July 24, 2024 Trying Together to Launch Northside CDA Credential Cohort in August Trying Together is planning on launching a Northside Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential Cohort that would begin in August. Learn More The goal of the cohort is to engage committed individuals who live or work on the Northside and are either already working in the early education field or would like to enter into an early education career pathway. A CDA is the first step in a career pathway for individuals interested in working in early education. There is no cost for participants who enroll in this special cohort. Classes will be held in person once a month on every second Saturday at a Northside location, which will be determined soon. The classes run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from August 10 through the end of January. Those interested in participating should email Judy Graca at judy@tryingtogether.org. To learn more about the CDA, visit the Trying Together CDA webpage.
July 8, 2024 Child Care Openings in Pittsburgh Are you looking for open child care positions? Early learning programs in the Greater Pittsburgh Area are hiring! See featured jobs for this week. Child Care Positions in Pittsburgh MASTER TEACHER The Kinder Academy is looking for a master teacher, who will be responsible for developing a cohesive teaching team, coordinating the curriculum, and managing the day-to-day operational activities of the classroom. Teachers must understand children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development to ensure a safe and stimulating classroom environment where children are actively engaged and encouraged to succeed. Most of all, the teacher must seek strong connections to children, families, and coworkers. Those interested should send a resume to twalzer@kinderacademy.com. ASSISTANT TEACHER Heritage Community Initiatives is seeking a flexible and qualified assistant teacher for its 4 Kids Early Learning Program. This educator would establish and create a safe, nurturing environment where children can learn and play. They would assist in designing weekly lesson plans that align with Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. Those interested should visit HeritageServes.org/Careers. PRE-K COUNTS ASSISTANT TEACHER Heritage Community Initiatives is offering an exceptional opportunity for an education professional to utilize their talents and expertise at its highly-respected, Keystone STAR 4-accredited, NAEYC-affiliated program – Heritage 4 Kids Early Learning Center. The teacher would assist in designing weekly lesson plans that align with Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. Two years of experience in an early childhood setting is mandatory. For more information, visit HeritageServes.org/Careers. TEMPORARY FULL-TIME TEACHER Heritage Community Initiatives is seeking a temporary full-time teacher at its Keystone STAR 4-accredited, NAEYC-affiliated program – Heritage Out of School (HOST). Summer session educators will play a major role in the implementation of age-appropriate experiential learning initiatives for school-age students throughout the summer months. Educators will be a part of planning, facilitating, and engaging in a number of hands-on activities and experiences. Visit HeritageServes.org/Careers for more information. Submit a Job Trying Together highlights employer-submitted jobs on our website, social media, and in our newsletter. Submit a Job: To make it into next week’s post, submit the Child Care Provider Job Post Submission Form. All jobs submitted after Tuesday each week will be published in the following week’s news post. Publication dates may vary due to state and federal holidays. Unrelated jobs will not be included. For questions, contact Heidi Winkler at heidi@tryingtogether.org. Other Jobs in Early Childhood ECE HIRE Visit the ECE Hire website to view early childhood education job listings and helpful tips on interviewing, resumes, and more. SUBMIT A JOB TO PACCA Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a Job Board for its members to post jobs for free and sends out submitted jobs via their Facebook page and e-newsletter. PACCA members can submit jobs online after signing into their membership account. For questions, contact Maureen Murphy at maureen.murphy@pacca.org. Receive Jobs in Your Inbox To receive the latest job opportunities, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook.
July 3, 2024 Pennsylvania Early Childhood Summit Returns in Person This Fall The Pennsylvania Early Childhood Summit will return in person for the first time in four years this October. Learn More The summit is expected to draw hundreds of early learning educators. It has been held annually since 2008 but will be in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme is Celebrating Early Learning: Reconnecting, Reviewing, Revisioning. There will be more than 60 workshops and two keynote speakers as well as OCDEL updates, exhibitors, the Summit Marketplace, prizes, food, and numerous opportunities to build new professional connections. Attendees will be able to receive PQAS and Act 48 credits. The 2024 Summit will be held on October 28 and 29 at the Penn Stater Conference Center, located at 215 Innovation Blvd. in State College. Registration is now open for attendees and exhibitors. Trying Together Presentations Trying Together will hold two presentations at the summit. The first, presented by Lindsey Victoria and Loni Gooden, is titled “Combating the Child Care Crisis: Empowering Early Educators Through Workforce Development.” This session will explore the pivotal role of workforce development initiatives in enhancing the capabilities and skills of early childhood educators. The presenters will examine how current, innovative work contributes to solving the childcare crisis. The second presentation, led by Allison Robinson and Shellie Grooms, is titled “Re-Envisioning Your Classroom: Curiosity Calms Chaos.” The presentation asks whether a re-envisioning of the classroom as child-centered spaces filled with curiosity and joy would calm daily chaos. The session will explore new strategies for classroom set-ups, routines, and management through the lens of curiosity.
