September 11, 2020 NAEYC Annual Conference: Virtual To maintain the health and safety of its audience, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) will be hosting its 2020 Annual Conference virtually, with events taking place from November 8–10, 2020. About The NAEYC Annual Conference is the largest early childhood education conference in the world. Each year, thousands of teachers, program administrators, students, and researchers choose from hundreds of presentations and exhibits to explore the latest trends and research in the early childhood field. More information on professional development sessions and participating exhibitors will be available soon. Please continue to monitor the NAEYC website for future updates. Registration Registration for this event opens on Monday, September 14. To register and learn more, visit the NAEYC website.
September 1, 2020 Virtual Community of Practice Meetings Are you interested in discussing topics of interest and current trends with fellow professionals in the early childhood field? Join ELRC Region 5 for their virtual Community of Practice sessions! About Community of Practice sessions provide early learning professionals with opportunities to discuss topics of interest, current trends in the early childhood field, and offer insight and inspiration to their fellow professionals. Each session in December will feature a Q&A with ELRC Region 5 Quality Coaches who will answer questions about the Keystone STARS Performance Standards. The Keystone STARS program is a responsive system to improve, support, and recognize the continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts of early learning programs in Pennsylvania. ELRC Region 5 Quality Coaches are also able to offer support to providers who participate in the Keystone STARS program. Available Sessions Saturday, December 12: Keystone STARS Performance Standards Q & A 10 a.m. | Zoom Meeting | Attend the Session Thursday, December 17: Keystone STARS Performance Standards Q & A 10 a.m. | Zoom Meeting | Attend the Session 1 p.m. | Zoom Meetings | Attend the Session More Information For questions, contact ELRC Region 5 at elrc5@alleghenycounty.us or 412.350.3577. Share this flyer with your network.
August 20, 2020 First Up Annual Conferences (Virtual) Due to current concerns, First Up has transitioned the First Up Annual Conference to a virtual platform for 2020-21. The Conference will feature multiple half-day virtual conference experiences on a range of topics. Available Conferences Family Child Care Conference Saturday, September 26 | 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Ticket Fee: $15 – $30 Early childhood professionals are invited to join First Up at the first Family and Group Child Care Conference. This event will be a time of inspiration, reflection, and learning as participants begin their day of honoring the Trailblazers of Family Child Care and hearing their wisdom and advice. Personal Empowerment for the ECE Professional Saturday, October 3 | 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Ticket Fee: $15 – $30 Early childhood professionals are invited to join First Up for a morning of personal empowerment and professional development. Featuring workshops on financial stability, professional communication, and other best practices in ECE, this Conference will help you achieve your personal and professional goals. Online Event Platform The First Up Conferences will be held via an immersive event platform called Accelevents. To learn more about Accelevents and what to expect, visit their website. To access the full experience, it is recommended that attendees participate via a computer or laptop. Receiving Credit Each Conference will offer 4.5 PA Keys (PD Registry) and/or PA Act 48 credit hours. If you are interested in receiving credit, you must indicate the type of credit you would like to receive during registration. Any credit requests made more than 30 days post-event cannot be guaranteed. A Certificate of Attendance will be available for download in the Conference Platform or by email following the event. Registration To register and learn more, visit the First Up website. More Information For more information, visit the First Up website or contact rebecca.tyrrell@firstup.org.
August 19, 2020 Virtual Back to Out-of-School-Time Conference Join Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School-Time (APOST) from August 24–September 10, 2020 for their Virtual Back to Out-of-School-Time Conference! About Over a period of three weeks, the Virtual Back to Out-of-School-Time Conference will offer relevant workshops to assist professionals in continuing to provide high-quality programming for youth during this challenging time. This Conference is open to any youth practitioner who desires to increase their skills in working with youth in out-of-school-time programs or mentoring relationships. If there is a workshop that you would like to attend but are not able to due to schedule conflicts, recordings and resources for all workshop offerings will be available for at least one month after all of the workshops have concluded. Available Workshops A Summer in Review: Conducting In-Person Programming in the Foreseeable Future Monday, August 24 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Wellness for Black Young People in a Racist Society during COVID-19 Tuesday, August 25 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. How to Handle Your Workforce Post COVID-19? – Organizational Skill Gaps with Leaner Staffing Wednesday, August 26 | 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Outdoor STEM in an Online Classroom Thursday, August 27 | 2 – 3:30 p.m. Keeping Kids Entertained and Learning During COVID-19 and Beyond Friday, August 28 | 1 – 2 p.m. Engaging Your Students with Project-Based Learning Online Monday, August 31 | 1 – 2:30 p.m. What You Need to Know about the Current Pandemic Tuesday, September 1 | 1 – 2 p.m. Lessons Learned: OST in the Virtual Space and Zoom into Hands-On Learning Wednesday, September 2 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Increasing Program Enrollment by Advertising on the Allegheny County Child Care Finder Thursday, September 3 | 1 – 2 p.m. Deep and Simple Interactions in OST Virtual Programming and Yes, And’ing a Virtually New Normal Tuesday, September 8 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. PBS 101 Middle School Track Wednesday, September 9 | 1 – 2 p.m. Making Academic Content Exciting with Narrative Games Thursday, September 10 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Registration To view all workshop descriptions and register, visit the full Conference Agenda. Registration links will be included at the bottom of each event description. More Information For questions, contact Jaron Paul via email at jaron.paul@unitedwayswpa.org.
