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Report highlights Pennsylvania's work in kindergarten entry assessment and state-wide expansion plans
Recommendations released for meeting the educational needs of Pennsylvania's children experiencing homelessness
Community events throughout Pennsylvania kick off Week of the Young Child 
Submit workshop proposals to impact children during out-of-school-time

  

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KEIInformation and Resources on Developing State Policy on Kindergarten Entry Assessment

A recent analysis conducted by the Center on Enhancing Early

Learning Outcomes (CEELO) demonstrates how different states are approaching the issue of kindergarten assessments. Their report provides an overview of information on what's going on in each state, as well as best practices in developing Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs).


Included is Pennsylvania's report, The 2012 Pennsylvania Kindergarten Entry Inventory Pilot Report, May 2013, which highlights Pennsylvania's work to develop a kindergarten entry assessment and state-wide expansion plans.

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The Pennsylvania School-Age Child Care Alliance (PENN SACCA) invites professionals to submit a workshop proposal for its annual statewide school-age conference scheduled for November 14-15, 2014 at Holiday Inn at Grantville (Hershey). The theme is "Out-of-School-Time-STEM Building Skills for the Future," and the mission is to guide, champion, and represent out-of-school-time professionals. Proposals are welcome that revolve around the following categories: STEM; Integrating STEM and Art; STEAM; 21st Century Skills; Science; Social Emotional Development; Technology; Badging; Engineering; Career Planning; Math Real-World/Problem-Based Learning
 
All workshops must be relevant to the school-age out-of-school-time population. Proposals may be completed online or emailed by May 1, 2014. For additional details, see the Proposal Letter and the Workshop Application. For questions, please call Shasta Wagner at 814-472-6341 x15. Presenters will be notified no later than June 1, 2014 if their proposal has been accepted. 
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Allegheny County: Volunteer with Ready Freddy to help reach transitioning children

Volunteers are needed with Ready Freddy in Allegheny County to help at-risk children and their families successfully transition to Kindergarten! Ready Freddy believes community outreach plays a crucial part in raising awareness about how important kindergarten is to a child's educational success. Each year Ready Freddy reaches families where they live by knocking on doors in public housing communities near partner schools - Arlington, Spring Hill, King, Faison, Miller, Weil, and Langley. This year, Ready Freddy is looking for volunteers to conduct family outreach in these school areas between March 26 and April 11.

If you or your organization is interested in volunteering - knocking on doors and talking with families about the importance of Pre-K, Kindergarten enrollment, and attendance - contact the Outreach Coordinator, Medina Jackson at 412-383-7019. Information and supplies will be provided.

For more information about volunteering, see the flyer and for more information the program, visit the Ready Freddy website
  
Professional Development Opportunities from Your Regional Key  
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homelessnessMeeting the educational needs of Pennsylvania's children experiencing homelessness

There are an estimated 19,914 children and youth reported to be experiencing homelessness and receiving supportive services through Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program. Forty-two percent of these children are age six or under, with over 40 percent of the children under the age of five. The recent release of the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Teaching and Learning, Pennsylvania's Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program 2014 Task Force Report includes the findings of the task force and offers 13 recommendations to aid families of children experiencing homelessness.
  
This report also serves as a valuable resource available to schools and community organizations who are serving students who are homeless. The Department of Education encourages all superintendents, school administrators and teachers to review the report.

To view the report, please visit the PA Department of Education website.

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Having trouble at bedtime?

 

Children thrive on routines, such as consistent nap or bedtimes. Use these quiet times to help your child learn and build a bond together! Here are a few tips:

  • Infants: Take a few moments with your baby to walk around the bedroom and name some of the items. Visit favorite book or look at pictures you may have in the room and provide names of items.
  • Toddlers: Toddlers may enjoy having the same book read over and over again as part of bedtime routines. Bedtime is an ideal time to enjoy some quiet closeness with your child.
  • Pre-Kindergartners: As children get older, the length of their bedtime stories my increase. Part of this routine can be preschoolers retelling their favorite book to you!
  • Kindergartners: Making up stories without books helps develop imagination and can be shared by either the child or family members. Use books without words, or read the pictures in books to tell a story.

Visit PA's Promise for Children for more early learning activities!

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Child and Adult Food Care Program Training:

The National Food Management Institute offers a variety of online training courses to help child care providers learn more about the Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP) and to help improve the quality of care provided to children. 