American Red Cross First Aid, Pediatric First Aid, CPR, and AED Training Trying Together and ELRC Region 5 are partnering to provide a hybrid First Aid, Pediatric First Aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and automated external defibrillator (AED) training to early childhood professionals. About the Course This PQAS-certified blended learning course consists of an in-person class and online coursework. The course provides life-saving skills in alliance with The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Best Practices for Workplace First Aid Training Programs. The online coursework must be completed prior to the in-person class. Access to the online coursework will be provided via email upon completion of registration. Access to the online coursework will be provided via email upon completion of registration. Allow yourself three to four hours to complete. We advise completing the online coursework at least 48 hours prior to your in-person course. You will need to provide proof of completion by providing a copy of your completion email either printed or on your mobile device of class in order to participate in the in-person class portion of the training. Certification will be issued upon successful completion of the course. This certification is valid for two years. Session Details Tuesday, July 30 | 5 – 8 p.m. Location: Shaler North Hills Library 1822 Mount Royal Boulevard Glenshaw PA 15116 Learn More The cost for this course is $38. Registration is now open. Successful course completion requires full participation in classroom and skill sessions as well as successful performance in skill and knowledge evaluations. Participants will conduct strenuous activities, such as performing CPR on the floor. If you have a medical condition or disability that will prevent you from taking part in the skills practice sessions, let your instructor know so that accommodations can be made for the practice portion. The CPR and AED evaluations must be completed with the manikin on the ground. For questions about the sessions, contact Holly Cessna at holly.cessna@alleghenycounty.us.
June 27, 2024 Trying Together Meets With State Legislators on Importance of Early Care and Education On June 25, advocates from the Early Childhood Education Advocacy Fellowship visited the capitol to share their stories with 20 legislators. Representing parents, providers, and community members, they emphasized the importance of Early Care and Education in policy discussions. Learn More Trying Together’s key campaign asks included: Increasing child care subsidy rates to the 75th percentile to help providers with rising costs Investing $284 million in state funding to recruit and retain child care teachers through wage increases, bonuses, and benefits Supporting a $30 million investment in Pre-K Counts and $8.8 million for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program to address workforce challenges Backing the proposed $16.6 million increase for the Early Intervention program to serve 3,000 more children and address key sector issues The visit ensured that these critical issues were highlighted during the last week of budget negotiations.
June 17, 2024 Allegheny County Executive Highlights All-In Action Plan for High-Quality Early Care and Education Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato recently joined local legislators and Trying Together to underscore how a growing teacher shortage – driven by low compensation – is closing child care and pre-k programs throughout the state. As a result, working families are experiencing long waitlists to get their child into early education programs. Learn More Innamorato joined county policymakers at the Allegheny County Courthouse on Thursday, June 13 to urge investments in early learning teacher recruitment and retention. Legislators highlighted the need for Pennsylvania to mirror efforts in other states that could help remedy a child care and pre-k teacher shortage as well as ensure that early learning supply can meet the demand from families. “As someone who has advocated for early care and education for a long time, I know that families rely on child care and other early learning programs,” Innamorato said. “If the early learning sector is struggling, it will have negative implications for our working families. The relative scarcity of quality programs have made words like ‘expensive’ and ‘waitlist’ all too familiar for parents with small children.” Innamorato highlighted findings from her office’s All-In Allegheny Initiative survey, in which 40% of 19,000 residents who responded cited access and affordable child care were a top priority. Additionally, 31% of responders prioritized increased pay for child care workers. Innamorato said that the county would advocate to increase wages for child care and out-of-school time workers as well as expand access to short-term and crisis child care and invest and secure more resources in the Allegheny County Child Care Matters pilot program. Low Compensation Driving Shortage Low compensation for early child care and pre-k teachers, who are among the lowest paid positions in the state’s workforce, is the driving factor behind the teacher shortage. According to a March 2024 report from the General Assembly’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO), the average child care teacher in Pennsylvania earns $15.15 per hour. In a recent Start Strong PA survey, Allegheny County child care programs reported 511 open positions, resulting in 103 closed classrooms. Had the programs been fully staffed, an additional 2,416 children could be served. State Rep. La’Tasha Mayes (D-24th District), a new mother and co-chair of the state Assembly’s Black Maternal Health caucus, said child care and early learning is a broken business model. “I know first-hand the difficult position that early learning providers find themselves (in),” she said. “They are challenged to keep pace with market wages, but they know that the families they serve can’t afford to pay what it would take to accomplish this.” Danielle Daye, owner of the Learning & Education Child Development Center, said that educators are the foundation of programs like the one she operates. She added that they are not being supported on a statewide level. “As we meet and exceed guidelines of quality care and education following Keystone STARS standards, the cost of operating a center of this magnitude far exceeds the income generated to sustain this level of programming and pay livable wages,” she said. “Owners and operators like myself rely on building relationships with our staff and providing positive work environments to attract and retain the very individuals that make our program what it is, and we are losing staff to fields able to provide in this economy.” Parents Struggling to Find Quality Child Care Heather Visensky, the community engagement manager for MomsWork, said she hears numerous stories from mothers about their struggles securing quality, reliable, and affordable child care. “The bottom line is that high-quality and reliable child care is something that is critical to the modern-day workforce,” she said. “When parents stress about not having reliable, affordable and quality child care, their work suffers, their productivity plummets, and they have difficulty advancing in their careers. Most importantly, their overall parenting and mental health suffers being in a constant state of worry and uncertainty.” State Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-38th District) and Duolingo’s Head of Social Impact, Kendra Ross, also spoke at the event about the importance of high-quality early care and education. All of the legislators and speakers in attendance noted that they support a recruitment and retention proposal that would provide monthly payments to providers of up to $440 per child care employee for initiatives such as hiring bonuses, monthly wage increases, benefit packages, or retention bonuses for staff staying for a certain length of time or for staff achieving certain credentials or degrees. Such a program would provide flexibility for providers to choose how to use these funds so that they can have the maximum impact in local communities. The effort would cost the state $284 million.
