May 13, 2020 Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time Join the Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) from May 26 through June 5, 2020 for their Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time! About The Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time will offer relevant workshops to help professionals continue to provide quality programming for youth during this troubling time. This conference is open to any youth practitioners who desire to increase their skills in working with youth in out-of-school time programs or in mentoring relationships. Available Workshops The Virtual Conference will include the following workshops: Afterschool Programming and Communication Pivot during COVID-19 Tuesday, 5/26, 10 – 11 a.m. Presenter: Adeshewa Metzger, Assemble The Power of Parent Engagement: Parents as Partners Tuesday, 5/26, 3 – 4:30 p.m. Presenter: Shannon Prentiss, The Neighborhood Academy Building Resiliency: From Brain Development to Practicing Self-Care in a Virtual World Wednesday, 5/27, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Presenters: Courtney Smalt, Ling Deng, and Autumn Detchon, Adagio Health Fostering Healthy Transitions Wednesday, 5/27, 3 – 4 p.m. Presenter: Sophia Duck, The Mentoring Partnership Engaging Kids Outside Friday, 5/29, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Presenters: Lo Zemanek and Kelly Sarkis, Venture Outdoors Yes, And’ing Youth Voice During COVID-19 Friday, 5/29, 1 – 2 p.m. Presenter: Lori Crawford, Improviding The Culturally Inclusive Check-In Monday, 6/1, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Presenters: Adeshea Metzger and Ja’Sonta Roberts, Assemble Staff Wellness and Role Modeling Wednesday, 6/3, 10 – 11:30 a.m. Presenters: Shrenik Gadagkar and Jenny Park, UPMC Children’s Hospital Techniques to Address Helper’s Trauma in OST Providers Friday, 6/5, 10 – 11:30 a.m. Presenter: Debralyn Woodberry-Shaw, ELIE Circle To register and learn more, utilize the links above or view the full conference agenda. More Information For questions or more information, please contact Jaron Paul at jaron.paul@unitedwayswpa.org.
April 28, 2020 APOST Requests Virtual Summer Conference Workshop Submissions The Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) will be hosting a Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time from Tuesday, May 26 through Friday, June 5, 2020. At this time, APOST is accepting workshop submissions from education leaders. Continue reading below to learn more. About The Virtual Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time will target youth workers in out-of-school time and summer settings. This includes frontline staff, program managers, executive directors, mentors, and more. In regard to workshop submissions, APOST is looking for depth of experience and expertise rather than breadth. With this, they strongly encourage workshops focused on the following themes: social-emotional learning; community trauma and trauma-informed care; health and wellness in out-of-school time; creating inclusive spaces in out-of-school time; engaging children and parents during COVID-19; how to speak to youth about COVID-19; and ways to successfully implement virtual programming. Workshop sizes will most likely not be capped as this event will be virtual, but facilitation preference will be left up to the presenters. Submit Your Proposal To learn more or submit a proposal, please complete APOST’s online form. All submissions must be received by Tuesday, May 5. Event hosts send out their final decision on Friday, May 8. More Information For questions or more information, contact APOST at 412.456.6876 or apost@uwac.org.
