March 24, 2021 Virtual Vitality Cafés If your family receives Early Intervention and/or Family Support services in Pennsylvania, join other families virtually for conversations focused on self-care, health, and wellness. About Café sessions are intended for family members of children enrolled in Early Intervention Services or Family Support Services. To support participation, a stipend of $40 will be offered. A child care reimbursement will be offered if needed to participate in the Cafes. Information on how to access the stipend/reimbursement will be provided after registration. Forms to be submitted for the stipend will be provided at the end of each Café. Virtual Vitality Café Dates Virtual Vitality Cafés will be held on the following dates: January 27, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. February 24, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. March 24, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Receiving Support Support for families of children who are deaf/heard of hearing is provided from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For other families of children receiving EI services that do not have diagnosed hearing loss and children receiving Family Support Services, support is provided by The Office of Child Development and Early Learning. This will require ALL participants to pre-register and indicate what program(s) your child is receiving services and whether or not your child has a diagnosis of hearing loss. Registration To register, complete the online registration form. Any accommodations (language or ADA) must be requested at least two weeks in advance of each cafe, during the registration process. Families are encouraged to join as many sessions as they would like to attend. More Information For questions, call The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers at 412.885.6000.
February 24, 2021 Virtual Vitality Cafés If your family receives Early Intervention and/or Family Support services in Pennsylvania, join other families virtually for conversations focused on self-care, health, and wellness. About Café sessions are intended for family members of children enrolled in Early Intervention Services or Family Support Services. To support participation, a stipend of $40 will be offered. A child care reimbursement will be offered if needed to participate in the Cafes. Information on how to access the stipend/reimbursement will be provided after registration. Forms to be submitted for the stipend will be provided at the end of each Café. Virtual Vitality Café Dates Virtual Vitality Cafés will be held on the following dates: January 27, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. February 24, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. March 24, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Receiving Support Support for families of children who are deaf/heard of hearing is provided from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For other families of children receiving EI services that do not have diagnosed hearing loss and children receiving Family Support Services, support is provided by The Office of Child Development and Early Learning. This will require ALL participants to pre-register and indicate what program(s) your child is receiving services and whether or not your child has a diagnosis of hearing loss. Registration To register, complete the online registration form. Any accommodations (language or ADA) must be requested at least two weeks in advance of each cafe, during the registration process. Families are encouraged to join as many sessions as they would like to attend. More Information For questions, call The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers at 412.885.6000.
January 27, 2021 Virtual Vitality Cafés If your family receives Early Intervention and/or Family Support services in Pennsylvania, join other families virtually for conversations focused on self-care, health, and wellness. About Café sessions are intended for family members of children enrolled in Early Intervention Services or Family Support Services. To support participation, a stipend of $40 will be offered. A child care reimbursement will be offered if needed to participate in the Cafes. Information on how to access the stipend/reimbursement will be provided after registration. Forms to be submitted for the stipend will be provided at the end of each Café. Virtual Vitality Café Dates Virtual Vitality Cafés will be held on the following dates: January 27, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. February 24, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. March 24, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Receiving Support Support for families of children who are deaf/heard of hearing is provided from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For other families of children receiving EI services that do not have diagnosed hearing loss and children receiving Family Support Services, support is provided by The Office of Child Development and Early Learning. This will require ALL participants to pre-register and indicate what program(s) your child is receiving services and whether or not your child has a diagnosis of hearing loss. Registration To register, complete the online registration form. Any accommodations (language or ADA) must be requested at least two weeks in advance of each cafe, during the registration process. Families are encouraged to join as many sessions as they would like to attend. More Information For questions, call The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers at 412.885.6000.
January 6, 2021 Foundations of Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed, and Health Join the Creative Learning Network on Wednesday, January 6 for their Lunch Break session, “Foundations of Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed, and Health.” About During this session, participants will gain an understanding of foundational principles related to the intersection of anti-racism, trauma-informed, and holistic health in out-of-school (OST) programs for the purpose of supporting young people of color. Registration To register, visit the online registration page.
December 16, 2020 Safe and Healthy Homes Program in Allegheny County Would you like to receive a free visual inspection of your home to check for potential health or safety hazards? Apply for the Allegheny County Health Department’s Safe and Healthy Homes Program! About The Allegheny County Health Department’s Safe and Healthy Homes (SHHP) Program provides free in-home health and safety assessments to qualified participants in Allegheny County, as well as Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. The purpose of this program is to reduce hospitalizations, injuries, illnesses, or deaths from preventable home health or safety hazards. The program will include a free visual inspection for potential dangers in the home such as asthma triggers, allergens, mold, moisture, inadequate ventilation, lead-based paint, pest infestations, fall hazards, and child safety hazards. The program will also offer educational materials, information on follow-up medical care if threats to health are identified, and referrals to community organizations that can offer further assistance. Eligibility To qualify, households must: include at least one pregnant woman or a child/dependent under the age of 22, meet applicable income limits, and live in Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, or Westmoreland counties. Application To apply, complete the online application. Individuals may also apply by calling 412.350.4048. More Information For more information, visit the Allegheny County Health Department website. A Healthy Homes Maintenance Checklist is also available. Share this brochure with your network. Information provided by the Allegheny County Health Department.
