News

June 19, 2023

Child Care Providers and Advocates Ask for Legislative Support in New Video Series

Trying Together spoke with child care providers and advocates at the 2023 Annual Celebration Dinner on Thursday, April 27 and recently released a video series of the conversations they captured.

In this series of 10 videos, providers detail the current staffing crisis and its effect on families. They call on state legislators to support the workforce behind the workforce and raise wages for child care and early learning professionals.

Excerpts From Videos: What Did Providers Say?

Videos in the series are between approximately 30 seconds and 1:30 seconds long. However, if you’re looking for quick quips, check out the excerpts below.

  • “A huge resource that we need is more high quality teachers.” – Laura Saxon, Carnegie Science Center
  • “We desperately need more staff and we need better wages to retain good staff to take care of our children.” – Tressie Lesnoski, University of Pittsburgh Child Development Center
  • “Without early learning facilities, parents cannot go to work.” – Gwendolyn Marcus, Project Destiny Early Learning Centers
  • “We cannot compete with the wages being offered…. In order for us to be able to compete, we’d have to raise tuition to an astronomical price that would make our child care not affordable to most of our families.” – Denise Burke, Westminster Early Childhood Education Program
  • “…We need to keep our teachers. And in order to keep our teachers, we need to be able to pay them well.” – Lori Feldman, Westminster Early Childhood Education Program
  • “We need more support from our lawmakers and our policymakers so that we can keep the children in programs…and still pay ourselves a livable wage.” – Brandi Allen, Brandi’s Care with Love, LLC
  • “Every family and every child deserves access to a high quality program, and, in order to provide that, we need to provide our child care professionals with a living wage.” – Casey Mindlin, STEM Coding Lab
  • “As a working parent, I am grateful for my children’s early learning program because it gives us a chance to create a better opportunity for our families while we are being ensured that our children are being loved, taught, and cared for while we are working.” – Nachell Henderson, YWCA Homewood-Brushton
  • “I’ve been doing this business for over 30 years, and I’ve seen a definite decline in the staff that we’re able to retain because of pricing.” Joy Simmons, Joy Simmons Family Childcare
  • “The staffing crisis has really affected us and has made it really hard to keep classrooms open…which really puts a burden on the parents, because then they don’t have child care.” – Mary Merryman, Presbyterian Day School

Access the Videos

To hear more from child care providers and advocates, access the videos below.

Laura – We Need Educators

Watch on Vimeo.

Tressie – Raise ECE Wages

Watch on Vimeo.

Gwen – Support ECE: Backbone of the Community

Watch on Vimeo.

Denise – We Need Funds for Higher Wages

Watch on Vimeo.

Lori – Help Us Retain Teachers

Watch on Vimeo.

Brandi – We Need Support From Lawmakers

Watch on Vimeo.

Casey – Give Child Care Professionals a Livable Wage

Watch on Vimeo.

Nachell – Show Gratitude for Child Care Providers

Watch on Vimeo.

Joy – Help Solve the Staffing Crisis

Watch on Vimeo.

Mary – Help Us Keep Classrooms Open

Watch on Vimeo.

Learn More

To learn more, visit the “Advocacy” tab on the Trying Together website or visit any of the following webpages:

News

November 17, 2020

Provide Your Feedback: Subsidized Child Care Eligibility

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) are accepting public comments through December 14, 2020 for proposed changes to the current subsidized child care eligibility regulations.

About

Proposed changes to the subsidized child care eligibility regulations at 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3041 might impact families, children, and early childhood education providers. The proposed changes include, but are not limited to, the following:

    • expanded eligibility period of 12 months;
    • expanded eligibility to cover hours the parent or caretaker requires sleep following completion of overnight work shift;
    • no changes to the amounts of subsidy and co-payment for the duration of the eligibility period, unless to the family’s benefit;
    • abolished the requirement for the parent or caretaker to pay an advanced co-pay prior to enrollment;
    • children who turn 13 during the eligibility period will continue to receive the subsidy until the eligibility period ends;
    • codifying payment practices permitting tiered reimbursement for providers who voluntarily exceed the basic health and safety requirements;
    • codifying payment practices based on enrollment and not attendance, to include increasing the number of permitted absences from 25 to 50 per fiscal year;
    • after five consecutive days absent, the child maintains eligibility, but the enrollment is suspended until the child returns to care; and
    • establishment of waiver provisions and periods of presumptive eligibility for particular populations, including victims of domestic violence and families experiencing homelessness.

