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Need a family fun Friday night? Join families at The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center for a night of fun-filled games and activities.
Parents and caregivers can explore ways to interact with their children to promote growth through play. This event is for enrolled families only.
For more information, contact Nicole Banner at nicole@tryingtogether.org.
News
Does your family need a new space to play? Are your children tired of playing at home, but it’s getting too cold to go outside or to the park?
Join The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center for drop-in playtime hours! The Hub & Family Center’s play space will be open for families to “drop-in” and play with new toys, read new books, and more!
When: Weekly on Wednesdays | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center, 7219 Kelly Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208
*Please note that parents/caregivers must remain with their children during drop-in hours. Drop-in hours are not staff led activities and/or programming, but staff will be on-site and able to answer any larger questions about community resources, Hub & Family Center services, and more!
News
More than 100 people turned out for the Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center’s August 21 open house, where families received backpacks, supplies, and important resources to support their children’s growth and development.
The open house was especially important because families learned about pre-k and Head Start options, said Toni Beasley, the Hub’s director.
“Many families in our area aren’t familiar with pre-k and the importance of sending their child to school before kindergarten,” Beasley said. “We let caregivers know that by sending their child to pre-k or Head Start, they are giving their child the best opportunity to develop important skills and prepare for kindergarten”
Educators and child care providers attended the event to meet with families and help enroll children in early learning programs. They also provided information about free pre-k options in the region and other ways to afford child care.
Attendees received a variety of materials at the open house, including backpacks, swag bags, coats, a variety of snacks and drinks, and personal hygiene products, such as soap, body wash, deodorant, toothbrushes, socks, and laundry detergent. They also took part in children’s activities and free blood pressure screenings.
“It wasn’t just school supplies,” Beasley said. “Children received hygiene supplies, clothing, and other items so they can start the school year feeling comfortable, confident, and with a sense of belonging.”
The Hub partnered with several organizations for the event. Beverly’s PGH Basics Boutique operated a truck, where participants could pick up everything from bedding and clothing to cleaning supplies, books, and toys. Students from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Community Alliance Program held a discussion on postpartum care.
The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center, located at 7219 Kelly Street, supports the early learning needs of children, families, and early educators in Homewood. It offers developmentally appropriate activities for children from birth to age 9, individual and group support for parents to set and meet goals for their family, and professional growth opportunities for providers.
News
The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center will host a back-to-school open house on Friday, August 21 that will include fun activities, resources, and community support.
Activities, tabling, and school supply giveaways will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
At 3 p.m., Community Alliance Program students from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine will host a discussion on postpartum care. The event will include free blood pressure screenings and giveaways.
Light snacks will be provided during the afternoon and evening sessions. While supplies last, the following will be available:
The open house will take place at the Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center, located at 7219 Kelly Street.
News
The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center’s staff will administer the ASQ-3 developmental screening tool and provide feedback and resources during designated timeslots on Thursday, June 18.
The Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) are a series of parent-completed questionnaires that screen and monitor a child’s development between one month and 5-and-a-half years of ages.
Caregivers can register their child and choose a time slot, anticipating that the screening will take approximately an hour. Two related children can be screened during a single time slot.
Available time slots include:
Any questions should be sent to Nicole Banner at nicole@tryingtogether.org.
News
Remake Learning Days – which celebrates its 10th year in 2026 – will kick off on May 1 with hundreds of events across southwestern Pennsylvania, including a science-themed event at the Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center.
The festival, which runs May 1 to 23 in southwestern Pennsylvania, currently lists more than 160 Allegheny County events on its website.
Some of the events include a science activity involving the weather at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, a chess tournament at the Urban Academy of Greater Pittsburgh, bracelet making at The Drawing Board Studios, an interactive sensory-friendly video game at Attack Theatre, hands-on STEM activities and telescope views at the Allegheny Observatory, exploring the Guyasuta Watershed in Fox Chapel, a Girls in Gaming summit at Carnegie Mellon University, and a robot-building activity for third graders hosted by the Shaler Area School District.
A full listing of events in Allegheny County can be found on the Remake Learning Days website. Events can also be found in other southwestern Pennsylvania regions as well as locations around the state.
The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center and the YMCA will present the Kamin Science Center’s new Mobil Planetarium during an event on Friday, May 15.
Attendees at the event will be able to take a journey through the stars in an inflatable, immersive planetarium experience. They will also be able to take part in a constellation craft.
There will be several shows between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the YMCA Homewood Brushton Branch, located at 7140 Bennett Street. The event, which runs until 7:30 p.m., also includes food and games between planetarium shows. Those interested in the event can register online.
Remake Learning Days is an innovative, national learning festival for youth and families that includes thousands of hands-on learning events for children of all ages at libraries, schools, tech centers, parks, museums, play spaces, community centers and more.
The festival’s activities are generally aimed at children between the ages of 2 and 17 as well as adults. These can include anything from building a robot to coding an art spinner, directing a film, making music, or doing scientific work.