December 3, 2020 Fifth Annual Healthy Schools Summit Are you interested in translating research into action to create green and healthy schools? Join Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE) on Thursday, December 3 for the Fifth Annual Healthy Schools Summit. About During this virtual conference, national, state, and local experts will tackle the following questions: How are school stakeholders coming together to realize their shared goal for green, safe, and healthy schools for students and staff to return to? How are school leaders translating public health research into action to prevent the spread of COVID-19? What resources are available for educators, nurses, parents, and students to respond to existing and emerging school health needs? For information on the Summit sessions, please see the list below or view the full Summit Agenda. Morning Sessions “From Research to Action and Knowledge to Practice”: Keynote Address by Tracy Enger, Program Manager, U.S Environmental Protection Agency “Public Health Decision Making for School Leaders: A Panel Discussion” with panelists Dr. Farhad Ahmed (PA Dept of Health), Aimee Eckmann (Perkins + Will), Dr. Megan Freeman (Children’s Hospital), and Dr. Robert Scherrer (Allegheny Intermediate Unit “Clearing the Air: Indoor Air Quality in the Time of COVID-19”: Expert Panel with panelists Nina Hwang (Green Seal), Al Pater (Riverview School District), Lynn Rose (Environmental Health Consultant), and Raj Setty (Setty & Associates) Afternoon Sessions “The Future of Green and Healthy Schools” Afternoon Address by Anisa Heming, Director, Center for Green Schools, US Green Building Council Celebrating Five Years of Success through Our Healthy Schools Recognition Program: Virtual Awards Ceremony Option A – Learning Through Pandemics Past: Bringing Public Health and Civics into the Classroom Option B – “It’s Just a Cold” Navigating Student Health During COVID-19: Panel Discussion Option C – Civic Engagement Through Climate Literacy Registration To register for the Summit, visit the Eventbrite page. For questions, please email Kara Rubio, Healthy Schools Manager at kara@womenforahealthyenvironment.org.
November 20, 2020 Stay-At-Home Advisory in Allegheny County On November 18, the Allegheny County Health Department issued a stay-at-home and stop social gatherings advisory to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. If left unchecked, the spread of COVID-19 poses a risk to communities and healthcare systems in Allegheny County. About Beginning immediately, Allegheny County residents are asked to stay at home and stop social gatherings to stem the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the county. Residents are advised to only leave home to go to work or school, for essential needs such as seeking medical care, going to the grocery store or pharmacy, getting food, or the like. Residents must always wear a face mask and practice physical distancing by staying at least six feet away from others in accordance with the November 17 state masking order. Additionally, residents are strongly encouraged to: not have guests in their homes unless they are essential workers (e.g., home healthcare providers, child care workers, or educators), cancel traditional Thanksgiving celebrations and celebrate virtually with non-household members, avoid unnecessary travel, and limit social event gatherings. This advisory will remain in place for 30 days or until such time as the Health Director determines a change to the guidance is appropriate. All restrictions put in place by the Commonwealth and the Pennsylvania Department of Health remain in effect. More Information To view the full list of recommendations, please read the full advisory.
November 19, 2020 ELRC Region 5 Office to Close November 23 Due to rising COVID-19 cases and the stay-at-home advisory in Allegheny County, the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5 downtown office on Wood Street will be closed to the public beginning Monday, November 23. About On November 18, a stay-at-home and stop social gatherings public health advisory was issued by the Allegheny County Health Department. Due to this advisory and the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Allegheny County, ELRC Region 5 will close its downtown office to the public. The downtown and satellite offices will remain closed through December 31, 2020. ELRC Region 5 staff will continue to provide high-quality customer service via phone and video conferencing. More Information For more information, read this news post from ELRC Region 5.
Mindfulness-Based Skills to Promote Resilience and Connection Are you interested in learning how mindfulness practices can impact a child’s ability to deal with stress, anxiety, and trauma? Join Megan Davis on November 19 for “Compassionate Classrooms: Mindfulness-Based Skills to Promote Resilience and Connection.” About The goal of this webinar is to introduce mindfulness skills that educators, therapists, and paraprofessionals can integrate into the classroom to build resiliency, distress tolerance, and connection. At the end of this session, you will have gained insight into how simple mindfulness practices directly impact our body’s ability to downregulate in the face of stress, anxiety, and trauma. You will be able to integrate concrete skills into your classroom to support students’, as well as your own, wellness. Featured Topics In this webinar, Megan Davis will: define a basic understanding of how stress impacts the nervous system and our ability to self-regulate, demonstrate breathing exercises to calm and balance an activated nervous system, demonstrate mindfulness exercises to regulate and widen the “window of tolerance”, help professionals plan for how and when to integrate skills into a typical school day (virtual or in-person), and provide opportunities to reflect on current self-care practices and how they translate to the culture of classroom wellness. Registration This webinar is best suited for K-12 teachers, librarians, school leaders, therapists, and counselors. To register, visit the EdWeb website.
November 18, 2020 How Educators Can Avoid Mental, Physical, and Emotional Exhaustion Are you interested in learning strategies to avoid exhaustion and burnout? Join Dr. Tina Boogren and Dr. Timothy Kanold on November 18 for “Attend to Your Well-Being: How Educators Can Avoid Mental, Physical, and Emotional Exhaustion.” About To counter the pressure, stress, and chaos around us, professionals need to practice healthy, practical habits, and routines of wellness and self-care. They also need to rise up to the expectations of taking care of students and their colleagues, amidst the challenges of this unprecedented school season. In this engaging, fun-filled webinar, Dr. Tina Boogren and Dr. Timothy Kanold will provide practical strategies to avoid exhaustion and burnout and give you the courage and permission to attend to a more balanced and joyful professional life! Time for questions will be provided. Registration This webinar is best suited for prek-12 teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. To register, visit the EdWeb website.
