January 27, 2026 Blog Lists 100 Employee Engagement Ideas for Child Care Programs A new Brightwheel blog post contends that when a child care program’s staff feels connected, motivated, and valued, it directly reflects the care and learning experiences that the program offers. Learn More In the post, Brightwheel put together a list of 100 employee engagement ideas for child care programs that can increase staff satisfaction, productivity, and the overall performance of programs or preschools. The 100 suggestions are broken down into a variety of categories, including career development, appreciation and recognition, team building, and others. The post notes that it is not enough that employees show up and do their jobs if program directors want to provide the best possible care for children. Employees must also be engaged and highly-motivated. Employee engagement, the article contends, improves the quality of care at a program, boosts employee retention and reduces turnover, and helps to achieve business goals. Below are several of the ideas listed under each category. Invest in staff’s career development Have regular 1:1 check-ins so staff can share highlights, challenges, and areas where they need more training or support. Encourage staff members to self-reflect on their own career goals throughout the year. Offer tuition assistance or reimbursement for staff furthering their education in early childhood. Show appreciation and recognition regularly Plan staff outings and offsite events. Practice active listening and implement an open-door policy. Work with staff members’ individual needs to offer flexible scheduling if possible. Provide team-building opportunities Start every staff meeting with a fun icebreaker that helps staff get to know each other better. Play fun games on your next training day. Celebrate special holidays, milestones, and birthdays as a team. Support your staff’s well-being and mental health Model healthy behavior in the workplace and remember to take care of yourself. Implement Teacher Wellness Days so staff can have time to recharge. Post a list of community mental health resources in your staff break room. Engage veteran staff members Ask veteran staff members to mentor newly-hired staff members. Have them lead discussions during professional development meetings. Celebrate veteran staff members’ career milestones. To read all 100 employee engagement ideas for early childhood education staff, visit Brightwheel’s blog post.
December 22, 2025 Communication is Key to Building Strong Relationships Between ECE Professionals and Caregivers Having a good relationship with caregivers is essential to an early childhood educator’s ability to guide a child’s development and success. A recent article by Brightwheel says that communication is the key to building strong relationships at preschools or child care centers. Learn More For many caregivers, Brightwheel writes, their child’s entry into preschool or a child care center will be the first time that they’ve trusted their child with someone other than family or friends. Therefore, it is important for early childhood education professionals to understand how to inform families about a program’s goals, their child’s progress, and daily activities. Effective communication is the means through which educators can build trust and create good relationships with caregivers. And establishing a respectful relationship is an essential component. To develop a respectful relationship, early childhood educators should gather the following information: Religious and cultural background, values, and beliefs Family dynamics and home arrangements Preferred languages Disabilities or health issues or concerns Learning styles Understanding communication preferences is also important. This can include knowing which days and times are best to reach caregivers and whether they prefer to communicate over the phone, through email, or in person. Educators should also communicate to caregivers the same information about themselves. Other effective means of communicating with caregivers include: Monthly newsletters that cover school-wide announcements, updates, or events Apps that help educators remain in touch with caregivers as well as track daily events and activities Social media pages that give caregivers a glimpse into daily activities Blogs that keep families up-to-date on current events in early childhood education For more information – including such topics as how to have difficult discussions and active listening – read Brightwheel’s article.
December 8, 2025 OCDEL Creates Internal Evaluation Process for ECE Professionals with Foreign Degrees Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and The Pennsylvania Key have developed an initiative to support early childhood education professionals who obtained education outside of the United States by creating an internal process for foreign degree evaluations. Learn More The new resource will help to reduce administrative and financial burdens to early childhood education professionals and limit out-of-pocket expenses. As of December 1, foreign degree evaluations for individuals applying for placement on OCDEL’s career pathway will occur seamlessly through services provided by education credential evaluators. As part of the initiative, each applicant will receive support during the evaluation process with evaluators and have their documents linked in their Pennsylvania PD Registry account. This will allow applicants and other support teams to obtain evaluated educational documents as needed. The service is available at no cost for the duration of the current fiscal year. After this fiscal year, the service will be available at a substantial discount. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences with OCDEL to help inform future implementation and improvements. For applicants seeking reimbursement for previously evaluated documents, the foreign degree voucher program will continue reimbursements through December 31, after which all ECE Career Pathway applicants will be encouraged to seek evaluations through the new process. More information can be found on the Pennsylvania Key’s internal education evaluation webpage.
