December 17, 2020 DAP Series Parts II and III Now Available Trying Together is excited to announce Parts II and III of the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Series. Through these Parts, information and resources on Childhood Physical Health and Child Care were added to the Series. About As an early childhood nonprofit, Trying Together recognizes that a child’s parent is their first and most important caregiver. That’s why we created the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Series to assist parents and caregivers in creating high-quality learning experiences at the earliest stages of their child’s life. The series features digital and print content that provides information on critical early childhood topics. As of December 17, 2020, three Parts have been published, including: Part I: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Part II: Childhood Physical Health, and Part III: Child Care. Resources will continue to be added through 2022 as additional Parts are finalized. Featured Resources The Series features many helpful resources for families. To help you get started, Trying Together compiled a short list of featured resources for each Part. Part I: Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Developmentally Appropriate Practice: A Guide for Parents Developmentally Appropriate Practice: A Guide for Caregivers of Infants and Toddlers Creating Play Rich Environments: Incorporating DAP at Home Play and Physical Activity Guide for Educators & Families Part II: Childhood Physical Health Supporting Childhood Physical Health: A Guide for Families Using Play to Support Children’s Physical Health Exercise Together with Darnell Campbell Childhood Physical Health: Resources Part III: Child Care How to Find, Choose, and Pay for High-Quality Child Care Child Care and Education Planning Tools Questions to Ask Early Learning Professionals Questions for Your Early Learning Provider During COVID-19 Navigating the Series The Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series features a search bar and filtering options to connect parents and caregivers to content that is relevant to them. Caregivers can filter available content by Topic, Age Group, Relationship to Child, Resource Type, and Geographic Location. To test it out, visit the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series page. More Information To learn more and access the full list of resources, visit the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series webpage.
August 4, 2020 Magda Gerber’s Philosophy of Care for Infants & Toddlers Are you interested in learning how to create a safe, challenging, predictable environment for young children in your care? Join Trying Together on August 19 for our interactive session, “Magda Gerber’s Philosophy of Care for Infants & Toddlers.” About 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. In this session, participants will explore the core principles of Magda Gerber’s RIE philosophical approach to educaring for infants and toddlers in the early childhood setting. The basis of the RIE approach is respecting and trusting the individual child’s authentic self. Participants will have an opportunity to engage in conversations around developmentally appropriate practice for infants and toddlers while reflecting on how to best create a safe, challenging, predictable environment for all children. Participants will receive the course Zoom link via email within 24 hours before the start date for the course. For questions, contact Rosie Hogan at rosie@tryingtogether.org. Session Details Session Date: Wednesday, August 19 | 6 – 7 p.m Instructor: Katie Gullone CKC: K1.7 C2 Registrations must be submitted by Monday, August 17. Space is limited. Sessions will be offered biweekly and will offer one hour of PQAS credit. Act 48 credit will not be offered. Learning Objectives Reflect on the RIE principles and philosophical approach when caring for infants and toddlers. Discuss and analyze strategies that best support developmentally appropriate practice for infants and toddlers in the early childhood classroom setting. Registration To register for this session, complete our online registration form. 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 Rosie Hogan at rosie@tryingtogether.org.
June 17, 2020 Pittsburgh Families Invited to Receive Free Children’s Books Since the City of Pittsburgh’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launch in February 2019, the program has grown to include over 3,200 local children and recently sent its 30,000th book. Thanks to funding received from the Hillman Family Foundation and McCauley Ministries, the program will continue to sustain and grow services in Pittsburgh. About the Program The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a free program for any child who lives in the City of Pittsburgh age zero to five to receive one book a month in the mail until their fifth birthday. When they turn five, they will have their own library of up to 60 books. The City of Pittsburgh’s program is affiliated with the national initiative started by music legend Dolly Parton. Participating children will begin receiving books through the U.S. Postal Services approximately eight weeks after the registration form has been received. Eligibility To be eligible for the program, preschoolers must: be a resident of the City of Pittsburgh, have a parent or guardian fill out an official registration form, and notify the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania of any address changes. Registration To sign up for this program, register your child(ren) online via the Imagination Library website! Interested in mailing in or submitting your registration in person? See their webpage for more details. More Information For any questions, please contact Tiffini Simoneaux at tiffini.simoneaux@pittsburghpa.gov or 412.255.2505. To view the booklist, visit the Imagination Library website.
April 27, 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. Course Information Timeline: May 1 – 22, 2020 Trainers: Rachelle Duffy and Jasmine Davis CKC: K2.14.C1 Keystone STARS Alignment: EC.3.4.1 CDA Subject Area: Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development. 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 April 29 at 5 p.m. Limited spaces are available. More Information For more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org. Share this flyer with your network.
