August 14, 2019 A Tapestry by Design (Online) In this online professional development course, participants will discuss early education content and pedagogy, based upon an understanding of how young children grow and learn. Topics such as interculturalism, family engagement, inclusion, and the importance of play will be highlighted. Three PQAS and Act 48 hours will be awarded. Course Timeline This course will be available online from October 28 through November 15, 2019. More Information For more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org. Share this flyer with your network. Registration To participate in this course, complete the registration process below.
Working With Diverse Families: Supporting Dual Language Learners (Online) In this online course, participants will engage in an interactive professional development session to build and strengthen knowledge in working with diverse children ages birth to five and families. To support early childhood practitioners serving this population, this session will focus on current research strategies when teaching dual language learners, and techniques to engage families. Three PQAS and Act 48 hours will be awarded. Course Timeline This course will be available online from September 16 through October 4, 2019. More Information For more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org. Registration To participate in this course, complete the registration process below.
August 13, 2019 Come Play! Guided by the staff at Trying Together, Come Play! is an opportunity for group and family child care providers to bring their enrolled children for hands-on professional learning. Provider Benefits By participating, providers will receive: PQAS / Act 48 Hours Mentoring Program Resources Questions For more information or to ask questions, contact Mimi Loughead at 412.567.5163 or mimi@tryingtogether.org. Share this flyer with your networks.
August 9, 2019 From Scribbles to Writing | Online Webinar Art is the “first language” of the beginning reader and writer. Children usually draw or paint before they write. They use what might seem like just scribbles, lines and blobs to represent things. But isn’t that what writing is all about? About Both art and writing are a process of symbol making and can be a means of communication. Children’s pictures are words to them and represent an essential step on the road to literacy. In this edWebinar, participants will: Look at the ages and stages of writing from infants to kindergarten and explore the many ways to support children’s beginning writing and art skills; Explore the essential social and emotional aspects of art and writing expression while building an emotional vocabulary; Develop new ideas for process-based art activities for self-expression and storytelling; Use poetry and the work of modern artists to inspire children’s art and writing; Build positive and supportive strategies for talking to children about their art; and Define the current brain research that supports the importance of art as a tool for self-expression, language, and writing. This edWebinar will be of interest to pre-k and kindergarten teachers. Register To register for this webinar, visit the EdWeb event page.
August 8, 2019 Applications Open | Building Capacity for Coaching Initiative In collaboration with The Pennsylvania Key, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) recently announced the “Building Capacity for Coaching Initiative” in support of developing internal coaches in STAR 3 and STAR 4 facilities. About The purpose of this initiative is to leverage coaching supports from Penn State Better Kid Care (BKC) and other professional growth activities to develop internal coaches in STAR 3 and STAR 4 facilities. Selected applicants will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of early childhood practices and must have the approval of their administrator or director as this will require a time commitment. Family Child Care providers can apply if they are able to support other family child care providers in their coaching efforts and commit the time necessary to complete the program. Benefits Facilities will develop the internal capacity to offer coaching to other staff to ensure continuous quality improvement; receive exceptional professional development opportunities at no cost as well as access to the Learning Community; and gain valuable insight as OCDEL works to learn about needed coaching supports for ECE providers. Coaching & Staff coaches receive a one-time stipend of $2,500 and teachers receive supports and coaching on areas of practice that can strengthen or improve child experiences in their classroom. What Will Be Expected Facilities participating in this program must meet the following expectations: Facility identify a coach (lead teacher, director, assistant director, or another instructional leader); have two teachers, identified by the coach, complete four free modules; have coach-staff teams select one coaching guide as a framework for coaching; and complete additional recommended professional development supports as needed. Coach attend a one-day in-person coach training; complete two free BKC online modules; observe and then facilitate bi-weekly coaching sessions with selected teachers; complete a coaching log; participate in monthly learning community webinars; and participate in two touchpoints per month. Applications To apply for this program, visit their online form. All applications must be submitted by Friday, September 20, 2019. Learn More To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. Questions For more information or questions, contact Barbara Willier at barwil@pakeys.org.