June 11, 2024 Trying Together Webinar to Focus on Contacting State Legislators Regarding Early Care and Education Investments Trying Together will host a webinar in June that will instruct attendees on how to contact their state legislators regarding investments in early care and education in the state budget. Learn More State elected officials are in the final days of budget negotiations and are currently debating how much money to invest in early child care care and education. Trying Together’s Policy Team will host an upcoming workshop known as the ECE Advocacy Express that will provide information to participants on how they can: Find their state legislator Email their state legislator Call their state legislator The workshop will provide attendees with the tools and templates that are needed to make an impact in just a few minutes. The webinar will take place at 10 a.m. on June 17 on Zoom. Registration is now open. For more information on what early care and education advocates are calling for from state legislators, read these articles: Early Learning PA Coalition Advocates for 2024-25 State Budget Priorities ELPA Responds to Governor Shapiro’s 2024-25 Pennsylvania Budget Proposal
June 3, 2024 Trying Together Kicks Off June Sustainer Campaign Trying Together is looking for 20 new donors to become recurring donors by the end of its fiscal year on June 30. Learn More Trying Together supports high-quality care and education for young children by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them. But advocating for quality child care isn’t something Trying Together can do alone. Trying Together needs your support so it can advocate, learn, and partner together to make sure caregivers and families have the resources they need to make the best decisions about their children’s early learning experiences. A recurring donation to Trying Together is a generous and easy way to sustain its mission. Monthly giving programs are cost-effective and eliminate the need for repeated solicitation efforts reducing costs for the organization. Automatic recurring donations can be set up by credit card or electronic funds transfer. To support high-quality care and education for young children in an ongoing way, there are four suggested monthly donation levels, including: Early Childhood Supporter ($5 per month, $60 annually) Early Childhood Sustainer ($10 per month, $120 annually) Early Childhood Advocate ($25 per month, $300 annually) Trying Together Champion ($83.33 per month, $1,000 annually) Recurring donors are asked to consider increasing their monthly gift amounts. However donors support Trying Together, they are making a difference. When supporters contribute to Trying Together, they help to create a future in which: All children have access to high-quality, early learning environments All families have the resources they need to support their children’s early learning experiences All caregivers feel valued Donate today and set-up recurring gifts on Trying Together’s website. For questions about donations, contact Kerry May, Assistant Director of Development, at 412-206-1053 or by email at kerry@tryingtogether.org.
Kindergarten Transition White Paper Highlights Regional Efforts Trying Together has released a white paper titled “Kindergarten Transition” that includes research on transition activities, possible policy opportunities, and recommendations to support effective kindergarten transition. Learn More The transition from pre-k to kindergarten is a critical point in the lives of young children and their families. However, during the 2021-2022 school year, 78% of three-year-olds and 65% of four-year-olds in Pennsylvania did not have access to a pre-k program. As a result, kindergarten was likely many families’ first entry into the school system as well as the first opportunity for some children to engage with classroom routines and socialization on a larger scale. Recommendations were made for state elected officials and local school district administrators. Some of these recommendations included: Requiring local transition teams Providing guidance on how to leverage funds Encouraging data sharing Advocating for full-day kindergarten Including parents and guardians in the transition process Ensuring high-quality, developmentally appropriate kindergarten Showing support for local pre-k and child care providers in providing pre-k Strengthening relationships and collaboration between early childhood programs and elementary schools Emphasizing culturally responsive practices Rethinking the possibility of school readiness Learn more about Trying Together’s mission of supporting equitable access to a strong kindergarten transition for all children across the region by reading the “Kindergarten Transition” white paper. Trying Together has joined the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the United Way of Southwestern PA in a partnership known as Hi5!, which focuses on engaging all 43 public school districts in Allegheny County to develop and implement kindergarten transition plans.
May 28, 2024 East End Community Celebrates Juneteenth The Trade Institute of Pittsburgh and other community partners – including Trying Together – will host a Pre-Juneteenth Festival on June 14 in Homewood. Learn More Juneteenth Pittsburgh 2024 will include free food and activities, including live entertainment and a kid’s zone. DJ Hoodie Tre will spin tunes and visitors can take part in a group fitness class. Special guest speakers include Leon Ford, Jason Rivers, and Rev. Cornell Jones. The event will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 14 at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA.
