June 5, 2023 OCDEL Invites Families to Participate in Free Professional Photo Session The Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Team at the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) invites pregnant and parenting families of children birth to age six to participate in a free professional photo session. Each participating family will receive a stipend of $150 and associated travel/mileage reimbursement for completing the approximately one-hour photoshoot. Families will also receive copies of their photos. About Photo Sessions Why is OCDEL providing this opportunity? Photos of Pennsylvania children and their families play an instrumental role in conveying the importance of high-quality maternal and early childhood services in Pennsylvania. Additionally, they aid in outreach to families, professionals, legislators, business leaders, and other partners throughout the state. By capturing photos of Pennsylvania families, OCDEL can better serve and advocate for them and the care of their children. How will OCDEL use the photos? OCDEL may use the photos for: advertising (i.e. television, online, billboard, and print) social media printed displays and materials, such as annual reports, PowerPoint presentations, etc. In using the photos, OCDEL will never share the names and locations of the families included in them. Who can participate in the photo sessions? All Pennsylvania families with children age six and younger are invited to participate, including those who reflect the diversity of Pennsylvania’s population. OCDEL would like to represent differences in identity such as: race ethnicity gender gender identity sexual orientation age disability geographic location across the Commonwealth Siblings and grandparents are welcome and highly encouraged to participate, too. Why should families participate? Each participating family will receive electronic access to the professionally produced photos of their family taken during the photo session. They will be able to: download and save the photos print them share them on their social media accounts (i.e. Facebook or Instagram) email them to family and friends Additionally, each participating family will receive a stipend of $150 for completing the approximately 1-hour photoshoot. Also, mileage reimbursement will be provided at a rate of 65.5 cents per mile. ECCS is also able to reimburse other modes of transportation utilized to get to the photo session location, such as public transportation, Uber, or Lyft with receipts. ECCS will also reimburse tolls with receipts. Where will photo sessions be held? The ECCS team will host photo sessions: June 27 in King of Prussia, Montgomery County July 17 in Cranberry Township, Butler County July 19 in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County July 25 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County How can families sign-up to participate? If you would like to participate, please complete the online registration form no later than June 15. There is no cost to participate with the ECCS photo session. However, space is limited and registration is required. Learn More To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children website. For questions, please contact Sadia Batool at c-sabatool@pa.gov.
January 27, 2020 Take Action to Support Infants and Toddlers in Pennsylvania Are you interested in advocating to increase access to and the affordability of child care for infants and toddlers in Pennsylvania? Take action by completing Start Strong PA’s current advocacy ask! About In December 2019, a campaign for high-quality child care in Pennsylvania called Start Strong PA delivered a New Year’s resolution photo frame to every member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The frames included a spot for a photo, a place for their signature, and the following resolution: In 2020, I resolve that all children deserve to start strong. I will support the healthy development of all Pennsylvania’s infants and toddlers by fighting for greater access to high-quality child care. Now, Start Strong PA is encouraging the General Assembly to take a picture with the signed photo frame and share it across their social media platforms. However, Start Strong PA needs your help! Throughout January, the campaign is asking Pennsylvania families and caregivers to send in photos of their infants and toddlers to place inside the frames. Will you reinforce Start Strong PA’s mission to increase access to and the affordability of high-quality infant/toddler early learning programs? How You Can Help To send in a photo, complete the following steps: Find your Senator or Representative by visiting: http://bit.ly/StartStrongPAresolution. Type in your address and press search. You will be given links to your Pennsylvania House and Senate members. Click on the link (their name) and you will be sent to their website. On the left-hand side, you can find their Harrisburg office address. Place the 4 x 6 photo(s) and a message that says “Make me your New Year’s resolution!” in an envelope, add postage, and mail to their Harrisburg office. Looking to go a step further? Send your Senator and Representative a reminder as well by completing a pre-filled form on our Take Action page! More Information For questions or to send your picture to Start Strong PA, email info@startstrongpa.org.
January 15, 2020 Documenting Learning Through Photography Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on March 7 for their professional development session, “Documenting Learning Through Photography.” About Cameras are ubiquitous these days, but how can educators best use them in the classroom? In this workshop, educators will consider how they might use photography to enhance, expand, and document learning for both themselves and their students. Participants will learn about free simple apps for photo editing and how to use visual artifacts in student assessment. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mobile device, however, iPads will be made available for use during the class. This course is designed for K-12 educators. Act 48 and PQAS hours available. Registration To register, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website. More Information For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, contact Customer Service at 412.456.6666. To learn more, visit the event webpage.
