December 10, 2024 Representative from Rep. Abney’s Office Discusses Early Childhood Needs at The Learning Loft A representative from the office of state Rep. Aerion Abney, D-19th, visited The Learning Loft this week to discuss the role of early childhood education. Learn More Natali Lara-Jimena, Abney’s constituent services advisor, visited the early childhood education on Centre Avenue, which is in the state representative’s district. Her visit provided a first-hand glimpse into the vital role that early childhood educators play as the “workforce behind the workforce.” Amid an ongoing state staffing crisis and capacity challenges for early childhood education, Lara-Jimena’s engagement underscored the critical need for action and support. Lara-Jimena met with educators, who discussed balancing the needs of children and families while navigating consistent underfunding and workforce shortages. The visit highlighted the importance of a proposed $284 million recruitment and retention initiative to help providers offer competitive wages and ensure the long-term sustainability of the early childhood workforce. The proposed funds would help to stabilize and strengthen the field by addressing urgent staffing needs, retaining skilled educators, and ensuring that children and communities could rely on getting high-quality care.
December 4, 2024 Trying Together Releases 2022-24 Donor Impact Report Trying Together released a donor impact report for 2022-24 that discusses various initiatives donors have helped support over the past two years. The report also highlights stories of impact and information on giving opportunities. Strategic Goals Trying Together’s mission is to support 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 interacting. It works in Southwestern Pennsylvania and takes its expertise and models to statewide and national models. The donor impact report outlines numerous strategic goals that Trying Together has met over the past few years, including: Expanding the Buzzword early literacy initiative in Allegheny County Providing developmentally appropriate resources to caregivers of young children on various topics Providing free diapers and infant formula to families in need Launching The Institute for Early Childhood Career Pathways to support new and current early care and education professionals in achieving goals Providing 9,670 hours of professional development to nearly 3,500 educators Supporting 44 teachers to achieve their Level II Teacher Certification Providing immediate support to families and early educators through the Rapid Response Team if a child is in danger of suspension or expulsion Consulting with private industries to remove barriers such as child care access Collaborating to increase investment in local child care programs Starting the state’s first Provider Advisory Board with 40 early care and education professionals Facilitating a fellowship for 22 early educators to train them in advocacy for the early childhood field and profession Advising on legislation updates, resulting in fewer operational barriers for home-based child care providers in Pittsburgh Implementing a multi-year development and fundraising plan increasing individual giving by 540% Meeting and exceeding its Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community fundraising goal for the first time Having 100% Board of Directors participation in giving to Trying Together Individual Giving The report also provides information on how to donate to Trying Together. It lists the three donation levels: Early Childhood Supporter: $5 per month or $60 annually Early Childhood Sustainer: $10 per month or $120 annually Trying Together Champion: $83.33 per month or $1,000 annually Download the Donor Impact Report to see how Trying Together’s initiatives have impacted the community.
October 15, 2024 PACCA Accepting T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Applications for Spring Semester The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) is accepting T.E.A.C.H. scholarship applications for the spring 2025 semester. Learn More Early childhood education professionals who are interested in attending college for the spring semester that begins in January should apply to T.E.A.C.H. as soon as possible. Interested applicants should also begin the college admissions process now and contact an early childhood education advisor at their intended college or university. This helps to ensure that scholarship applicants are admitted to their school and can register for courses if/when they receive a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship. T.E.A.C.H. can provide contact information for advisors at partnering institutions. Applicants must complete and submit all required documentation by Friday, Nov. 15 to be considered for the spring 2025 semester. PACCA will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis, however, incomplete applications and those received after the November date will not receive priority for consideration. New scholarship awards for the spring semester will be dependent upon funding availability at that time. More information on eligibility or program requirements can be found – and applications can be downloaded – on PACCA’s website. Counselors can be contacted on T.E.A.C.H.’s website.
October 4, 2024 Professional Development: Supervision 101 ELRC Region 5 is offering the following professional development opportunity for your team of early learning educators. Learn More The live webinar Supervision 101 will give a foundational overview of supervision in licensed early childhood programs. This course will focus on the supervision aspects of the DHS Certification Regulations for child care in Pennsylvania. The participants will be able to define supervision per the regulations. This session will also focus on ratio, scenarios, and the vital importance of supervision in child care. This is an excellent course for new early childhood professionals or for those who might need a refresher. This session is eligible for one hour of PQAS and Act 48 credit. Session Details Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 10 – 11 a.m. Virtual via Zoom Cost: $5 Register Instructors: Holly Cessna Standards: Health and Safety Questions? For questions about the course or credit, contact Amanda Murphy at amanda@tryingtogether.org.
October 2, 2024 Working Together Webinar Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA will host an upcoming webinar that will focus on early learning in Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 budget. Learn More The webinar, which will be available in English and Spanish, will focus on early learning in the state budget for 2025-26. It will also include an advocacy update and a discussion on opportunities for child care. The webinar will begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10. Those interested in attending should register in advance. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Speakers will include Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA partners, including: Champions for Early Education Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children Pennsylvania Child Care Association Pennsylvania Head Start Association Trying Together Attendees will learn how to continue working with others to strengthen the state’s early learning system for teachers and programs and grow access to more eligible families.
