May 10, 2024 ECE Advocacy Express Webinar Trying Together’s Policy Team will host a webinar in June on how to contact your 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 care and education. Trying Together’s Policy Team will host a workshop known as the ECE Advocacy Express that will provide information on How to find your state legislator How to email your legislator How to call your 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 on Zoom at 10 a.m. on June 17. Registration is now open.
May 7, 2024 Seeking Input on Recess and Play for Advocacy Toolkit Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh are seeking input on recess and play for the creation of an advocacy toolkit on the topics. Learn More As part of their play advocacy research, Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh are asking parents and caregivers of children, teachers, school administrators, and community members for input. In the survey, participants will discuss how their child’s school perceives and implements recess. Collected input will go toward devising a comprehensive, community-based Play Advocacy Toolkit that will be widely shared and easily accessible. The deadline to complete the survey is June 21. The survey is now available to complete. Community Conversations on Play Parents and caregivers of children, teachers, school leaders, and community members are also invited to join Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh for upcoming community conversations on play. Physical movement, the freedom to play, and playful learning during the school day improves a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. However, many American children engage in less than one hour of unstructured play per day. The conversations will focus on how play is an important part of a child’s school life. The events will help attendees learn how to advocate for play and developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood. In person event Thursday, May 30, 2024 | 5 – 7 p.m. Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood, 134 East Elizabeth Street Registration is now open Dinner and child care will be provided. Virtual event Monday, June 10, 2024 | 7-8 p.m. Zoom Registration is now open.
May 6, 2024 Registration Open for UnConference: Launching School Age Summer Programming Join Trying Together, Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST), and Allegheny County Department of Human Services for “UnConference: Launching School Age Summer Programming.” Registration is now open for the event, which will be held on Thursday, June 6 at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., participants will attend expert-led sessions that will equip them with skills needed to create safe and enriching summer experiences for school-aged children. Six PQAS and Act 48 credit hours will be available. Workshops The morning session is dedicated to American Red Cross Pediatric First Aid, CPR, and AED training. Participants will attend two afternoon sessions. Morning Session (9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) Workshops include: Play Included: Building Friendships Through LEGO Play o Speaker: John Balash and Team from Carnegie Mellon University Maximizing the Mind-Body Connection in Summer Youth Programming Speaker: Danielle Thum, MS, RYT, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Family Care Connection Centers American Red Cross: First Aid/CPR/AED, Including Pediatric First Aid and CPR Playnotes Interactive Activity Afternoon Sessions (1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.) Following lunch, participants will attend two rounds of workshops. Sessions will focus on how to create welcoming and culturally inclusive environments; strategies to guide and mentor children; and using LEGO play to collaborate, communicate, and problem solve. Workshops include: The Culturally Inclusive Check-In o Speaker: Ja’Sonta Roberts from Assemble Everyday Mentoring o Speaker: Sophia Duck from Mentoring Pittsburgh Play Included: Building Friendships Through LEGO Play o Speaker: John Balash and Team from Carnegie Mellon University When Helping Hurts: Understanding the Impact of Compassion Fatigue o Speaker: Sharice Nance, LCSW, CCTP Amplifying Youth Voice and Choice Speaker: Katherine Spinney, PCC, MT, MSW Maximizing the Mind-Body Connection in Summer Youth Programming Speaker: Danielle Thum, MS, RYT, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Family Care Connection Centers Supporting Youth From English Language Learning Backgrounds Speakers: Meg Booth and Jenna Baron from Alliance for Refugee Youth Support and Education More session details will be available soon. More Details Registration is now open for the conference. Tickets for the UnConference cost $25 and free parking will be available for participants at the conservatory. Lunch, which will be catered by Phipps, is included with registration. Those interested in attending must register by May 27. Registrants will be asked to choose their preferred workshops at a later date. Group discounts are not available. If you have questions about the UnConference, visit the event webpage or contact Paige Kizior at paige@tryingtogether.org.
