The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) recently announced the kick-off of an Impact Project with the National State Capacity Building Center that will focus on re-writing Pennsylvania’s child care regulations with a lens toward equity, quality and decreasing provider burden. Watch the Session from the Virtual ECE Summit. OCDEL is seeking providers to participate in an Early Learning Council (ELC) Subcommittee that will provide feedback on the draft regulations.

Please visit the Certification Rewrite Page on the Pennsylvania Key’s website to view a video from OCDEL Deputy Secretary Tracey Campanini, and learn more about the process. Click here to submit an ELC Subcommittee application by the Nov. 19, 2021, deadline. Questions? Contact Karen Grimm-Thomas at [email protected].

In response to the recent national context, Pennsylvania is adopting a new set of professional standards for Early Childhood Educators. The Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators are the general knowledge and skills that educators need to know and be able to demonstrate as they work with children and families. This set of standards and competencies are replacing the Pennsylvania Core Knowledge Competencies (CKCs) and have been adopted from the National Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators.

The course is available within the PD Registry using this link or by searching the training calendar for The Pennsylvania Professional Standards for Early Childhood Educators. To access the course using the link you must be logged into the PD Registry. All early learning educators, program administrators, professional development instructors, IHE faculty, and anyone interested in learning about the new Professional Standards are encourages to take this free course. A Registry login is required to access the course. Information on how to log into the PD Registry is available here.

Click here to download a scholarship application. Questions? Click here to contact a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor. 

Are you looking for support with helping a child who is struggling with behavior, attachment, peer relationships or emotion regulation? Need help for teachers and families with self-care, stress, and coping, but not sure what to do next? The Pennsylvania Key Infant-Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Virtual Office Hours are here to help.

IECMH Consultants are available by appointment to provide IECMHC Virtual Office Hours consultation via telephone or video conference. IECMHC Virtual Office Hours is a short-term, collaborative, problem-solving conversation to help you find next steps for: Child Social-Emotional Concerns; Child Behavioral or Developmental Concerns; Emotional Well-being of Teachers and Caregivers; and Partnering with Families.

Services are available at no cost to Pennsylvania families, child care professionals and specialists supporting Keystone STARS child care programs. IECMH Consultation helps adults strengthen their relationships with young children and build capacity to respond to children’s social-emotional needs. IECMHC can help reduce caregiver stress, as well as increase caregivers’ reflective practice skills. Learn how IECMHC Virtual Office Hours can help.

Pennsylvania was represented at the 2021 National Family Engagement Summit in Norfolk, VA. Presenters Mary Mikus, Parent & Pennsylvania Early Intervention Technical Assistance Consultant, and Sadia Batool, Parent & Family Leader, provided their session Meaningful Family Engagement – A Pathway to a Child’s Success in Education and in Life, which followed the transformative journey of a family in Pennsylvania as they navigated the services and supports for their daughter on the Autism Spectrum, beginning with their experiences in Early Intervention to Elementary School. It focused on the implementation of the Pennsylvania Family Engagement Birth through College, Career, Community Ready Framework, a document that provides a broad perspective and focuses on the vital role of all stakeholders in family engagement, as it relates to the family’s personal experience of successful family engagement, inclusion, and leadership. Multiple aspects of diversity and equity were explored to promote meaningful, sensitive, and responsive relationships between families and professionals. Real life examples of partnership between families and professionals were presented to explore ways to ensure families are full team members who participate in all aspects of their child’s learning and development. For more information, contact Mary Mikus at [email protected].

The National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance is offering a new curriculum series, Strengthening Business Practices for Child Care Programs. The training content and activities are designed to strengthen child care providers’ foundational knowledge of sound fiscal management and business operations. The series contains four modules of business practices content:

There are two versions of this series: one for center-based providers and one for family child care (based) providers. Trainings are available at no-cost to participants.

PQAS and ACT 48 available. Attendance of full series is required for credit. Please see the flyer for dates and times, then select and attend the series that makes sense for your program type (center or family).

The Program Quality Assessment (PQA) team is excited to announce a new and exciting opportunity: Let’s Talk Quality Series. 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 will publish a blog article, create a webinar, and offer a spotlight session--all that focus on a monthly topic. The topic for the month of November is “Understanding Common Behavioral Challenges in the Classroom”.

Check out the Let's Talk Quality Blog on Nov. 10, 2021, for the blog post related to this month’s topic. While there, check out all the other great blog posts! 