April 27, 2020 How to Run Virtual Circle Time | Webinar Join HiMama on April 30 for their HiMama Helps webinar, “How to Run Virtual Circle Time.” About In this webinar, presenters will discuss how to start or improve a virtual circle time to engage families while distance learning. Topics will include the following: the planning process; what equipment you can use for virtual circle time; how to engage families while distance learning; and a question and answer session. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
September 26, 2019 How to Balance Children’s Digital Media Consumption In their 2017 “Common Sense Census” report, Common Sense Media found that “children age eight and under spend an average of about two-and-a-quarter hours a day with screen media.” While digital media can be fun and informative, caregivers must be intentional in regulating their own and their child’s media consumption. The Common Sense Census To better understand the types of technology available to young children and how children utilize those technologies, Common Sense Media surveyed a representative sample of over 1,400 parents from regions across the United States. The survey included low- and high-income families, parents who received varying levels of education, and families from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Through the survey, Common Sense Media found that 98 percent of children age eight and younger have access to some type of mobile device in their home, with 98 percent having access to a television, 95 percent having access to a smartphone, and 78 percent having access to a tablet. In fact, 42 percent of the families surveyed reported that their child now has their own tablet device, a drastic increase from the reported seven percent four years ago. Through these developments, children now spend more time consuming digital media per day than they do reading or being read to, with the survey average daily reading time reported as 30 minutes. Read the full report. Risks of Excess Exposure All media types, from movies and television shows to social platforms and gaming apps, expose consumers of all ages to a variety of content and messaging. While digital devices can be fun and incorporated as learning tools, they also pose threats to the early experiences of young children by: increasing the likelihood that a child accidentally views violent or inappropriate content, reducing the daily total time spent outside and being active, and limiting children’s early opportunities to develop relationships and social, emotional, and communication skills. With these risks, parents and caregivers must be intentional in monitoring the media content their children consume and the daily total time spent inside on digital devices. However, families must go one step further. Caregivers must also model healthy media balance behaviors themselves, integrating the same practices into their daily lives that they’re teaching their children. It’s critical that families establish a healthy balance between their offline and online activities. Resources and Tools To increase awareness and provide strategies on tackling this issue, Common Sense Media launched a series of resources for families and professionals, including: a free weekly text with healthy media habit tips (text KIDS to 21555)*, a printable coloring book for kids, a song and video about media balance, a digital citizenship curriculum, a family engagement toolkit, and television, book, app, and other digital media recommendations filtered by child age. *By texting the word KIDS to 21555, families can receive weekly text message tips on how to practice healthy media habits with their family and young children. Tips provided through this service are suitable for caregivers of children ages three to eight years old. Texts are available in English and Spanish. Standard messaging rates apply. Learn More To learn more about digital balance, visit the Common Sense Media website.
June 13, 2019 Don’t Be A Trigger: Trauma-Informed Care Approach Looking for a more in-depth dive into Trauma-Informed Care? Join Debralyn Woodberry Shaw of ELIE Circle, LLC to explore trauma might manifest in your early childhood or youth program. About Our past experiences – personal, familial, societal – influence our brain development and shape how we interpret and respond to the world. In this session, youth workers will explore how trauma might manifest in their program. Participants will also learn how self-awareness and a growth mindset aid in creating a Trauma-Informed Community and protect youth workers from the effects of vicarious trauma. Lunch will be provided. Learning Objectives Participants will: be introduced to the Trauma-Informed Care framework, become familiar with the foundations of Trauma-Informed Care, understand complex trauma and the parts of the brain related to trauma, be introduced to vicarious trauma, identify self-care and building resilience techniques, reflect on their past experiences and how they influence their interactions with young people, and explore the concept of a growth mindset. Registration and Questions To register for this workshop, visit APOST’s event page. For questions, contact APOST at 412.456.6876. *Information provided by APOST
June 3, 2019 APOST Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time Join Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School-Time (APOST) on June 14 for their Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time. PQAS/Act 48 credit available upon request. About The APOST Summer Conference for Out-of-School Time is a professional development conference that shares best practices in youth development. This conference is open to youth practitioners who desire to increase their skills in working with youth in out-of-school time programs or in mentoring relationships. This year’s event will feature Keynote Speaker Timothy Jones, an expert in youth development and hip-hop culture/pedagogy who has developed, implemented, and evaluated out-of-school time programs inside and outside of schools for over 20 years. Limited free parking is available, but carpooling is recommended. More Information To learn more and register, visit APOST’s Eventbrite page. For questions, contact APOST via phone at 412.456.6876.
