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Pennsylvania's upward move in national rankings for access to pre-K
Report shows Pennsylvania's child care strengths, but more progress is needed.
Pike County early learning professional receive awards for recognizing excellence in early childhood education.
In young children, drawing may be a way to initiate dialogue and make sense of trauma.
Infographic show the link between early brain development and investing in early childhood education. 
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Governor Corbett Nominates Mackereth as Secretary of Public Welfare

On April 30, 2013, Governor Tom Corbett nominated Beverly D. Mackereth as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.

She will oversee the Department of Public Welfare, which employs approximately 16,000 workers and has a budget of more than $28 billion in state and federal dollars. The department provides services and supports to approximately 2.3 million vulnerable citizens in Pennsylvania.

Mackereth, 55, of Spring Grove, joined the department in 2011 when the governor appointed her deputy secretary of the Office of Children, Youth and Families. She has been serving as acting secretary since February 2013.

The position requires confirmation by the Pennsylvania Senate. For more information, visit www.pa.gov.
  

 

prek2012 State of Preschool Yearbook: Pennsylvania's Rankings 
 

The National Institute for Early Education Research released its 2012 State of Preschool Yearbook which profiles state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. 
 

Pennsylvania moved up one position in the national rankings for access, from 10th in 2011 to 9th in 2012. Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts achieved 7 of NIEER's 10 benchmarks for quality standards and met a new benchmark for requiring lead teachers to have a bachelor's degree. Pennsylvania's Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program met 8 of the 10 benchmarks. 


The 2012 Yearbook seeks to improve the public's knowledge and understanding of state efforts to expand the availability of high-quality education to young children, and provides information on the availability and quality of services offered through these programs to children at ages 3 and 4, serving as a resource to policymakers and educators seeking to start all young learners on the right foot. For additional information, please see the 2012 State of Preschool Yearbook. For information about PA Pre-K Counts and Pennsylvania's Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, please visit PA's Promise for Children

 

 

rankPennsylvania ranks 22 in review of state child care regulations and oversight

 

With a total score of 64% in total child care center scores, Pennsylvania ranked 22 of all states in the recently published Child Care Aware of America (formerly the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies) 2013 update to We Can Do Better, a review of state child care regulations and oversight. The report reviews state policies for child care and grades them on a number of benchmarks, including site visits, education and training requirements, and background checks. Child Care Aware of America's update found that states have made progress but more progress is needed.


According to the report, Pennsylvania was one of five states which made significant progress in reducing the number of child care programs assigned to each licensing staff to monitor, which can result in more frequent and potentially more effective monitoring. Strengths in Pennsylvania also included:

  • Safety Standards address 10 of 10 basic standards.
  • Centers are required to encourage parent involvement, communicate regularly with parents, allow parent access and give written policies to parents.
  • Inspection and complain reports are available online.

In Pennsylvania, Keystone STARS, an initiative of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), improves, supports, and recognizes the continuous quality improvement efforts of early learning programs in Pennsylvania through the use of Standards, Training/Professional Development Assistance, resources and support.

 

For additional details, please see the 2013 update to We Can Do Better report. To find out more about Keystone STARS, Pennsylvania child care regulations, available early learning providers and programs, and how to choose a child care/early learning program, visit Pennsylvania's Promise for Children.

 

 

pikePike County Early Learning Directors Receive Awards


Two Pike County early learning Directors of Keystone STARS programs were presented with awards at the annual REECHE (Recognizing Excellence in Early Childhood Education) event on April 19, 2013.


Luann Cavallaro Genovas, Director of the Mt. View School in Matamoras, received the Champions of Young Children Award presented to individuals who volunteer, are child advocates or community leaders who spend their time "building better futures for all children".


Angela Smith, Director at the Good Shepherd Child Care Center in Milford, received the REECHE Excellence Award, which honors outstanding individuals in the field of early childhood.


Pike County Commissioner Carl Wagner commended all the attendees for offering high quality programs preparing children in Pike County for school and life. For more information about REECHE, please visit their website.

