2019 P-3 Governor’s Institute Encourages Applications

News

April 3, 2019

2019 P-3 Governor’s Institute Encourages Applications

The Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Child Development and Early Learning announced the 2019 Prenatal to Grade 3 (P-3) Governor’s Institute: P-3 Collaboration – Working Together for Student Success.

Purpose

The purpose of Pennsylvania’s P-3 Governor’s Institute is to help school districts, early learning providers, and community organizations throughout the Commonwealth make the vital connections and collaborations necessary for student success from prenatal through grade 3. The 2019 P-3 Governor’s Institute is being offered June 24- 25, 2019 in Hershey, PA.

Application Details

Participation in the 2019 Institute is limited to 22 teams that have not previously attended a P-3 Governor’s Institute. Participating teams will be selected through an application process. School districts, birth-5 early learning programs, and community organizations may submit an application.

Applications may be submitted for more than one team from the same organization if each applying team represents a different elementary school and birth-5 feeder school/program. Teams should be built around a specific elementary school(s), its feeder early learning programs, and the local community. Selected teams will participate in this two-day event. Professional development will be offered to support team specific implementation of P-3 efforts.

Most expenses, except meals, will be covered for participating teams using Preschool Development Grant funds. Act 48, and Act 45/PIL professional development credits and Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) hours will be offered.

Required Agreements

To be considered for participation in this event, participating teams must agree to the following:

  • Participate in pre-conference assignment, webinar or call;
  • Attend and actively engage in the entire two-day event;
  • Bring a core team of no less than four educators (maximum participating team of eight members): a birth-5 administrator, a birth-5 teacher, a K-3 administrator, and a K-3 teacher. Preference will be given to applicants who include up to four of the following: family leader or family representative, Early Intervention representative, out of school time professional, community member, librarian, curriculum specialist, higher education partner, IU representative, Home Visiting, and Family Support;
  • Applying team has not attended a past P-3 Governor’s Institute;
  • Engage in continuous improvement via sharing and implementation of strategies/programs that will enhance student achievement; and
  • Maintain an active role in the Governor’s Institute cohort subsequent to the event (e.g., professional learning community, webinars, monthly follow up).

Application & Deadline

Applications are being accepted via the Governor’s Institute P-3 2019 Application link until the April 30, 2019 deadline. Selected applicants will be notified via email by May 10, 2019.

Questions

For questions, contact Jolie Phillips at jolphillip@pa.gov.

*Information provided by OCDEL’s PA Early Ed Newsletter

No Small Matter Screening

News

March 27, 2019

No Small Matter Screening

Join co-hosts Trying Together and PUMP for a screening of “No Small Matter,” a documentary film that highlights the importance of high-quality early education and its impact on all Americans.

Itinerary

  • 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. | Dinner*
  • 6:30 – 7:15 p.m. | Screening
  • 7:15 – 7:45 p.m. | Panel Discussion
  • 7:45 – 8:00 p.m. | Action Item/Wrap-Up

*A light dinner will be provided.

Share this flyer with your network.

Registeration

Free child care will be available for children ages two to eight. Pre-registration is required for child care and space is limited. To register for child care, visit Sweet Dreams Child Care’s registration link​.

 

Questions

About No Small Matter

No Small Matter is the first feature documentary to explore the most overlooked, underestimated, and powerful force for good in America today: early childhood education. Through poignant stories and surprising humor, the film lays out the overwhelming evidence for the importance of the first five years, and reveals how our failure to act on that evidence has resulted in an everyday crisis for American families, and a slow-motion catastrophe for the country.

PA’s Program Reach and Risk Assessment Report Released

News

March 8, 2019

PA’s Program Reach and Risk Assessment Report Released

About

Children in 40 Pennsylvania counties (60 percent) are at moderate-high or high-risk of low academic performance. This is according to the recent release of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning Program Reach and Risk Assessment State of Fiscal Year 2016-2017. 

As a result, OCDEL annually creates its Program Reach and Risk Assessment Report. This report offers information on the level of risk for school failure for children (based on 16 risk factors). It also offers information on the availability, or reach, of most OCDEL programs to children in each county and school district in Pennsylvania. Consequently, the Reach and Risk Report includes data for all children under age five. It also provides a breakdown of program reach by infants/toddlers (birth – two years) and preschool (ages three and four).

