News

December 9, 2020

COVID-19: Resources for Parents and Caregivers

If you are a parent, caregiver, or family member living in Pennsylvania, it’s important to remain calm, prepare, and take precautionary measures to maintain the health and wellbeing of yourself, your family, and the community. Continue reading below for a brief overview of COVID-19 and a list of family and caregiver resources.

 


PA 2.1.1 Southwest

If you require assistance and would like to access an extensive list of family and caregiver resources, please call 2.1.1 or text your zip code to 898.211 to receive text alerts. For more information or to receive support, visit the 2.1.1 website.

PA 2.1.1 Southwest seeks to provide an easy-to-remember phone number and web resource for finding health and human services for everyday needs and in crisis situations, serving the following counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland.


 

An Overview of COVID-19

COVID-19 is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus not previously seen in humans. Because the virus impacts the respiratory system, common symptoms of infection include fever, dry cough, tiredness, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. However, WHO states that some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, and diarrhea. After being infected with COVID-19, individuals generally display mild symptoms that begin gradually, but some people who become infected may not develop any symptoms at all and may feel healthy.

To learn more about COVID-19 and the steps you can take to reduce your family’s risk of infection, read our recent news post. This post also includes information about what to do after infection, information on how it spreads, and links to several other organizations and entities that can provide more information.

Guidance for Pennsylvanians

As of May 31, COVID mitigation orders are lifted in Pennsylvania. The order requiring universal face coverings was lifted statewide on June 28, 2021. The Pennsylvania Department of Health still urges Pennsylvanians to follow CDC guidance on wearing masks where required by law, rules, and regulations, including healthcare, local businesses, and workplace guidance.

Search for Child Care

If your family is in need of child care, visit the Allegheny Child Care website to search for programs in Allegheny County or visit the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services website to search for programs throughout Pennsylvania.

Meals for Children

The Summer Food Service Program distributes free Grab ‘n Go Meals to children at 13 CitiPark and 34 partner locations in Pittsburgh. Meals are available to children up to the age of 18, and to individuals with disabilities up to 21 years old. This program runs from June 11 through August 13, 2021 (dates vary by location). To learn more, visit the program webpage or call 412.571.3291.

 

 


 

Resources

Information about COVID-19

Talking with Children

Prevention

After Infection

Impacts on Child Care, School, and Work

At-Home Activities

Fact Sheets and Guides

Informational Flyers

Recorded Webinars

Mental Health

Receiving Support

Multilingual Resources

Curated Lists

Contacts and Information

More Information

For more information about COVID-19, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or World Health Organization (WHO) websites.

News

September 11, 2020

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.

News

September 1, 2020

Stress Management Tools and Techniques

Are you interested in learning evidence-based tools parents, teachers, and children can use to self-soothe and regulate their emotions? Join Coach Troy Byer on September 22 for “Stress Management Tools and Techniques.”

About

In this webinar, Mind Care & Emotion Regulation Expert Troy Byer will highlight tools and tips parents, teachers, and children can use to self-soothe and regulate their emotions – especially when confronted with stressors, threats, or challenges.

Coach Troy will help participants learn exercises focused on self-soothing and emotion regulation techniques that address confusion, anger, anxiety, depression, and help children regulate their behavior. Participants will complete this webinar with a toolbox of organic, quick, effective, and fun techniques.

Featured Topics

This webinar will feature the following topics:

    • how to use Emotion Regulation Finger Holds, how they work, and why they work so well;
    • how to distinguish emotional triggers and how to deactivate a trigger before it is expressed negatively; and
    • the importance of maintaining a state of peace and right brain/left brain coherence and how to organically regulate the experience.

Registration

To register, visit the event webpage.

News

April 3, 2020

Distance Learning: How to Support STEM and Physical Activity at Home

Are you interested in learning how to implement STEM activities to keep students learning and engaged at home? Join Kristin Harrington, EdTech Coach from Flager County Schools, on April 9 for the webinar, “Distance Learning: How to Support STEM and Physical Activity at Home.”

About

By attending this webinar, participants will learn:

    • how to balance education with student engagement at home;
    • how to mix STEM and active movement at home;
    • about free tools for mindfulness and SEL for students; and
    • advice on how to support other teachers and staff.

