News

July 2, 2020

ZERO TO THREE Annual Conference

Are you interested in learning about the latest early childhood research and connecting with thousands of fellow educators from around the world? Join ZERO TO THREE from October 5-9 for their Virtual Annual Conference!

About

This year’s virtual conference will give participants the added flexibility to be connected safely to thousands of colleagues from around the world; be inspired through an immersive experience into the latest research and education; and be prepared to move their practice forward in our changing and challenging world.

The conference package includes five days of exceptional programming and 30 days of exclusive, on-demand access to recorded sessions. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are included. Pre-Conference Forums will be available as well from September 22 to October 1 for an additional fee. Each Forum package includes a single two-day Forum event and 30-day access to the recorded session. CEUs are included.

Featured Sessions

The conference features many presentations and breakout sessions, including, but not limited to the following:

    • Bringing Self-Compassion and Care Home: Learning by Nurturing
    • Supporting Healthy Development Through Meaningful Relationships With Mother Nature, a Growing Global Movement
    • Operation HealthySteps: Promoting Safe Childcare Practices Across a Large Medical System
    • Where Trauma and Grief Collide: CPP With Child Traumatic Grief
    • How to Incorporate Mindfulness Techniques Into Family-Based Practices With Infants and Toddlers
    • Interrogating Whiteness in Early Intervention
    • Equity and Inclusion in Family Engagement Programs

See the full schedule.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. Member and group discounts are available. If you require any assistance with your registration, contact the Customer Support team at 855.868.1192

News

July 1, 2020

PACCA Zoom Series: Racial Equity in Early Learning

Are you interested in learning how to embed racial equity into your early learning program? Join the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) on Fridays from July 10 – 24 for their Zoom Series, “Racial Equity in Early Learning.”

About

This three-part professional development series is designed to help early learning and school-age programs embed racial equity from recruiting, hiring, and on-going training offerings for staff to interactions with children of color. After defining key racial justice terminology such as implicit bias, cultural competency, race, racism, antiracist ally, etc., participants are encouraged to identify concrete ways to embrace racial equity personally and professionally.

These Zoom meetings will be informative and interactive, and will provide participants with real resources and supports for classroom situations. Individuals who participate in all three meetings will receive 4.5 hours of PQAS credits and/or 4.5 Act 48 hours.

Cost

    • PACCA Members: $20 for all three meetings
    • Non-Members: $45 for all three meetings

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.

Zoom links will be sent in a confirmation email when your registration is received. If you do not receive confirmation, please check your Junk inbox or contact maureen.murphy@pacca.org.

News

May 14, 2020

Virtual UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’

News

Virtual UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’

Join Trying Together on May 26 for our first virtual UnConference as we dive into topics that are relevant to child care centers as they begin to re-open to a ‘new normal’ due to the effects of COVID-19. A recording of this event will be available for those who are unable to attend.

UnConference Details

We are facing a “new normal” in our field that has never been envisioned before. COVID-19 has taken our state, our country, and our world on a tumultuous journey, invoking fear, anxiety, reflection, and change-making at unprecedented levels. As an early childhood educator, you are most likely thinking about how to continue supporting children and families while maintaining high-quality programming, business operations, and personal health for both you and your colleagues.

This free three-hour online UnConference will help you virtually connect with other educators while gaining information about the steps you can take to prepare for and respond to the effects of COVID-19 on early childhood programming. Three PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

About

UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’ will be hosted via Zoom. It begins with a “rapid-fire” keynote by four speakers, featuring Michelle Figlar of The Heinz Endowments, LaTrenda Leonard Sherrill of LaTrenda Consulting (and Board Member of Trying Together), Muffy Mendoza of Brown Mamas, and mental health expert Diana Schwab.

The keynote is followed by two workshops. Participants can choose from the following:

    • Coping with COVID – HR Thoughts and Tips for Child Care Centers,
    • Building Community and Connection with Digital Technologies,
    • How to Stay Healthy and Provide Safe Child Care During COVID-19, and
    • Everyday Interactions Matter: Noticing the Simple and Ordinary

Course Objectives

Through successful participation and completion of the UnConference, participants will:

    • become familiar with regional, state, and national resources to support child care programs in response to COVID-19;
    • gain appropriate strategies recommended for caring for young children and families in response to COVID-19, including health and safety practices and innovative ECE practices (social-emotional learning);
    • discuss appropriate strategies for supporting the early education workforce in response to COVID-19; and
    • learn how to create authentic connections with families and community members using digital tools.

Schedule

Each session will have its own Zoom link which will be provided to you upon registration. Upon completion of the UnConference, three hours of accredited professional development will be given.

1:00 – 1:30 p.m.: “Rapid Fire” Keynote featuring Michelle Figlar, LaTrenda Leonard Sherrill, Muffy Mendoza, and Diana Schwab

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.: Workshop #1 (choose between two options)

3:15 – 4:30 p.m.: Workshop #2 (choose between two options)

Available Workshops

There are four workshops provided for this UnConference. Two options are available between 1:45 – 3:00 p.m. and two other options are available between 3:15 – 4:30 p.m. View the list of workshops for the Virtual UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’.

Registration

This virtual UnConference is free. Participants must pre-register for the UnConference by 3 p.m. on Monday, May 25 in order to receive links to each session via email. Visit the event page to register and learn more.

How to Virtually Attend

The sessions will be hosted using the web-based video conferencing platform Zoom. Please download Zoom prior to the UnConference to your device of choice. We will send you a Zoom link for the keynote as well as a Zoom link for each workshop based on what you select. A recording of this event will be available for those who are unable to attend.

How to Receive Credit

Three PQAS and Act 48 hours will be available. Participants must attend the UnConference and complete the survey at the end of each session (keynote and two workshops) in order to receive credit. Once completed, Jasmine Davis, Professional Learning Program Manager at Trying Together, will process your credit. If you have questions specific to receiving credit for coursework, please email Jasmine at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.

More Information

For questions, please contact UnConference Director, Yu-Ling Cheng, at conference@tryingtogether.org.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

January 15, 2020

Documenting Learning Through Photography

Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on March 7 for their professional development session, “Documenting Learning Through Photography.”

About

Cameras are ubiquitous these days, but how can educators best use them in the classroom? In this workshop, educators will consider how they might use photography to enhance, expand, and document learning for both themselves and their students. Participants will learn about free simple apps for photo editing and how to use visual artifacts in student assessment. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mobile device, however, iPads will be made available for use during the class.

This course is designed for K-12 educators. Act 48 and PQAS hours available.

Registration

To register, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website.

More Information

For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, contact Customer Service at 412.456.6666. To learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

Joyful Transitioning for Toddlers with Music and Movement

Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on February 8 for their professional development session, “Joyful Transitioning for Toddlers with Music and Movement.”

About

Transitioning into a classroom for the first time can be a big challenge for young toddlers. Ease the transition and even make it joyful by using music and movement! In this workshop, participants will experience a variety of soothing songs and rhythmic movements that can be incorporated into their daily practice to support children’s social-emotional development. PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

Registration

To register, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website.

More Information

For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, contact Customer Service at 412.456.6666. To learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

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.