June 10, 2024 DHS Renews Early Learning Resource Center’s Contract for Operation The state’s Department of Human Services has renewed its five-year contract with Allegheny County to operate the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC). Learn More The ELRC’s renewal comes with $39 million in funding over five years to staff and operate the center. ELRC 5 supports quality child care and administers the publicly-funded child care subsidy. During the first five years of the grant, DHS administered more than $200 million in child care subsidies. It also provided $120 million in stimulus funding to support Allegheny County’s child care provider network during the COVID-19 pandemic. ELRCs assist families in locating child care, determine eligibility for the child care subsidy, and provide other resource and referral services in the community. The centers also provide coaching and support to the child care provider network to improve and sustain high quality. Allegheny County was first awarded the contract for the ELRC Region 5 in 2018, which was the first time that the state opened it up for a bid. The county’s DHS partners with Trying Together and The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers to operate ELRC services. “Access to quality child care makes such an important impact on both the parent and the enrolled child,” said Becky Czekaj-Dengler, ELRC Region 5’s director. “During our first five years, we saw significant increases in both the percentage of eligible children living in low-income households taking advantage of the child care subsidy as well as the percentage of those same children attending the highest-quality child care settings. We appreciate the opportunity to build on that success.” Dalton added that DHS recognizes that a lack of affordable child care prevents parents and caregivers from finding and maintaining employment, accessing physical and behavioral health support, finding stable housing, and meeting basic needs. In response, DHS has increased access to crisis child care, hired resource navigators to connect families accessing child care to other resources in the county, and established a rapid response team to support child care providers and families with children at risk of being suspended or expelled from care. To learn more about Early Learning Resource Center 5, visit the center’s website.
June 3, 2024 Trying Together Kicks Off June Sustainer Campaign Trying Together is looking for 20 new donors to become recurring donors by the end of its fiscal year on June 30. Learn More Trying Together supports high-quality care and education for young children by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them. But advocating for quality child care isn’t something Trying Together can do alone. Trying Together needs your support so it can advocate, learn, and partner together to make sure caregivers and families have the resources they need to make the best decisions about their children’s early learning experiences. A recurring donation to Trying Together is a generous and easy way to sustain its mission. Monthly giving programs are cost-effective and eliminate the need for repeated solicitation efforts reducing costs for the organization. Automatic recurring donations can be set up by credit card or electronic funds transfer. To support high-quality care and education for young children in an ongoing way, there are four suggested monthly donation levels, including: Early Childhood Supporter ($5 per month, $60 annually) Early Childhood Sustainer ($10 per month, $120 annually) Early Childhood Advocate ($25 per month, $300 annually) Trying Together Champion ($83.33 per month, $1,000 annually) Recurring donors are asked to consider increasing their monthly gift amounts. However donors support Trying Together, they are making a difference. When supporters contribute to Trying Together, they help to create a future in which: All children have access to high-quality, early learning environments All families have the resources they need to support their children’s early learning experiences All caregivers feel valued Donate today and set-up recurring gifts on Trying Together’s website. For questions about donations, contact Kerry May, Assistant Director of Development, at 412-206-1053 or by email at kerry@tryingtogether.org.
May 20, 2024 Collaborating for Inclusive Classroom Practices in Early Childhood: Focus on Attitudes and Beliefs Trying Together will host a course that examines how our actions are shaped by our attitudes and beliefs – and how societal attitudes and beliefs have shaped service systems. Learn More Participants will have opportunities to explore the benefits of inclusion for all children and adults as well as reflect on how their individual attitudes and beliefs were developed. They will also explore how their beliefs and attitudes impact their practice, their colleagues, and the service system. Participants will identify strategies that teachers can use to create a sense of belonging for all children in the classroom, explore perceptions about disability, and reflect on how attitudes and beliefs impact early care and education practices. The course will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 27. The fee for the course is $10. It will be led by Shawna Preston and Jillian Miller. Registration is now open for this course. The maximum number of participants in the course is 30.