August 17, 2020 Online CDA Credential Courses Available Are you an early educator who is working with young children? Are you looking to advance your career? Join Trying Together for our nine-month online CDA courses to complete coursework with an experienced instructor and receive a nationally recognized credential upon completion! Available Courses Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential Course (FULL) September 8, 2020 – May 31, 2021 | Online | This course is full. Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential Course: North Side* September 14, 2020 – May 31, 2021 | Online | This course is full. More Information For questions or more information, please contact Theresa Hetler at theresa@tryingtogether.org.
August 10, 2020 Child Care Virtual Conference Join Child Care Lounge and other early learning professionals on August 18 for the Child Care Virtual Conference! About The Child Care Virtual Conference will feature over 15 live sessions. Registration includes access to three live Zoom sessions and one month of free access to all recorded sessions. Certificates will be issued for each class that had documented attendance. Featured Topics Presenters will explore a variety of child care topics, including, but not limited to, the following: preventing teacher burnout, supporting young children who display challenging behaviors, establishing a DAP classroom through virtual learning, fostering social skills while maintaining social distancing, thriving in a responsive classroom, and strategies to surviving a recession. To see an overview of each session, visit the PD Registry website. Registration To register and learn more, visit the Child Care Lounge website. After you register, you will receive a link to the Conference portal as well as a passcode for entry. More Information For questions, contact Joni Levine at 412.885.5172 or joni@childcarelounge.com. Share this event with your network via Facebook.
August 5, 2020 Virtual Community of Practice Meetings Are you interested in discussing topics of interest and current trends with fellow professionals in the early childhood field? Join ELRC Region 5 for their virtual Community of Practice sessions! About Community of Practice sessions provide early learning professionals with opportunities to discuss topics of interest, current trends in the early childhood field, and offer insight and inspiration to their fellow professionals. In August, these virtual sessions will provide an overview of using the Pennsylvania Professional Development (PD) Registry. Participants will learn how to use the PD Registry as a tool to organize staff and will receive support and clear instruction on renewal requirements for the Keystone STARS program. Available Sessions Saturday, August 8 10 a.m. | Zoom Meetings | Register Thursday, August 20 10 a.m. | Zoom Meetings | Register 1 p.m. | Zoom Meetings | Register More Information Information about the meetings will be sent to participants following registration. For questions, contact ELRC Region 5 at elrc5@alleghenycounty.us or 412.350.3577. Share this flyer with your network.
July 31, 2020 Virtual Job Fair (Child Care) Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of young children? Join the Homewood Child Care Alliance on August 8 and August 11 for their Virtual Job Fair! About The Homewood Child Care Alliance (HCCA) includes individual child care programs (family, group, and center). Many of the programs, located in Homewood and its surrounding areas, are seeking applicants for early care and education positions that work Monday through Friday in various shifts between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Registration Interviews are open on Saturday, August 8 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Tuesday, August 11 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Schedule your interview by registering today! All registrations must be submitted by August 5 at 9 a.m. More Information For more information or for assistance, please call 724.333.5213. Share this flyer with your network.
July 15, 2020 T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Fall 2020 Deadline Early childhood education professionals interested in attending college for the fall semester can submit applications to receive a T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education And Compensation Helps) Scholarship. Eligibility The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a variety of T.E.A.C.H. scholarships to meet the needs of the early care and education workforce in center and home-based settings. Eligible applicants must: work a minimum of 25-30 hours per week directly with children in a DHS-certified child care program; make $19 or less an hour ($25 or less per hour for directors); and be interested in pursuing coursework at a participating college toward a degree or credential in early childhood. Scholarship awards are dependent upon the availability of funds and priorities of funders. Other eligibility criteria may apply are subject to change without notice. See the brochure. Application Details To be considered for the Fall 2020 semester, T.E.A.C.H. applications must be completed and submitted with all required documentation by Friday, August 7, 2020. PACCA will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis, however, incomplete applications and applications received after this date will not receive priority for consideration. New scholarship awards for the Fall 2020 semester will be dependent upon funding availability at that time. Interested applicants should also begin the college admissions process now and contact an early childhood education (ECE) advisor at their intended college/university. This helps to ensure that scholarship applicants are admitted to their college/university and can register for courses if/when they receive a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship. T.E.A.C.H. can provide contact information for early childhood education advisors at partnering institutions if needed. Submit an Application To download a scholarship application, visit the PACCA website. Completed applications must be submitted to PACCA by Friday, August 7 through one of the following methods: Email: teachinfo@pacca.org Fax: 717.657.0959 Mail: 20 Erford Road, Suite 302 Lemoyne, PA 17043 More Information For questions about scholarship eligibility and requirements, contact a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor at 717.657.9000.
July 7, 2020 A Routines-Based Approach for Young Children with Disabilities Are you interested in learning about a routines-based approach for providing early intervention to young children with disabilities? Join ZERO TO THREE on July 15 for their free webinar, “Where Intervention Happens: A Routines-Based Approach for Young Children with Disabilities.” About Throughout the day, children learn during their everyday routines, including during child care. Ensuring that infants and toddlers with disabilities get the most intervention possible and the most relevant intervention possible means building their caregivers’ capacity. This webinar will address the assessment of child and family needs, the use of a primary service provider, collaborative consultation, data collection, and how to train staff to use a routines-based approach. This webinar is best suited for early intervention professionals, as well as caregivers who have or would like to have an early intervention professional working with them. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. For those who are unable to attend the session, please note that all registrants will receive a link to the webinar recording 24 to 48 hours after the session.