November 21, 2025 Providers Charging Private Pay Rates Urged to Complete Market Rate Survey by Dec. 8 The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is reminding licensed child care providers who charge private pay tuition rates to complete the annual Market Rate Survey by Monday, December 8. Learn More OCDEL is required to collect up-to-date information from all licensed providers every three years. The 2025 Child Care Market Rate Survey helps OCDEL to set child care subsidy payment rates that are reflective of the private pay market. Even programs that don’t accept subsidies should fill out the survey. When all providers complete the survey, the date gives a more accurate picture of child care tuition rates in Pennsylvania. Filling out the survey helps to set payment rates for child care subsidies over the next four years and supports policies that better reflect the real structure and value of child care services statewide. When more providers respond, rates are fairer and reflect real tuition rates. It also strengthens the case for public investment in child care for everyone. The survey is being conducted by the Institute of State and Regional Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg in partnership with OCDEL and The Pennsylvania Key. The survey should be filled out no later than December 8. Below, watch a video in which Shante Brown, deputy secretary at OCDEL, calls on providers to take part in the survey.
November 18, 2025 OCDEL Announces Scholarships for Infant Mental Health Professional Development Course Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) will again offer the opportunity for early childhood education professionals in the state to participate in the University of Pittsburgh’s Infant Mental Health professional development certificate for free. Learn More OCDEL will enable licensed child care providers, Head Start/Early Head Start and PA Pre-K Counts programs to take part in the certificate with no-cost scholarships to professionals serving children and families in prenatal, infant, toddler, and preschool programs. Traditionally, the certificate has been provided to infant/toddler early intervention, OCDEL-funded home visitors, Infant Early Childhood Mental Health, and Rapid Response team members. The extension of the course to providers is a result of ongoing discussions and evaluation of requests for professional development from the field. In an announcement, OCDEL said it recognized the challenges faced by state providers in supporting the mental health and well-being of children and families in their early years. The organization believes that the early childhood system is most effective when collaborative work is relationship-based, culturally sensitive, grounded in an understanding of developmental theory, research, and supported by reflective practice. The extension of the course to providers aims to continue building the capacity of early learning professionals to partner with others and better support families in Pennsylvania. Those interested in taking the course should apply for sponsorship through The Pennsylvania Key. The application for the 2026 Infant Mental Health (IMH) Certificate and Learning Circle Scholarship will be open through Tuesday, November 25. Criteria and Other Considerations Criteria for applicants includes: Demonstrate, at minimum, one year of experience working with young children and their families. Have the ability to complete the IMH Foundations course within the timeframe of January through December 2026. Participate in virtual Learning Circles; applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the Introduction to IMH Course Webinar on January 21 and attend a minimum of two additional Learning Circles, which occur monthly for 1.5 hours at two different times with a cohort of fellow professionals to discuss course content. During the candidate approval and evaluation process, these other considerations will be taken into account: Provider type and area of service Number of children served by the provider Number of children with IFSPs and IEPs served by the provider Number of children who are dual-language learners served by the provider The applicant’s experience, education, and role The applicant’s ability to provide services in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner Supervisor approval and support for completion of the course For more information, visit The Pennsylvania Key’s website.
