News

February 11, 2020

Promoting Infant and Toddler Social and Emotional Development

Are you interested in learning how to better support children’s social and emotional development? Join Trying Together for our online course, “Promoting Infant and Toddler Social and Emotional Development.”

About

This online session will explore the questions: “What is social and emotional learning within infants and toddlers, and why is it important?” Participants will be provided with positive social-emotional opportunities for infants and toddlers and develop skills necessary to build a solid foundation for very young children. Course instructors will discuss how to support very young children to form secure relationships with others to ultimately be able to focus and learn in their day to day experiences. Also, skills and techniques will be provided to engage with infants and toddlers to teach them to feel good about themselves while developing confidence and self-control.

Three hours of PQAS and/or Act 48 credits will be offered.

    • Core Knowledge Competencies (CKCs): K1.9 C2 and K2.2 C2
    • Keystone STARS Alignment: SQ. 3.4.4

Timeline

This online course will be available from March 9 through March 30, 2020. Please note that this event listing is not a day-of, in-person event. Once registered, course instructors will provide further information on accessing the course.

Registration

To register for this course, complete the form below.

 

More Information

For questions or more information, contact Jasmine Davis, Professional Learning Program Manager, at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org.

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News

January 15, 2020

Joyful Transitioning for Toddlers with Music and Movement

Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on February 8 for their professional development session, “Joyful Transitioning for Toddlers with Music and Movement.”

About

Transitioning into a classroom for the first time can be a big challenge for young toddlers. Ease the transition and even make it joyful by using music and movement! In this workshop, participants will experience a variety of soothing songs and rhythmic movements that can be incorporated into their daily practice to support children’s social-emotional development. PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

Registration

To register, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website.

More Information

For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, contact Customer Service at 412.456.6666. To learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

December 5, 2019

Trying Together Releases Professional Development Catalog

Focusing on early childhood professionals working in home-, center-, and school-based settings, Trying Together offers existing and customized growth opportunities targeted to individual or group goals, interests, and needs. To increase awareness of these opportunities, Trying Together developed an online, printable 2019-2020 Professional Development Catalog that features course titles, descriptions, Core Knowledge Competency (CKC) alignments, and more.

About

For more than 55 years, Trying Together has supported the work of early childhood with a dedication to making sure every caregiver feels valued. In pursuit of this vision, Trying Together not only offers courses that always provide Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) and Act 48 credits, but also offers a plethora of professional growth opportunities, resources, and services. With this, Trying Together partnered with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services in summer 2019 to manage quality support for all Allegheny County early learning programs serviced by Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5.

As part of this work, we are continuing and enhancing our commitment to providing quality services and supports that meet the unique needs of our region’s early care and education professionals. This work includes making our course catalog available publicly. With the year almost over, we are working to update and add more course offerings to ensure we are meeting the demands of both the field and new quality ratings and standards set by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s (OCDEL) Keystone STARS Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). In early 2020, we plan to release a comprehensive update to this catalog. In the interim, we look forward to working together with you to support your goals and improve quality at your early learning program.

View the 2019-2020 Professional Development Catalog.

Core Knowledge Competencies (CKCs)

Trying Together’s courses align with the following Pennsylvania Core Knowledge Competencies:

    • K1: Child Growth and Development
    • K2: Curriculum and Learning Experiences
    • K3: Family, School, and Community Collaborations and Partnerships
    • K4: Assessment
    • K5: Communication
    • K6: Professionalism and Leadership
    • K8: Program Organization and Administration

Featured Focus Areas

To assist professionals in identifying relevant courses, the Catalog sorts listings into the following focus areas:

    • Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Interactions
    • Leadership
    • Play

All Trying Together courses provide PQAS and Act 48 credit.

Request Professional Services

To request professional services, please submit our online request form or contact Professional Development Manager Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org or 412.567.3933.

More Information

For more information, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org or 412.567.3933.

News

November 11, 2019

PD Registry & Career Pathway | Director Webinar

Join Pennsylvania (PA) PD Registry and Career Pathway staff at the Pennsylvania Key on December 4 for their webinar, “PD Registry and Career Pathway Information for Directors.”

About

This webinar seeks to support program directors in their effort to help their staff use PA’s PD Registry and understand the ECE Career Pathway. Featured topics include completing a PD Registry profile, uploading education documents, and submitting information to be placed on the Career Pathway. More information on Pennsylvania’s Quality Initiatives for the Early Childhood Education workforce will be provided.

Registration

To learn more and register, visit the event webpage.

More Information

For questions, call 1.800.284.6031 or email registry@pakeys.org.

News

October 19, 2019

Using Ages and Stages Questionnaires as a Screening Tool

Are you interested in learning how to use Ages and Stages Questionnaires®, including Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, as a screening tool for children ages three months to five years old?

Join Trying Together for a three-hour professional growth session that provides information on how to administer, score, and share the results of the screener with families. The session will include resources for making referrals to additional services.

This course will be instructed by Carlow University’s Coordinator of Undergraduate Education Programs, Pamela Zimmerman. PQAS and Act 48 hours available.

More Information

For questions, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org.

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Registration

To register, complete the course below.

News

August 13, 2019

Come Play!

Guided by the staff at Trying Together, Come Play! is an opportunity for group and family child care providers to bring their enrolled children for hands-on professional learning.

Provider Benefits

By participating, providers will receive:

  • PQAS / Act 48 Hours
  • Mentoring
  • Program Resources

Questions

For more information or to ask questions, contact Mimi Loughead at 412.567.5163 or mimi@tryingtogether.org.