Pennsylvania early childhood education (ECE) leaders, Tracey Campanini, Deputy Secretary for the Office of Child Development and Early Learning; Diane Barber, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Child Care Association; Ruby Martin, Chief Child and Youth Programs Officer, YWCA York; and Kim Shearer, owner and Executive Director, Tender Years, Inc., appeared on WITF's SmartTalk on Oct. 29, 2021, to discuss ways to support the child care industry. Listen to the recording to hear about the unprecedented challenges being faced by ECE providers and families.

Two PCTI-O events are scheduled for Dec. 1-3, 2021, and Feb. 23-25, 2022. This institute certifies teams to implement online cafes ONLY. To implement place-based cafes, an additional course is needed. To apply to attend a PCTI-O please complete and return the Team Application/Readiness Checklist by Nov. 8, 2021. Download the application. If you have any questions about the Be Strong Parent Café model or would like to discuss your readiness to participate, please contact Rijelle Kraft at 717-763-1661, x221 or at [email protected].

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to make a recommendation regarding COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to under 12 at the beginning of November, and the Pfizer vaccine is already authorized for children 12 and older. The vaccine will be key to keeping students, staff, and communities healthy, and will help ensure schools, child care and other early learning settings can stay open.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) encourages programs to consider working with a local health provider to host a vaccine clinic for the children at your child care, Head Start, after-school program, school, or other organization. The vaccine is completely optional, and would require parent consent.

Four simple steps to host a COVID-19 clinic as a completely voluntary support to children/families:

Vaccine clinics for children aged 5 to under 12 cannot take place until after a CDC recommendation is announced in early November, but you can start preparing by talking to a local provider today!

To help find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near your organization, you can check out www.Vaccines.gov. If you need assistance finding and contacting a health provider willing to support, you can fill out this form and the Department of Health will help make an introduction.

For any further questions, you can contact DOH at [email protected].

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has been tracking great progress to distribute more than $655 million in federal Child Care Stabilization Grant funds. OCDEL wants to be sure all eligible Family Child Care, Group Child Care, and Child Care Centers take advantage of this funding. Please share the word! Information on this opportunity, as well as answer to frequently asked questions, can be found at the Pennsylvania Key website.

2022

The 2022 Open Enrollment Period for Pennie is happening now! Pennie is PA’s official health & dental insurance marketplace and the only link to financial assistance to help reduce the cost of coverage and care. Pennie’s Open Enrollment Period for 2022 Coverage Runs from Nov. 1, 2021, to Jan. 15, 2022. Visit pennie.com to shop and compare health coverage plans. Pennie’s plan comparison tool allows you to answer questions about your health status, preferred providers, and even prescription drug needs. The tool will then display coverage options for you to see your total costs for care, including premium, deductible, and total out-of-pocket costs. 

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is now accepting applications online or via a paper application. LIHEAP helps families meeting income guidelines pay their heating bills in the form of a cash grant. Households in immediate danger of being without heat can also qualify for crisis grants. The cash grant is a one-time payment sent directly to the utility company/fuel provider to be credited on a bill. These grants range from $200 to $1,000 based on household size, income, and fuel type. Remember: This is a grant and does not have to be repaid. Please share this information with families you serve.

EMPOWER 2021 is Pennsylvania’s only out-of-school time conference for both licensed and non-licensed providers, youth development and summer learning staff, community partners, schools, business/industry and advocates. Putting the health, safety, timeline, budget and conference experience of attendees first, the conference registration rates for Nov. 15 to Nov. 17 have been reduced from $250 to $75. For more information and to register, please visit the EMPOWER 2021 website.

If you are a teacher, provider, administrator -- anyone and everyone who works in out-of-school time (OST) programs -- the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) needs to hear from you! Your responses will help understand trends and conditions in OST across Pennsylvania, and will inform new strategies, identify potential career pathways and, support advocacy for the profession.

If you complete the survey by Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, you are eligible to win a new Chromebook. Share the survey link with your OST colleagues so they can contribute to this important dataset. Please contact Winnie Black, [email protected] for additional questions regarding the survey.

Kids Gardening is awarding a total of 50 programs in the Youth Garden Grants in 2022 . All winning programs will receive a check for $250, and materials to grow their garden program. Any nonprofit organization, public or private school, or youth program in the United States or US Territories planning a new garden program or expanding an established one that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 3 and 18 is eligible to apply. Applications are due Dec. 17, 2021.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has launched a live hotline to assist families with the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program. Pennsylvanians who have not received their child’s P-EBT benefits or have an issue with P-EBT can dial 484-363-2137 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

P-EBT is designed to help eligible families cover the cost of breakfasts and lunches their children would have been eligible to receive for free or at reduced price through the National School Lunch Program in child care or school settings that closed temporarily or permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families can use their P-EBT benefits to purchase almost any food item in a typical grocery store, and the program follows the same rules as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the COVID-19 vaccination for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant. For those who are pregnant, they might want to have a conversation with their healthcare provider about COVID-19 vaccination. While such a conversation might be helpful, it is not required before vaccination. Individuals can receive a COVID-19 vaccine without any additional documentation from their healthcare provider. COVID-19 vaccination is also recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are breastfeeding.