 

 

workshopWorkshop Proposals Accepted for the 2013 ECE Summit
Deadline May 31, 2013


On-line workshop proposals being accepted through May 31, 2013 for the 6th Early Childhood Education Summit, Igniting the Imagination, Inspiring Action, to be held October 22-24, 2013 at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College. To submit a proposal on-line, please visit the Summit website
 

Every year, the Pennsylvania Early Childhood Community benefits from the knowledge of a variety of high quality instructiors and from professionals. Attendees to the Summit are typically Early Childhood professionals from a variety of settings, as well as the families of children participating in programs. Possible interests include: Diversity; Inclusion; Health and Nutrition; Mental Health; Learning Standards, Assessment, Curriculum; Leadership, Professionalism, Advocacy; Instructor (Trainer) Technical Assistance; Administration/Management; Parents as Educators; Family Relationships and Support; Fatherhood, Male Involvement, Healthy Marriage; PA Learning Standards; Use of Digital Media; and more.


The Summit Planning Committee will waive registration fees for all lead presenters and one co-presenter on the day of the presentation. In addition, lead presenters and up to one co-presenter for each workshop are eligible for a reduced, single day presenter rate should they choose to attend other days of the Summit.

 

The Early Childhood Education Summit was developed in 2008 as a vehicle to provide cross-systems professional development to early learning professionals across Pennsylvania. Each year the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA), the Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA), and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) have partnered to deliver this three-day conference and provide parents and staff at all levels from various programs (PA Pre-K Counts, Child Care, Head Start, School Districts and Early Intervention) with the opportunity to network and experience relevant training as a community. Attendees have the opportunity to acquire a range of applicable professional development credits including ACT 48, CEUs & DPW/STARS credits.
 
For questions about submitting a proposal, please contact Karen Grimm-Thomas at 717-526-4646 or karen@paheadstart.org.

 

 

Share Your PA One Book, Every Young Child Experience
 

Were you a reader of the PA One Book, Every Young Child selection, or did someone read The Bus for Us in your early learning program? OCDEL wants to know! Share your experiences by clicking this link and completing the survey after a book reading. 

 

When you share your experience as a PA One Book Reader or host, you may have an impact in future early learning and early literacy outreach! Responses from this survey will help measure the participation efforts of the PA One Book, Every Young Child Program, as well as assist OCDEL in improving services to early childhood participants. Also available is the opportunity to share additional ideas or suggestions you have to continue to make PA One Book a success. Share your experience!  

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drawingHow children use drawing to regulate their emotions


A recent brief How children use drawing to regulate their emotions published in Cognition & Emotion, demonstrates how children can use drawing to learn how to regulate and express emotions as a key component of their development.


The findings indicate drawing may have an influence on children's short-term mood repair, and that distraction may be the best intervention for both short- and long-term mood repair when the negative mood is based on a non-traumatic event. In the case of traumatic events, venting may be the healthiest mood-repair strategy for long-term health and recovery, even if venting leads to more negative mood in the short term. In the case of a traumatic event, art therapy may be used to resolve conflicts and problems, reduce stress, and achieve insight. For the child, drawing may be a way to initiate a dialogue and make sense of the trauma.


For additional details, please view the brief, How children use drawing to regulate their emotions.

 

 

More Trends & Reports
Resources.jpg


infographicInfographic links brain growth of children with impact of early childhood investment: An infographic from the Rauch Foundation visually demonstrates the link between brain development before age 5 and the payoff of investing in early childhood education. 

 

Resource for helping children cope with disasters: Sesame Street has developed a special resource, called "Here for Each Other," that can help adults and children cope with disasters. The tips, ideas, and activities can help you find ways to talk with your child about what happened while remaining hopeful for better things to come.

 

Little Kids, Big Questions Podcast: ZERO TO THREE's podcast series addresses some of the most common (and challenging) issues facing parents of babies and toddlers, such as: helping a baby learn to sleep through the night, dealing with a picky eater, learning to set limits on children's behavior, and many more. Each podcast features an interview with an expert that focuses on how to apply the research of early childhood development to your daily interactions with your baby or toddler.

  

New music section on the Let's Move! Child Care website: Find Color Me Healthy songs and lyrics to download for free. Turning on music and dancing is a fun and simple way to get kids moving. Not only will they get all of those wiggles and sillies out, they will learn that moving is fun and develop a healthy habit that can last a lifetime.

 

USDA's Grow It, Try It, Like It! Preschool Fun with Fruits and Vegetables garden-themed nutrition education kit: This kit is full of planting activities and lessons to introduce kids to fruits and vegetables like peaches, spinach, and crookneck squash. Plus, the kit has fun child/parent activities and recipes that you can share with families so kids can continue learning at home.

 

Free Spanish Books Available (Pre-K thru 2): The Literacy Empowerment Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, now has Free Spanish books for schools or literacy projects.