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News

July 29, 2019

New Services Available on Pennsylvania’s PD Registry

In July, Pennsylvania’s PD Registry received new enhancements that will help support early childhood professionals.

New Services Available

Through the PD Registry website, early childhood professionals can now apply for or access:

Early Childhood Career Pathway

The Early Childhood Education Career Pathway is a tool to support the ECE profession in entering the field prepared for success while growing the existing professional’s capacity to advance in their intended field. This tool is now available on PD Registry. To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Key website.

Note

The Career Lattice will still be used for Keystone STARS designation and Education and Retention Awards (ERA) until further notice. Additionally, early childhood educators that currently meet the expectation of particular career lattice level will be honored at that level by being grandfathered into the Career Pathway level that is equivalent if verified within the determined timeline.

Many individuals have already uploaded transcripts before the new enhancements went live on July 1. You will still need to complete your profile to be placed on the career pathway. If transcripts were already uploaded, this step will not be needed again. To view tip sheets on completing the profile and uploading transcripts, please view them at the PA Keys website.

More Information

For more information on these enhancements, watch the recorded webinar, visit the FAQ document, and view tipsheets and more on the PD Registry.

Questions? Call 1.800.284.6031 or email registry@pakeys.org.

*Information provided by The Pennsylvania Key

News

July 26, 2019

Using Ages and Stages Questionnaires as a Screening Tool

Are you interested in learning how to use Ages and Stages Questionaires®, including Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional®, as a screening tool for children ages three months to five years old?

Join Trying Together for a three-hour professional growth session that provides information on how to administer, score, and share the results of the screener with families. The session will include resources for making referrals to additional services. This course will be instructed by Carlow University’s Coordinator of Undergraduate Education Programs, Pamela Zimmerman.

More Information

For questions and more information, contact Jasmine Davis at 412.567.3933 or jasmine@tryingtogether.org.

Share this flyer with your network.

Registration

To participate in this course, complete the registration process below.

 



 

News

July 1, 2019

Fred Rogers Educators’ Neighborhood to Launch

Reflecting on a piece she wrote in December 2018, Melissa Butler identifies long-term benefits observed with the same group of children five months after the initial observation. Additionally, the Fred Rogers Center announced that they will be launching “Educators’ Neighborhood: Learning and Growing Together” in support of early childhood teachers.

Overview

In December 2018, Melissa Butler wrote a blog article named, “Beechwood Kindergarteners Learn with Mister Rogers,” observing LeeAnne Kreuger’s kindergarten classroom as they gathered every Friday morning to watch an episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Labeled “Mister Rogers Friday,” teachers selected an episode each week for their students based on key themes, needs, or interests expressed in the classroom.

What they observed from April through June 2018 was that by the end of the school year, the children were actively singing along, naming characters, and making fun connections throughout the school day. In addition to this, teachers noticed benefits as well, having significant learning opportunities to reflect on child development, cultural relevancy, and ways to weave Fred Rogers’ lessons into the school day.

Five months after, this same group of children continues to watch a new episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” every week. By doing so, they’re still observing significant impacts and benefits.

Benefits for Children

Butler highlights that this group of children:

  • talk with each other during and after each Picture-Picture video because they have so many questions and connections;
  • know the difference between real and make-believe;
  • sing songs with confidence; answer Mister Rogers’ questions with eager attention;
  • allow for the silence and slowness of episode moments; and
  • have come to trust in the learning and joy each episode bring during and in the classroom.
Benefits for Educators

Teachers have also displayed key benefits, including:

  • more trust in their instincts;
  • more collaboration with each other;
  • more sharing of personal stories with students;
  • more confidence with developmentally appropriate practice;
  • more improvisation with what they choose to do after each episode; and
  • an overall approach that trusts in the larger picture of what they do as teachers.

Conclusion

Needless to say, the benefits of incorporating meaningful videos, especially those of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” are substantial. When educators and students are allotted a period to slow down, reflect, and talk with one another about influential topics, all parties benefit in and out of the classroom. For more, read Butler’s full blog piece.

About Educators’ Neighborhood

Educators’ Neighborhood: Learning and Growing Together is a place for educators to learn more and with each other, inspired by the life and work of Fred Rogers. Fred Rogers Center will grow an expanded community of educators to study episodes of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” read from the Fred Rogers Center Archive, and generate new ideas together connected with their daily practice with young children.

If you’re interested in joining, sign up for news, register for Educators’ Neighborhood Online, or apply to be part of the local Educators’ Neighborhood Learning Community.

More Information

For more information, read Butler’s full blog piece.

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News

June 13, 2019

Don’t Be A Trigger: Trauma-Informed Care Approach

Looking for a more in-depth dive into Trauma-Informed Care? Join Debralyn Woodberry Shaw of ELIE Circle, LLC to explore trauma might manifest in your early childhood or youth program.

About

Our past experiences – personal, familial, societal – influence our brain development and shape how we interpret and respond to the world. In this session, youth workers will explore how trauma might manifest in their program. Participants will also learn how self-awareness and a growth mindset aid in creating a Trauma-Informed Community and protect youth workers from the effects of vicarious trauma. Lunch will be provided.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

    • be introduced to the Trauma-Informed Care framework,
    • become familiar with the foundations of Trauma-Informed Care,
    • understand complex trauma and the parts of the brain related to trauma,
    • be introduced to vicarious trauma,
    • identify self-care and building resilience techniques,
    • reflect on their past experiences and how they influence their interactions with young people, and
    • explore the concept of a growth mindset.

Registration and Questions

To register for this workshop, visit APOST’s event page.

For questions, contact APOST at 412.456.6876.

*Information provided by APOST