March 9, 2022 March 2022 PA Child Care Staffing Crisis Survey The Start Strong PA campaign is collecting information from child care program owners and directors via a brief survey to help tell the story of Pennsylvania’s on-going child care staffing crisis. (This article was updated on March 31, 2022 to reflect a deadline extension). Take the Survey The campaign will use survey results to demonstrate the urgent need for increased child care funding in the 2022-2023 state budget and to urge congressional delegation to support long-term, substantial investments in the early care and education sector to strengthen and secure the industry. Directors and owners who complete the survey by Sunday, April 3, 2022 will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift card. Start Strong PA will award two gift cards. Take the March 2022 PA Child Care Staffing Crisis Survey. Start Strong PA conducted a similar survey between August 30, 2021 and September 8, 2021. View the results of that survey.
December 28, 2020 New Study on Racial Socialization and Young Children Point Park University Doctoral Candidate Sherlyn Harrison recently launched a new research study to learn how parents’ racial socialization practices can be integrated into early childhood classrooms. About Like adults, young African American children experience racism. To protect and prepare their children for the harsh reality of living in a racist society, African American parents have historically conveyed racial socialization practices. Racial socialization practices build resilience and promote positive racial identity development among young African American children. To explore how parents’ racial socialization practices can be integrated into early childhood classroom settings, Point Park University Doctoral Candidate Sherlyn Harrison launched a new research study entitled, “Racial Socialization and Young Children.” If you are interested in participating in the study, complete this online survey. Survey Expectations Survey participants will be asked six questions, including a list of demographic items that best describe you. By completing the survey and clicking submit, survey respondents consent to participate in the study. The study should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Following the survey, participants will be invited to talk with the researcher further about the topic. To be invited, survey participants must provide their contact information in the space provided in the survey. Within a week, the researcher will contact you to schedule an interview on Zoom. The interview will consist of open-ended questions to gain more information about how the survey respondent communicates and engages with young African American children regarding race. More Information Participation in this study and all personal information provided will be kept confidential at all times. Participants’ names will never appear on any survey or research instruments. If you have any questions, please contact 412.583.3658 or semichi@pointpark.edu.
December 18, 2020 Families Invited to Complete Online COVID-19 Survey Do you have an elementary-age child (five to 12 years old) who goes to a public school? If yes, you are invited to participate in an online survey to share your experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. About The purpose of the Children, COVID-19, and its Consequences (the “Triple C”) Project is to analyze how COVID-19 is affecting familial economic and child well-being. Triple C is the first study to provide a comprehensive portrait of the well-being of families and children across multiple cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Families who complete the survey will receive a $25 electronic Amazon gift card. Researchers may contact survey participants to complete follow-up surveys three months and nine months after the completion of the first survey. Sign Up To Participate To sign up, please visit the Triple C study page. More Information This research is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh in collaboration with Duke University, University of Washington, and Rutgers University. For questions, text 240.449.9898 or email evotruba@pitt.edu. For more information, visit the Triple C Project website. Share this flyer with your network.
December 4, 2020 OCDEL Professional Development Survey The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is requesting the input of directors and owners of certified child care programs in the Professional Development Survey. About Responses to the online survey will assist OCDEL in understanding the number of staff who will need Pediatric First Aid and CPR training in the upcoming year, and to understand providers’ knowledge of the role of Professional Development Organizations (PDOs). The survey can be completed in less than ten minutes and collected information about: the number of teaching staff at a child care program, the number of staff certified in Pediatric First Aid and CPR, and awareness of and connections to Early Childhood Education PDOs. Complete the Survey Directors and owners of programs holding a DHS Certificate of Compliance are encouraged to complete the online survey. Survey responses must be submitted by Thursday, December 17, 2020.
