A savings account in your child’s name can build hope and make future dreams a reality. Join The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to learn about Fund My Future PGH, a savings program that provides chances to win prizes and cash in monthly raffle drawings simply by depositing small amounts into your child’s savings account and Keystone Scholars, a PA Treasury scholarship that provides $100 scholarships for parents with children born in or after 2019.
This virtual event is open to Allegheny County residents who have children or grandchildren between the ages of 0-18. Registration is available online.
Join Remake Learning for a Lunch and Learn about empowering youth to create a better future.
About the Event
Join special guest Nina Barbuto of Assemble and Allison Paradise of The Epicenter as they share strategies to empower young people. A discussion will be held for participants to share how they are empowering young people.
This Lunch and Learn will be held virtually. A Zoom link will be sent upon registration.
Join The Center for Universal Education at the Brooking Institution and Kidsburgh for their upcoming event, “Parents as Allies Webinars: Transforming Education Systems Through Family-School Collaboration.”
About the Series
The COVID-19 pandemic thrust family engagement into the spotlight, presenting an opportunity to markedly shift the overall vision for family-school collaboration. The Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution has been researching how families and schools can better work together to improve and transform how education is delivered and what it can achieve. In addition, Kidsburgh has been working with a cohort of school districts on different family engagement strategies, including conversations asking parents and caregivers on what schools and families can do together.
All events are free and will be hosted via Zoom. Registration is required.
Session Information
Tuesday, January 25 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
This session is recommended for school leaders and teachers. Join lead author Rebecca Winthrop to explore CUE’s newly released playbook on family-school engagement, featuring key findings from a global survey of 25,000 parents and 6,000 teachers and a review of more than 500 effective family engagement strategies around the world. After a short presentation, attendees and educators will work in virtual breakout rooms to discuss insights from surveys across school districts in southwestern PA as well as create a shared vision for education that can lead to transformation.
Wednesday, January 26 | 7:00 – 7:45 p.m.
This session is recommended for parents and caregivers. In this virtual webinar, KDKA TV’s Kristine Sorensen moderates a presentation and discussion with CUE’s lead author Rebecca Winthrop and Kidsburgh’s Ambassador Yu-Ling Cheng. Parents and teachers will learn about the findings from CUE’s playbook on family-school engagement as well as on-the-ground strategies that are being implemented across local southwestern Pennsylvania school districts. The session ends with a Q&A.
Join HiMama for a free virtual Early Learning Summit. The event will be held virtually on Saturday, January 15, 2022 with a full day of educational sessions, including specific breakout sessions for educators, directors, and owners. A special kickoff event Friday, January 14 for networking opportunities, extended learning, and some special giveaways.
Conference Agenda
- 11:00 – 11:45 | The Power of Reflection for Personal and Professional Development
- 11:45 – 12:45 | Sneak Peek: Your Plan for Professional Growth This Year
- 1:00 – 1:45 | Power of Play: How to Assess and Document Social-Emotional Development
- 1:45 – 2:15 | Booth Exploration & HiMama Tours
- 12:15 – 3:00 p.m. | Session A: Roundtable – Activity and Lesson Planning for Your Classroom
- 12:15 – 3:00 p.m. | Session B: Roundtable – Staff Motivation and Retention at Your Center
- 3:00 – 3:45 | All about Parent Engagement
- 4:00 – 4:45 | Strategies to Manage Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom
- 4:45 – 5:00 | Wrap-up
- 5:00 – 6:00 | Power Hour! Booth Exploration & HiMama Tours
Featured Speakers
- Constant Hine | Specialized Coach in transformational learning, and Founder of Horizons In Learning.
- Beth Cannon | International Speaker and Author on Early Childhood Education.
- Ron Grady | Early Childhood Educator and founder of online curriculum resource, Childology.
- Prerna Richards | Founder of Together We Grow, providing professional development, coaching, and consulting for educators.
Registration
To claim your free ticket, complete the online registration form.
These virtual professional development sessions explore a range of early childhood topics. Register to build on your professional knowledge, meet professionals in the field, and advance your career.
Virtual Session List
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- Creating an Inclusive Space for Children and Families
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 | 6 – 7 p.m. | Free
This session will focus on identifying components of an inclusive learning environment, including a discussion on optimal use of space, materials, and room arrangement in an ECE classroom. This course is a part of Trying Together’s Connections and Conversations series.
Registration Process
To register, use the hyperlinked event titles above. Some registrations will take place on the PD Registry. If you do not have a PD Registry account, complete this form to create one.
Ask A Question
For questions about our professional development sessions, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org. For PD Registry questions, contact pdregistry@pakeys.org.
Join Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network, Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, and Trying Together from February 3 – 10 for a virtual conference bringing together educators, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss and share best practices to support children and families in learning through play.
About
Finding Joy through Playful Learning aims to bring together educators, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who have a variety of experiences related to education, play, and learning. The conference will take place via Zoom over the course of several days covering six topics related to playful learning. The goal is to generate dialogue among different stakeholders and share best practices to support children and families in learning through play.
Act 48 and PQAS credits are available. PPID and PD Registry numbers will be collected during the sessions.
Available Sessions
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- Rethinking Education During and Post COVID-19
Wednesday, February 3, 2021 | 3 – 5 p.m.
Join featured speakers Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Dr. Scott Miller, and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy for discussions of how playful learning can change education during and after COVID-19. Featured Speakers: Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek (Temple University, Brookings Institution), Dr. Scott Miller (Avonworth Primary Center), and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.
- How Play Can Improve Mental Health and Wellbeing
Thursday, February 4, 2021 | 9 – 11 a.m.
