be posted on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) website in the future. *Information provided by NCECHW
May 4, 2020 Talking to and Supporting Children and Ourselves During the Pandemic On May 7, David J Schonfeld, MD, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and Director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, will provide a webinar on talking to and supporting children and ourselves during the pandemic for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). About During the webinar, Schonfeld will provide suggestions for early childhood educators on how to talk with young children about the recent pandemic to promote their understanding and adjustment, as well as practical advice that can be shared with families on how to support their children’s adjustment and how they can serve as effective models of coping techniques. Adults are impacted at least as much as children, so a focus of the presentation will address professional self-care. Free resources available from the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement and the Coalition to Support Grieving Students will be highlighted. Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance for viewing this webinar. Registration To register, please visit the event webpage. For more webinar options, visit the Trying Together Events page. *Information provided by NAEYC
April 30, 2020 Mayor Peduto Calls for Online SNAP Purchasing Options On April 28, Mayor William Peduto issued a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in support of efforts to expand affordable SNAP purchasing options — including food delivery and online ordering — for vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. About Mayor Peduto’s letter follows calls by U.S. Senator Bob Casey and others to expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides eligible low-income residents with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) debit card to purchase food. Currently, SNAP recipients cannot make any food purchases online. While other consumers can use online ordering and delivering to protect themselves and others from spreading the virus, these options are not available to low-income residents and families who are forced to make their purchases in person, increasing their likelihood of contracting COVID-19. Senator Casey has been calling on the USDA to expand SNAP delivery options since March when stay-at-home guidelines were put into effect in Pennsylvania and across the United States of America. The Food Policy Council wants the USDA to allow SNAP recipients to purchase food for delivery and to allow other safe food purchasing options, such as allowing users to use their EBT cards for Instacart or online farmers market services. What is SNAP? The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of low-income families so they can purchase healthy food. Eligible applicants receive an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) ACCESS Card to make food purchases. To check your eligibility or apply, please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services website. For questions about SNAP, call the Department of Human Services helpline at 1.800.692.7462 or your county assistance office. For individuals with hearing impairments, please call 1.800.451.5886. More on SNAP Purchasing Options To learn more, view the full press release or a copy of the letter to Secretary Perdue. *Information provided by the City of Pittsburgh
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.
