Trying Together and ELRC Region 5’s Rapid Response Team will continue to offer services for Allegheny County families and providers, despite the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announcing earlier this month that it would no longer be able to support the initiative in the same capacity due to changes in federal funding.

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Deysi Keegan, the Rapid Response Team’s assistant director, said that the changes at the state and federal level would not prevent the team from performing its work.

“The Rapid Response Team is dedicated to continuing this vital work – supporting children, families, and educators through timely, compassionate, and collaborative interventions,” she said. “Our goal is to build understanding, strengthen relationships, and promote environments where every child feels seen, supported, and capable of success.”

The Rapid Response Team is a short-term service that provides hands-on coaching for educators and resources for families and caregivers to prevent the expulsion or suspension of children in early childhood education. It serves children from birth to age 5 as well as their teachers and families or caregivers.

The team utilizes principles of early relational health and social-emotional development of young children as well as building the capacities of adults to utilize positive approaches to address behavioral challenges and family engagement and relationships.

The team contacts the provider or family within 48 hours once a referral is made. If a child is in immediate danger or suspension or expulsion, the team will take part in a meeting or virtual observation. If a child has already been suspended, the team will provide the child’s family and child care with resources.

“When children are experiencing big behaviors, they are communicating important needs, emotions, or challenges that they may not yet have the words to express,” Keegan said. “It is essential that the adults in their lives take the time to listen, observe, and understand what those behaviors are telling us. By responding with empathy and curiosity instead of judgment, we can create the safety and connection children need to thrive.”

In a statement, OCDEL said that it was “deeply grateful for the impactful work and success of the Rapid Response Teams.”

“Unfortunately, due to changes in federal funding, OCDEL will no longer be able to support the RRT initiative in the same capacity,” the statement read. “OCDEL knows this has been a great support to the early childhood education field, and is considering opportunities to continue this sort of work in new and meaningful ways.”

Caregivers of children whom the Rapid Response Team has assisted praised its approach.

“My family and I worked with the Rapid Response Team to support my son and his preschool program,” said the mother of a student whom the team helped. “I really appreciated the approach that the Rapid Response Team had with the situation and the way they partnered well with the child care center. I liked that we worked together as a team to create a plan that stayed consistent between home and my son’s classroom. This type of resource is invaluable for families and early learning programs to support the growth and development of children.”