November 11, 2025 ECE Professionals Must Submit T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Application for Spring by Nov. 14 Early childhood education professionals interested in attending college for the upcoming spring semester should apply for the TEACH scholarship by the November deadline. Learn More Applications for the TEACH Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship must be completed and submitted with all required documentation and information by Friday, November 14 to be considered for the spring semester. For more information on eligibility or to download an application, visit the PACCA website. For questions, contact a TEACH counselor at teachinfo@pacca.org. About TEACH The TEACH (Teacher Education And Compensation Helps) Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship Program offers early learning professionals a debt-free higher education, supporting them while they work to become stronger teachers and earn thriving wages. By building a more educated and fairly compensated workforce, TEACH raises the quality of care and education that Pennsylvania’s youngest children receive, setting them on a path to future learning and success.
October 28, 2025 Trying Together Exec Director Touts Importance of Early Childhood Education at Business Solves Conference Trying Together’s executive director discussed the importance of early childhood education during the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Business Solves conference on October 28. Learn More Cara Ciminillo, Trying Together’s executive director, joined Mark Bezilla, vice president and manager of corporate volunteerism at PNC Bank, and Brittany Scott, senior manager of policy and childhood education at the chamber, to discuss Trying Together’s partnership with the bank. During the partnership spotlight – titled Creating Systems-Level Change for Children – both Ciminillo and Bezilla discussed why early childhood education is critical to the workforce. “We see child care as a structure just as a bridge is to a city,” Ciminillo said. “In Pennsylvania, more than 75 chambers of commerce have endorsed child care as a top priority.” Ciminillo cited a study in Washington County that found that a shortage of more than 1,500 child care slots resulted in $5 million in lost productivity for the county’s workforce. She added that early childhood education is an “infrastructure for the economy” because it allows parents to remain in the workforce. Ciminillo and Bezillo discussed how Trying Together and PNC Bank have partnered on various initiatives, from financial management courses to helping to build early childhood education kits at Trying Together’s office. She also talked about the areas in which Trying Together works in the early childhood education field. “Our work spans two areas – direct support to the caregiving community and the developmental needs of children and family through professional development, coaching, behavioral health consultation, and child care navigation tools, and advocacy and system change by partnering with philanthropy, government and the business community to help bring about long-term policy solutions,” she said. “Child care is the workforce behind the workforce. It’s what helps us have a thriving economy.” To listen to the entire discussion, watch the 2025 Business Solves Conference Day 1.
October 17, 2025 Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA Surveys Find Devastating Impacts from Budget Impasse Recent surveys conducted by the Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA campaigns and the Pennsylvania Office of Childhood Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) of early childhood providers found widespread, devastating impacts resulting from the state’s budget impasse. Learn More The surveys found that 95 Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program providers in 32 counties have collectively taken on nearly $20 million in loans to continue serving working families while state funding has been frozen. Many of the loans were business lines of credit taken out at an average interest rate of 7.5%, while others have been personal loans with higher interest rates. Many providers indicated that loans will only sustain operations for a short period of time and the accumulated interest liability may have severe consequences for future operations. “This survey represents just a small portion of early learning providers, but it is clear that the continued state budget impasse is further destabilizing a sector that was already in the midst of a crisis with financial and staffing challenges,” said Kara McFalls, executive director of the Pennsylvania Head Start Association. “Early learning providers cannot withstand additional insecurity.” While numerous providers have taken on debt to keep classrooms open, others have been forced to take more dramatic measures, such as layoffs and closing classrooms completely. Through outreach across 21 grantees operating Pre-K Counts or Head Start programs in 16 state counties, OCDEL documented closures, planned closures, or delayed openings of classrooms that affect more than 4,000 slots in Pennsylvania. As a result, working families across the state are struggling to arrange and pay for alternate care for their children during working hours. Both Pre-K Counts and Head Start are free programs for qualifying families. “Shutting our youngest learners out of classrooms will certainly have negative impacts on school readiness for this cohort of three- and four-year-olds in years to come,” said Robert S. Carl, Jr., president of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce. “It’s