November 25, 2020 Research Study for Pre-k Classroom Teachers Are you a teacher currently working in a pre-k classroom in Pennsylvania? If so, participate in the “Social and Emotional Learning in Pre-K Programs” research study conducted by Cynthia Speer, a Ph.D. Candidate at Waynesburg University. About The purpose of this proposed study is to sample educators from both public and private pre-k programs in Pennsylvania to ascertain information regarding their perception of and experiences with social and emotional learning (SEL). Study participants will provide personal and school-based demographic information and complete a survey of social and emotional learning (SEL) perception and experiences. Completing these surveys will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. All responses will remain anonymous and no identifying personal information (such as name, email address, or IP address) will be collected. Sign Up To Participate If you are interested in signing up as a participant, complete this online form. More Information For questions regarding the research, contact Cynthia Speer at spe1961@student.waynesburg.edu or 412.952.4469. For information regarding rights as a research subject, contact Dissertation Committee Chair, Dr. Michelle Steimer at msteimer@waynesburg.edu or 412.722.7602.
November 19, 2020 #SaveChildCare Wednesdays The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is asking all child care champions to support early childhood educators and families by participating in #SaveChildCare Wednesdays each week at 4:50 p.m. About Quality child care is critical to the recovery of the current economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates are asked to take action each Wednesday on social media and call on Congress to prioritize passing a COVID-19 relief package that includes at least $50 billion in dedicated funding to stabilize the child care sector. Participate Everything you need to engage each week can be accessed via this #SaveChildCare Day of ActionToolkit. The toolkit is regularly updated with messaging and contains additional links and content for social media tiles, shareable graphics, and sample posts in English and Spanish from a range of organizations.
November 17, 2020 Child Care Programs: Submit Your Experience The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is conducting a survey to gather information from the early childhood field to inform federal and state actions on child care. This survey is intended for early learning professionals. About Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NAEYC has been collecting survey responses from early learning professionals to convey the challenges child care programs are facing across states and settings. Data collected through this survey will be shared with policymakers to build a deeper understanding of the ongoing urgency of the challenges programs are facing. Early childhood educators can answer the questions regardless of whether their child care program is open, closed, or somewhere in between, and regardless of what kind of child care program they work in, or what role they have there. Take The Survey To submit your experience, complete the online survey by November 22, 2020. NAEYC will select 10 respondents at random to receive a $50 gift card. Winners will be notified on December 18, 2020. Child Care Survey (English) Child Care Survey (Spanish) More Information For more information, contact advocacy@naeyc.org.
October 28, 2020 Listen to Black Women: What’s it like to be a Black Woman in Pittsburgh? Are you a Black woman in Pittsburgh who is interested in sharing your experiences with other Black women in Pittsburgh? Join the Black Women’s Policy Agenda on November 14 for “Listen to Black Women: What’s it like to be a Black Woman in Pittsburgh?” About Fixing Pittsburgh’s problems starts with listening to Black women! That’s why the Black Women’s Policy Agenda has launched a survey and is facilitating a series of community conversations where Black women share their experiences with other Black women. This event is designed to elevate the voices and experiences of Black women in Pittsburgh. It’s the first step to building collective power among Black women, advocating for the needs of Black women, and advancing policy to achieve racial and gender justice in this region. Take the Survey The Black Women’s Policy Agenda is conducting a survey to hear from 250 women in the Pittsburgh region to discover how they are dealing with the double crisis of COVID-19, anti-Black violence, and being a Black woman overall. To complete the survey, visit the Black Women’s Policy Agenda website. Registration To register, visit the event webpage. Participants will receive a $25 gift card. Share this flyer 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.
July 1, 2020 Keystone STARS 2020 Program Survey The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) invites all certified child care facilities to complete the Keystone STARS 2020 Program Survey. About the Survey This anonymous survey will help OCDEL to better understand how program leadership in Keystone STARS programs have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Your participation in the survey can inform how OCDEL provides support to the field moving forward. July 10, 2020 is the deadline for submitting surveys. More Information The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning supports families and their children, from prenatal through school age, by using data, research and stakeholder guidance to assure high quality services. You can learn more about OCDEL by visiting their website.