July 29, 2019 New Services Available on Pennsylvania’s PD Registry In July, Pennsylvania’s PD Registry received new enhancements that will help support early childhood professionals. New Services Available Through the PD Registry website, early childhood professionals can now apply for or access: Rising STARS Tuition Assistance CDA Voucher Director Credential Early Childhood Education Career Pathway Early Childhood Career Pathway The Early Childhood Education Career Pathway is a tool to support the ECE profession in entering the field prepared for success while growing the existing professional’s capacity to advance in their intended field. This tool is now available on PD Registry. To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. Note The Career Lattice will still be used for Keystone STARS designation and Education and Retention Awards (ERA) until further notice. Additionally, early childhood educators that currently meet the expectation of particular career lattice level will be honored at that level by being grandfathered into the Career Pathway level that is equivalent if verified within the determined timeline. Many individuals have already uploaded transcripts before the new enhancements went live on July 1. You will still need to complete your profile to be placed on the career pathway. If transcripts were already uploaded, this step will not be needed again. To view tip sheets on completing the profile and uploading transcripts, please view them at the PA Keys website. More Information For more information on these enhancements, watch the recorded webinar, visit the FAQ document, and view tipsheets and more on the PD Registry. Questions? Call 1.800.284.6031 or email registry@pakeys.org. *Information provided by The Pennsylvania Key
July 26, 2019 Using Ages and Stages Questionnaires as a Screening Tool Are you interested in learning how to use Ages and Stages Questionaires®, including Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional®, as a screening tool for children ages three months to five years old? Join Trying Together for a three-hour professional growth session that provides information on how to administer, score, and share the results of the screener with families. The session will include resources for making referrals to additional services. This course will be instructed by Carlow University’s Coordinator of Undergraduate Education Programs, Pamela Zimmerman. More Information For questions and more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org. Share this flyer with your network. Registration To participate in this course, complete the registration process below.
July 25, 2019 Changes Made to Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program For Fiscal Year 2019-20, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s Rising STARS Tuition Assistance (RSTA) program has undergone several important changes. Administered by The Pennsylvania Key, RSTA helps cover a portion of tuition costs for early childhood professionals. Fiscal Year 2019-20 Changes The following changes have been implemented for FY 2019-20: “Grandfathered” applicants seeking an AA, BA, or PreK-4 Teacher Certification will continue to receive 95% of tuition costs with a maximum benefit of $6,000 per individual. These applicants will need to transition to T.E.A.C.H. or another financial aid resource by Fiscal Year 2020-2021. For new applicants for approved CDA or Credential Coursework, individuals will receive 95% of tuition costs and fees net of other funding sources for approved credential or CDA coursework up to eighteen (18) credits. Additionally, new applicants for approved CDA or Credential Coursework can submit a request form (including receipt) for reimbursement for books after purchase. More Information To learn more about the RSTA program, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. For questions, call 1.800.284.6031 or email pakeyvoucherprogram@pakeys.org. *Information provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning
July 23, 2019 East End CDA Credential Course: Registration Deadline Are you an early educator working with young children in a center, home, or school setting? Are you looking to advance your career? Join Trying Together for a nine-month Child Development Associate (CDA) course that will meet in a classroom setting and include online coursework, both supported by an instructor throughout. Course Timeline This course runs from September 6, 2019 through May 18, 2020. More Information For questions or more information, contact Theresa Hetler at 412.567.3329 or theresa@tryingtogether.org. Share this flyer with your network. Registration To participate in this course, complete the registration process below. Registration closes on August 21, 2019.
July 18, 2019 Eye Contact with Babies Increases Information Coupling A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes that shared eye contact increases information coupling between infant and adult brains. About Communication is a fundamental part of life, especially when considering the early learning and development of a newborn child. In conversation, we use different types of social signals, both verbal and non-verbal, to share meaning with others. These signals can include things such as mimicking facial expressions, vocal tone, and eye contact. However, a recent study concluded that eye contact in specific can be a powerful tool to increase information coupling between infants and adults. Information Coupling In the study, researchers state that “previous research indicates that when communication is successful, close temporal dependencies arise between adult speakers’ and listeners’ neural activity.” Through these dependencies, an individual that’s communicating with another person can have varying levels of influence on the other person’s neural activity. In short, this coupling acts as a form of “social connectedness,” where the actions, reactions, and expressions of a person impacts how another person’s brain responds. For adults interacting with young children, using social signals such as direct eye contact can bring the child and adult’s “brains into temporal alignment, creating a joint-networked state that is structured to facilitate information sharing during early communication and learning.” Temporal alignment between adults and infants is important, as it “plays a vital role in supporting early learning across multiple domains of language, cognition, and socioemotional development.” Infants spend a lot of time looking at the faces of others, interpreting the way their facial features move, where their eyes shift to, and how their voices sound. And as they rely on these social cues to interpret meaning in their daily life, direct gaze is thought to be one of the most important cues for individuals and infants to infer communicative intent. Babies prefer to look at the face people who are looking right at them, with direct gaze even reinforcing the social responses that babies produce and their ability to recognize face-related information. Conclusion In conclusion, adults working or living with infants should consider using direct eye contact frequently with their child. Whether an adult is playing with, reading with, bathing, or even singing a nursery rhyme to a child, shared eye contact can act to build strong communication and information sharing between the two. To learn more about the importance of speaker gaze, read the full report. Article Citation Leong, Victoria, et al. “Speaker Gaze Increases Information Coupling between Infant and Adult Brains.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 12 Dec. 2017, www.pnas.org/content/114/50/13290.
