March 10, 2023 Prioritizing and Strengthening Early Childhood Systems Join the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) for this webinar featuring Dr. Leah Austin, the Chief Executive Officer at NBCDI, and January Contreras, the Assistant Secretary at ACF. In this webinar, speakers will address critical issues impacting Black children and families, highlight strategies to resolve them, and share the role their organizations play in that resolution. Session Details Thursday, March 30 | 12 – 1 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More This webinar is part of NBCDI’s Virtual Learning Series. The Virtual Learning Series is an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about early childhood education, child welfare, health and wellness, and other issues impacting Black children and families. To learn more, visit the National Black Child Development Institute website.
March 8, 2023 Child Care Providers to Invited to Join Family and Group Child Care Home Committee Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is inviting child care providers throughout Pennsylvania to participate in the Family Child Home (FCCH) and Group Child Care Home (GCCH) Committee. Pennsylvania child care providers interested in participating with the committee will have to sign-up by Monday, March 20, 2023. About the Family Child Care Home (FCCH) and Group Child Care Home (GCCH) Committee The goal of the FCCH and GCCH Committee is to form a culturally relevant and diverse group of child care providers and educators that is representative of the state of Pennsylvania. This group will connect to celebrate and share their strengths, struggles, and uniqueness with each other, as well as collaborate to identify effective early childhood strategies, enhance leadership skills, enhance quality-of-care provided to children and families that are served in Pennsylvania. Discussions will also include updates on state and federal initiatives centered around child care, sharing of resources, opportunities, and concerns specific to child care providers, and thoughts on general workplace well-being for child care educators and professionals. Meetings will be held virtually by Zoom in the evening, on a quarterly basis, with the opportunity to meet with the FCCH Coordinator during monthly office hours. The date and time of first meeting has not been announced yet. See the flyer for more details. Interested child care providers in the state of Pennsylvania can express their interest in joining the Committee directly with OCDEL.
ECE Professionals Invited to Participate in Workplace Well-Being Research Study The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has announced an opportunity for for early childhood education (ECE) professionals to participate in an early access research study – Workplace Well-Being, Powered by Science! – to measure the impact of the Healthy Minds program‘s newest offering. In 2022, OCDEL partnered with Healthy Minds Innovations, a non-profit organization dedicated to the science of human flourishing, to bring the Healthy Minds@Work app to Pennsylvania ECE professionals. About ECE teams of two or more from each center or program who have not yet used the Healthy Minds app are invited to apply for the research study, which is set to begin in April 2023. Participation details include: Participation in a four-week well-being program, tailored to suit the participant’s needs with short, 3-10 min activities using the latest tools. Three 20- to 30-minute sessions of research activities (surveys and web-based mini-games). These sessions will occur: Upon enrollment Immediately following the four-week Healthy Minds program Three months later Some users will be invited for an optional interview with the Healthy Minds Innovations team. Participants will also have the chance to receive an Amazon.com gift card. The Workplace Well-Being, Powered by Science research program is designed to improve the sense of belonging and inclusion; decrease stress and burnout; and reconnect with the individual’s sense of purpose at work. Healthy Minds Innovations will keep all responses private and share only aggregated findings to improve the program and support other organizations. Participation in the Workplace Well-Being, Powered by Science research program is optional. A live kick-off event will be announced soon. For more information on how to participate in the program as an ECE program or center team, visit the PA Keys website or contact Marnie at healthyminds@pakeys.org.
February 14, 2023 Celebrating Joy & Harmony: 10th Annual Education Student Affiliate Dinner In our high-tech, high-pressure educational environment, it is so easy to forget how children and teachers need to experience the joy and fun of learning. They need to experience it without stress and fear of failure, but with confidence, success, and high-quality experiences of delight. Through this, children make meaningful connections and feel valued, confident, and safe in loving classroom communities. If you are an educator looking to bring more joy into your classroom, join Seton Hill University for this annual event, featuring Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld. Brodskey Chenfeld is an educational consultant, teacher, and the author of “Still Teaching in the Key of Life: Joyful Stories From Early Childhood Settings.” Event Details Wednesday, April 12 | 5 – 8:30 p.m. Cecilian Hall Administration Building (2nd Floor), Seton Hill University 1 Seton Hill Drive Greensburg, PA 15601 Cost: $25 Register Interested individuals must register by Monday, April 3. Learn More Event schedule: 5:00 Registration, appetizers 5:30 Welcome 6:00 Dinner 7:00 Keynote Speaker 8:00 Raffle/Closing While Seton Hill students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend, all members of the Greater Pittsburgh community are welcome at this event. To learn more about this event, visit the Seton Hill University website.