 

Teaching Channel: See why so many educators are turning to Teaching Channel. Find ideas and get organized with great lesson plans, curriculum development tools and videos that will help you with your professional development. With Teaching Channel, many resources are just a click away.

 

Nutrition and Physical Activity resources: Looking for new ideas to improve nutrition and physical activity in your child care program? The National Training Institute (NTI) for Child Care Health Consultants Nutrition and Physical Activity modules and toolkits are now available.

 

Give Kids Sight Day: Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) is teaming up with Wills Eye Hospital, Eagles Youth Partnership, Visionworks and others to provide free eye exams and, if needed, 2 free pairs of eyeglasses to Philadelphia area children (up to 18 years old) who did not have or did not pass an eye screening this year during the "Give Kids Sight Day" on Saturday, April 12. For more information on how to sign up a child for vision care or volunteer please visit the PCCY website.

 

How to Read an E-Book with Your Child: Most children find interactive e-books fun and engaging. But do they help develop important early literacy skills such as letter names and letter sounds or more complex skills such as comprehension? Observations suggest that it's easy for kids to get carried away with the digital nature of the e-book, but families can help keep the focus on reading and the story by following three simple suggestions. (In English and Spanish)

 

Get Ready to Read: "Get Ready to Read" is a free, research-based and easy-to-use online screening tool. It consists of 20 questions that parents and caregivers can ask a four-year-old to see if he or she is on track for learning how to read.

 

March 2014 Baby Talk: The March edition of Baby Talk features great resources from ZERO TO THREE, the long term benefits of early art and music, how maternal conversations yield benefits for premature babies, and more! 

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Whitaker Foundation Regional Math and Science Program: The Foundation for Enhancing Communities is accepting proposals for grants for programs serving those in Cumberland, Dauphin, or Perry Counties which address math and science proficiency including: educational needs of all students in math and science; culturally and gender sensitive math and science instruction; math and science curriculum development; and, interactive teaching instruction. Deadline May 2  


Upcoming deadlines:  

Get the list of funding opportunities! 


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March 19, 2014
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Community Events 

  

Need Kindergarten Registration information?Search by your county!

 

March 19: PA One Book Kick Off, Harrisburg

March 19: Family Literacy Parent/Child Evening Interactive Literacy Activity, Uniontown

March 22: Be My Neighbor Day, Allegheny County

March 26: Family Literacy Parent/Child Evening Interactive Literacy Activity, Greensburg

March 27: Kindergarten Readiness Parent Workshop, Easton

March 29:   11th Annual Family Fun Fest, Indiana County 

March 31-May 1: Spring Storytime for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers, Johnstown

April 1: Indiana County's Children's Advisory Commission and Early Care and Education Committee Meeting

April 3-June 19: The Nurturing Parenting Group, Indiana

WOYCApril 4: Strategies and Solutions across the Spectrum: An Autism Awareness Event, Indiana

April 4: Week of the Young Child Developmental Screenings, New Bethlehem

April 4-6: Annual Kids Book Fest, Johnstown

April 5: Kids Day 2014, St. Marys

April 7: Children's Day at the Cranberry Mall, Venango County

April 8: Week of the Young Child event, Danville

April 8: Week of the Young Child event, Butler 

April 8: Month of the Young Child event, Homestead

April 8-9: Week of the Young Child Developmental Screenings, Clarion
April 9: Parent Youth Professional Forum, Reading

April 12: PA Promise for Children Awareness Night at the ballpark, Philadelphia

April 13: Fun in the Sun Day, Clarion

April 15: Week of the Young Child event, Bloomsburg

April 16: Children's Parade, Milford

April 26: Success By 6 Early Learning Expo, Erie

April 26: Healthy Kids Day, Sunbury 

April 27: Kids are Great Day, Matamoras

May 23: Experience the FIELD OF DREAMS, Washington

Professional Events

   

  
Would you like your event to appear in Build?
Email information to Mary Hall, marhal@berksiu.org.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provides families access to high quality services to prepare children for school and life success. 

  

Find more information about Quality Early Learning in Pennsylvania
 
The Early Childhood Education e-news is a project of the Pennsylvania Build Initiative and the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Public Welfare to inform early learning professionals, the early childhood community, policymakers, community leaders and the public on developments in early childhood education and care in Pennsylvania.

Please feel free to forward this email to friends, family, and colleagues.
You may access archived copies at Pennsylvania's Promise for Children.
 

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