|
Early Childhood Education in Pennsylvania
|
|
Closing Monday: Pennsylvania’s Equity in Early Childhood Education Champion Awards Submissions
|
Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, is the last day to submit an application or nomination for the Pennsylvania’s Equity in Early Childhood Education Nominations. The award brings awareness to and highlight the equity work being done within Pennsylvania’s early childhood education and afterschool settings, and by child care, evidence-based family support and early intervention professionals, as it aligns with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Equity and Inclusion Toolkit, and with the position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education Position Statement.
Submissions can be an application (apply on your own or a program/organization’s behalf), or nomination (submit on behalf of another individual or program/organization) to be acknowledged for work around equity in the early childhood education or afterschool setting. Self-applications are accepted. Get more info or submit an application/ nomination.
|
|
Reports Share Data on Pennsylvania Children Experiencing Homelessness
|
Young children experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of poor health and academic outcomes, and the experience of homelessness can disrupt a child’s development, resulting in persistent developmental delays. The Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO) and the People's Emergency Center, in partnership with Grace Whitney, PhD, MPA, IEMHE, have released two reports which provide data and highlight this issue for Pennsylvania children.
The PA HSSCO and People’s Emergency Center are hosting a forum on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, 10 AM to 11:30 AM, via Zoom, to explain the new report on Head Start and Continuums of Care and offer insight from local leadership from rural, suburban, and urban regions.
The forum will feature a panel of practitioners discussing strategies to increase enrollment and new data showing the prevalence of children experiencing homelessness enrolled into Head Start, according to the CoC regions. Moderators include Tracy Duarte, Director of PA HSCCO, and Joe Willard of People's Emergency Center.
Panelists will include:
- Tiffany Jones of the Center for Community Action, which covers Bedford / Huntingdon / Fulton counties in the Eastern PA Continuum of Care and in the Early Learn Resource Center (ELRC) #6.
- Tabitha Kramer of Region 2 of the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness. Region 2 covers Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties. Region 2 identifies more children experiencing homelessness than any other region in Pennsylvania.
- A leader from the ELRC #18 (Philadelphia) to be named.
- A local Head Start agency to be named.
|
|
Wolf Administration: $20 Million in Grant Funding Available for Community Learning Programs
|
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) recently announced that organizations may now submit their intent to apply for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant program. Under the program, $20 million in grant funding will be available to establish and/or support community learning centers that provide academic, artistic, and cultural enrichment opportunities for students and their families.
The 21st CCLC program provides opportunities for communities to establish or to expand activities in community learning centers that:
- provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet state academic standards.
- offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, tutoring, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and
- offer families opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.
For additional details, including how to apply, please click here.
|
|
Sign up Now for the February Let’s Talk Quality Series
|
The Program Quality Assessment (PQA) team announces the Let’s Talk Quality Series February topic, “Observation, Documentation, and Reflection.”
Register to join Feb. 10, 2022, 1 PM or 6 PM for the 1-hour Let’s Talk Quality Webinar:
Register to join Feb. 24, 2022, 1 PM or 6 PM for the 1-hour Spotlight session where members of the PQA team will answer your questions and be available for discussion:
The Let’s Talk Quality Series includes three-monthly activities – Let’s Talk Quality Blog, Let’s Talk Quality Webinar, and the newest, Let’s Talk Quality Spotlight. Each month the PQA team publishes a blog article, creates a webinar, and offers a spotlight session--all that focus on a monthly topic. Check out the Let's Talk Quality Blog, for the blog post related to this month’s topic. While there, check out all the other great blog posts!
|
|
Join PACCA for a Webinar: T.E.A.C.H. Scholarships – Financial & Other Supports to Help ECE Professionals Earn a Degree Debt Free!
|
If you are an Early Childhood Education Professional interested in furthering your education, join PACCA for an information session to learn more about the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program. T.E.A.C.H. is a unique opportunity that provides financial and other supports to help ECE professionals enroll in college, earn their degree debt free and earn more money!
PACCA recently received additional funding to offer scholarships to staff working in STAR 1 and STAR 2 programs in the current fiscal year. These scholarships will provide additional financial supports, including a $200 completion stipend to scholarship recipients upon successful completion of their first semester and an increased release time reimbursement rate of $15 per hour to employers.