May 1, 2024 Recess and Play: Community Conversations Parents and caregivers of children, teachers, school leaders, and community members are invited to join Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh for community conversations on play. Learn More Physical movement, the freedom to play, and playful learning during the school day improves a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. However, many American children engage in less than one hour of unstructured play per day. We’d like to know how much your child is able to play. A community conversation being held on May 30 will discuss how play is a part of a child’s school life. The event will help attendees learn how to advocate for play and developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood. Dinner and child care will be provided to participants at the in-person event. There will also be a virtual event in June. Details Thursday, May 30 | 5 – 7 p.m. Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood, 134 East Elizabeth Street in Pittsburgh Register Monday, June 10 | 7 – 8 p.m. Virtual Register Can’t attend? Take the play advocacy survey to share your thoughts.
Recess and Play: Community Conversations Parents and caregivers of children, teachers, school leaders, and community members are invited to join Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh for community conversations on play. Learn More Physical movement, the freedom to play, and playful learning during the school day improves a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. However, many American children engage in less than one hour of unstructured play per day. We’d like to know how much your child is able to play. A community conversation being held on May 30 will discuss how play is a part of a child’s school life. The event will help attendees learn how to advocate for play and developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood. Dinner and child care will be provided to participants at the in-person event. There will also be a virtual event in June. Details Thursday, May 30 | 5 – 7 p.m. Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood, 134 East Elizabeth Street in Pittsburgh Register Monday, June 10 | 7 – 8 p.m. Virtual Register Can’t attend? Take the play advocacy survey to share your thoughts.
April 29, 2024 Remake Learning Days to Offer Hundreds of Events in May The Remake Learning Days Festival will offer more than 350 events – including Playful Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Play Day – in May. The three-week festival offers activities for children ages two to 17 as well as adults. Learn More From May 2 to 22, families can take part in a variety of events and celebrate learning. Activities include building a robot, coding an art spinner, directing a film, doing scientific work, exploring the outdoors, making music, printing inventions with a 3-D printer, and more. The festival will include in-person and virtual events hosted by schools, museums, libraries, after-school organizations, child care centers, and tech companies. There are a number of free activities as well as others that range from $1 to $50. Most of the events take place in Southwestern Pennsylvania, while a few others will be held in West Virginia. Ultimate Play Day – which is co-hosted by Playful Pittsburgh, Trying Together, and CitiParks – will take place during Remake Learning Days. The event emphasizes the importance and power of play for people of all ages. The free event will be hosted at the Activities Shelter at Riverview Park from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. The festival will also include a performance of “Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster.” Color puppets and props will bring characters from Mo Willems’ book to life on stage. For more information on the Remake Learning Days Festival, visit the festival’s website.
April 24, 2024 How to Get to Ultimate Play Day on May 18 Playful Pittsburgh will host its annual Ultimate Play Day on Saturday, May 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Activities Shelter in Riverview Park. There are three bus routes that can drop participants off close to the event. Learn More Ultimate Play Day is a celebration of playfulness for people of all ages. The event – co-hosted by Playful Pittsburgh, Trying Together, and Citiparks as part of Remake Learning Days – celebrates the importance of play. A number of city organizations will take part in the event – including the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Carnegie Science Center, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Fred Rogers Institute, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and many more. A complete list can be found on Ultimate Play Day’s event page. Directions Participants driving to the event and taking 279 N should avoid Milroy Street. Instead of making the first left, continue on to East Street and take Baytree Street to the park. Three bus routes will drop participants close to the event. Riders can take Bus 8 from the Northside to Riverview Park. They can pick up this bus at Cedar, East North Avenue, or Federal Street. The closest stops to the park are Perrysville and Watson or Perrysville and Cherryfield. Riders can take Bus 12 from the Northside. The closest stop to the park is East Street and Venture Street, which is about a mile walk to the event. Riders can also take Bus 15 from Downtown. More Information If you have questions, contact Adam James Zahren, Program Director for Playful Pittsburgh, at adam@tryingtogether.org. To plan a route to Ultimate Play Day, visit Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s True Time System’s website.