September 10, 2024 Harvard University Center Releases New Science X Design Learning Toolkit Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child has released a new learning toolkit for Science X Design users. About Science X Design Science X Design is an open-access, self-paced learning module that is designed to help service providers improve outcomes for young children and their caregivers. Pronounced “science by design,” the toolkit aims to empower service providers in such fields as healthcare, education, and child welfare. It helps to identify new opportunities to improve services in these fields. The toolkit also offers curated information on three design principles informed by the science of early childhood development and guides users in gathering input from the people involved in services. Through an interactive learning, listening, and synthesis process, users can identify opportunities to adapt early childhood programs to support the healthy development of young children and their caregivers. The module takes about four to six weeks to complete and was designed to be completed as a team. A course overview and information on who should participate in the module can be found on Harvard’s website as well as information on how long it will take and what outcomes to expect.
September 4, 2024 APOST Offering Fall Professional Development and Training Workshops Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) is offering a series of professional learning workshops for out-of-school educators this fall. Fall Professional Development Each workshop is led by local facilitators who are trained to implement the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality training curriculum. All events are located in CoLab18 in Nova Place unless indicated otherwise as a webinar. Registration is required and closes two days before each event or when the session is full. September events include: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse – Tuesday, Sept. 10, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Committee of 70 Civic Engagement Programming (webinar) – Tuesday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Ask, Listen, Encourage – Friday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Structure and Clear Limits – Thursday, Sept. 26, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Promoting Responsibility and Leadership – Friday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. October events include: Foundations and Self-Awareness of Cognitive Development – Thursday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Recognizing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect (webinar) – Tuesday, Oct. 8, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. LEGO Brick Club for Providers – Thursday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Youth Voice – Friday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Foundations and Self-Awareness of Cognitive Development – Thursday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cooperative Learning – Thursday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Reframing Conflict – Friday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. LEGO Brick Club for Providers – Thursday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. November events include: Building Community – Friday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Structure and Clear Limits – Thursday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Promoting Responsibility and Leadership – Friday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse – Tuesday, Nov. 12, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Planning and Reflection – Friday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Identifying Student Homelessness – Thursday, Nov. 21, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. LEGO Brick Club for Providers – Thursday, Nov. 21, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. December events include: Recognizing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect (webinar) – Tuesday, Dec. 10, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. LEGO Brick Club for Providers – Thursday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. For more information on fall professional development, visit the online listings for the APOST series.
August 29, 2024 Remake Learning Assembly Remake Learning will celebrate the magic of learning across the Pittsburgh region at an event in September co-hosted by Point Park University. Learn More The Remake Learning Assembly will focus this year on the success of Remake Learning Day as well as shine a spotlight on Point Park’s innovations. The event will include food and drinks. National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) 2024 Conference attendees are welcome to join the event. The Remake Learning Assembly will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the university’s PPU Pittsburgh Playhouse on Monday, Sept. 16. Those interested in attending should RSVP now.
August 27, 2024 Child Care Directors and Owners Asked to Take Staffing Crisis Survey The Start Strong PA campaign is asking child care directors and owners to take a survey regarding the ongoing Pennsylvania teacher staffing crisis. Learn More While the recently passed Pennsylvania 2024-25 state budget included funding to help families better afford child care, programs are still in need of more funding to keep their classroom and program doors open. Information collected through the survey will be used to demonstrate the need for the 2025-26 state budget to fund a child care teacher recruitment and retention initiative. This would ensure that the workforce is paid a livable wage and that programs remain open for working families. Four respondents to the survey will be randomly selected to receive a $100 gift card. The deadline to participate is Monday, Sept. 30. The survey is now available online.
August 26, 2024 NAEYC Releases Advocacy Toolkit Ahead of November Election The National Association for the Education of Young Children has released an Electoral Advocacy Toolkit that includes resources aimed at supporting and advancing nonpartisan advocacy efforts. Learn More The U.S. general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. On its website, NAEYC notes that early childhood educators play an important role in ensuring that child care and early learning are priorities for voters and candidates. The association has released a toolkit that includes resources to support and advance nonpartisan electoral advocacy efforts. These include everything from signs to take to candidate town halls to ideas to help “get out the vote” in support of early childhood education and educators. November Election The toolkit notes that 33 U.S. Senate seats, 11 gubernatorial elections, thousands of state and local elections, and 435 U.S. House of Representatives seats will be on the ballot in November. As a result, more than 40 million children will be impacted by the election’s results. On the toolkit’s web page, visitors can: Register to vote Discover what’s on the ballot Find information about voting in each state Check on voter registration status Pledge to vote To view the Electoral Advocacy Toolkit, visit NAEYC’s America for Early Ed website. Other Resources America for Early Education Nonpartisan Electoral Advocacy has also provided some resources to assist with Get Out the Vote efforts. These include: Nonpartisan Electoral Advocacy for ECE Programs and Organizations: Do’s and Don’ts GOTV Activities for ECE Programs and Organizations Hosting a Candidate Forum on Child Care and Early Learning: Sample Facilitator Questions Town Hall Signs and Questions Oct. 21 is the last day to register to vote before the election. You can register to vote, update registration and find information about voting on the state’s webpage. Applications for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by your county election office by Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. County election offices must receive completed mail ballots by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. A postmark by 8 p.m. on that date is not sufficient.