Report Breakdown

Highlights within the report include:

  • One-third (34 percent) of children under age five participate in state and/or federally-funded quality early care and education programs in Pennsylvania.
  • Of all state-funded programs, the most children are reached through the Keystone STARS program. This program provides services to an estimated 14 percent of children from birth to age five. 
  • Approximately one-fourth (24 percent) of Pennsylvania’s infants and toddlers (birth to age two) participate in publicly-funded quality early care and education programs.
  • Almost half (49 percent) of Pennsylvania’s preschoolers are served in state and/or federally funded quality early care and education programs.

Full Report

To read the full report and access county and school-based specific information, visit the PA Key website. 

Kindergarten Registration Open in Allegheny County

News

March 5, 2019

Kindergarten Registration Open in Allegheny County

If your child is five, it’s time. Kindergarten registration has opened in Allegheny County for the 2019-2020 school year. View details on Kindergarten registration costs, locations, and dates at trying together.org.

 

Hi5! Campaign

Successful transition practices help school districts identify and work with early care and education providers in their community to support young children and their families so they are comfortable and prepared for the first day of Kindergarten. Through a partnership called Hi5!, Trying Together, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and Allegheny Intermediate Unit 3 (AIU3) work with over 40 local school districts. Due to these efforts, Kindergarten registration rates have improved to a 97% early or on-time registration rate for Allegheny County children as reported for the 2017 – 2018 school year.

 

Learn More

Learn more about Kindergarten Transition with this white paper from Trying Together (PDF). For questions, contact Emily Neff at 412.421.3889 or hi5@tryingtogether.org.

Response to Governor Wolf’s Budget Proposal

News

February 15, 2019

Response to Governor Wolf’s Budget Proposal

On Tuesday, February 5, Governor Tom Wolf presented his fiscal year 2019-20 budget proposal. In highlighting his plan to make the Pennsylvania workforce the strongest in the nation, he outlined several increases in early care and education programs, as well as his plans to spend over $101 million in federal child care funds. Governor Wolf’s proposal includes the following:


Child Care

  • $15 million in federal funds to provide subsidized child care for 970 additional infants/toddlers in STAR 3 and 4 programs.
  • $10 million in federal funds to provide a 28 percent increase to tiered reimbursement rates for STAR 2, 3 and 4 providers for infant/toddler care.
  • $2 million in federal funds to support an “Early Childhood Career Pathways Initiative” for education, training and professional supports for an apprenticeship, or work-based learning model for professionals serving infants/toddlers in early care and education programs.
  • $74 million in federal funds to provide a rate increase for subsidized providers for an increase in the minimum wage to $12/hour.

Today only one-third of subsidized children are accessing high-quality STAR 3 and 4 care, 4,300 children are on the subsidy waiting list, with families waiting 88 days to access subsidies they need to work, 50 percent of child care staff are receiving public assistance and child care subsidy reimbursements do not cover the cost of quality care. Trying Together, along with nine partner advocacy organizations, launched a new advocacy campaign last week – Start Strong PA – to turn those numbers around and increase access to high-quality child care for families so their infants and toddlers can grow, learn and succeed.

We are pleased to see the federal spending plan includes a waiting list initiative to serve more infants/toddlers in high-quality care and an increase in tiered reimbursement that will provide further program stability and consistency in teacher:child relationships. These are proposals for which we and partners advocated and align with our goals. We also believe the “career pathways” initiative will help to attract and retain talented early care and education teachers, another hallmark of the campaign.

Trying Together looks forward to learning more about Governor Wolf’s minimum wage proposal’s impact on the professionals in our field and the programs in which they work. While we appreciate the allocation of these critical federal dollars and again thank our federal delegation for strong, bipartisan support for high-quality child care, we are concerned with the lack of new state investments in this area.

Pre-K

  • $40 million for the Pre-K Counts program
  • $10 million for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program

This expansion would serve 5,500 additional young children.  

Today the commonwealth ranks 18th of the 30 states investing in high-quality, publicly-funded pre-k and with this investment 100,000 children still lack access. As a leading partner in the Pre-K for PA campaign, Trying Together is advocating that lawmakers fully-fund Governor Wolf’s proposal.

