News

April 30, 2025

Federal Actions and Proposals Threaten Head Start Programs

The federal administration recently announced a proposal to eliminate Head Start, a 60-year-old federally funded program that provides comprehensive early learning, health, nutrition, and family support services to low-income children, ages 3-5, and their families as well as pregnant women and infants/toddlers under age 3. 

Head Start serves nearly 30,000 Pennsylvania children at 806 centers and employs nearly 10,000 staff members. In total, Head Start serves 750,000 children across all 50 states. Head Start is a critical program within the early care and education infrastructure and a high-quality child care option for families living in poverty.

“We have decades of data showing early childhood education drives economic mobility, strengthens communities, and reduces the need for costly interventions later,” said Cara Ciminillo, executive director for Trying Together. “Gutting a program that serves nearly a million children and families each year would set us back generations — and cost us far more in the long run.”

In recent months, a number of actions by the current administration have led to disruption and confusion for families and educators, delays in payments to local Head Start grantees, and loss of employment for Head Start and Office of Child Care staff at the federal level. Additionally, five Head Start Regional Offices were closed, representing half of all regional offices across the country, including 22 states, six territories, and 467 Tribal governments. This has resulted in diminished capacity for federal grant awards, monitoring, and technical assistance as well as a major loss of content knowledge expertise for early childhood.

In response to these actions, the Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA) has joined with a coalition of several state Head Start associations as well as two Parent Voices of Oakland, Family Forward Oregon, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Ted Waters to file a complaint to prevent the dismantling of Head Start. 

“The administration is taking Head Start apart piece by piece by slow walking grants, making it harder to access rigorously approved funding, and executive orders that cut at the heart of serving children and families in our communities,” PHSA said in an April 28 email to supporters. 

“These actions will result in the widespread termination of services for children and families that rely on Head Start for their childcare needs and are contrary to the Head Start Act, violates constitutional separation of powers, spending clause, due process (vagueness), First Amendment and the APA and is arbitrary and capricious. The President can’t thwart statutory directives by defunding the program.”

Read more

Take Action

Trying Together is deeply concerned with the proposed elimination of Head Start and urges federal policymakers to prevent the dismantling of this critical service. Make your voice and take action in one of the following ways: 

News

February 18, 2025

Presenters and Proposals Sought for Early Childhood Conferences

Presenters and proposals are being sought for several upcoming conferences relating to early childhood education in Pennsylvania.

OCDEL Conference

The state’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is seeking experienced presenters to share expertise during the upcoming 2024-25 PA Pre-K Counts & Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program Grantee Meeting on April 30 and May 1. Each session at the conference – which will take place at Kalahari Resorts in Pocono Summit – will be an hour-and-a-half and focus on data-informed practices, strategies, and lessons learned.

OCDEL is also seeking Pre-K Counts and Head Start program leaders who have demonstrated success in administrative areas to lead or co-present on program-based content.

Those interested in leading a session should complete an online form

Breaking Barriers: Empowering Voices for the Future

Another upcoming conference, Early Childhood Education: Breaking Barriers, Empowering Voices for the Future, is seeking presenters. Participants can share their knowledge and skills with educators and community leaders at the conference.

Presentations should address challenges in early childhood education, how to amplify diverse voices, and how to shape the future of education. The event will take place June 14 in Philadelphia. It will include speakers, workshops, networking, and a vendor marketplace.

Seminars will run from one to two hours. Each session should include at least 10 to 15 minutes of interactive or discussion-based activities to engage participants. To learn how to submit to be a presenter at the conference, visit its website.

Division for Early Childhood

The Division for Early Childhood is accepting proposals for the 41st Annual International Conference on Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families. The conference will take place on October 7 in Portland, Oregon.

Proposals are due by Tuesday, February 18. Information on how to submit to the conference is available online.

News

February 11, 2025

Spots Available for Free Early Education Programs in Allegheny County

Parents have the opportunity to enroll their children in free early education programs in Allegheny County.