Although the overall risk of severe illness is low, pregnant and recently pregnant people are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 when compared with non-pregnant people. Severe illness includes illness that requires hospitalization, intensive care, need for a ventilator or special equipment to breathe, or illness that results in death. Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and might be at increased risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with pregnant women without COVID-19.

Many have friends and families who are hesitant to get the vaccine. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has some ideas for how to talk to others about their concerns in a safe and supportive way. 

This resource from PA DOH has information about vaccine safety. You can also find out when and how to get a COVID-19 vaccine. These resources, and more, are available in a variety of languages on the PA DOH website and can be shared.

Pennsylvania has rated a score of 80/100 when it comes to breastfeeding support, according to the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) state reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report summarizes the strength of breastfeeding support in hospitals in each state and territory, as well as the areas that could be improved. These reports identify opportunities for states to better protect, promote, and support breastfeeding mothers and infants. The CDC invited all hospitals with maternity services in the U.S. and territories to participate. In 2020, 70 of 80 eligible hospitals in Pennsylvania participated (88%).

The national score was 81. Pennsylvania scored above the national subscore in the areas of Feeding Practices (84) and Feeding Education & Support (94) and was equal to the national subscore in the area of Immediate Postpartum Care (83).

In Pennsylvania, all OCDEL Evidence-Based Home Visiting programs, like Nurse-Family Partnership and Early Head Start, provide breastfeeding support to new mothers to increase the quality of life for both mom and baby.

New America’s Early & Elementary Education Policy program and the National Wildlife Federation’s Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) program recently released policy recommendations, Improving Outdoor Learning in Child Care: A Health Equity Strategy, to help federal and state leaders develop outdoor learning opportunities for young children. They are intended to help leaders promote healthy child development, support the early childhood workforce, and enhance health equity in communities.

The PSEG Foundation and Sesame Workshop have partnered to create bilingual (English and Spanish), multiple media programs that help families prepare for, and respond to, emergencies and provide tools so that children can build the skills they need to become resilient. With Let’s Get Ready, families learn to plan and prepare together for emergencies through simple strategies and tips that can be incorporated into everyday routines. Here for Each Other provides tips, ideas, and activities that teach families effective and comforting ways to respond when an emergency occurs. Brave, Strong Resilient helps children build the self-confidence, problem-solving skills, and emotional tools they need to cope with adversity. The latest joint effort, Little Neighbors: Building a Better World Together, helps children learn the many ways to be a good neighbor and what it means to be a member of a community.

The Federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) at the US Department of Health and Human Services has available the MotherToBaby resource with information via chat, text, phone, and email and up-to-date, evidence-based information on the effects of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Additional online health resources from MotherToBaby include a blog and studies.

MCHB funds the evidence-based MIECHV home visiting programs and public health initiatives in the states. MCHB encourages home visiting grantees and stakeholders to work with your state and local partners to promote COVID-19 vaccines for people who are pregnant, recently pregnant (including those who are lactating), trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future. Please ensure child care professionals, families and direct services providers are aware of CDC’s updated guidance on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, and that public health jurisdictions and health care providers take steps to implement CDC’s recommendations as outlined in the Health Advisory.

The U.S. Department of Education released a new resource, Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health  to provide information and resources to enhance the promotion of mental health and the social and emotional well-being among children and students.

This educational video series on the importance of the early years was created by the Project for Babies, a former initiative of the University of Minnesota Center for Early Education and Development. The series features Regents Professor Megan Gunnar, Director of the Institute for Child Development at the University of Minnesota, and a member of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. The series consists of five videos, each approximately three to seven minutes in length. Watch and share!

Local foods and growing your own garden can get kids more excited to try new produce. Download this free activity sheet from the National CACFP Association for ideas on how to teach kids how their food is grown, a recipe for a tasty garden stir fry and instructions on how to build your own container garden. Download Activity Page in English and Spanish.

USDA's Team Nutrition has more than 100 Spanish-language materials that support healthy eating and physical activity. Access Spanish Resources.

The October resources from Camille Catlett are now available. The October edition of Baby Talk shares information about Supporting Prenatal-to-Three with Federal Relief Funds, Who am I? Developing a Sense of Self and Belonging, and more. The October edition of Natural Resources shares information about enhancing parents advocacy and leadership skills, federal advocacy tools and more.