Evidence-Based Home Visiting

In addition, the budget proposal includes a $5 million investment in evidence-based home visiting programs to expand home visiting for 800 eligible families.

For more information on home visiting advocacy efforts go to www.childhoodbeginsathome.org.

Evidence-Based Early Intervention

There is a $15 million state funding increase proposed in the Department of Education budget and a $9.75 million increase in the Department of Human Services (DHS) budget for Early Intervention to continue to support the cost of children receiving services.

Trying Together commends Governor Wolf for his continued commitment to early care and education programs in the commonwealth and encourages a state investment be made in high-quality child care so we can provide children with the educational foundation they all deserve. We will advocate for these investments as the budget process continues. Stay up-to-date on how to advocate for these issues by signing-up to support Trying Together’s public policy agenda here.

Munchkin Mondays

News

January 15, 2019

Munchkin Mondays

Bring your smallest scientists to the Carnegie Science Center for Munchkin Mondays, full of themed activities just for early learners ages two through six! Your preschoolers will get up close to exciting science concepts, while having tons of fun with hands-on activities and socializing with other little learners.

Activities include:

  • Story Time
  • Make-and-Takes
  • Planetarium Shows
  • Live Demo Shows

Special rates are available for groups of 15 or more people ages three and up, and require advance reservations. Group rates do not include shows in Planetarium and theaters.

 

Child Development Associate Courses Available

News

December 12, 2018

Child Development Associate Courses Available

In partnership with the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC) is offering a series of courses that fulfill the educational training requirements for the infant-toddler, preschool, or renewal Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials.

Additionally, a series of professional development courses are available that can be taken individually for required DHS training hours or as a full 3-hour college credit course.

Available Courses

Child Development Associate

Based on the CDA pursued, students may choose from the following courses, which will be offered at the Youngwood campus and by Web Conferencing (video conference) to all WCCC education centers:

  • Child Health, Safety & Nutrition – ECE 190-CDA
    May 13 – July 29, 2019, Web Conference
  • Observation & Assessment – ECE 191-CDA
    January 15 —April 30, 2019
  • Choose one:
    • Infant & Toddler Development – ECE 179-CDA
      April 15—July 29, 2019
    • Child Growth & Development – ECE 180-CDA
      April 4—July 25, 2019

For more information, see this flyer.

Early Childhood Professional Development
  • Child Health, Safety & Nutrition – ECE 190-KU
    January 16 – May 1, 2019, Westmoreland-New Kensington

For a listing of all available courses, see this flyer.

Certification and Costs

Each course is three college credits and can be applied towards an Associate degree at Westmoreland County Community College. The initial certifications require three courses, while renewal requires one course. The additional work experience, portfolio, and professional requirements required by the CDA Council must be completed independently by the candidates.

Tuition is $210 per course (or $14 per class) and $100 for the textbook. Rising STARS Tuition Assistance and the TEACH Scholarship are both accepted.

Registration

To register, call 1.800.262.2103, ext. 4204.

Questions

Questions should be directed to:

Dr. Brandi Weekley at 724.925.6715 or weekleyb@westmoreland.edu.

Vicki Hricik at 724.925.4013 or hricikv@westmoreland.edu.

Deadline Extended for RFP: Child Care Funding and Finance in PA

News

November 1, 2018

Deadline Extended for RFP: Child Care Funding and Finance in PA

The deadline has been extended to November 9, 2018 for the Request for Proposal, Child Care Funding and Finance in Pennsylvania: The True Cost of Quality Part II.

The Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU), in coordination with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission (PAELIC), released the RFP for submission of proposals to investigate the cost of providing high-quality early care and education across Pennsylvania.

Part I Conclusions

Part I of this project, CHILD CARE FUNDING & FINANCE IN PENNSYLVANIA: Budgeting for Survival or Paying for the True Cost of Quality? conducted by Research for Action found that:

  • Infant and toddler care is more expensive than pre-K or school-age care.
  • Current revenue streams and reimbursement rates are inadequate to cover the cost of infant and toddler care and, as a result, child care providers opt to serve more preschoolers and fewer infants and toddlers.
  • Low compensation in child care programs leads to significant staff turnover and hiring of less-qualified staff.