April 23, 2024 Northside Job Fair NorthSideWorks! and PA Career Link are hosting the Northside Job Fair on April 26. More than 50 employers, service organizations, and training providers will attend the event. Learn More Attendees will be able to learn about full- and part-time opportunities in various industries. Registration for attendees is free. Employers attending the event include Acrisure Stadium, Aflac, Allegheny County Health Department, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the city of Pittsburgh, DollarBank, National Aviary, PA Women Work, Peoples Gas, Pittsburgh Pirates, PNC Bank, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, Trying Together, and many others. More Details The job fair runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 26 at PNC Park, located at 115 Federal Street. Free parking is available at Red Lot 5A, located at 664 W. Robinson Street. For more information, call Quinn Kirby at 412-231-6500.
April 16, 2024 Early Learning PA Coalition Advocates for 2024-25 State Budget Priorities The principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA) are calling on state policymakers to support investments in evidence-based, high-quality early care, education, and health services. ELPA is focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five. Trying Together is a partner of the statewide coalition of advocates. The coalition is urging state policymakers to make investments in child care, pre-k, and early intervention. Learn More From birth to age five, children’s brains make millions of neural connections every second, forming brain architecture for life. At no other time in a human’s life will the brain develop at this speed or with such intricacy. This period is the foundation upon which all later learning, behavior, and health depend. Pittsburgh-based early childhood nonprofit Trying Together and their ELPA partners are calling for state policymakers to maximize the potential of these first five years through investments in early care and education programs in the 2024-2025 budget. Budget Requests The budget priorities from ELPA for the 2024-25 final state budget include: Supporting the Shapiro administration’s proposal to increase subsidy rates to the 75th percentile of the current price families pay for child care services. This will help alleviate rising facility, food, utility, and supply costs for providers participating in Child Care Works. Investing $284 million in new and recurring state funding to implement a child care teacher recruitment and retention initiative. This will help alleviate an ongoing staffing crisis that is causing classrooms and entire programs to close and leave working families without access to child care. The funding would provide monthly payments to providers maintaining a subsidy agreement with the state. It would be restricted for initiatives that would help retain and recruit staff such as monthly wage increases, hiring bonuses, benefit packages, or retention bonuses for staff staying for a certain length of time or achieving credentials or degrees. Supporting a proposed investment of $30 million in Pre-K Counts to increase the per-child rate to help address workforce challenges and inflationary pressures. For the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, a proposed $2.7 million investment to the per-child rate should be examined so that it has parity to the Pre-K Counts rate increase. To achieve this, the needed investment should be $8.8 million in the Head Start Supplemental Assistance line. Supporting, at minimum, the administration’s proposed $16.6 million increase that will serve an additional 3,000 children and their families. This is a first step in a broader solution that includes a long-needed rate adjustment for early intervention providers and that would serve additional children. Additional support would help to address such issues as workforce shortages and achieving equitable enrollment as well as moving to the coaching model and addressing the growing needs of families across the state. Trying Together and other partners of ELPA will continue to advocate for these investments as the budget process continues through June 20. Stay up-to-date on how to advocate for these issues by signing-up to get public policy updates from Trying Together.
Make a Month of the Young Child Donation April is the Month of the Young Child, which emphasizes the importance of early child care and celebrates organizations that provide vital services. Trying Together supports the work of early childhood by facilitating inclusive learning opportunities for early educators. By providing numerous pathways for early learning professionals to grow in their careers, Trying Together helps to ensure that every child has access to high-quality early care and education that prepares them for their future. Empower Early Childhood Development You can help empower early child care professionals by making a donation for the Month of the Young Child. Gifts of any amount will help and are appreciated. However, these suggested amounts would directly impact quality improvements for regional early learning programs: $50 helps to cover the average cost for one early educator to attend a Trying Together professional learning course. $500 covers the cost for an early educator to complete necessary job requirements as well as receive support from Trying Together through the Child Care 101: New Hire Orientation Professional Development Series. $2,500 provides an early educator the opportunity to grow in their career by obtaining a Child Development Associate (CDA) Certificate or School-Age Professional Credential offered by Trying Together. If you’re interested in supporting the Month of the Young Child campaign or learning more about how to work with Trying Together, contact Kerry May at 412-206-1053 or email kerry@tryingtogether.org.
