August 6, 2020 School-Age Funding Opportunity in Allegheny County If your Out-of-School-Time program needs funding support, check out this new school-age funding opportunity in Allegheny County. About With many Allegheny County schools starting the year full or partially remote, families with school-age children will face several challenges this fall. The critical work of Out-of-School-Time programs in supporting children and families is more important now than ever. The Allegheny Department of Human Services (DHS), Trying Together, and United Way’s Allegheny County Partners for Out-of-School-Time (APOST) joined forces to support your work. Funding is available for both in-person Community Learning Hubs, as well as Virtual Pods and Programming. Interested applicants should review the information below and apply by Friday, August 14. Funding Details Funding can be requested from Community Hub programming through December 31, 2020 for staffing, learning materials, personal protective equipment (masks), cleaning supplies, technology for staff only, building upgrades (wifi), transportation, and additional partners to provide enrichment activities and/or tutoring support. For Virtual Pods and Programming, funding will not exceed $50,000 per program for programming through December 31, 2020. This funding may be used for staffing, learning materials, online learning platforms, technology for staff and/or students, and additional partners to provide enrichment activities and/or tutoring support. Eligibility To receive funding, programs must meet a list of requirements, including requirements related to, but not limited to, staffing, enrollment, health, safety, and reporting. Before submitting an application, please review the full list of requirements carefully. Only apply if this is something you are committed to pursuing. If this is not the right fit for your program, there are many other ways to support children and families this year. Apply for Funding If your program is interested in providing this expanded service, please complete this online application form and submit a budget by Friday, August 14. Submit your budget to Amy Malen via email at amy.malen@alleghenycounty.us. Please note that there is no guarantee that funding will be available for all agencies that are interested in providing this service. DHS, Trying Together, and the United Way will review all applications submitted and assess how to best match interested agencies with specific needs and available funds. Funding will be available for both in-person and virtual offerings, however, priority will be given to in-person requests given child care needs. More Information For more information, please review this document.
November 13, 2019 Creating Patterns of Pride with Batik K-12 educators are invited to join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on January 11, 2020, for “Creating Patterns of Pride with Batik.” About Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to explore how patterns exist across cultures and how you can bring your own, as well as your students’ cultural identity into original pattern designs. Using resistance and color, participants will learn how to accurately reproduce repeating patterns to create a unique batik wall hanging. You will leave with resources to guide you on connecting culturally responsive teaching to arts integration and STEAM. This workshop is intended for K-12 Educators. ACT 48 and PQAS hours available. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
July 22, 2019 Family Check-Up Helps Families Build & Grow Together The day-to-day challenges of raising children aren’t easy, but families don’t have to do it alone. At the Homewood-Brushton Family Support Center, Family Check-Up offers an opportunity for all families to take a seat, talk about their challenges, and move forward with strategies to solve them. About Family Check-Up In family support centers across the nation, the Family Check-Up (FCU) model aims to promote child and family well-being by providing parents and caregivers with new skills and tools to strengthen family relationships. The program starts off with an initial interview and an assessment of the family’s strengths and needs, followed by creating tailored goals to meet the unique needs of each family. A final feedback session provides an opportunity to continue building parenting skills through the “Everyday Parenting Curriculum” and information on possible follow-up services. All services are free and confidential. Benefits of Participation For more than 20 years, research has shown that participating in FCU: increases parent and caregiver confidence, reduces family stress and conflict, and reduces challenging behaviors displayed by preschoolers, school-aged children, and teens. Schedule an Appointment Interested in signing up? Schedule an appointment by contacting Family Coach, Adriana Chung, at 412.727.6649. See our interview with Adriana to learn more.
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.
