News

September 26, 2019

SEL: The Importance of Strategy and Practice

Join Remake Learning, educators, researchers, and leaders across the Pittsburgh region in discussing the research, application, and benefits behind SEL in the classroom, out of school, and at home.

About

The event will feature keynote speakers Felicia Savage Friedman of YogaRoots on Location and Kevin McNair and his team from 1 Nation Mentoring (PGH). Attendees will choose two breakout sessions (one morning and one afternoon) to attend during registration. Each session has a maximum of 30 attendees. If the session you choose is full, you may be placed in another.

Breakfast and lunch provided.

Session Topics

Registration

To register, visit the Eventbrite page.

Accessibility

The bottom and top floors of the Education Partnership are not ADA approved. Please email allie@remakelearning.org if you have any questions, requests, or concerns regarding building access, general accessibility, or assistive devices and resources.

More Information

For more information, contact Remake Learning at allie@remakelearning.org.

*Information provided by Remake Learning

News

August 2, 2019

2019-20 PA NAP SACC Mini-Grant

The Pennsylvania Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (PA NAP SACC) program is seeking licensed child care providers for their 2019-20 Mini-Grant Project!

About the Program

PA NAP SACC is a continuous quality improvement process focused on nutrition and physical activity practices and policies within early care and education settings. The program utilizes Go NAP SACC, an online, evidence-based tool to guide providers through self-assessment action planning, implementation, policy development, re-self-assessment, and reflection. The process empowers program leadership and includes individualized technical assistance to increase knowledge and improve the quality of practice and policy.

With this, a limited number of programs will receive onsite, targeted technical assistance from a Child Care Health Consultant (CCHS) at no cost to the site. The CCHC reviews current practices and policies, assisting with developing sustainable policies and offering guidance for continuous quality improvement.

Program Participation

Beyond the reward of making a difference in the health of children in your care, those who participate and complete project requirements will receive a $500 mini-grant to support their action steps and enhance their nutrition and physical activity practices and policies.

For STAR 3 and 4 programs, and STAR 2 programs moving to STAR 3, participation in all components of the program satisfies the performance standards and/or bonus point requirements related to utilizing a health care consultant to establish and maintain health policies above those required by certification. In addition to this, the program ensures participation in an organized effort to promote nutritional health for children.

Technical support and policy consultation will be available to all participating programs.

Timeline

The PA NAP SACC Mini-Grant Project will follow the following timeline:

    • Applications Due: August 27, 2019
    • Notification of Acceptance: September 12, 2019
    • Orientation & Kick-Off: October 2019
    • Implementation: Period of 8 to 9 months
    • Reflection & Wrap Up: June 2020

How to Apply

If you’re interested in participating, complete and submit the electronic application.  All applications must be submitted by August 27, 2019.

More Information

For questions or more information, contact Lori McMonigal at 717.248.4942, x 112 or lmcmonigal@tiu11.org.

*Information provided by PA NAP SACC

News

July 2, 2019

Supporting Math Skills with Developmentally Appropriate Music Activities

Join Music Together on July 10 for an edWebinar exploring opportunities to support young children’s emerging math skills with developmentally appropriate music activities.

About

In this edWebinar, participants will learn about developmentally appropriate music and movement activities that naturally support children’s exploration of math concepts, including pattern, sequence, representation, proportion, and opposites. Participants will be introduced to new songs and chants they can use in their work with children, hear about research on the topic, and see ways to lead music experiences with young children.

This edWebinar will be of interest to educators working with toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners. Time for questions will be provided.

Register

To register and learn more about this edWebinar, visit the event page.

News

June 4, 2019

Empowering and Strengthening Relationships Across Early Childhood Settings

Join the Harvard Graduate School of Education on June 27 and 28 for “Empowering and Strengthening Relationships Across Early Childhood Settings,” a new program intended for early education leaders, principals, program directors, administrators, and teacher leaders.

About

“Empowering and Strengthening Relationships Across Early Childhood Settings” is offered as part of the Zaentz Professional Learning Academy, featuring the tools and resources of “Simple Interactions,” a collaboration between the Fred Rogers Center on Early Learning and Children’s Media and the Zaentz Initiative.

Led by Faculty Co-Chairs Junlei Li, Nonie Lesaux, and Stephanie Jones, this two-day on-campus institute offers participants a combination of practice-based learning experiences, research and theoretical insights from both within and beyond the early childhood field, and community-supported problem-solving.

Program Objectives

Participants will:

    • Define what is a developmental human interaction and how such interactions contribute to the full range of child development goals from language to social and emotional learning;
    • Envision and plan how to support the development of young children’s helpers and empower adult-child human interactions; and
    • Engage in practice-based conversations for professional learning settings and re-examine early childhood systems with a relationship-focused lens.

Program Costs

The program will be hosted on campus and will require a $199 tuition payment per person. Special rates are available for Program, Community, District, and Network Teams. Participants will receive a certificate of participation and a letter confirming clock hours of instruction.

Tuition includes all instructional materials, however, participants will have to pay for associated travel expenses and hotel accommodations. For more information, visit their Payment page.

Registration

Registrations must be submitted by June 20, 2019, via the event website.

More Information

For more information, visit the event webpage or email ppe@gse.harvard.edu.

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News

June 3, 2019

The 10th Annual PA Infant Mental Health Conference

Join the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health (PA-AIMH) on August 1 and 2 for the 10th Annual PA Infant Mental Health Conference.