January 3, 2020 Supporting Young Children’s Brain Development Through Music Early childhood professionals are invited to attend “Supporting Young Children’s Brain Development Through Music” to gain knowledge on how to intentionally use music in their day-to-day work with children to support development. About This webinar will discuss the ways in which music participation in early childhood naturally supports the brain development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Developmentally appropriate music activities can be an enjoyable and easy way for educators to support the development of important structural changes, neurological processes, and cognitive skills during this very active time of development. Attendees will learn about recent research, gain a deeper understanding of music’s impact on the developing brain, and gain musical tools and interaction ideas that support young children’s development. This webinar is suited for pre-k through elementary grade level teachers. Time for questions will be provided. Registration To register for this webinar, visit the event webpage. *Information provided by edWeb.net
Setting the Stage for Early Literacy “Setting the Stage for Early Literacy” is chock full of fun, just-right activities that build oral language and early reading and writing skills. Amy Mascott and Allison McDonald break down the hows and whys of early literacy into bite-size pieces to help busy teachers support their youngest learners’ individual development without pushing them too hard. Participants will leave with ideas for creating a literacy-rich environment; literacy activities for whole-class, small-group, and independent learning; strategies for building an effective home-school connection; and much more. This webinar is suitable for child care, pre-k, and kindergarten teachers. Time for questions will be provided. Registration To register for this webinar, visit the event webpage. *Information provided by edWeb.net
December 9, 2019 Project WET: Getting Little Feet WET Project WET: Getting Little Feet WET is a workshop that provides early childhood educators with developmentally appropriate water-based curriculum and activities for their early childhood classrooms. This Project WET course is led by an approved professional development instructor and offers Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) hours. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to: Properly utilize the Project WET educator guide as a curriculum reference; Participate in four Project WET activities that can be utilized in an early childhood classroom; and Walk away with at least 10 new ways to incorporate water into the early childhood classroom. Register For Project WET: Getting Little Feet WET To register and learn more, visit the Pennsylvania PD Registry website. A C2 level course, this Project WET workshop offers the following PQAS hours: Principles of Child Growth & Development (1 Hour) Social & Emotional Development (5 Hours) Child Growth and Development (1 Hour) Curriculum and Learning Experiences (5 Hours) PD Registry Event ID: 306839 More Information Please visit the Allegheny Land Trust website to schedule this workshop for your center or location and obtain pricing. Email Julie Travaglini at 412.741.2750 or jtravaglini@alleghenylandtrust.org for more information. For more events like this, click here. *Information provided by The Pennsylvania Key
Project WET: Getting Little Feet WET This Project WET workshop will provide early childhood educators with developmentally appropriate water-based curriculum and activities for their early childhood classrooms. PQAS hours offered. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to: properly utilize the Project WET: Getting Little Feet WET educator guide as a curriculum reference; participate in four Project WET activities that can be utilized in an early childhood classroom; and walk away with at least 10 new ways to incorporate water into the early childhood classroom. Registration To register and learn more, visit the Pennsylvania PD Registry website. PD Registry Event ID: 306820 More Information Please visit the Allegheny Land Trust website to schedule this workshop for your center or location and for pricing. Email Julie Travaglini at 412.741.2750 or jtravaglini@alleghenylandtrust.org for more information. *Information provided by The Pennsylvania Key
Project WET: Getting Little Feet WET This Project WET workshop will provide early childhood educators with developmentally appropriate water-based curriculum and activities for their early childhood classrooms. PQAS hours offered. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to: properly utilize the Project WET: Getting Little Feet WET educator guide as a curriculum reference; participate in four Project WET activities that can be utilized in an early childhood classroom; and walk away with at least 10 new ways to incorporate water into the early childhood classroom. Registration To register and learn more, visit the Pennsylvania PD Registry website. PD Registry Event ID: 306821 More Information Please visit the Allegheny Land Trust website to schedule this workshop for your center or location and for pricing. Email Julie Travaglini at 412.741.2750 or jtravaglini@alleghenylandtrust.org for more information. For more courses like this, please click here. *Information provided by The Pennsylvania Key
September 9, 2019 Rise Together Need a family fun Friday night? Join families at The Homewood Early Learning Hub and Family Center for a night of fun-filled games and activities. Parents and caregivers can explore ways to interact with their children to promote growth through play. Rise Together takes place on the Fourth Friday of each month from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center (7219 Kelly Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208). Learn More For more information, contact Nicole Banner at 412.540.5970 or nicole@tryingtogether.org. Share this flyer with your networks.