News
Need a family fun Friday night? Join families at The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center for a night of fun-filled games and activities.
Parents and caregivers can explore ways to interact with their children to promote growth through play. This event is for enrolled families only.
For more information, contact Nicole Banner at nicole@tryingtogether.org.
News
The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center fed 250 babies and distributed more than 800 cans or bottles of formula in 2025, according to a year in review for the formula bank.
The Greater Pittsburgh Infant Formula Bank, which is managed by Beverly’s PGH, launched its network in June 2022 and has seven public bank locations and a mobile unit.
At the Homewood Hub formula bank site, a total of 250 individual babies were fed during 745 visits for infant formula support in 2025. A total of 834 formula cans and bottles were distributed. The site had a 4% staff error rate, which is calculated based on the number of cans or bottles of formula missing from the site without a checkout attached.
There was a 48% increase in checkouts at the Homewood site between 2024 and 2025.
Other statistics for the formula bank include:
The sites in the Greater Pittsburgh Infant Formula Bank’s network include: Hilltop, McKeesport, Highlands, Homewood, Monessen, ELRC Region 5, and the Babies in the Burgh Mobile Unit, and Beverly’s HQ.
News
The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center and the YMCA will present the Kamin Science Center’s new Mobile Planetarium as part of Remake Learning Days in May.
Attendees at the event will be able to take a journey through the stars in an inflatable, immersive planetarium experience. They will also be able to take part in a constellation craft.
There will be several shows between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the YMCA Homewood Brushton Branch, located at 7140 Bennett Street, on Friday, May 15.
The event, which runs from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., also includes food and games between planetarium shows.
Those interested in attending can register online.
Remake Learning Days, which is currently accepting submissions for events, is celebrating its 10th year in 2026. The innovative, national learning festival for youth and families includes thousands of hands-on learning events for children of all ages at libraries, schools, tech centers, parks, museums, play spaces, community centers, and more.
The festival’s activities are generally aimed at children between the ages of 2 and 17 as well as adults. Activities from previous years include building a robot, coding an art spinner, directing a film, doing scientific work, exploring the outdoors, making music, and printing inventions with a 3-D printer.
This year’s Remake Learning Days festival will run from May 1 to 23 in western Pennsylvania. The list of events, which has not yet been unveiled, is typically released in April.
News
Trying Together celebrates the Month of the Young Child (MOYC) every April in conjunction with the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) yearly observance of the Week of the Young Child.
This year, the Week of the Young Child will be observed April 11 through 17.
There are several events taking place in Southwestern Pennsylvania during both the Month of the Young Child and Week of the Young Child.
On Thursday, April 9, Carlow University and Westmoreland County Community College will host the 2026 Early Childhood Educator Student Affiliate Dinner on WCCC’s campus. This year’s theme is “Every Person, Every Path, One Passion,” which celebrates the work of educators to build inclusive education spaces for all learners. Tickets for the event can be purchased online.
Trying Together will hold its annual event to honor the Month of the Young Child and the work of early childhood educators – Celebrating Together – on Thursday, April 30 at Rivers Casino. The event will include a VIP Reception and the 30th Annual Celebration of Early Childhood Educators Dinner. Those interested in attending can purchase tickets online.
To celebrate the Week of the Young Child, NAEYC has set themes for each day between April 11 and 17. The week’s themed days include Kick-Off Saturday, Music Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Work Together Wednesday, Artsy Thursday, and Family Friday. NAEYC has provided a number of suggested activities for providers during the Week of the Young Child. The full list is available on NAEYC’s website. Some of the activities include:
Two great resources to celebrate the Week of the Young Child are NAEYC’s page, which lists a number of activities and provides information on the week’s history, and Discovery Building Sets’ 80 Ways to Celebrate NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child.
The Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center, located at 7219 Kelly Street, has scheduled events each day of the Week of the Young Child that mostly correspond with NAEYC’s themes.
For Musical Monday, families are invited to an open house that features musical activities courtesy of Playnotes Pittsburgh, food, refreshments, and other activities. On Tasty Tuesday, visitors can listen to a dinosaur-themed Storytime at the Hub event that includes food, while the Hub will team up with the Holy Cross Homewood & Reading is Fundamental Storymobile for a joint storytime and activity on Work Together Wednesday.
Then, on Family Collage Thursday, the Hub staff will help visitors to create a special collage featuring artistic creations and family photos. Visitors should bring printed photos of their families for the activity. The finished collage will be displayed in the center.
Finally, on Family Fun Night Friday, visitors will be able to take part in an evening full of activities, food, and line dancing featuring special guest Attack Theatre. More information about the Hub’s Week of the Young Child events is available online.
The Week of the Young Child will kick off in Indiana County at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 11 with a proclamation at the Indiana County Courthouse. This will be followed by a walk to the Indiana Free Library.
Children’s activities at the library will include storytime at 10:30 a.m., crafts in the library’s Community Room from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and a STEAM Play Day from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information on the event, check out this flyer from the Children’s Advisory Commission of Indiana County.