How To Submit A Comment

All public comments must be submitted in writing by December 14, 2020. All comments, suggestions, or objections should reference the regulation number, section, and subsection. Comments can be submitted using the following methods:

    • fax your comments to 717.214.6575; or
    • mail your comments to:Michael Ordonez
      Office of Child Development and Early Learning
      333 Market Street, 6th Floor
      Harrisburg, PA 17126

If you would like to receive a response, please include your contact information when submitting.

More Information

For information about the current regulations, visit the Pennsylvania Code website. To view the latest issue, read Volume 50 Number 46.

Share this flyer with your network.

News

June 19, 2020

Public Discussion: Services for Families in Allegheny County

What does your community need? How can the Allegheny County Department of Human Services help meet those needs? You are invited to share your ideas and suggestions at a virtual Human Services Block Grant Public Meeting. All input will inform the 2020-21 Human Services Block Grant Plan.

Available Sessions

Join a Session

There are three ways to participate in a virtual meeting:

  1. To hear the live audio, see the live video, and participate in the Q&A, join on your computer, smartphone, or tablet. You may be instructed to download an app called Microsoft Teams. If prompted to sign in, you may choose whether to do so or join anonymously.
  2. To hear the live audio only, call 267.368.7515. The access code for Monday’s meeting is 172 596 105# and the access code for Tuesday’s meeting is 746 312 327#.
  3. To watch the recordings at your convenience, visit the Allegheny County website. The recordings will be posted within 24 to 48 hours after the meetings.

More Information

Allegheny County DHS makes reasonable efforts to accommodate people with disabilities or limited-English-proficiency. Closed captioning in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic will be available when joining the meeting on a PC or Mac.

For questions, comments, or ideas, contact DHS-Ideas@AlleghenyCounty.US.

News

April 15, 2020

Family Strengths Survey Now Available

During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and adult caregivers are vital in supporting the care, education, and healthy development of young children. Each caregiver and family will have their own unique experiences during these tough times, with many requiring assistance to acquire food, pay bills, and access other critical services.

To better understand which resources have been the most helpful and to ensure that these resources remain available, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics launched the “Family Strengths Survey.” The survey is open to the public and all answers will be submitted anonymously.

Take the Survey

If you are interested in submitting the Family Strengths survey in English, please visit the survey webpage or call 412.692.8026. The survey is also available in Spanish.

You Could Win

At the end of the survey, participants will have the choice to enter your name and contact information for a chance to receive a $100 gift card. Five people will be randomly selected each week from everyone who answers the survey. The contact information that you provide will never be linked to your answers in the survey.

Visit the survey webpage to learn more.

More Information

For more information about the survey or to see weekly updates on survey results, please visit the Family Strengths Survey webpage.  For questions, please contact PGHstudy@pitt.edu. For more information on COVID-19, including daily updates, please click here to visit our COVID-19 resources page.

News

March 5, 2020

New Early Childhood Mental Health Survey Available

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) invites early childhood education professionals, family members, higher education staff, and mental, physical, and oral healthcare professionals to take a brief survey regarding their experiences and communications around early social-emotional development.

Survey results will be used to assist the Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMH) Project in developing tools for families and professionals to use in understanding and obtaining supports around early childhood social-emotional health.

Take the Survey

Click here to complete the survey. All surveys must be submitted by April 7, 2020.

More Information on Early Childhood Mental Health

For more information about the IECMH Project, visit the Pennsylvania Key website.

For more early childhood related news, please visit Trying Together’s News Section here.

*Information provided by The Pennsylvania Key

News

October 18, 2019

ACF Seeks Input On Improving Quality Child Care Access

On October 2, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) posted a Request for Information (RFI) on improving access to affordable, high-quality child care in the United States.

About

ACF is focused on finding innovative solutions to improve working families’ access to affordable, high quality child care, as well as investigating how access to child care affects America’s workforce, present, and future. Child care is one of the biggest expenses a family faces and can be a barrier to work. The average cost of center-based infant child care in 28 states is more than college tuition.

At the same time, there is concern about the quality of child care and ensuring that child care settings are a place of education that promote and enhance child and youth development and well-being. High-quality child care is a critical investment that pays off now, for parents by enabling them to work, and later, by supporting children’s development and success in school and life. This request for information seeks public comment on innovative ways to address the affordability and access crisis of child care in the U.S., without compromising on quality.