 

"Let It Out" music video: This video was created as part of Military Families Near and Far, an initiative developed to help military families create, communicate, and stay connected. Although this video is designed for military families, it is appropriate for all families.

 

Feel Electric! App: Targeted for Pre-K ages and older, this app offers engaging tools that use content and curriculum from The Electric Company to provide opportunities to explore emotional vocabulary and self-expression. "Feel Electric!" features three fast-paced games, a digital diary to record daily moods, a zany story maker, and more.
 

The Importance of Childhood Education Infographic: From SchoolTutoring Academy, this infographic takes information about kids with early childhood education and attention and compares them to kids who did not. See how the United States matches up with other countries on early childhood education.

Funding Opportunities.jpg

Youth Literacy Grants from Dollar General: Funding available for programs aimed at improving literacy among young readers. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is providing grants for programs that address students who are below reading level or experiencing difficulty with reading and comprehension. The grants can be used to implement new programs, expand existing ones, or pay for new technology, books, or materials. Public schools, nonprofits, and public libraries are eligible to apply. Deadline May 23
  
Fuel Up to Play 60: Grants will be awarded to K-12 schools to help students select and implement a series of activities that result in long-term changes in student nutrition and physical activity opportunities. The program is designed to empower students to lead by making healthy decisions and taking action for change. Deadline June 4
May 1, 2013
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In the Community

 

Representative Ted Harhai helps celebrate Week of the Young Child in Westmoreland County

 

April events show value of enriching children's lives (Pocono Record)

 

Keystone STARS early learning program earns transparency and accountability seal

 

Northwest Pennsylvania Rotary District donates $6,000 to provide developmental screenings for 150 children (Butler Eagle)

 

Week of the Young Child in Montour County (Press Enterprise)

 

Children enjoy activities at Early Childhood Fair (Pottsville Republican) 

Professional Events

May 1: Webinar: Leading Through Coaching in Early Childhood: Key Elements of Effective Coaching Relationships 

May 1-2: Pennsylvania Childhood Trauma and Injury Prevention Conference: Collaboration is Key, Mechanicsburg

May 3: DVG/WAIMH Infant Mental Health Breakfast Network Meeting, University Park

May 6: Webinar Data Management: Developing Data Governance Structures 

May 7-10: Partners for a Healthy Baby, Workshop for Home Visitors, Clarion

May 9: Choosing and Using Children's Literature in the Preschool Classroom, Morton

May 9-10: The Great Outdoors Preschool Mini Conference, West Chester

May 11: 2013 NWPennAEYC Early Childhood Conference, Edinboro 

May 13-15: 2013 National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute, Opening the Doors to Inclusion, Chapel Hill, NC 

May 15: ECELS Webinar: Motivating Early Educators to Adopt Health and Safety Practices

May 16: Webinar Data Management: Best Practices for Producing High Quality Data 

May 17: WHYY Early Childhood Education Summit, Pittsburgh

June 4: Webinar: 19th National Health Equity Research Webcast Early Childhood Development: Investing in Our Children and Our Future

June 6: Choosing and Using Children's Literature in the Preschool Classroom, Morton

June 7: DVG/WAIMH Infant Mental Health Breakfast Network Meeting, University Park

June 13: Beaver County Early Care & Education Council meeting, Monaca

June 9-12: NAEYC's 2013 National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, San Francisco

June 26-27: Ready, Set, Resilience:  Promoting Social and Emotional Health in Preschoolers and the Adults Who Care for Them, Villanova 

August 7: Webinar: Improving Vocabulary in the Age of Common Core Standards- Guidance for Early Childhood Educators

September 22-23: National Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood Investment, Atlanta   

September 25: Webinar: How to Support Teachers Use of Story Retelling to Build Comprehension and Oral Language in Early Learning Programs 

October 2: Webinar: The ECE Director's Guide to Must-Have Literacy Practices in Early Education Classrooms 

October 2-4: Facing the Challenge:  Helping Teachers Work with Children with Challenging Behavior, Villanova 

October 17-18: PA-AIMH 5th Annual Pennsylvania Infant Mental Health Conference, Philadelphia

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

One Family's Story
 
Janalyn will "graduate" from Growing Dreams in June and start Kindergarten in September. While we may not be quite ready for her to be such a "big" girl, we're both happy and confident that she is very ready to begin school.
 
Chad & Lisa L., Montgomery County, sharing their experience with Keystone STARS
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The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) promotes opportunities for all Pennsylvania children and families by building systems and providing supports that help ensure access to high quality child and family services.

Find more 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.

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