June 21, 2023 SEL and Mental Health Supports for Out-of-School Time: A Conversation on Strategies and Systems Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and mental health shape high-quality out-of-school time (OST) programming. Hosted by the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE), this interactive webinar will begin with a presentation on building SEL and mental health capacity for OST programming, followed by a facilitated discussion with system leaders on the best strategies to equitably address the SEL and mental health needs of children and families with consideration for culture, ethnicity, linguistic needs, income, historical context, and other factors. Event Details Thursday, June 29 | 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More To learn more, visit the NCASE webpage on the Education Development Center website.
May 10, 2023 PaTTAN Announces Summit on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) recently announced plans to host a two-day summit for early childhood educators in August 2023. Called, “Safe and Supportive Learning Environments: Prevention Before the Crisis Summit,” this event will help educators create welcome environments that promote learner and educator regulation, and prevent harmful behavior. About the Summit When is the summit? The summit will be held on Wednesday, August 16 from 9:45 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. and Thursday, August 17 from 8:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. Presenters will host a pre-summit mindfulness session from 8:45 – 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 16, before the start of the summit. Where will the summit be held? The summit will take place at PaTTAN Central (6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, Pa. 17112). Who can attend? The summit is open to all, but designed for: school administrators educators (including early childhood educators) behavioral specialists (school counselors, school psychologists, special educators) behavioral and mental health providers emotional support teachers emotional support paraprofessionals parents, caregivers, and families What will presenters share? During the summit, national and local presenters will offer sessions a variety of topics including de-escalation, data analysis, and alternatives to suspension and expulsion. Additionally, they will share evidence-based strategies to support learners and limit exclusionary classroom practices. How much does it cost to attend? The cost of the two-day summit is $50, regardless of whether attendees participate one or two days. Payment is due in full on or before August 3. Registration and payment will not be available onsite during the summit. However, Family Scholarships are available for this event. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the Family Scholarship Application. How do I register? Interested individuals should register on the PaTTAN website. Learn More Act 48, BACB, and PSYCH credits are available for this summit. For content-related information and questions, please contact Chanda Telleen at ctelleen@pattan.net or 717-901-2246. For general registration information and questions, please contact Tina Rife at trife@pattan.net or 717-901-2278 To learn more, visit the event page on the PaTTAN website.
September 15, 2021 Reimagining Together: Learning in Everyday Spaces Registration is available for the “4th Annual Summit, Reimagining Together: Learning in Everyday Spaces!” hosted by the LaundryCares Foundation and the Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail initiative. Individuals may register using the online registration form. More Information At this virtual series, you will:s Learn from parents and caregivers who will share their vision for their neighborhood spaces. Hear from community and business leaders who have led innovative work to turn everyday spaces into learning-rich environments. Discover how to reimagine, design, and transform environments in your community into family-friendly, learning-rich spaces. Session Information Session One: Why We’re Here, Why Now, and Opportunities for Change Tuesday, September 21, 1:00 – 3:00PM ET Session Two: Reimagining Environments in the Spaces You Represent Thursday, September 23, 1:00 – 3:00PM ET Session Three: Building Together Tuesday, September 28, 1:00 – 3:00PM ET
March 2, 2021 Study Opportunity: Parents Promoting Early Learning Are you interested in participating in a fun, compensated research study? Sign up for the University of Pittsburgh’s Parents Promoting Early Learning study! About Parents Promoting Early Learning studies how parents and their two-year-old children (up to 38 months) interact and how such interactions help prepare the child for school. Due to COVID-19, this study will be conducted online. Laptops and WiFi are available by request. Requirements Study participants will be compensated and must complete: two to three online video calls where the parent and child complete games and assessments, questionnaires and interviews about the child’s development and activities, and a one-year follow-up visit for more games and assessments. Enrollment If you are interested in enrolling, complete the study contact form. More Information For questions, please contact ppel@pitt.edu or 412.204.6845. Share this flyer with your network.