Information collected through this RFI may be used by ACF in the development of future rulemaking and technical assistance, the formation of legislative proposals and research agenda, and/or strategic planning. To learn more, visit the RFI page.

Intended Audience and Stakeholders

AFI is looking to receive input from a wide range of stakeholders, including, but not limited to, parents who use child care; parents of children with disabilities; small child care businesses; employers; state and local chambers of commerce; foundations; faith-based and other community organizations; family child care networks; child care resource and referral agencies; universities and other institutions of higher education; child care workforce development organizations, etc.

RFI Topics

    • Building Supply of Child Care
    • Improving Child Care Regulations
    • Cultivating the Child Care Workforce
    • Developing Better Child Care Business Models
    • Transforming Financing of Child Care and Early Education Programs

Submit Your Comment

To submit a comment, visit the RFI page. All comments must be submitted by December 2, 2019.

*Information provided by the Administration of Children and Families

News

August 16, 2019

Pittsburgh Farm to ECE Provider Survey

Through an online survey, Ready Set Grow! is seeking responses from Pittsburgh early care and education providers to learn more about current practices and needed supports in the field.

Ready Set Grow!

In partnership with the Pennsylvania Head Start Association, the Food Trust launched Ready Set Grow!, a Farm to ECE program new to Pittsburgh, with the intention to increase Farm to Early Learning activities on a statewide level in the early care and education field.

To learn more, visit their website.

Farm to ECE

Farm to ECE is a part of the National Farm to School Network, providing activities and strategies that offer increased access to:

    • healthy, local foods;
    • gardening opportunities;
    • and food-based learning activities to enhance the quality of the educational experience.

Farm to ECE works well in all types of early care and education settings, with activities supporting healthy eating habits, creating connections to local foods and agricultural communities, and teaching children how food grows.

Take the Survey

To submit your input, visit the Ready Set Grow! google form today.

More Information

For more information, contact Ready Set Grow via their online form.

News

August 15, 2019

Mobility Demonstration Project Seeks Feedback

The City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure has been working with a new consortium called the Pittsburgh Mobility Collective to increase mobility options, especially to and from public transit. With this, the City posted an online survey to receive early input and feedback from Pittsburgh community members.

About

Through the addition of electric scooters, electric bikes, rental cars, and carpooling services, the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Mobility Collective seek to expand local transportation options. Pittsburgh-native Ben Bear, Chief Business Officer of Spin, said: “while electric bikes should be available and stations with some services should be available in three to four months, electric scooters might take longer because changes need to be made in Pennsylvania law to allow them.”

To ensure accessibility and affordability in all of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, a part of the proposal for this initiative involves “donating 10 cents from every trip to a special fund to help build infrastructure such as stations and to help people in disadvantaged areas use the system,” possibly including reduced rates and alternate payment methods.

To learn more, read the full article posted on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website.

Provide Your Feedback

While the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure has gathered a wide array of city and regional transportation plans, studies, and workshop feedback in pursuit of community needs and values, the Department is always looking to receive additional feedback from Pittsburgh community members.

To submit your feedback, complete the Mobility Demonstration Project: Early Input survey.

News

August 9, 2019

Power to the Profession Task Force Seeks Feedback

The Power to the Profession (P2P) National Task Force recently shared their next decision cycle draft, encouraging review and response. These Decision Cycles address the resources, infrastructure, and accountability structures needed across states and systems to support a prepared, diverse, well-compensated early childhood education profession. The draft is available in English and Spanish.

About the Task Force

The Power to the Profession (P2P) Task Force, in collaboration with thousands of educators, individual stakeholders, and partner organizations, is working toward a bold and audacious vision for a unified early childhood education profession. This profession will have clear roles and responsibilities, professional cohesion, and commensurate compensation. This will ensure every child, beginning at birth, has the opportunity to benefit from high-quality early childhood education, delivered by an effective, diverse, well-prepared, and well-compensated workforce.

Read the Decision Cycles 7+8 Discussion Draft.

Provide Your Feedback

Feedback will be accepted through September 13, 2019, and should be submitted via the online survey. Additional written comments can be submitted via email at p2p@naeyc.org.

More Information

For questions, review the updated P2P Frequently Asked Questions. Community members are also invited to sign up for Virtual Office Hours to ask questions, give feedback, or explore how you can build on your work to advance the early childhood education profession.

*Information provided by the P2P Task Force