Head Start and Pre-K Counts

Families who reside in Allegheny County and meet program guidelines can enroll their children in Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs.

The programs provide preschool children, ages three to five, with quality, flexible programming that is designed to reinforce and respond to the strengths and needs of each individual child. 

Early Head Start services are available to pregnant women and families with children from birth to age three.

There are available spots for three- to four-year-old children at the following locations:

  • PPS Bethel Park – George Washington Elementary, 515 Clifton Road, Bethel Park, 15102
  • PPS Duquesne – Duquesne School, 300 Kennedy Avenue, Duquesne, PA 15110
  • PPS South Allegheny – South Allegheny Elementary School, 1707 Washington Boulevard, Port Vue, PA 15133
  • COTRAIC Churchview – 3198 Scheick Street Pgh, PA 15227
  • Learning to Learn Childcare Center- 119 Pennoak Drive  Pgh, PA 15235
  • COTRAIC Dorseyville – 120 Charles Street Pgh, PA 15238 
  • COTRAIC Hazelwood – 4900 2nd Avenue Pgh, PA 15207

To enroll in PPS programs, call Jeanette Casciato at 412-394-4594. For more information, check out this flyer. To enroll in COTRAIC programs, call Louna Ibrahim at 412-488-2750 or visit www.cotraic.org

Pittsburgh Public Schools

Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Early Childhood Program offers extended-day – and, in some cases, extended year – programming in community early childhood programs. The programs are similar to school-based early childhood classroom models.

There are openings in the following locations:

  • Arsenal (Lawrenceville)
  • Chartiers (West End)
  • Conroy (North Side)
  • Crescent (Homewood)
  • Langley (West End)
  • Linden (Point Breeze)
  • Miller (Hill District)
  • Minadeo (Sq. Hill)
  • Pittsburgh Classical Academy (West End)
  • Peabody/Obama (East Liberty)
  • Spring Garden (North Side)
  • Weil (Hill District)

Students who attend the programs receive individualized attention, social-emotional learning, and a free breakfast and lunch. Parents can also receive individualized support as well as opportunities to participate in a variety of training and become involved in the school community and Policy Council.

For more information, contact the Early Childhood Department at 412-529-4291. For more information, check out this flyer.

News

November 18, 2024

OCDEL Calls for Early Childhood Education Professionals to Take Survey

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is calling on early childhood education professionals to take a survey regarding staffing, retention, and professional development resources.

Learn More

The survey is being conducted by the Institute of State and Regional Affairs (ISRA) at Penn State Harrisburg on behalf of OCDEL and The Pennsylvania Key. The purpose is to learn about and identify solutions relating to staffing, retention, and professional development resources in the state.

The survey is open to all Pennsylvania early childhood education professionals at any child care facility, including Head Start and Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts. Those who should take the survey include teachers, assistant teachers, classroom aids, directors, owner-operators, administrative staff, and all other staff.

The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. Those who participate can enter an optional drawing for the chance to win a $50 Amazon e-gift card.

The survey is available in English or Spanish. It will close in January. For more information, email ChildCareResearch@psu.edu

News

October 28, 2024

OCDEL Offers Scholarship Through Pitt’s Infant Mental Health Certificate

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is offering a scholarship for professionals serving children and families in prenatal, infant, toddler, and preschool programs.

Learn More

The scholarship enables participants to take part at no cost in a pilot program through the University of Pittsburgh’s Infant Mental Health Professional Development certificate. It is aimed at the state’s licensed child care providers, Head Start/Early Head Start and PA Pre-K Counts programs. 

Traditionally, the course has been provided to Infant/Toddler Early Intervention, OCDEL-funded home visitors, Infant Early Childhood Mental Health, and Rapid Response team members. 

The course is being extended to providers as a result of ongoing discussions and evaluation of requests for professional development from the field. Its extension is due to the challenges faced by providers across the state who support the mental health and well-being of young children and families. 

The scholarship seeks to enable early learning professionals to partner with others and better support families in Pennsylvania.