Part II Overview

Knowing that the cost of infant and toddler child care is high, and the current public financing system is inadequate to cover the costs of quality in Pennsylvania, particularly teachers’ wages, leading to turnover and a less qualified workforce, Part II of this study aims to answer the question ‘What does it cost to support high-quality child care across Pennsylvania?’

Part II will build upon the previous work conducted in Part I, using a more robust data set to estimate the true cost of high-quality child care, as compared to child care that meets only regulatory standards, and how those costs vary across regions in the commonwealth.

The findings from Part II will inform the evolution of Pennsylvania’s child care financing and quality systems to enable the greatest access to high-quality child care for the most at-risk children.

Deadline

The Request for Proposal represents the requirements for an open and competitive process. Proposals will be accepted until 5 pm EST, Friday, November 9, 2018.

See the RFP for more information, including proposal guidelines, project description, project timeline and more.

Information provided by PA Early Ed News.

#PAbudget Funded Pre-K Expansions Recognized Locally

News

September 19, 2018

#PAbudget Funded Pre-K Expansions Recognized Locally

Policymakers from Butler and Westmoreland Counties joined Trying Together and other early-childhood advocates this week to celebrate a new pre-k grantee classroom and pre-k classroom expansion respectively. Both were made possible by the increased investment of $25 million for pre-kindergarten funding in the final 2018-19 state budget. To read more about both, see the articles below.

Articles

Ceremony Marks Expansion of Local Pre-K Programs (sharing via Butler Radio)

Advocates tout early education gains (sharing via Butler Eagle)

State grants bolster pre-kindergarten programs in Westmoreland County (sharing via Westmoreland Tribune-Review)

Statewide Voter Support

A poll commissioned by the Pre-K for PA campaign done by Harper Polling in May showed 75 percent of likely voters support increasing funding to expand access to high-quality, publicly funded pre-kindergarten, while 94 percent of voters believe that early education is important.

A large body of research shows that children who attend high-quality preschool:

  • Enter kindergarten with stronger literacy, language, math and social/emotional skills
  • Are less likely to need special education services, less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to graduate and enroll in college
  • Over a lifetime, these young learners will see stronger employment opportunities and increased earning potential
  • Are less likely to commit juvenile and adult crimes.

Still, more than 106,000 eligible children do not have access to high-quality, publicly funded pre-k due to limited state funding. This new classroom made possible by new state funding is a step in the right direction, but there is still much work to be done.

Pre-K for PA is an issue campaign supported by individuals and organizations across Pennsylvania who believe that investing in our children is the right choice and an urgent necessity. Our vision is that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. We will not endorse nor oppose candidates, but rather we will advocate on behalf of this vision for Pennsylvania’s children, schools and communities. For more information www.prekforpa.org.

CDA Renewal Available at WCCC This Fall

News

August 20, 2018

CDA Renewal Available at WCCC This Fall

In partnership with the PA Key, Westmoreland County Community College is offering a series of courses that will fulfill the educational training requirements for the infant/toddler, preschool, or renewal CDA credentials. The additional work experience, portfolio, and professional requirements required by the CDA Council must be completed independently by the candidates. Based on the CDA pursued, students may choose from the following courses, which will be offered at the Youngwood campus beginning in October 2018:

  • ECE 190-CDA – Child Health, Safety & Nutrition – October 3, 2018 —May 1, 2019 (every other
    week)
  • ECE 191-CDA – Observation & Assessment – January 15 —April 30, 2019

Choose one:

  • ECE 179-CDA – Infant & Toddler Development – April 15—July 29, 2019
  • ECE 180-CDA – Child Growth & Development – April 4—July 25, 2019

Each course is 3 college credits and can be applied towards an Associate degree at Westmoreland. The initial certifications require 3 courses, while renewal requires 1 course. Tuition is $210 per course and $100 for textbook. Rising STARS Tuition Assistance and the TEACH Scholarship are both accepted at Westmoreland and can be used towards the cost of the courses. Questions should be directed to Dr. Brandi Weekley at 724.925.6715 or Vicki Hricik at 724.925.4013.

For more information, download this flyer. 

Call 1-800-262-2103 ext. 4204 to register.

An orientation and welcome session will be held on September 29, 2018 @ 9:30 a.m. for all CDA candidates and their directors on the Youngwood Campus. The welcome session will include an orientation to the process and a time to meet fellow cohort members. Refreshments will be served.