April 5, 2023 NAEYC Sponsoring Week of the Young Child Sweepstakes The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is sponsoring a Week of the Young Child (WOYC) Sweepstakes. Week of the Young Child is the first week of April, and NAEYC is offering prizes to seven lucky parents, caregivers, and early childhood educators who participate in the sweepstakes, which runs March 31 through April 14. WOYC Sweepstake Prizes Three people will win a free one-year Entry Level Membership ($30 value) Two people will win a free NAEYC Book Bundle ($70 estimated value) Two people will win a free module of Each and Every Child Training ($120 estimated value) Participate All parents, caregivers, and educators are invited to participate in the sweepstakes. To participate, simply visit the NAEYC website and complete the participation form. Learn More To learn more, visit the NAEYC website.
March 29, 2023 March Recalls on Children’s Products Parents and caregivers should be aware of several child-related product recalls. Learn More Here is a list of March recalls collected from the following major federal agencies: the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Mockingbird expanded its recall on strollers to include Mockingbird Single Strollers due to fall hazard. Ecoxall recalled Sodium Hydroxide Caustic Soda Beads and Potassium Hydroxide Flakes due to failure to meet child resistant packaging requirements. Pfizer recalled Nurtec ODT Orally Disintegrating Tablets due to failure to meet child resistant packaging requirement and risk of poisoning. Meiling Hou recalled Baby Crib Bumpers due to violation of federal crib bumper ban and suffocation hazard. Epoch Everlasting Play recalled all Calico Critters Animal Figures and Sets sold with bottle and pacifier accessories due to choking hazard. Two deaths have been reported. Sandoz recalled Aprepitant Capsules and Lidocaine and Prilocaine Cream due to failure to meet child resistant packaging requirement and risk of poisoning. Ouwoer Direct recalled Multi-Purpose Kids Bike Helmets due to risk of head injury. Smocked Runway recalled Classic Whimsy Children’s Pajamas due to violation of federal flammability standards and burn hazard. Primark recalled Children’s Bamboo Plates due to risk of lead and chemical exposure hazards. Patagonia recalled Patagonia Infant Capilene Midweight Base Layer Sets due to choking hazard. Perrigo recalled Gerber Good Start SootheProTM Powdered Infant Formula due to potential Cronobacter Sakazakii contamination. Maxi-Cosi is recalled the Coral XP Rear-Facing Infant Seat due to risk of injury in a crash. More Information For recall details, visit the links above or review the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration websites.
March 10, 2023 Growing Your Strong Family: Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Cafes Families with children receiving early intervention and/or family supports: The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania, and Be Strong Families invite you to connect and share your journeys at this virtual social event series. Join for as many or as few cafés as you like. Session Details Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Cafés will be held: Monday, March 27 | 6 – 8 p.m. Monday, April 17 | 9 – 11 a.m. Monday, May 15 | 6 – 8 p.m. Register Seats are limited. Registration ends Monday, March 20. Learn More To learn more about the Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Café series, view the event flyer. Contact Shelley Chapin at schapin@pattan.net or (814) 574-6418 with questions.
Growing Your Strong Family: Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Cafes Families with children receiving early intervention and/or family supports: The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania, and Be Strong Families invite you to connect and share your journeys at this virtual social event series. Join for as many or as few cafés as you like. Session Details Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Cafés will be held: Monday, March 27 | 6 – 8 p.m. Monday, April 17 | 9 – 11 a.m. Monday, May 15 | 6 – 8 p.m. Register Seats are limited. Registration ends Monday, March 20. Learn More To learn more about the Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Café series, view the event flyer. Contact Shelley Chapin at schapin@pattan.net or (814) 574-6418 with questions.
Growing Your Strong Family: Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Cafes Families with children receiving early intervention and/or family supports: The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania, and Be Strong Families invite you to connect and share your journeys at this virtual social event series. Join for as many or as few cafés as you like. Session Details Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Cafés will be held: Monday, March 27 | 6 – 8 p.m. Monday, April 17 | 9 – 11 a.m. Monday, May 15 | 6 – 8 p.m. Register Seats are limited. Registration ends Monday, March 20. Learn More To learn more about the Spring 2023 Virtual Parent Café series, view the event flyer. Contact Shelley Chapin at schapin@pattan.net or (814) 574-6418 with questions.
“Unlocking the How” in Building Effective Family-School Partnerships Join Kidsburgh at this webinar to learn about family engagement strategies and Learning Heroes‘ “Unlocking the How” research. Learning Heroes’ Senior Vice President and “Unlocking the How” Researcher, Dr. Eyal Bergman, will guide attendees through the research and discuss family engagement, effective program practice, and strategy planning for schools and families. All Parents as Allies cohort members, along with community members and other school members, are invited to join this free session. Session Details Wednesday, March 22 | 12 – 1 p.m. Virtual via Zoom Register Learn More To learn more, visit the Kidsburgh website.