This webinar will be of interest to kindergarten through middle school teachers, librarians, library media specialists, technology integration specialists and coaches, principals, and school and district leaders. There will be time to have your questions answered at the end of the presentation.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

March 30, 2020

Using Sesame Street in Communities Resources for Health Emergencies

Join Sesame Workshop and Brazelton Touchpoints Center on April 1, 2020 for a 60-minute conversation about how to use Sesame Street videos, games, and other assets so families can feel healthy, find comfort, and learn playfully at home!

About

Sesame Workshop and the Brazelton Touchpoints Center are partnering to share helpful online resources to stay informed, engaged, and responsive to the needs of children and families in your neighborhood through health emergencies. As a result of COVID-19, families around the world are needing to adjust, adapt, and keep each other safe. In response, Sesame Workshop is launching the Caring for Each Other initiative—a long-term commitment to supporting families for the duration of this crisis.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

Using Sesame Street in Communities: Resources to Offer Comfort

Join Sesame Workshop and Brazelton Touchpoints Center on May 6 for their second webinar in the Caring For Each Other series to explore Resources on Offering Comfort.

About

Together with early childhood experts from Abriendo Puertas and the United Way Greater Houston Bright Beginnings Program, Brazelton Touchpoints Center and Sesame Workshop will address the importance of giving and receiving comfort and model ways to handle stress. Presenters will also show you some of Sesame Workshop’s easy-to-use and accessible tools that remind children of the circle of care that surrounds them.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. For more workshops and courses, click here.

News

January 27, 2020

Medication Administration in ECE Settings | Webinar

Join the American Academy of Pediatrics on February 4 for their one-hour webinar to learn more about two medication administration training tools available for child care health consultants, early learning program directors, health managers, health care professionals, and others to use to help meet national early education and child care training requirements in the area of medication administration.

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn about:

    • the important role medication administration training plays in early childhood settings;
    • a new free online medication administration module for any early learning provider; and
    • a free, downloadable medication administration training curriculum that can be tailored for your audience’s needs.

Registration

This webinar is free and registration is required. To register and learn more, visit the event page.

News

December 9, 2019

Introduction to the ASQ3 and the ASQ:SE 2

By attending “An Introduction to the ASQ3 and the ASQ:SE 2,” participants will learn how to use the ASQ3 and ASQ:SE 2 as screening tools for children ages 3 months to 5 years. This session will provide information on how to administer and score the screener and share results of the screener with families. Resources for making referrals to additional services will be included if needed.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, learners will be able to:

    • define and discuss the benefits of developmental screening;
    • describe features of ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2;
    • score ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2;
    • understand the importance of sensitive communication of screening results; and
    • discuss the process for referring children to appropriate agencies.

Available Dates

To access this course, use the links below or enter the event ID on the Pennsylvania PD Registry website.

More Information

For questions, please contact Annie Skamangas-Scaros at 412.608.2594 or ecetacademy@gmail.com.

*Information provided by the Pennsylvania Key

News

October 1, 2019

Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion | Webinar

Join the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) on October 15 for their free webinar, “Indicators of High-Quality Inclusion: A Comprehensive Set of Tools.”

About

This webinar is designed to provide an overview of the National Early Childhood Inclusion Indicators Initiative, a joint project by NCPMI and Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center.  The suite of materials—developed for states, local programs and child environments—intended to increase the implementation of high-quality inclusive practices will be presented.

Specific attention will be paid to the early childhood education environment (ECEE) inclusion indicators. Video examples will be used to illustrate the implementation of the ECEE inclusion indicators in a variety of programs as well as implications for local program and state level staff.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the NCPMI website.

*Information provided by NCPMI

News

September 20, 2019

EdTech for Students with Autism: Curriculum, IEPs, and Data

Join Lauren Stafford and Jessie Brown on September 27 for their webinar exploring education technology for students on the autism spectrum.

About

This webinar will feature information on how to meet both curriculum needs and IEP goals and objectives for students with autism. Information will include accommodations that support personalized learning and maximizing large group, small group, 1:1, and independent work to ensure all students experience learning growth.

Participants will also learn how to automatically collect data to advance student learning quickly and easily while sharing progress across the entire IEP team. This webinar will be of interest to teachers and school and district leaders of all grade levels. Time will be provided for questions.

Registration

To sign-up, register via the event webpage.

More Information

To learn more, visit the edWeb website.

*Information provided via EdWeb