News

May 11, 2023

PA’s Promise For Children Recognizes Teachers, Requests Nominations for Teacher Appreciation Week

In recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week, Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children is sharing the stories of inspiring educators and encouraging families to nominate teachers for recognition.

About Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is the first full week in May. The week got its start as National Teacher Appreciation Day in 1953, when Eleanor Roosevelt asked Congress to set aside a day to recognize educators. The day gained official recognition as a March holiday in 1980, after the National Education Association (NEA) successfully lobbied Congress. In 1984, the National Parent Teacher Association expanded the designation to its current week, and moved the celebration to May.

Teacher Appreciation Week recognizes the role teachers play in children’s lives and provides time for students, parents, and caregivers to celebrate the work of educators.

Read Teacher Stories

To read about teachers who have made a significant impact on the lives of children, visit the PA’s Promise for Children website.

Nominate a Teacher for Recognition

It’s not too late to nominate teachers for recognition! To nominate a teacher, email the following to Mary at marhal@pakeys.org:

  • the teacher’s name and early learning program or school
  • a brief story about the teacher that explains their impact and what makes them special
  • a picture of your student with the teacher

Learn More

The above information on the history of Teacher Appreciation Week was compiled from USA Today, NEA, and Hallmark.

To learn more, visit the PA’s Promise for Children website.

News

May 10, 2023

PaTTAN Announces Summit on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments

The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) recently announced plans to host a two-day summit for early childhood educators in August 2023.

Called, “Safe and Supportive Learning Environments: Prevention Before the Crisis Summit,” this event will help educators create welcome environments that promote learner and educator regulation, and prevent harmful behavior.

About the Summit

When is the summit?

The summit will be held on Wednesday, August 16 from 9:45 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. and Thursday, August 17 from 8:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. Presenters will host a pre-summit mindfulness session from 8:45 – 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 16, before the start of the summit.

Where will the summit be held?

The summit will take place at PaTTAN Central (6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, Pa. 17112).

Who can attend?

The summit is open to all, but designed for:

  • school administrators
  • educators (including early childhood educators)
  • behavioral specialists (school counselors, school psychologists, special educators)
  • behavioral and mental health providers
  • emotional support teachers
  • emotional support paraprofessionals
  • parents, caregivers, and families

What will presenters share?

During the summit, national and local presenters will offer sessions a variety of topics including de-escalation, data analysis, and alternatives to suspension and expulsion. Additionally, they will share evidence-based strategies to support learners and limit exclusionary classroom practices.

How much does it cost to attend?

The cost of the two-day summit is $50, regardless of whether attendees participate one or two days. Payment is due in full on or before August 3. Registration and payment will not be available onsite during the summit.

However, Family Scholarships are available for this event. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the Family Scholarship Application.

How do I register?

Interested individuals should register on the PaTTAN website.

Learn More

Act 48, BACB, and PSYCH credits are available for this summit.

For content-related information and questions, please contact Chanda Telleen at ctelleen@pattan.net or 717-901-2246. For general registration information and questions, please contact Tina Rife at trife@pattan.net or 717-901-2278

To learn more, visit the event page on the PaTTAN website.

News

May 3, 2023

Begin with Books: Reading Aloud & Teaching a Love of Books in Childcare

If you work in a child care center or Head Start program, you are an important educator early in a child’s life! Join the Carnegie Library of Homestead for this workshop on becoming a successful early childhood educator.

Attendees will learn how to read aloud, pick developmentally appropriate, inclusive books, and engage kids of all ages from expert storyteller Cynthia Battle. Certified PQAS instructor Beth Smeiles will teach you how to take those literacy skills and incorporate them into everyday activities beyond books.

Event Details

Saturday, May 6 | 1 – 3 p.m.

Carnegie Library of Homestead
510 East 10th Avenue
Munhall, PA 15120

Register

Learn More

This event is part of Remake Learning Days and co-sponsored by Reading Ready Pittsburgh, Cynthia Battle, and Steel Valley Family Center. It will include light refreshments and a gift for all attendees.

To learn more, visit the Remake Learning Days website.

News

May 1, 2023

EITA Offering Professional Development Opportunity on the Growing Brain

Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) is offering early childhood professionals a professional development opportunity to learn about brain growth in children from birth to five years of age.

Aptly named, “The Growing Brain: From Birth to 5 Years Old,” this virtual series details child brain development and shares ways to encourage healthy growth in young children.

About “The Growing Brain”

Decades of research indicate that the early years of life are a period of exponential brain development, characterized by great opportunity and vulnerability dependent on child relationships and environment.

