September 9, 2020 Connections and Conversations: Infant Sensory Experiences Are you interested in learning about the importance of sensory development in infants and toddlers? Join Trying Together on September 16 for our online session, “Connections and Conversations: Infant Sensory Experiences.” About Connections and Conversations Virtual Check-Ins are biweekly interactive sessions that highlight topics of interest to the field of early childhood education. Participants engage in virtual discussions with child development experts while interacting with early learning practitioners to share questions, experiences, and expertise about the highlighted topic. Sessions offer one hour of PQAS credit. Act 48 credit will not be provided. This session will define and explore the processes of sensory integration and the importance of sensory development in infants and toddlers. Participants will receive an overview of infant sensory development and ways to contribute to children’s learning within classroom settings as well as adaptations that can be made for students with behaviors due to the way they process sensory experiences differently. Participants will be lead in creating various developmentally friendly sensory toys with objects found in their own homes. Session Details Session Date: Wednesday, September 16 | 6 – 7 p.m Instructors: Jennifer McKain and Alicia Sebastian CKC: Child Growth and Development CDA Subject Area: Principles of Child Growth & Development Registration Deadline: Tuesday, September 15 Registration To register, visit the course PD Registry page. Space is limited. Participants will receive the course Zoom link via email within 24 hours before the start date for the course. For questions, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org. Session Rules and Guidelines These virtual discussions are designed to provide educators the opportunity to grow professionally and share knowledge on early childhood topics. During the meeting, participants should follow the guidelines below to ensure a successful virtual meeting for all participants. Please allow all participants a chance to speak. Listen respectfully and actively. Commit to learning about each other, not to debating the topic. Embrace differences of opinion as healthy and support each person’s authentic self-expression. Participants will be muted for the beginning portion of the session. Participants may use the “Raise Hand” feature in Zoom to request an opportunity to comment or ask a question. Individuals will be temporarily unmuted by the moderator. Participants may type a comment or question in the Chat or may send comments or questions directly to the moderator for them to share. To receive PQAS credit, you must complete an evaluation at the end of the session and include your PD Registry number. Have fun, make connections, and engage in the conversations! More Information For questions or more information, please contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
June 18, 2020 Everyday Heroes: Child Care is No Small Matter Join No Small Matter and their partners for a Facebook Live town hall and streaming premiere of the documentary No Small Matter (Executive Produced by Alfre Woodard). About the Event America’s early learning infrastructure was fragile even before COVID-19. But the pandemic has pushed it to the brink of collapse. Half of all child care sites are currently shuttered, and the ones that remain open do so at great risk to the health of providers and their families. With no other option but to stay home with their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, millions of parents will be unable to return to work, paralyzing efforts to restart the nation’s economy. What has suddenly become searingly self-evident is that early education is essential. Put simply, America doesn’t work without it. That’s why on June 25, ABCinemaNOW Live will present an unprecedented Facebook Live screening event designed to generate support for the urgent action needed to tackle America’s childcare crisis. Everyday Heroes: Celebrating Early Educators, Supporting Families will feature the national streaming premiere of the documentary No Small Matter (Executive Produced by Alfre Woodard), followed by a live panel discussion highlighting the devastating impact of COVID-19 on children, families, and caregivers, and in turn, on the economy. Woven throughout the event will be video messages from celebrities, cultural influencers, and frontline workers thanking early educators for the challenging, exhausting, and essential work they do every day. Learn More Visit the event website and follow No Small Matter on Facebook to join this event.