time to compromise and pass a budget that invests in the early learning workforce.” Previous surveys have documented thousands of unfilled early learning teaching positions due to low pay. Providers fear that closures and layoffs resulting from the state budget impasse will exacerbate these staffing challenges and further destabilize programs. Polling from March 2025 shows that Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly support increased state funding for early learning programs – including 83% support to allocate state funding to increase child care worker wages, 73% support to increase funding to serve more eligible children in pre-k programs, 73% support to increase funding to help more low-income families afford high-quality child care, and 72% to allocate funding to increase compensation for pre-k teachers. Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA urge state lawmakers to pass a final budget that includes: A $55 million investment in a new and recurring Child Care Recruitment and Retention line item to grant licensed child care providers participating in the child care subsidy program with $1,000 per educator $17 million in additional funding for Pre-K Counts $9.5 million for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program A $16.2 million increase for infant/toddler Early Intervention and a $38.1 million increase for preschool Early Intervention
September 15, 2025 Trying Together Article on EIM Directors Series Featured on Simple Interactions Website An article by Trying Together on Everyday Interaction Matter (EIM) and its directors series is featured on the Simple Interactions website. Learn More The article, “Trying Together’s EIM Directors Series Supports Directors and Educators Participating in Everyday Interactions Matter,” discusses how Trying Together’s experience with EIM began and how it helped to develop a series of professional development sessions for providers. The article, written by Karian Wise, an interactions design strategist for Trying Together, delves into how Trying Together works directly with educators to build skills and improve program quality. “Through our work with programs, we realized that interactions between adults within programs are as important as the interactions between adults and children,” the article reads. Trying Together’s EIM Directors Series teaches professionals to recognize meaningful daily interactions and share practices with peers. Its aim is to provide directors with a method to think about interactions with caregivers and staff that aligns with the Everyday Interactions Matter approach and to support relationship building. To learn more about the components and sessions in Trying Together’s EIM Directors Series, read the article on the Simple Interactions website. Simple Interactions is a practice-based, strengths-focused, and community-driven approach to support helpers who serve children, youth, and families.
September 2, 2025 The Common Causes for ECE Burnout and Tips on How to Manage It A recent article by Zero to Three addresses the common causes for early childhood educator burnout and provides tips on how to manage or prevent it. Learn More The article by Zero to Three – a national nonprofit focused on the healthy development of infants and toddlers – notes that burnout in early childhood education goes beyond fatigue. It is “described as a state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion” that can be a response to intense or prolonged stress. According to the Zero to Three article, burnout may be disguised as cynicism, detachment, or feelings of helplessness or ineffectiveness. Physical symptoms can manifest as headaches, stomachaches, changes in appetite, and continuing to feel drained after adequate rest. Common Causes The three most common causes of early childhood educator burnout are: Emotional labor – the effort required to manage emotions, especially when meeting workplace demands; for example, this may look like patience with young children even when their behavior is challenging. High workloads – due to early childhood staff shortages, educators often find themselves juggling more demands, often leaving little time for breaks or relaxation; as a result, this can lead to impaired work-life balance that can result in everything from headaches to sleep issues. Lack of resources – limited access to specialized materials can make it challenging to support children with developmental delays, disorders, or disabilities; also, teachers may experience feelings of guilt or inadequacy if they sense they’re being forced to cut corners or compromise their quality of service. Self-Care Tips Zero to Three provides tips on how educators can cope with stress and frustration to avoid burnout, arguing that self-care is “nonnegotiable.” Three areas to focus on include: Mindfulness – the intentional practice of being fully present in any given moment and approaching it with openness and acceptance. In the early childhood education sphere, the advantages of mindfulness include: reduced anxiety, higher empathy and compassion, and improved well-being. Seeking peer support – consider forming a peer support group or establishing individual mentorships to help with stress management in child care settings. Setting boundaries – establishing healthy boundaries help to prevention overextension or over-commitment, reduce emotional exhaustion and stress, reinforce self-worth and self-respect by promoting the prioritization of well-being, and protecting enthusiasm for serving young children and their families. To learn more, read Zero to Three’s recent article.