In this series, participants will develop skills and strategies to:

  • understand the architecture and neurobiology of brain development
  • support language, cognition, prosocial behavior, and social-emotional development
  • and reduce toxic stress that can negatively influence brain development in very young children

Session Details

“The Growing Brain” is offered in several, progressive sessions. Each session is offered twice, and interested individuals can register and attend as many or as few sessions as they like. One PQAS credit is available for each session. Sessions include:

Factors Affecting Brain Growth & Development

In this session, participants will identify factors that negatively impact brain development, understand the impact of stress on the developing brain, and learn about strategies for supporting healthy brain growth and development.

Offered:

  • Thursday April 27 | 12 – 1 p.m.
  • Friday April 28 | 8 – 9 a.m.

Communication & Language Development

In this session, participants will understand communication milestones, learn strategies for supporting early communication skills, and understand multi-language learning.

Offered:

  • Thursday May 4 | 12 – 1 p.m.
  • Friday, May 5 | 8 – 9 a.m.

Cognition & Executive Function

In this session, participants will review and summarize key cognitive milestones in brain development, as well as explore the layers of executive function and its importance in child development.

Offered:

  • Thursday, May 18 | 12 – 1 p.m.
  • Friday, May 19 | 8 – 9 a.m.

Social-Emotional Development

In this session, participants will review key social emotional development milestones in children, as well as connect which areas of the brain are involved in social interactions and examine the role that relationships and attachment play in social-emotional development.

Offered:

  • Thursday, May 25 | 12 – 1 p.m.
  • Friday, May 26 | 8 – 9 a.m.

Understanding Behavior

In this module, session leaders will discuss approaches for identifying the root cause of young children’s behavior and demonstrate effective strategies to address challenging behaviors in very young children.

Offered:

  • Thursday, June 1 | 12 – 1 p.m.
  • Friday, June 2 | 8 – 9 a.m.

Everyday Play

In this session, participants will learn to understand the stages and types of play that unfold in early childhood, the role of the brain in this process, and how to maximize children’s learning through play.

Offered:

  • Thursday, June 8 | 12 – 1 p.m.
  • Friday, June 9 | 8 – 9 a.m.

Register for any or all sessions on the PD Registry.

Learn More

This series is presented by EITA Consultants certified in “The Growing Brain” curriculum, which was developed by Zero to Three Professional Development and Workforce Innovations (PDWI). PDWI aims to elevate the knowledge skills and abilities of early childhood professionals.

For additional information on this offering, view the flyer. For additional information on “The Growing Brain,” visit www.zerotothree.org/growingbrain or the PD Registry.

News

April 27, 2023

Resources for May Observances

Various organizations, states, and nations recognize a number of observances each month. Resources help parents, caregivers, and child care professionals acknowledge and navigate them.

Here is a list of resources for May observances:

Month-Long Observances

May is National Foster Care Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Month

Weeks of Recognition

May 1 – 7 is Children’s Book Week

May 8 – 12 is National Teacher Appreciation Week

Days of Recognition

May 7 is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

May 12 is National Child Care Provider Appreciation Day

May 14 is Mother’s Day

May 28 is World Hunger Day

News

April 26, 2023

Supporting Children’s Social-Emotional Wellbeing: A Closer Look at Temperament and Goodness of Fit Theory

Do you ever wonder how two children with the same parents can be so different? About why some children are so easy going and others are more challenging? One major factor at play is temperament. Temperament is an important feature of children’s social emotional well-being, and describes the way in which they approach the world.

In “Supporting Children’s Social-Emotional Wellbeing: A Closer Look at Temperament and Goodness of Fit Theory,” participants will explore different temperament traits and learn how goodness of fit theory supports children’s social and emotional wellbeing.

Hosted by Trying Together and ELRC Region 5, this course, while available for all STAR programs, meets the STAR 3/4 PD topic requirements in PSCECE Area 4.

Session Details

Thursday, May 18 | 6 – 9 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Cost: $15

Instructors: Katie Streiff and Jillian Miller
Standards: PSCECE Area 4: Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices (3 hours)

Register

Learn More

For questions about the course or credit, contact Paige Kizior at paige@tryingtogether.org.

News

April 25, 2023

Advocacy Organizations Release Report on Rural Early Care and Education

Trying Together, in partnership with Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA, recently released a report on the current state of early child care and education in Pennsylvania’s rural counties.

Entitled, “A Snapshot of the Rural Early Care and Education Landscape: Examining data from 13 counties in Pennsylvania,” the report shows that families in rural Pennsylvania communities have limited access to quality care, despite having a higher proportion of parents in the workforce, and a greater prevalence of long and nontraditional hours and commutes.

