SAVE THE DATE - Babies Can’t Wait! |
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The 2021 BELL Summit will be
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
from 9 AM to 12 PM
It will be virtual. Registration information will be sent in future newsletters.
The theme of this year’s summit is “Babies Can’t Wait: How Philadelphia Can Lead Pennsylvania and other Major Metros in supporting Children Experiencing Homelessness.”
Keynote speaker will be Mr. John McLaughlin, Education Program Specialist with the United States Department of Education. In this capacity, Mr. McLaughlin oversees the national implementation of the McKinney-Vento homeless education system. Confirmed panel participants will be Barbara Duffield of SchoolHouse Connection, Tracey Campanini of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning, and Tracy Duarte, Director of the Pennsylvania Head Start Collaboration Office.
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From left to right, Sadie Sprague-Lott (Families Forward), Todd Hopkins, Alisha Pettit,
Sarah Vrabic, Dyana Reid (Families Forward).
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Celebrating Collaboration at Families Forward |
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by Sarah Vrabic
PEC BELL Early Childhood Education Specialist
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BELL Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Coordinator, Todd Hopkins, Parents As Teachers (PAT) Parent Educator, Alisha Pettit, and I travelled to Families Forward last month to host an outdoor meet and gather event. Families Forward is one of the largest shelters served by PEC's Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs. The event was organized so new staff and families could put (masked) faces to names and get to know each other in a more connected setting.
Twenty families attended, receiving program information, free books for their children, snacks, and, most importantly, answers to their questions about high quality early childhood education in the continuing pandemic. It was an extremely successful event and reminded all involved that virtual connections can never fully replace those made in person. We all discovered that we missed seeing the children’s eyes light up when they picked their own book from the table.
Alisha, Todd, and I are now following up on the connections made that day. We are working in partnership with Families Forward staff to help parents remove barriers to education for their children and to organize a list of high quality summer care and camp options in West Philly.
The Early Childhood Education Department at PEC looks forward to more safe and effective collaborations in the future. We are committed to finding the best and most creative ways to continue to serve families experiencing homelessness.
If you would like PEC to visit your housing program, please contact:
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TEXT PECBELL TO to 844-961-3547 for BELL news!
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Child Trends Recognizes BELL |
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PEC Visiting Scholar Dr. Sara Shaw published an article in the national Child Trends newsletter that featured the BELL Project. Entitled "Housing Systems Must Better Support Families with Young Children Experiencing Homelessness,” she and colleague Dr. Chrishana Lloyd write that “many federal housing programs are also not equipped to connect the families they serve with high-quality childcare,” but that some efforts in Philadelphia, North Carolina and elsewhere are examples that should be encouraged by the homeless housing system.
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ACE’s Revisited: Supporting Social Emotional Resilience |
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In honor of Week of the Young Child (April 2021) BELL hosted a webinar for 45 attendees focused on fostering resilience in young children. A concept necessitated by the conditions brought on by the current pandemic and families experiencing trauma, we addressed the trauma lens that is needed when working with children birth through age five but correlated that to developmental milestones on resilience and managing emotions and conflicts, as outlined in the PA Early Learning Standards for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers. |
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Children's Work Group Early Childhood Conference:
Meet the Staff of Early Learning Resource Center #18
The Children's Work Group Early Childhood Conference is the only meeting space to discuss young children experiencing homelessness. Professionals from public health, hospitals, city and state government, homeless housing, early childhood education, academia, home visiting, child welfare, early intervention, and other systems come together. We host trainings, workshops, and panels of guest leadership. And we network; by getting to know one another, we improve how our systems collaborate.
We meet every third Friday of the month, starting at 9:30 AM. Join our mailing list by emailing [email protected].
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Philadelphia’s Early Learning Resource Center #18 to Address Children's Work Group Early Childhood Conference
Meet Michele Robson, Eligibility Manager Welsh Avenue and Shira Badanes, Manager of Provider/STARS at June's conference.
The ELRC for Region 18 provides a single point-of-contact for families, early learning service providers and communities to gain information and access services that support high quality childcare and early learning programs. Learn more about ELRC 18 at Home - ELRC - 18 Philadelphia (philadelphiaelrc18.org) .
When: Friday, June 18
Time: 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
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PEC is hiring Parent Educators for its Parents as Teachers (PAT) home visiting program. The Parent Educator implements the PAT model after training and certification, emphasizing parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting and family well-being in their work with families. Utilizing the PAT Foundational Curriculum in culturally sensitive ways, the Parent Educator partners, facilitates and reflects with families. Read the job description here.
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