Hear from Sarah Grubb, Cindy Eggleton, and Sheba Gittens about play’s role in mental health and wellbeing. Featured Speakers: Cindy Eggleton (Brilliant Detroit), Sarah Grubb (ELRC Region 5), and Sheba Gittens (University of Pittsburgh).
- Activating Communities Around Playful Learning
Tuesday, February 9, 2021 | 3 – 5 p.m.
Ariana Brazier, Justin Forzano, Shari Hersh, Gamar Markarian, and Sarah Siplak, will discuss what it means to activate communities and how their communities inform the work they do. Featured Speakers: Ariana Brazier (ATL Parent Like a Boss), Justin Forzano (Open Field), Shari Hersh (Mural Arts), Gamar Markarian (New School), and Sarah Siplak (Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative).
- Using Technology to Strengthen the Way We Learn and Play
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Learn about technologies and applications from Katie Gullone, Megan Rooney, Javier Maisonet, and Project Rangeet. Featured Speakers: Elias Blinkoff (Temple Infant & Child Lab), Katie Gullone (Trying Together), Javier Maisonet (Math Talk), Simran Mulchandani (Project Rangeet), and Megan Rooney (La Escuelita Arcoiris).
- Replicable and Low-Cost Ideas for Playful Learning
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 | 3 – 5 p.m.
Explore low-cost and replicable ways to encourage playful learning from Shannon Merenstein, Amy Kronenberg, Rebecca Fabiano, and Aishwarya Narayana. Featured Speakers: Rebecca Fabiano (Fab Youth Philly), Amy Kronenberg (Learn to Earn Dayton), Shannon Merenstein (HATCH Art Studio), and Aishwarya Narayana (HUME).
Registration
To register, visit the online registration page. General Admission tickets cost $55 and include admission to all sessions. Single session registration is also available for $10 per session. The following discount codes are available for early educators who wish to participate in individual sessions or the entire series:
- EDU-ALL for $25 price for all six workshops
- EDU-CHOOSE for $5 per workshop
Attendees will receive the Zoom link for each day’s session prior to the start of the event.
More Information
For questions, contact admin@playfullearninglandscapes.fun or 267.468.8610.
Attend this online information session to learn about Fund My Future, a savings program that offers chances to win prizes and cash in monthly raffle drawings by depositing small amounts into your child’s savings account.
About
With the support from the Pennsylvania State Treasurer, Fund My Future is now available to all families in Pennsylvania to save for college and other post-secondary goals. Fund My Future provides a prize pool that makes the saving experience fun. This program is open to Pennsylvania residents who have children or grandchildren between the ages of birth to 18. Your child will benefit from the savings, and you benefit from the fun! Participants will have the chance to win a door prize.
Registration
To register, complete the online registration form.
More Information
For questions, please contact Fund My Future at 833.728.3946 or via this online form.
If your family receives Early Intervention and/or Family Support services in Pennsylvania, join other families virtually for conversations focused on self-care, health, and wellness.
About
Café sessions are intended for family members of children enrolled in Early Intervention Services or Family Support Services. To support participation, a stipend of $40 will be offered. A child care reimbursement will be offered if needed to participate in the Cafes. Information on how to access the stipend/reimbursement will be provided after registration. Forms to be submitted for the stipend will be provided at the end of each Café.
Virtual Vitality Café Dates
Virtual Vitality Cafés will be held on the following dates:
Receiving Support
Support for families of children who are deaf/heard of hearing is provided from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For other families of children receiving EI services that do not have diagnosed hearing loss and children receiving Family Support Services, support is provided by The Office of Child Development and Early Learning. This will require ALL participants to pre-register and indicate what program(s) your child is receiving services and whether or not your child has a diagnosis of hearing loss.
Registration
To register, complete the online registration form. Any accommodations (language or ADA) must be requested at least two weeks in advance of each cafe, during the registration process. Families are encouraged to join as many sessions as they would like to attend.
More Information
For questions, call The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers at 412.885.6000.
Join the U.S. Department of Education for a discussion on the state of student learning during the pandemic and tools that families and teachers can use to support student learning now. This event will educate parents and teachers on the state of learning today and how you can better support your students during the pandemic.
About
This forum will review the most updated research on the state of student learning today and share personalized platforms you can utilize to support student learning immediately. Institute for Education Sciences Director Mark Schneider will moderate a discussion with national leaders in the research field, Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes and NWEA, as they review findings on national learning loss.
Then, Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development Jim Blew will moderate a discussion on the power of individualized learning platforms with two examples for how to approach personalized learning for your students, Gooru, and New Classrooms.
Registration
To register, visit the online webpage. Registrants will receive an email containing a personalized access link.
More Information
For full details, visit the event webpage.
Information provided by the U.S. Department of Education
Save the date! From March 5 – 6, 2021, First Up is hosting their virtual conference “Hope and Healing: From Self-Care to Best Practice in a Trauma-Impacted World.”
About
This conference is being carefully curated by the First Up team to provide a break, a safe space, and a chance for all participants to come together to fill their cups with the things they individually need. For some, that may mean a strategy for managing challenging behaviors in the classroom, for others it may mean instruction in a technical/professional skill, or a chance to move their bodies and focus their minds on the present moment. This virtual conference will feature short breakout activities that can be experienced with the whole family.
Registration
First Up will provide more information on registration in January. For now, save the date!
Submit A Presentation Proposal
First Up is currently accepting proposals for presenters. If you are interested in presenting, download this RFP form and return it to Becca Tyrell at rebecca.tyrrell@firstup.org no later than January 15, 2021.
More Information
For questions, please contact First Up at 215.893.0130 or info@firstup.org.
