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.
NAEYC Virtual Public Policy Forum Join NAEYC for live engagement, virtual Congressional visits, and opportunities to build connections with educators, advocates, and allies in your state and local community. Visit the 2022 Public Policy Forum website for more information on sessions and speakers, and to register for this event. Registration will close on February 22, 2022. Reserve your spot today to become part of this strong, supportive, and growing community of advocates standing up for our nation’s children, families, and early childhood educators. NAEYC Members may attend this year’s Virtual Public Policy Forum at no cost. Individuals must be a member by February 20 to qualify for this benefit. About the Event Sunday, February 27 | 1 – 4:30 p.m. Monday, February 28 | 1 – 2:30 p.m. In order to provide participants with the most timely and relevant information and access to speakers and content, NAEYC shares the agenda and resources shortly before the start of the policy forum. Once registered, the state leader will contact participants in mid-February with details and state and community Congressional visits. About NAEYC NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. They advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
January 27, 2022 Universal Early Childhood Education: What Could This Mean for Our Jewish Community? President Biden’s Build Back Better Framework would provide the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations. The Build Back Better framework would enable states to expand access to free early childhood education for more than 6 million children per year and increase the quality of early childhood education for many more children already enrolled. Additionally, the Build Back Better framework would ensure that middle-class families pay no more than 7 percent of their income on child care and will help states expand access to high-quality, affordable child care to about 20 million children per year – covering 9 out of 10 families across the country with young children. What could this mean for our Jewish community? Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh on March 10 for their virtual event, “Universal Early Childhood Education: What Could This Mean for Our Jewish Community?” Registration is available on the Jewish Federation website. Panelists Cara Ciminillo is the Executive Director of Trying Together, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit supporting the work of early childhood through advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Education, Administrative and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. Anna Hartman is the Director of Early Childhood Excellence at the Jewish United Fund and the Director of the Paradigm Project, a national network that nurtures emerging leadership in Jewish early childhood education. Anna holds a master’s in Jewish educational leadership from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and is a doctoral candidate in Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She has participated in three study tours of the renowned municipal early childhood centers in Reggio Emilia, Italy. A recipient of the Pomegranate Prize, JUF’s Samuel A. Goldsmith Young Professional Award, and the Covenant Award, Anna lives in the Chicago neighborhood of Roscoe Village. Additional Information The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh seeks to cultivate resources, connect people, and collaborate across the community to live and fulfill Jewish values. Learn more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh on their website.
January 20, 2022 Rapid Response Team: Reducing Expulsions and Suspensions in Early Childhood Education Join Trying Together for an upcoming professional development session, “Rapid Response Team: Reducing Expulsions and Suspensions in Early Childhood Education”. This session will discuss the ongoing and growing issue surrounding expulsion and suspension in early childhood education that have been linked to staff implicit bias, challenging behaviors, and staffing issues. The presentation will guide parents, caregivers, directors and staff working with children ages 0-5 on how to prevent expulsion and suspension in early childhood education. The session will discuss ways to implement evidence-based strategies to promote positive behavior support, self-regulation, and positive mental health. We will share community resources and programs for children and families in Allegheny County. UnConference: Creating a Safe Place with Trauma-Informed Care This session is a part of Trying Together’s upcoming UnConference. Between February 8-18, expert-led workshops will share content related to trauma-informed care. We begin the UnConference with keynote speaker Dr. Veirdre Jackson and dive into how we can create an environment of healing through equity and trust. Following the keynote, workshop sessions include how to identify family stressors, how to provide responsive care-giving for children experiencing trauma, and an overview of the recently launched Rapid Response Team from Trying Together. Individuals can learn more and register on Trying Together’s website.