These additional funds are available for this fiscal year ONLY (through June 30, 2022), so take advantage of this opportunity now! Join one of the information sessions to learn more about:
- Higher education options and selecting a degree program,
- Next steps to enrolling in college,
- Timelines for enrolling in late start Spring or Summer 2022 semesters,
- How to access financial supports, including the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program, and
- Time for Q&A to help attendees develop a personalized plan for next steps.
Presenter: Laurie Litz, T.E.A.C.H. Director. Audience: Early Childhood Professionals.
Please register in advance for one of the sessions below. After registering, you will receive an email with a link to log onto the session.
-
Wednesday, Feb. 9, from 7-8 PM – Click HERE to register.
-
Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 1:30-2:30 PM – Click HERE to register.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® PENNSYLVANIA is supported by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) of Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and Pennsylvania’s Department of Education (PDE). For more information, visit dhs.pa.gov and education.pa.gov.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® PENNSYLVANIA is administered by the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA). T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® PENNSYLVANIA is a licensed program of Child Care Services Association.
|
|
Now is the Time for Certified Lifeguard Training
|
Now is the time for child care programs to obtain certified lifeguard training for the upcoming summer!
The following staff:child ratios apply while children are swimming: When children are swimming, supervision shall include one person certified in lifeguard training and this person may not be included in the staff:child ratio. The lifeguard must be at least sixteen years of age and have a staff file including: proof of age, address, background clearances, disclosure statement, health assessment, TB test, two references and verification of lifeguard certification. Any staff person included in the staff:child ratio while children are swimming must much complete water safety instruction annually.
Age level and staff:child ratio:
- Infant 1:1
- Young or older toddler 1:2
- Preschool 1:5
- Young School-Age 1:6
- Older School-Age 1:8
|
|
- March 11: Social Emotional Learning Day
- April 19-22: Save the Date: 2022 National Child Nutrition Conference, New Orleans
- April 19-22: National Training Institute on Effective Practices: Addressing Challenging Behavior, Tampa
- April 27-29: Overcoming Challenge with Courage | 2022 Leadership Connections™ National Virtual Conference
- May 2-5: 2022 National Head Start Conference, Baltimore
- May 3-5: Ready, Set, Go: Innovations for Working with Families, Pennsylvania Strengthening Families Conference, Virtual
- May 17-18: Save the Date: 2022 National SEL Conference, Virtual
- June 23: Save the Date: Pennsylvania Farm to Child Nutrition Summit, State College
- July 12-16: National Summer Learning Week
- Sept. 15-16: Save the Date: PA-AIMH 12th Annual Infant Mental Health Conference
- Sept. 27-30: Save the Date: Division for Early Childhood's 38th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families, Chicago
- Oct. 24-26: National Summer Learning Association Conference Summer Changes Everything, Washington DC
|
|
Early Childhood Education and February's Black History Month
|
During February, celebrate Black History Month to focus on the contributions of African Americans to the United States.
Check out these resources for ways to celebrate with staff, children, and families about Black History Month.
|
|
PHL Home-Based Child Care CACFP Grants
Applications due Feb. 11, 2022
Family and Group Child Care providers in Philadelphia who participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) can apply for one-time grants of $2,500 for their meal programs. Grants can support a variety of needs connected to operating a CACFP meal program, including kitchen equipment (such as deep freezers or refrigerators), the cost of food, and labor for preparing and serving meals. These grants are available to current CACFP participants, and home-based providers that are currently registering to participate in CACFP through one of four state-approved Family Day Care CACFP Sponsors. Get more info. Applications are due Feb. 11, 2022.
|
|
Call for Comments for the 2023 Family Day Care Home Participation Study
Comments Due Feb. 28, 2022
|
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is seeking input from Family Child Care Home providers on their data collection for the 2023 Family Day Care Home Participation Study. The survey asks current and former Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)-participating child care homes about their experiences with the program.
- For those who wish to comment on the technical aspects of the data collection process, the model in the Federal Register notice is described here.