Parenting While Black – Episode 2: Birthing While Black – Pregnancy, Birth, and the First 1,000 Days Join the Brazelton Touchpoints Center for this webinar exploring protective pathways for embracing pregnancy, birth, postpartum experience, and fostering health, respect, care, joy, healing, and radical resistance. Session Details Monday, April 17 | 3 – 4:30 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More This webinar is part of the Brazelton Touchpoints Center’s Parenting While Black series, “Radically Resistant: Fostering the Brilliance and Awe of Raising Black Children.” This free virtual series offers a safe and welcoming space to hold conversations for and by Black families. Each webinar includes live Spanish language translation and closed captioning. Future episodes are scheduled as follows: Episode 3: Monday, May 15, 3 – 4:30 p.m. Episode 4: Monday, June 12, 3 – 4:30 p.m. Episode 5: Monday, June 26, 3 – 4:30 p.m. To learn more about Episode 1 or the Parenting While Black series, visit the Brazelton Touchpoints Center website.
January 13, 2022 Parents as Allies Webinars Join The Center for Universal Education at the Brooking Institution and Kidsburgh for their upcoming event, “Parents as Allies Webinars: Transforming Education Systems Through Family-School Collaboration.” About the Series The COVID-19 pandemic thrust family engagement into the spotlight, presenting an opportunity to markedly shift the overall vision for family-school collaboration. The Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution has been researching how families and schools can better work together to improve and transform how education is delivered and what it can achieve. In addition, Kidsburgh has been working with a cohort of school districts on different family engagement strategies, including conversations asking parents and caregivers on what schools and families can do together. All events are free and will be hosted via Zoom. Registration is required. Session Information Tuesday, January 25 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. This session is recommended for school leaders and teachers. Join lead author Rebecca Winthrop to explore CUE’s newly released playbook on family-school engagement, featuring key findings from a global survey of 25,000 parents and 6,000 teachers and a review of more than 500 effective family engagement strategies around the world. After a short presentation, attendees and educators will work in virtual breakout rooms to discuss insights from surveys across school districts in southwestern PA as well as create a shared vision for education that can lead to transformation. Wednesday, January 26 | 7:00 – 7:45 p.m. This session is recommended for parents and caregivers. In this virtual webinar, KDKA TV’s Kristine Sorensen moderates a presentation and discussion with CUE’s lead author Rebecca Winthrop and Kidsburgh’s Ambassador Yu-Ling Cheng. Parents and teachers will learn about the findings from CUE’s playbook on family-school engagement as well as on-the-ground strategies that are being implemented across local southwestern Pennsylvania school districts. The session ends with a Q&A.
December 8, 2021 Webinar – COVID-19 Vaccines for School-Aged Children: What Parents and Families Should Know Join NAFSCE and the U.S. Department of Education on December 9 at 8:00pm, ET for an informational webinar following the official approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech age 5-11 vaccine. Registration for this virtual event is available online. During the webinar, panelists including United States Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, along with representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, will join NAFSCE Executive Director, Vito Borrello for a series of presentations and constructive conversation to support parents and families as they consider the COVID-19 vaccine for their child(ren). Parents and caregivers can learn more about the following questions: How was the vaccine developed? How many children participated in the study for approval? Will my child(ren) be safe taking the vaccine? What are the side effects? Should my child(ren) get the vaccine? Where can I take my child to get the vaccine? Parents are invited to submit questions about the vaccine on the registration form. Pre-submitted questions will help plan the content of the session. Time will also be reserved for live questions and answers at the end of the event.
October 12, 2021 New Resources for Parents and Caregivers New resources have been added to the Trying Together website for families and caregivers. These resources further Trying Together’s mission to supports high-quality care and education for young children by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them. New Resources DAP Series Parts VII, VIII, and IX As an early childhood nonprofit, Trying Together recognizes that a child’s parent is their first and most important caregiver. That’s why we created the Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Series to assist parents and caregivers in creating high-quality learning experiences at the earliest stages of their child’s life. The series features digital and print content that provides information on critical early childhood topics. New topics in the DAP Series include Part VII: Childhood Mental Health; Part VIII: Race and Equity; and Part IX: Transitions & Routines. Families and caregivers may also access previous parts of the DAP Series: Part I: Developmentally Appropriate Practice; Part II: Childhood Physical Health; Part III: Child Care; Part IV: Early Intervention and Inclusion; Part V: Safety and Emergencies; and Part VI: Social-Emotional Development. Resources will continue to be added through 2022 as additional Parts are finalized. Additionally, families and caregivers may now request a set of cards in the mail at no cost. These cards provide an overview of each part of the DAP series with a quick reference to local and regional organizations. Parenting Together Pathway The Parenting Together Pathway is a video-based learning series to provide high-quality information on early childhood development to parents and caregivers in Allegheny County and surrounding areas. Launched in April 2021, the Parenting Together Pathway provides families the opportunity to learn more about: brain development; play; interactions and relationships; technology; child care; and advocacy to better support their children’s healthy growth. Two additional videos have been added to the Parenting Together Pathway: Early Intervention and Safety and Emergencies.