Those interested can apply through The Pennsylvania Key on behalf of OCDEL’s Bureau of Early Learning Policy and Professional Development. The application for the 2025 Infant Mental Health (IMH) Certificate & Learning Circle – Scholarship closes on Nov. 15.

Information on applicant criteria, the approval and evaluation process for candidates, course consideration, registration information, the course structure, and FAQs can be found on The Pennsylvania Key’s website.

News

September 25, 2024

Resources for October 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 October observances.

Month-Long Observances

HEAD START AWARENESS MONTH

DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH

NATIONAL BOOK MONTH

Days of Recognition

OCTOBER 2 IS NATIONAL CHILD HEALTH DAY

OCTOBER 4 IS NATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY

OCTOBER 5 IS NATIONAL PLAY OUTSIDE DAY

OCTOBER 9 IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY

OCTOBER 10 IS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

OCTOBER 11 IS NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

News

August 27, 2024

Federal Final Rule on Head Start Regulatory Changes

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Department has released a final rule regarding regulatory changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Changes to the rule include requirements for wages and benefits, breaks for staff, and enhanced support for staff health and wellness.

Learn More

The changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards are aimed at supporting and stabilizing the Head Start workforce and improving the quality of services that its programs provide to children and families.

Changes also include enhancements to mental health services to better integrate mental health into every aspect of program service delivery. Enhancements are included in the areas of family service worker family assignments, identifying and meeting community needs, ensuring child safety, services for pregnant women, and alignment with state early childhood systems.

The changes also include minor clarifications to promote better transparency and clarity of understanding for grant recipients.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) released a statement praising the Department of Health and Human Services for the final rule. NAEYC noted that the rule would strengthen the Head Start workforce.

About Head Start

The federal Head Start program provides early education and other comprehensive services to more than half a million children, prenatal to age 5, in center- and home-based settings across the country. 

It is a leader in providing high-quality services that support the development of children from low-income families, helping them enter kindergarten more prepared to succeed in school and life.

Dates

The compliance date for many of the requirements in the final rule is Oct. 21, which is 60 days after it was published in the Federal Register. However, some of the requirements involve programs that might need more time to implement the regulatory changes.

For further information, call 202-240-3901 or email Jessica.Bialecki@acf.hhs.gov. The details of the final rule can be found on the Federal Register’s website.

News

August 23, 2024

Head Start: Serving Special Populations

Pennsylvania Head Start Association’s Region III Regional Office will host an event in late August on serving families experiencing homelessness and other issues.

Learn More

Serving Special Populations will cover the topics of families experiencing homelessness, foster care, incarcerated parents, and refugees.

Participants will engage in topical discussions to gain a deeper understanding of issues impacting Head Start and EHS programs and seek support, advice, and feedback from their colleagues and peers.

It is recommended for recipient directors, family services staff, and community partners to attend the event.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. on Aug. 27. Registration is now open.

News

August 14, 2024

Working Together Webinar

Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA will host an upcoming webinar on early learning initiatives in the state.

Learn More

The Working Together Webinar will focus on several topics relating to early learning in the state, including:

  • Early learning in the 2024-25 state budget
  • Follow up and response to state policymakers
  • Federal advocacy update and opportunities for child care

The webinar, which will be available in English and Spanish, will include Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA partners – including First Up: Champions for Early Education, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, Pennsylvania Child Care Association, Pennsylvania Head Start Association, and Trying Together.

Attendees will learn how to work together in 2024 to strengthen Pennsylvania’s early learning system for teachers and programs and grow access to more eligible families.

More Details

The webinar will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Those interested in attending must register in advance. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

News

September 26, 2023

Resources for October 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 October observances:

Month-Long Observances

Head Start Awareness Month

Dyslexia Awareness Month

Hispanic Heritage Month (continued)

National Book Month

Days of Recognition

October 2 is National Child Health Day

October 4 is National Walk to School Day

October 7 is National Play Outside Day

October 9 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 10 is World Mental Health Day

October 11 is National Coming Out Day