April 20, 2020 STEM Activities for Toddlers | Webinar STEM Activities for Toddlers is a live, interactive webinar that explores ways to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concepts into the toddler classroom. The course will discuss hands-on activities, including time outside to learn ways to weave in environmental science. About the STEM Webinar Two PQAS hours will be offered. Participants are expected to fully participate with their digital device microphones and cameras on. This is not a log-in and leave event. Arriving 15 minutes late may result in no credit for the session. Please note, no refunds will be provided for cancellation or no show. Learning Objectives of The STEM Webinar Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to: identify the elements of STEM; explain why STEM is important in the toddler classroom; and implement activities that incorporate multiple elements of STEM. Available Date To access this course, use the link below or enter the event ID on the Pennsylvania PD Registry website. May 1, 2020 | 2 – 4 p.m. | Event ID: 312719 More Information For questions, please contact Karen Rucker at 717.314.8368 or krucker@respectingchildren.com. For more events like this, click here. *Information provided by the Pennsylvania Key
May 9, 2019 Historic Increases for Early Learning & Development Programs The House Appropriations Committee recently approved the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education spending bill for FY2020, which outlines funding for early care and learning programs critical to babies’ development. The first three years are a time in development unmatched by any other later point in life. But the recently released State of Babies Yearbook: 2019 reveals troubling early warning signs that too many young children face conditions that place their development – and our future – at risk. About the Bill The bill includes historic increases to key early learning and development programs that can help to reverse this path we have set for our future, including: An increase of $2.4 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant; $525 million increase in the set-aside for the expansion of Early Head Start, including through EHS-Child Care Partnerships; Doubling of the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Grant Program, to a total of $10 million; and An increase of $21.3 million for Part C Early Intervention. By laying the foundation today for 12 million infants and toddlers living in the U.S., we are investing in our society’s future. Learn More To learn more, see Zero to Three’s full statement. *Information provided by Zero to Three
May 3, 2019 Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Why It Matters Save the date to join professionals across disciplines to explore the most critical topics related to infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) at this free conference. Continuing Education Credits for a wide range of professionals will be available, including physicians, nurses, home visitors, early and primary educators, and many others. About Breakout sessions will offer behavioral health clinicians, pediatricians, home visitors, early childhood educators, ECMH consultants, family members, child welfare workers, and early intervention providers the opportunity to explore issues related to IECMH most relevant to their field. Keynote sessions will highlight the key themes within IECMH research that are critical for all of the systems that support families with young children. Registration For more information or to register, visit the event’s webpage. For questions, please contact Patrick Webster at 412.667.6701 or websterp2@upmc.edu.
April 26, 2019 PWSA Adopting Polices That Support Families The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) board will approve two policies that support caregivers. Paid Safe Leave Policy On Friday, April 26, 2019 the PWSA board will vote on a paid safe leave policy. The measure allows employees who have been victimized by domestic abuse to take days off from work. The PWSA joins Mayor Peduto who signed an Executive Order on safe leave for City of Pittsburgh employees last year. “The cost of domestic violence for employers is the loss of productivity. Employees plagued by violence at home are often distracted and sometimes ill at work. This policy will allow employees in these situations to try and take steps to improve the situation without fearing the loss of their job,” a board statement says. Parental Leave Policy The PWSA board will also vote on a paid parental leave policy. This policy permits new mothers and fathers to take six weeks of paid leave after the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child. “We’re grateful to the City of Pittsburgh for leading the way and our Board of Directors for adopting these progressive employment policies. The changes will help protect the well-being of our employees, help retain talent and attract the best and the brightest to join our team,” said PWSA Executive Director Robert A. Weimar. Both policies were adopted by Mayor William Peduto and Pittsburgh City Council. Learn more about both PWSA policies by visiting the City of Pittsburgh press release page.
March 8, 2019 PA’s Program Reach and Risk Assessment Report Released About Children in 40 Pennsylvania counties (60 percent) are at moderate-high or high-risk of low academic performance. This is according to the recent release of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning Program Reach and Risk Assessment State of Fiscal Year 2016-2017. As a result, OCDEL annually creates its Program Reach and Risk Assessment Report. This report offers information on the level of risk for school failure for children (based on 16 risk factors). It also offers information on the availability, or reach, of most OCDEL programs to children in each county and school district in Pennsylvania. Consequently, the Reach and Risk Report includes data for all children under age five. It also provides a breakdown of program reach by infants/toddlers (birth – two years) and preschool (ages three and four). Report Breakdown Highlights within the report include: One-third (34 percent) of children under age five participate in state and/or federally-funded quality early care and education programs in Pennsylvania. Of all state-funded programs, the most children are reached through the Keystone STARS program. This program provides services to an estimated 14 percent of children from birth to age five. Approximately one-fourth (24 percent) of Pennsylvania’s infants and toddlers (birth to age two) participate in publicly-funded quality early care and education programs. Almost half (49 percent) of Pennsylvania’s preschoolers are served in state and/or federally funded quality early care and education programs. Full Report To read the full report and access county and school-based specific information, visit the PA Key website.
October 29, 2018 Start Strong PA Webinar Join sponsors Pennsylvania Child Care Association and Pennsylvania Association for The Education of Young Children for an afternoon or evening webinar to hear about priorities for the campaign, the work done so far, and how you can become involved. Register now. FACILITATORS: Jodi Askins, Executive Director, PennAEYC Diane Barber, Executive Director, PACCA REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 31. Both webinars will be recorded and posted to the PACCA and PennAEYC websites afterward.