- From providers, feedback is needed on the methods of data collection that would be most accurate and least burdensome for child care homes to complete. If you are someone who may participate in this survey, or works with providers who do, please consider giving your input!
|
|
Call for Study Participants: Teaching Anti-Racism to Preschoolers at Home with the GoKAR! Program
|
Dr. Jessica Toste and her colleagues at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) are conducting a study to better understand how preschool-aged children can learn about anti-Black racism with their caregivers at home. They aim to develop and test the potential of the GoKAR! (Kids Against Racism) Program to reduce bias and increase awareness of racism. For this study, they are recruiting caregiver-child pairs to use the program materials at home and talk about their experiences. Learn more here.
|
|
Coparenting and Healthy Relationship and Marriage Education for Dads: Results from a Qualitative Study of Staff and Participant Experiences in Nine Fatherhood Programs
|
A new report from Child Trends and the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation finds that, while most fathers do not seek out fatherhood programs to learn about healthy relationships, they are often engaged and interested in relationship programming once they are invested in the program. Staff and participants described the importance of cultivating an early connection to the fatherhood program and creating a safe group space where fathers can learn from their peers and the facilitators. The study also noted that fatherhood programs can equip fathers with skills to address difficult coparent relationships and help them navigate social and legal barriers to connecting with their children.
|
|
Building Resilience in Youth Through Summer Experiences: Structured Summer Programming Promotes Social-Emotional Growth and School Preparedness
|
|
Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Early Care and Education Sector
|
The Societal Expert Action Network (SEAN) has issued the report, Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Early Care and Education Sector, which contains strategies state and local decision makers can use to mitigate pandemic impacts on the early care and education (ECE) sector. SEAN links researchers in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences with decision makers to respond to policy questions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The publication focuses on five strategies for mitigating pandemic impacts, such as modifying subsidy reimbursement and payment policies and integrating data systems across provider and funding types.
|
|
Why Afterschool Programs Need Social and Emotional Learning Now
|
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, educators around the country are seeing an increasing need to support young people who may be struggling with anxiety, depression, fear, trauma, food insecurity or even homelessness. And nearly two-thirds of parents feel that their children’s social and emotional development has been affected by the pandemic, according to research from the EASEL Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
A recent webinar jointly hosted by The Afterschool Alliance, Every Hour Counts, and the Forum for Youth Investment explores how afterschool programs around the country have employed SEL strategies to help kids focus their thinking, manage their behavior, and understand and deal with feelings, particularly as they continue to face the uncertainty caused by COVID-19.
|
|
It’s never too early to be thinking of a child’s smile—even if teeth have not yet appeared. Taking care of a child’s smile begins at birth and PA's Promise for Children has tips families and early childhood educators can use to ensure children develop healthy dental habits.
|
|
A Playbook for Educators, Out-of-School Time (OST) Providers, and Advocates
|
This Playbook is designed to help educators, providers, and advocates communicate about the value of out-of-school-time (or “extracurricular”) programs. It can also inform the design of programs and policies that make high-quality OST opportunities equitably accessible to all children. The Playbook stems from research on understanding how parents, teachers, and OST providers perceive the role extracurricular programs play in children’s social, emotional and academic development. The research was supported by The Wallace Foundation.
|
|
National Children's Dental Health Month
|
|
Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program
|
Applications are now being accepted for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). LIHWAP is a temporary emergency program to help families who meet income guideline pay overdue water bills. More information and applications can be found on the PA Department of Human Services website. Please share this information with the families you serve.
|
|
Family Support News Brief
|
|
By providing the families of the children in your care with educational handouts, you can help inform them of the nutrition standards you meet through the CACFP and how they can continue these healthy standards at home. Use the handouts created by Team Nutrition designed for child care providers to give to families. Handout in English and handout in Spanish.
|
|
Resolve to Be Ready in 2022
|
The new year is a great time to review your child care program’s emergency preparedness plans. Each year, Ready.gov encourages families to Resolve to Be Ready and Child Care Aware of America can help child care programs be ready in 2022 as well. Get info on Emergency Preparedness, including a checklist and next steps.
|
|
Resources from Camille Catlett
|
The January resources from Camille Catlett are now available. The January edition of Baby Talk includes information on promoting inclusion in infant and toddler settings, what's brushing go to do with it, and more. The January edition of Natural Resources shares free resources for learning about and using trauma-informed practices .
|
|
Did you receive this from a friend?
Click here to subscribe and get the PA Early Ed News delivered to you.
|
|
The PA Early Ed News is a project of the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning, and the PA Departments of Education and Human Services 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.
Find more information about early childhood education in Pennsylvania
Please share this email with friends, family and colleagues.
WE ARE WHERE YOU ARE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|