September 15, 2020 Advancing Anti-Racist Instruction in K-12 Curriculum Are you interested in learning concrete strategies for implementing anti-racist content in your school or district? Join EdSurge on October 14 for their webinar, “Advancing Anti-Racist Instruction in K-12 Curriculum.” About In this webinar, participants will learn how educators, schools, and districts can and should intentionally interrogate representation within their curriculum and support anti-racism more broadly. In a time when actively anti-racist content is urgently needed in virtual and in-person classrooms alike, representative voices, diverse perspectives, and unheard narratives can still be hard to find in instructional content. Hear from a panel of experts and education leaders about concrete strategies for implementing anti-racist content in your school or district, across subject areas and grade levels. Participants will also hear from school and district leaders about strategies for taking a multi-pronged approach. Learning Objectives During this webinar, participants will learn how to: support anti-racism during remote learning; develop robust instructional content that promotes anti-racism; build an anti-racist culture and safe community in virtual and in-person spaces; support teacher training on anti-racism; and create buy-in for school and district-wide anti-racism efforts. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
September 11, 2020 Co-Educating with Families Webinar Are you interested in learning how to utilize creative experiences to draw families into learning together? Attend the webinar “Co-Educating with Families” on November 4 to learn about practice strategies that bridge school and home learning. About In this webinar, Cheri Sterman and James Wells from Crayola will share practice strategies that bridge school and home learning. Whether it is Moved by Math, Writing Art-Inspired Stories, or STEAM for 21st Century Learners, projects that actively engage students as decision-makers who create, present, respond, and connect enliven learning! This webinar will be of interest to pre-k through middle school teachers and school and district leaders. Time for questions will be included. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
SEL & Mental Health in Distance Learning Are you interested in learning how to implement social-emotional and mental health supports for your students and staff? Attend the webinar “SEL & Mental Health in Distance Learning: District Leaders Share Best Practices” on September 15 to hear best practices from education leaders. About In this webinar, presenters will share: how to connect and build trust with students, laying the groundwork for engagement and learning; best practices for supporting students in special education in distance learning; how to ensure staff feels safe and supported; how to implement SEL that supports anti-racism and equity in distance learning; and how to implement digital tools in an MTSS for efficacy and sustainability. School and district administrators will learn concrete steps they can take to deliver effective, trauma-informed SEL and mental health supports to students and staff as schools and communities continue to grapple with the challenges of COVID-19. This recorded webinar will be of interest to school and district leaders of pre-k through high school grade levels, federal program coordinators, and those involved in student mental health. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
Keystone Scholars Helps Families Save for Higher Education In 2019, the Pennsylvania Treasury Department started investing $100 for every baby born or adopted in Pennsylvania to be used for the baby’s future higher education expenses through a new program called Keystone Scholars. About the Program To encourage families to plan early for their child’s future education, Keystone Scholars will provide $100 to all babies born or adopted in Pennsylvania on or after January 1, 2019. With Pennsylvanians currently having the highest debt load per person of any state in the nation, Keystone Scholars is meant to help families jumpstart their education savings as soon as possible. Studies show that a child with education savings is three times more likely to enroll in a two- or four-year college and is four times more likely to graduate. The $100 will be invested by the Pennsylvania Treasury Department and will grow through the years right alongside your child. The Keystone Scholars account can be used for qualified expenses when your child pursues education after high school. These expenses include tuition, fees, books, and more at vocational and technical schools, community colleges, two-year colleges, and four-year colleges. Eligibility All children born to or adopted by a Pennsylvania family on or after January 1, 2019. Requirements The child must be a Pennsylvania resident at birth and at the same time that Keystone Scholars funds are used. For babies born in or after 2019, families must create a PA 529 College and Career Savings Program Account in their child’s name before using funds from their Keystone Scholar account. Funds not used by the beneficiary’s 29th birthday will be returned to Pennsylvania’s Treasury Department. Registration To register, visit the Keystone Scholars website. New and expecting parents will be able to register for online access within 3-4 months after the child’s birth using information from your child’s PA state birth certificate. Learn More To learn more about the program, visit the Keystone Scholars website or call 800.440.4000. The following recorded webinars are available as well to answer frequently asked questions. Share this informational PDF with your network.
September 2, 2020 August OCDEL Child Care Provider Survey Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on child care providers. To better understand the successes and challenges child care providers are experiencing, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is collecting information monthly through online surveys on staffing and enrollment. Complete the survey today to share your experience. About This survey is only intended for child care providers and will be utilized to gain an understanding of the status of child care in Pennsylvania. The August survey will be particularly helpful as it will provide insight into the impact of changes in local school district schedule and school-age child care enrollment. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes and must be completed by Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Participation is voluntary. OCDEL will issue the final survey at the end of September to compare and analyze changes. Take the Survey To submit your experience, complete the survey.