About Rural Counties and the Rural Early Care and Education Report

Authors of the report considered counties in which the number of people per square mile amounted to less than 291 (the statewide average), rural. Of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, 72% met this definition, and just over 162,000 children under five live in them.

This report highlights data in the following rural counties: Armstrong, Butler, Centre, Clarion, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, and Washington. It also includes data from Lancaster, Westmoreland, and York counties. These counties aren’t classified as rural based on the population, but include pockets of rural communities facing similar challenges.

Report Findings

Rural families and child care providers have some of the greatest challenges in accessing and providing child care in Pennsylvania. This is due to the unique realities of rural areas, including fewer high-quality options, distance and travel, limited transportation, higher teacher turnover, fewer qualified individuals living in the region, and lower family incomes.

Specifically:

Working Families Child Care Needs

  • Nearly every rural county in PA shows a majority of all available parents in the labor force.
  • Seven of the counties reviewed have a higher proportion of working parents than does the state.
    • Over 80% of parents in Butler County are in the workforce, as are three quarters of parents in Indiana and Somerset counties.
  • In rural areas, options for evening, overnight, or weekend hours are scarce, with one parent describing them as non-existent.

Child Care Provider Capacity

  • The number of Child Care Works (CCW) subsidy-eligible children who need child care exceeds the licensed capacity in every county reviewed, with the exception of Centre.
    • Families are eligible for the CCW subsidy if their incomes are at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($60,000 for a family of four).
  • Most rural child care programs are not operating at full capacity because they don’t have enough staffing.
  • Statewide home-based providers make up about 30% of licensed programs, yet home-based providers comprise a much higher proportion in some of the rural counties analyzed.
    • In Greene County, home-based providers account for over 70% of licensed options, and for over half in Franklin County. Indiana County home-based providers make up 48% of licensed options, and in Armstrong and Somerset counties, home-based providers are 42% of licensed child care.

Public Funding for Child Care and Pre-K

  • The state only serves a quarter of CCW-eligible infants and toddlers. Unfortunately, this figure is even lower in every rural county reviewed. In rural counties, both subsidized and private pay infant and toddler care is difficult to find and afford.
  • Pre-K children are served at much higher rates than infants and toddlers, given that pre-k investments have been more consistent and sustainable.
    • Clarion, Greene, Indiana, and Lawrence counties are serving more than half of their eligible three- and four- year olds.

The Child Care Workforce

  • Pennsylvania is experiencing a dramatic decline in teachers from pre-k to 12th grade, and rural communities have been the most significantly impacted by this decline.
  • No county shows median annual earnings above $26,000, with six counties below $20,000 a year. The median earnings fall well under the cost of living in every county.
  • Providers highlighted the difficulty of training staff, especially with changing requirements and when onboarding new employees.
  • Another challenge that providers raised is the lack of mental and behavioral health and early intervention services.

Recommendations

Early childhood programs can’t continue to operate with their current budgets and expenses. Additionally, middle class families cannot continue to shoulder the brunt of the cost, while child care teachers subsidize the system through their own low wages. Thus, Trying Together, Start Strong PA, and Pre-K for PA recommend the following:

  1. Invest long-term, sustainable funding for early childhood educator wages.
  2. Conduct further research on family child care needs and choices in rural communities.
  3. Support resources and quality for home-based and relative care providers.
  4. Increase infant and toddler contracted slots (grants).
  5. Move to an alternative cost methodology for setting subsidy rates.
  6. Increase early intervention, mental health, and behavioral health resources, and professionals.
  7. Provide more support and resources to help rural providers meet training requirements.

Learn More

To learn more, read the full report.

News

April 21, 2023

PNC Foundation to Match Donations to Pre-K and Head Start Requests

The PNC Foundation is partnering with DonorsChoose—an online nonprofit that allows individuals to fund classroom projects and teacher requests for resources and materials—to help early childhood educators obtain quality resources and experiences for students in public pre-K, public charter, and Head Start classrooms.

By committing to match “dollar-for-dollar” any DonorsChoose donations that support pre-k and Head Start projects, the foundation hopes to encourage others to fund child care and early childhood education.

The duration of the match is undetermined and subject to restrictions and a maximum dollar amount.

DonorsChoose Educator & Project Eligibility

Who can participate?

Pre-K teachers in every state, subject area, and grade level can use DonorsChoose. If you are an educator at a public school, public charter school, or Head Start program, are employed full-time by a school or district, and work directly with students at least 75% of the time, you are eligible to post projects.