Keynote Topics

PA-AIMH strives to provide a meaningful professional learning environment for all cross-sector professionals working with very young children and their families. Keynote topics will include:

    • Infant and early childhood mental health-focused policy and messaging;
    • Clinical interventions;
    • Disaster and critical incident response; and
    • Reflective supervision and practice.

PQAS and Act 48 credits available for professionals in the Early Childhood Education system.

Keynote Speakers

    • Jordana ​Ash, ​LCSW, ​IMH-E
      Director ​of ​Early ​Childhood ​Mental ​Health ​Director, ​State ​of ​Colorado
    • ​Sherryl ​Scott ​Heller, ​Ph.D.
      Associate ​Professor ​of ​Clinical ​Psychiatry, ​Tulane ​University
    • ​Joy ​Osofsky, ​Ph.D.
      ​Professor ​of ​Pediatrics, ​Psychiatry, ​and ​Public ​Health ​Head, ​Division ​of ​Pediatric ​Mental ​Health, ​Louisiana ​State ​University
    • Christopher ​Watson, ​Ph.D., ​IMH-E ​
      Director ​of ​the ​Center ​for ​Reflective ​Practice ​at ​the ​Center ​for ​Early ​Education ​and ​Development, ​University ​of ​Minnesota-Twin ​Cities ​ ​

Registration

To register, visit the event website.

Registration cost:

    • Member: $315
    • General: $350

More Information

For more information, visit the event website.

For questions, contact PA-AIMH via email at pa-aimh@pa.-aimh.org.

News

Implicit Bias, Cultural Humility, & Parent Engagement Workshop

Join the Partnerships for Family Support Office of Child Development on June 27 for their Implicit Bias, Cultural Humility, & Parent Engagement workshop. This training is for staff of centers in the Allegheny County Family Support Network.

About

This interactive workshop explores various strength-based strategies to increase immigrant and refugee parent engagement. Participants attending this training will have the opportunity to reflect on their current practice, understand and apply the cultural humility perspective when designing and implementing parenting activities, and identify specific steps to enhance their knowledge and skills in working with diverse families.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

    • Reflect on how social stereotypes impact their work with immigrant and refugee families;
    • Apply a cultural humility perspective to analyze scenarios and propose solutions that respond to the characteristics and interests of immigrant/refugee families; and
    • Discover key strategies and best practices to develop relationships with diverse families, support families in their parenting, and advocate with them for culturally relevant services and resources.

More Information

To learn more and register, visit the Eventbrite page.

News

April 3, 2019

PAsmart Announces Grant Awardees

In February 2019, Governor Tom Wolf announced funding for PAsmart Apprenticeship and Next Generation Industry Partnerships grants which will connect Pennsylvanians with the information needed to succeed in our evolving economy.

About PAsmart

PAsmart is focused on ensuring Pennsylvania students and workers have the skills and abilities to meet the economic needs of the 21st century. This initiative aims to do this by expanding access to STEM education in Pennsylvania schools, embracing the Next Generation Industry Partnership model, and creating the Apprenticeship and Training Office to increase apprenticeship opportunities within a variety of industries.

OCDEL’s Role

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning supports the efforts of PA’s Department of Labor and Industry and is working with them to professionalize the early education field. Efforts include increasing access to a career pathway that results in stackable, portable credentials, and providing relevant, developmentally and culturally appropriate content to support educators working with young children to advance their individual career and education progression.

Organization Grantees

The following organizations will be supported through PAsmart funds:

  • 1100c Training and Upgrading Fund: Will expand their apprenticeship model in Southeastern Pennsylvania
  • Partner4Work: Will establish a regional hub for Early Childhood Education registered apprenticeships in the Pittsburgh Metro Area
  • Keystone University: Will partner with Lackawanna Trail High School, Luzerne County Community College, and Wilkes University to build an Early Childhood Education (ECE) pipeline through a competency-based apprenticeship that leads to an entry-level ECE credential
  • Shippensburg University: Will design curriculum and develop advanced competencies to expand the Philadelphia ECE apprenticeship to four-year programs
  • Arcadia University: Will expand their RA program for ECE
  • First Up and its partners: Will expand upon apprenticeship supports and program to provide career paths in ECE

Learn More

For more information, visit pasmart.gov.

* Information provided by OCDEL’s PA Early Ed Newsletter

News

March 29, 2019

Hello Robo: Early STEM Robotics

Robots provide unseen services across industries, including transportation, medical, and manufacturing. Early learners need the foundational STEM skills that allow them to imagine and build the robots of the future.

About the Event

Join the Carnegie Science Center Teaching Excellence Academy for a professional development workshop where participants will use resources from NAEYC and other STEM experts to examine developmentally appropriate concepts to prepare students for robotics technologies. Educators will discover hands-on, standards-aligned activities they can do right away, even if they don’t have a robot — yet!

This professional development opportunity is for pre-K through 2nd-grade teachers.

About the Academy

Carnegie Science Center’s Teaching Excellence Academy offers opportunities for educators in all grade levels, with specific workshops in STEM, early learner education, and digital fabrication. Act 48 credit is provided upon successful completion of each workshop. In addition to onsite workshops, the Science Center offers multiple opportunities for professional development to be delivered at local sites throughout the academic year. For more information, visit their website.

Registration & Questions

To register or ask questions, contact Toni Stith at StithT@CarnegieScienceCenter.org or 412.237.1616.