August 20, 2020 School-Age Child Care Update from OCDEL As local education agencies and private schools in Pennsylvania are finalizing and announcing their plans for the 2020-21 academic school year, OCDEL is becoming increasingly aware that many school districts are implementing hybrid or full remote instruction models for the school year. These announcements have raised questions about how families with children enrolled in Kindergarten and beyond will be supported if they need expanded child care. Continue reading below for answers to common questions. Frequently Asked Questions Can school-age children enroll in child care if their schools have announced moving to part-time or full-time remote instruction? Yes. During the 2020-21 school year, children whose schools have announced various schedule changes to prevent the spread of COVID-19 can enroll in child care. If the district has announced that children will not attend school for face-to-face instruction, then working families can enroll children in child care during those days. Will OCDEL revise the school-age blended rate for children attending child care during the portion of the day that has typically been considered “school hours”? For the 2020-21 school year, the calculation of the blended rate will not change. It will still be based on 25 full-time days and 180 part-time days. If a child attends a school district where students will not return to school for in-person, five-day-a-week instruction, a child care provider who accepts the blended rate will receive a part-time blended rate for the days the child attends school in-person and attends child care part-time. The provider may receive a full-time payment rate on the days the child is not scheduled to attend school in-person and attends child care full-time. Paying the part-time blended rate, instead of a part-time rate, will compensate for any days the child was supposed to attend part-time buy may need to attend full-time because of a school’s closure, such as staff in-service days, holidays, professional development, and snow days. If school districts change how school instruction will be administered throughout the school year, related to COVID-19, the child’s schedule will be updated to reflect the school’s current schedule. View the full guidance. Will non-licensed programs be able to serve school-age children? Yes. Enrollment in a licensed child care facility is preferred, however, part-day school-age programs will be available to enroll school-age children during the 2020-21 school year. Enrolled children must be kindergarten age or older. School District Reopening Plans To view school districts’ reopening plans, visit the PA Schools Work website. To learn about the phased reopening of pre-k to 12 schools in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education website. More Information For more information, view this email from the Pennsylvania Key.
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 6, 2020 Brown Mamas Teach, Brown Mamas Earn Are you or your child interested in exploring topics such as photography, urban agriculture, mentoring, African American history, and more? Join Brown Mamas during the 2020-21 school year for their new program, Brown Mamas Teach, Brown Mamas Earn. About The mission of Brown Mamas’ family-centered learning project is to empower parents to confidently teach, support, and advocate for their children by utilizing the collective knowledge of Pittsburgh’s Black parenting community. This knowledge will guide participants in being effective and supportive members of their child’s learning team. This learning cooperative is intended for children ages five to 18 years old. Black parents and Black young people are encouraged to apply. Brown Mamas hopes to begin guided learning experiences in September 2020. Registration If you or your child is interested in participating, visit the Brown Mamas website to complete the online signup form. The form is available at the bottom of the page, below the Session Guide Recruitment Form. Become a Session Guide Brown Mamas is looking for parents, caregivers, young people, educators, and other Black community members to act as session guides in providing enrichment activities. If you are interested in becoming a session guide, visit the Brown Mamas website to complete the online signup form. More Information This information was provided by Brown Mamas. For more information, visit the Brown Mamas website.
August 3, 2020 New Family Care & Education Forum In response to uncertainty surrounding the 2020-2021 school year, Trying Together has launched the Family Care & Education Forum. This new community resource will connect parents and caregivers across Southwestern Pennsylvania and provide a space to ask questions, network, and support one another. About The Family Care & Education Forum is an online forum where parents and caregivers can engage in conversation with one another. Upon signing up, users will be able to post questions, respond to comments, and learn more about care and education opportunities in their area. With the upcoming start to the 2020-2021 school year, conversations in the Forum will start with a focus on finding in-home and out-of-home care; discussing safety measures being taken within local school districts; connecting with virtual learning programs; and brainstorming ways to incorporate play with socially distant learning. As this platform grows and expands, there will be new discussion topics related to care and education. Sign Up The Family Care & Education Forum is open to all caregivers, which Trying Together defines as any adult who interacts with young children. Users are encouraged to review Trying Together’s Social Media Policy and Privacy Policy prior to creating an account. While the focus of the Forum in the coming months will be Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Forum is open to all regions. More Information To view availability at licensed child care and out-of-school time programs in Allegheny County, please visit Allegheny Child Care on the Trying Together website. For questions regarding child care in Allegheny County, visit the ELRC Region 5 website, call 412.350.3577 or 1.888.340.3572, or email elrc5@allegheny county.us. Please contact forum@tryingtogether.org with any questions.
July 30, 2020 Reopening Plans for Allegheny County Districts Allies for Children has compiled and will update information about reopening and health and safety plans for school districts in Allegheny County. Find the information for your school district in their Google spreadsheet. School Reopening Guidance Please utilize the following state and national resources for more information about guidance for schools that are reopening. Pennsylvania State Guidance Pennsylvania Department of Education Pennsylvania School Reopening Task Force Health and Safety Plans Pennsylvania Department of Education School Health and Safety Plans State Mask Mandate Public Health Guidance Regarding COVID-19 for Phased Reopening of Pre-K to 12 Schools National Guidance CDC Consideration for Schools CDC Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force CDC COVID-19 Emergency Response CRAFT Schools Briefing Packet The National Academies of Science Engineering Medicine Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic Prioritizing Health, Equity, and Communities (2020) American Academy of Pediatrics The School Superintendents Association National Academy of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine Ed Week – Transportation Johns Hopkins University eSchool+ Initiative Analysis of School Reopening Plans More Information More resources related to COVID-19 are available for families and professionals on the Trying Together website. To learn more about Allies for Children, please visit their website.