February 8, 2023 Collaborating for Inclusive Practices in Early Childhood: Focus on Attitudes and Beliefs This course looks at how our actions are shaped by our attitudes and beliefs, and how societal attitudes and beliefs have shaped service systems. Participants will have opportunities to explore the benefits of inclusion for all children and all adults, reflect on how their individual attitudes and beliefs were developed, and how they impact their practice, their colleagues and the service system. They will identify strategies 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. Session Details Session Date: March 30 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Location: 5604 Solway Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Instructor: Shawna Mohler and Jillian Miller Standards: Child Development and Learning in Context, Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator Registration Registration is now open. This session is eligible for 2 hours of PQAS and Act 48 credit. Registration closes on March 28, 2023. More Information For questions about the course or credit, contact Paige Kizior at paige@tryingtogether.org
Collaborating for Inclusive Practices in Early Childhood: Focus on Attitudes and Beliefs This course looks at how our actions are shaped by our attitudes and beliefs, and how societal attitudes and beliefs have shaped service systems. Participants will have opportunities to explore the benefits of inclusion for all children and all adults, reflect on how their individual attitudes and beliefs were developed, and how they impact their practice, their colleagues and the service system. They will identify strategies 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. Session Details Session Date: March 9 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Virtual Instructor: Shawna Mohler and Jillian Miller Standards: Child Development and Learning in Context, Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator Registration Registration is now open. This session is eligible for 2 hours of PQAS and Act 48 credit. Registration closes on March 7, 2023. More Information For questions about the course or credit, contact Paige Kizior at paige@tryingtogether.org
February 1, 2023 Robots in Your Out-of-School-Time Programs? Yes! Your Learners Won’t Want to Leave. Considering bringing robotics into your out-of-school-time (OST) programs? Join Kinderlab Robotics for this webinar on enhancing after school learning with robotics. Session Details Thursday, February 16 | 2 – 3 p.m. Virtual Register More Information During this webinar, panelists from museum, community outreach, and enrichment centers will: Share how they’ve used innovative STEAM robotics in OST settings.d Provide real examples of how robotics can be successfully implemented in diverse settings, including, out-of-school, afterschool, community events, and summer programs. Share how educators and caregivers can adapt those experiences for their own learning environment. Review the research and discuss the benefits of using robotics for your youngest learners.
OCDEL Seeks Families to Participate with the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Advisory Committee The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is seeking pregnant individuals and caregivers of children birth to age five to participate with the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Advisory Committee. Learn More The ECCS team seeks diverse parents and caregivers who have experiences with many aspects of maternal and early childhood services in Pennsylvania. Participants will have the opportunities to ensure their family voice is heard, valued and influential in decision making at the state level, as well as share their experiences with using services such as child care, Early Intervention, home visiting, local libraries, health care visits, and more. Honorarium and child care reimbursement will be provided. Selected family representatives will commit to a two-hour virtual quarterly meeting and a one-hour virtual prep meeting scheduled a few days prior to the quarterly meeting at the convenience of the family leaders on the Committee. The 2023 ECCS Advisory Committee meeting dates are March 22, July 20, and October 19 from noon to 2 p.m. Apply Interested individuals can apply online. Applications are due by February 15, 2023.
February 10, 2022 Advocacy 201: Crafting and Sharing Your Story Effective messaging helps advocates communicate key points to their audience that can potentially influence their level of support. This workshop is for ECE professionals who have taken our Advocacy 101 or any other foundational advocacy training and would like to take the next step in preparing to speak with elected officials. We will review early childhood research and effective messaging such as brain science, return on investment, impact on workforce and business community, and high-quality teaching. Attendees will leave the workshop with talking points for meeting with elected officials to advocate for early childhood. This session will be virtual via Zoom. Register online to obtain the Zoom link. Objectives Apply ECE experience, child development knowledge, and storytelling to develop advocacy messaging and talking points. Demonstrate strategies for engaging with elected officials and communicating advocacy priorities for early learning. This course is available for 1.5 hours of PQAS credit (K6.10 C2). Learn More Learn more about the Early Learning Pennsylvania campaigns and sign up for public policy alerts on the training together website.
February 9, 2022 Observing Young Children Observation is the window into the child’s thinking processes, interests, skills and abilities. Join The Learning Lamp for an upcoming professional development session, “Observing Young Children” on February 16. Participants will use video clips to practice observation skills and explore how recording our observations of young children can inform program decisions, assessments, and more. Registration for this event is available on The Learning Lamp website. This session is open to PennAEYC or PennAEYC Shared Services members. Space is limited and registration is required.