What is eligible for funding?

You can request anything you need to enrich your students’ experience at school. Sports equipment? A classroom library? Furniture? Musical instruments? DonorsChoose can help. If you can imagine it, you can post a classroom project request for it.

How does it work?

The process is simple:

  1. Create your project in DonorsChoose.
  2. Receive donations from friends, family, and supporters through the DonorsChoose website.
  3. Receive your request. DonorsChoose orders everything for you and ships it straight to you or your school.

How long does it take?

The average project takes about 25 minutes to create and submit. Once your project is funded, DonorsChoose takes care of the rest.

Participate in the Match

To utilize the match from the PNC Foundation and better fund your pre-k or Head Start classroom project, add it to the DonorsChoose website by following the step-by-step instructions on the “How it Works” page.

Results from Past Partnerships Between the PNC Foundation & DonorsChoose

Previously, the PNC Foundation flash funded almost $2 million dollars in requests from 3,054 pre-k teachers across 30 states through DonorsChoose. As a result, almost 89,000 pre-k and Head Start students and their early educators received support for materials and projects. Throughout greater Pittsburgh, 126 pre-k teacher requests were fully funded.

Learn More

PNC’s support of DonorsChoose coincides with the launch of this year’s “Great Month” at PNC—an annual celebration held each April to raise awareness of PNC Grow Up Great® and the importance of high-quality early childhood education. Launched in 2004, the $500 million, bilingual initiative supports programs, resources, and experiences that help to prepare children from birth through age five for success in school and life.

To learn more about PNC’s partnership with DonorsChoose and how to participate, visit the PNC Bank website or view the flyer.

News

April 20, 2023

ELRC Region 5 Shares Resources and Information on Facebook

Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5 makes resources and information available on social media. With an active presence on Facebook, ELRC Region 5 provides families, early learning service providers, and communities support for their child care needs in real time.

Learn More

Social media managers post to the ELRC Region 5 Facebook page at least once a day, providing the most up-to-date early childhood news, professional development opportunities, family events, ELRC Region 5 office hours, Child Care Works (CCW) information, family assistance opportunities, and more.

Facebook users interested in receiving daily information from ELRC Region 5 should like or follow the ELRC Region 5 page.

For additional resources and information from ELRC Region 5, subscribe to the monthly ELRC Region 5 Family Newsletter, or weekly ELRC Region 5 Providers Newsletter.

News

April 19, 2023

Child Care Career Openings in Pittsburgh

Are you looking for open child care positions? Early learning programs in the Greater Pittsburgh Area are hiring! See featured jobs for this week.

Child Care Positions in Pittsburgh

Early Intervention Therapists

TEIS Early Intervention is looking for full- and part- time Early Intervention Therapists with a passion for educating families and helping children thrive in the Greater Pittsburgh region.

More information is available online.

Interested individuals should apply on LinkedIn or email their resume to aformato@teisinc.com.

Lead Teacher

Allie Alligator is looking for a dedicated, hard working passionate early childhood educator to serve as a Lead Teacher.

Interested individuals should email warrendale@alliealligator.com to apply.

Child Care Director

Fifth Avenue Family Childcare Center (FAFCC) is looking to hire a qualified child care director to manage the day-to-day operations at FAFCC. The director will establish and sustain a positive learning environment for children at this small, cooperative child care center located on the campus of The Ellis School in Shadyside.

Interested individuals should email their cover letter and resume to fafcc.president@gmail.com by May 15.

Group Supervisor, Infant Room

The Group Supervisor ensures the coordination of quality programs for all age groups. This individual will plan and execute the creative curriculum, use OUNCE and ASQ assessments, observe and evaluate child progress, and communicate with parents daily, scheduling conferences when needed.

More information is available online.

Interested individuals should apply at www.ywcapgh.org.

Submit a Job

Trying Together highlights employer-submitted jobs on our website, social media, and in our newsletter.

All jobs submitted after Tuesday each week will be published in the following week’s news post. Publication dates may vary due to state and federal holidays. Unrelated jobs will not be included.

For questions, contact Heidi Winkler at heidi@tryingtogether.org.

Other Jobs in Early Childhood

ECE HIRE

Visit the ECE Hire website to view early childhood education job listings and helpful tips on interviewing, resumes, and more.

Submit a Job to PACCA

Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a Job Board for its members to post jobs for free and sends out submitted jobs via their Facebook page and e-newsletter. PACCA members can submit jobs online after signing into their membership account. For questions, contact Maureen Murphy at maureen.murphy@pacca.org.

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