January 28, 2021 Virtual Conference: Finding Joy through Playful Learning Finding Joy through Playful Learning aims to bring together educators, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who have a variety of experiences related to education, play, and learning. The conference will take place via Zoom over the course of several days covering six topics related to playful learning. The goal is to generate dialogue among different stakeholders and share best practices to support children and families in learning through play. About Join Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network, Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, and Trying Together in February for a virtual conference bringing together educators, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss and share best practices to support children and families in learning through play. Act 48 and PQAS credits are available. PPID and PD Registry numbers will be collected during the sessions. The following discount code is available for early educators who wish to participate in individual sessions or the entire series: EDU-ALL for $25 price for all six workshops EDU-CHOOSE for $5/per workshop Available Sessions Rethinking Education During and Post COVID-19 Wednesday, February 3, 2021 | 3 – 5 p.m. Join featured speakers Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Dr. Scott Miller, and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy for discussions of how playful learning can change education during and after COVID-19. Featured Speakers: Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek (Temple University, Brookings Institution), Scott Miller (Avonworth Primary Center), and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. How Play Can Improve Mental Health and Wellbeing Thursday, February 4, 2021 | 9 – 11 a.m. Hear from Sarah Grubb, Cindy Eggleton, and Sheba Gittens about play’s role in mental health and wellbeing. Featured Speakers: Cindy Eggleton (Brilliant Detroit), Sarah Grubb (ELRC Region 5), and Sheba Gittens (University of Pittsburgh). Addressing Equity Issues Through Playful Learning Thursday, February 4, 2021 | 3 – 5 p.m. Dr. Nikole Hollins-Sims and Dr. Mandy McGuire will present their work on using play and playful learning to address inequity. Featured Speakers: Dr. Nikole Hollins-Sims (PaTTAN) and Dr. Mandy McGuire (University of Texas at Dallas). Activating Communities Around Playful Learning Tuesday, February 9, 2021 | 3 – 5 p.m. Ariana Brazier, Justin Forzano, Shari Hersh, Gamar Markarian, and Sarah Siplak, will discuss what it means to activate communities and how their communities inform the work they do. Featured Speakers: Ariana Brazier (ATL Parent Like a Boss), Justin Forzano (Open Field), Shari Hersh (Mural Arts), Gamar Markarian (New School), and Sarah Siplak (Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative). Using Technology to Strengthen the Way We Learn and Play Wednesday, February 10, 2021 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Learn about technologies and applications from Katie Gullone, Megan Rooney, Javier Maisonet, and Project Rangeet. Featured Speakers: Elias Blinkoff (Temple Infant & Child Lab), Katie Gullone (Trying Together), Javier Maisonet (Math Talk), Simran Mulchandani (Project Rangeet), and Megan Rooney (La Escuelita Arcoiris). Replicable and Low-Cost Ideas for Playful Learning Wednesday, February 10, 2021 | 3 – 5 p.m. Explore low-cost and replicable ways to encourage playful learning from Shannon Merenstein, Amy Kronenberg, Rebecca Fabiano, and Aishwarya Narayana. Featured Speakers: Rebecca Fabiano (Fab Youth Philly), Amy Kronenberg (Learn to Earn Dayton), Shannon Merenstein (HATCH Art Studio), and Aishwarya Narayana (HUME). Registration To register, visit the online registration page. General Admission tickets cost $55 and include admission to all sessions. Single session registration is also available for $10 per session. Attendees will receive the Zoom link for each day’s session prior to the start of the event. More Information For questions, contact admin@playfullearninglandscapes.fun or 267.468.8610.
January 11, 2021 Webinar: Learning in a Pandemic Join the U.S. Department of Education for a discussion on the state of student learning during the pandemic and tools that families and teachers can use to support student learning now. This event will educate parents and teachers on the state of learning today and how you can better support your students during the pandemic. About This forum will review the most updated research on the state of student learning today and share personalized platforms you can utilize to support student learning immediately. Institute for Education Sciences Director Mark Schneider will moderate a discussion with national leaders in the research field, Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes and NWEA, as they review findings on national learning loss. Then, Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development Jim Blew will moderate a discussion on the power of individualized learning platforms with two examples for how to approach personalized learning for your students, Gooru, and New Classrooms. Registration To register, visit the online webpage. Registrants will receive an email containing a personalized access link. More Information For full details, visit the event webpage. Information provided by the U.S. Department of Education
November 25, 2020 Research Study for Pre-k Classroom Teachers Are you a teacher currently working in a pre-k classroom in Pennsylvania? If so, participate in the “Social and Emotional Learning in Pre-K Programs” research study conducted by Cynthia Speer, a Ph.D. Candidate at Waynesburg University. About The purpose of this proposed study is to sample educators from both public and private pre-k programs in Pennsylvania to ascertain information regarding their perception of and experiences with social and emotional learning (SEL). Study participants will provide personal and school-based demographic information and complete a survey of social and emotional learning (SEL) perception and experiences. Completing these surveys will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. All responses will remain anonymous and no identifying personal information (such as name, email address, or IP address) will be collected. Sign Up To Participate If you are interested in signing up as a participant, complete this online form. More Information For questions regarding the research, contact Cynthia Speer at spe1961@student.waynesburg.edu or 412.952.4469. For information regarding rights as a research subject, contact Dissertation Committee Chair, Dr. Michelle Steimer at msteimer@waynesburg.edu or 412.722.7602.
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.
November 17, 2020 Child Care Programs: Submit Your Experience The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is conducting a survey to gather information from the early childhood field to inform federal and state actions on child care. This survey is intended for early learning professionals. About Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NAEYC has been collecting survey responses from early learning professionals to convey the challenges child care programs are facing across states and settings. Data collected through this survey will be shared with policymakers to build a deeper understanding of the ongoing urgency of the challenges programs are facing. Early childhood educators can answer the questions regardless of whether their child care program is open, closed, or somewhere in between, and regardless of what kind of child care program they work in, or what role they have there. Take The Survey To submit your experience, complete the online survey by November 22, 2020. NAEYC will select 10 respondents at random to receive a $50 gift card. Winners will be notified on December 18, 2020. Child Care Survey (English) Child Care Survey (Spanish) More Information For more information, contact advocacy@naeyc.org.
November 12, 2020 Make the Most of Learning at Home With PBS KIDS Are you interested in learning how to develop a learning routine for your family and increase your child’s motivation to learn? Join PBS Kids on November 18 for their online event, “Make the Most of Learning at Home With PBS KIDS.” About With children across the country learning at home, parents and caregivers are facing new challenges. PBS KIDS invites parents and caregivers of children ages five to eight to come together for a discussion with educators, a child psychologist, and fellow parents. Get ideas on how to use PBS KIDS resources to encourage everyday playful learning. Presenters will answer questions and share tips on how you can maintain a strong connection with your child’s school, help your child stay motivated to learn, and develop a learning routine for your family. Registration To register for this event, visit the PBS Kids website.