May 20, 2019 Allegheny County Children’s Fund Community Meeting Spanish-speaking community members are invited to join the Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group on June 18 at the YWCA Building in Downtown Pittsburgh to share their views on what works best and what additional support is needed when it comes to early learning and out-of-school time. About Allegheny County’s goal is to make sure that every child can benefit from quality early learning and out-of-school time. A series of six Community Meetings are being held across the County to learn from families, caregivers, and educators what access to quality early learning and out-of-school time looks like today—from your perspective and in your community. Each meeting will include child care, refreshments, and opportunities for community members to voice their input on how Allegheny County can be a leader for kids moving forward. Community Meeting Dates The Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group and community members will convene on the following dates: City Meeting – May 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Jeron X Grayson Center, Hill District West Meeting – June 3 | 6:30 p.m. | The Landing Community Center, Moon Township South Meeting – June 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Bethel Park Community Center North Meeting – June 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Shaler North Hills Library East Meeting – June 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Founders Hall Middle School, McKeesport Spanish-Language Meeting – June 18 | 6:30 p.m. | YWCA Building, Downtown Pittsburgh Registration & Questions Visit the Community Meeting website to learn more, RSVP, or contact event organizers.
Allegheny County Children’s Fund Community Meeting Join the Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group on June 12 at Founders Hall Middle School in McKeesport to share your views on what works best and what additional support is needed when it comes to early learning and out-of-school time. About Allegheny County’s goal is to make sure that every child can benefit from quality early learning and out-of-school time. A series of six Community Meetings are being held across the County to learn from families, caregivers, and educators what access to quality early learning and out-of-school time looks like today—from your perspective and in your community. Each meeting will include child care, refreshments, and opportunities for community members to voice their input on how Allegheny County can be a leader for kids moving forward. Community Meeting Dates The Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group and community members will convene on the following dates: City Meeting – May 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Jeron X Grayson Center, Hill District West Meeting – June 3 | 6:30 p.m. | The Landing Community Center, Moon Township South Meeting – June 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Bethel Park Community Center North Meeting – June 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Shaler North Hills Library East Meeting – June 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Founders Hall Middle School, McKeesport Spanish-Language Meeting – June 18 | 6:30 p.m. | YWCA Building, Downtown Pittsburgh Registration & Questions Visit the Community Meeting website to learn more, RSVP, or contact event organizers.
Allegheny County Children’s Fund Community Meeting Join the Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group on June 5 at the Shaler North Hills Library to share your views on what works best and what additional support is needed when it comes to early learning and out-of-school time. About Allegheny County’s goal is to make sure that every child can benefit from quality early learning and out-of-school time. A series of six Community Meetings are being held across the County to learn from families, caregivers, and educators what access to quality early learning and out-of-school time looks like today—from your perspective and in your community. Each meeting will include child care, refreshments, and opportunities for community members to voice their input on how Allegheny County can be a leader for kids moving forward. Community Meeting Dates The Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group and community members will convene on the following dates: City Meeting – May 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Jeron X Grayson Center, Hill District West Meeting – June 3 | 6:30 p.m. | The Landing Community Center, Moon Township South Meeting – June 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Bethel Park Community Center North Meeting – June 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Shaler North Hills Library East Meeting – June 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Founders Hall Middle School, McKeesport Spanish-Language Meeting – June 18 | 6:30 p.m. | YWCA Building, Downtown Pittsburgh Registration & Questions Visit the Community Meeting website to learn more, RSVP, or contact event organizers.
Allegheny County Children’s Fund Community Meeting Join the Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group on June 4 at the Bethel Park Community Center to share your views on what works best and what additional support is needed when it comes to early learning and out-of-school time. About Allegheny County’s goal is to make sure that every child can benefit from quality early learning and out-of-school time. A series of six Community Meetings are being held across the County to learn from families, caregivers, and educators what access to quality early learning and out-of-school time looks like today—from your perspective and in your community. Each meeting will include child care, refreshments, and opportunities for community members to voice their input on how Allegheny County can be a leader for kids moving forward. Community Meeting Dates The Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group and community members will convene on the following dates: City Meeting – May 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Jeron X Grayson Center, Hill District West Meeting – June 3 | 6:30 p.m. | The Landing Community Center, Moon Township South Meeting – June 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Bethel Park Community Center North Meeting – June 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Shaler North Hills Library East Meeting – June 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Founders Hall Middle School, McKeesport Spanish-Language Meeting – June 18 | 6:30 p.m. | YWCA Building, Downtown Pittsburgh Registration & Questions Visit the Community Meeting website to learn more, RSVP, or contact event organizers.
