Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, is the deadline to submit your information for the 2022 Child Care Market Rate Survey. Submit your responses by then and make an impact in future child care related programming and policy decisions, ​including Child Care Works rate setting.

Do you have questions about the 2022 Child Care Market Rate Survey, didn't receive one, or need help submitting the survey? Contact the Institute of State and Regional Affairs at ChildCareResearch@psu.edu or leave a toll-free voicemail at (866) 982-6433. Learn more.

Early childhood education (ECE) professionals interested in attending college for the Spring semester that begins January 2023 should apply to T.E.A.C.H. now!

to be considered for the Spring 2023 semester.  

PACCA will continue to accept applications on an ongoing basis, however incomplete applications and applications received after this date will not receive priority for consideration. NOTE: New scholarship awards for the Spring 2023 semester will be dependent upon funding availability at that time.

Interested applicants should also begin the college admissions process now and contact an ECE advisor at their intended college/university. This helps ensure scholarship applicants are admitted to their college/university and can register for courses if/when they receive a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship. T.E.A.C.H. can provide contact information for ECE advisors at partnering institutions if needed.

Need more information? Click here to for details on eligibility, program requirements and to download a scholarship application. Questions? Click here to contact a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor.

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. 

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has recently released the SUNSET of two Announcements effective October 31, 2022.

In addition, OCDEL has released Announcement C-22-06 Updated Health and Safety Pre-Service and One-Hour Training, effective Oct. 4, 2022. This Announcement provides details that all current child care staff who completed the previous health and safety pre-service training modules, prior to October 4, 2022, are required to complete the Pennsylvania Health and Safety Update 2022 Versión en español: Actualización de Salud y Seguridad de Pennsylvania 2022) by December 30, 2022. Beginning December 30, 2022, citations for non-compliance with any requirements to obtain health and safety professional development training updates required by OCDEL within the prescribed timeframe will be issued under 55 Pa. Code §3270.14, §3270.21, §3280.14, §3280.20, and §3290.18, all pertaining to compliance with “pertinent laws and regulations” and “general health and safety.” Also included is the list of previous versions of the health and safety pre-service training expiring Oct. 31, 2022.

Please see each Announcement for details.

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) recently hosted the 38th Annual International Conference on young children with disabilities in collaboration with the International Society for Early Intervention (ISEI). This was DEC’s first in-person conference since the COVID-19 Pandemic and brought together families, individuals employed in early intervention and early childhood special education settings, instructors from higher education, researchers, individuals employed with state and federal programs, such as state Part C and the federal Office of Special Education Programs, etc.

Pennsylvania also was represented by Sadia Batool, Early Childhood Family Lead for OCDEL’s Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Project who participated in the conference as a member of the Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) Family Cohort and a member of the DEC Inclusion, Equity, and Social Justice Committee. Sarah Holland, Director of Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania, along with Mary Mikus and Toni Miguel, Education Consultants with Early Intervention Technical Assistance, presented a session for practitioners, Lifting Up Authentic Family Voice in Educator Pathways to Promote Inclusion, highlighting how the P3D/Professional Development Organizations (PDO) Family Voices embeds family voice into Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) coursework. Mary Mikus received a special recognition receiving the DEC Family Award, given to a parent/guardian of a child with a disability who has made significant contributions through service to the field and community. Beth Friedman, EITA Consultant, presented two interactive professional development sessions titled, Time Management and Organizational Strategies to Uncover More Hours in a Day and Tele-Intervention is Here to Stay: Benefits, Beliefs and Strategies. Donna Miller, EITA Consultant and Michael Brink, EITA Project Manager presented the session, Evaluating a Professional Development Preparatory Sequence for Coaching, highlighting the evaluation and replication of a systematic PD sequence developed for a state to shift practice from child-directed intervention to caregiver coaching. Toni Miguel and Sadia Batool also represented Pennsylvania as members of the DEC Family Committee.

For more information or to connect with any of the presenters, contact Sadia Batool at c-sabatool@pa.gov.

2023

Find these and other choices at earlychildhoodsummit.org. Questions? Share them at info@earlychildhoodsummit.org.

These conversations take place quarterly (email Shannon.dryden@phila.gov to be added to the calendar invite) and participants are welcome to join as a CACFP or other federal nutrition program participant, sponsor, or interested stakeholder. This invitation extends statewide. The next Community Conversation is to be held 2-3 pm on Dec. 16, 2022. Click here to join on Dec. 16 at 2 pm.

Applications for the 2023 Terri Lynne Lokoff Teachers Awards are open through November 18, 2022. Please reach out to teacheraward@firstup.org for help, or click here to begin an application.  

The Department of Education announced major changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for a limited time, as a result of the COVID-19 national emergency. Some borrowers will need to consolidate their federal loans and/or submit a PSLF form by October 31, 2022, to take advantage of this opportunity.

More information on this limited Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver, including how to qualify and apply, can be found here: PSLF Waiver Offers Way to Get Closer to Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid. Get additional information specific to Early Childhood Educators. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children ages 6 months and older be vaccinated for influenza this fall, as vaccines remain the best way to prevent severe illness and keep kids in classrooms.

In a policy statement, Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2022–2023, the AAP observes that vaccination coverage lagged last season and that, historically, the flu has taken a disproportionate toll on families who are Black, Hispanic or American Indian or Alaska Native.

The Pennsylvania Farm to School Grant Program will provide schools with funding to improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agriculture education opportunities. The program aims to bridge the gap between children and the food system by connecting them to the fresh, healthy food available from Pennsylvania agricultural producers in their community and the surrounding areas. Through changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early childhood education sites, children will become more aware and engaged with their local food system as well as empowered to leverage their own consumer influence to support Pennsylvania agriculture.

In order to request either ballot type, you must be registered to vote. Check Your Registration Status to review your registration information. Learn more.

The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) has released the Pennsylvania Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Pennsylvania, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as how Pennsylvania ECE higher education programs responded and adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recommendations include

Researchers from the Pre-K in Family Child Care Project released the project’s first brief, A Transformative Vision for the Authentic Inclusion of Family Child Care in Mixed-Delivery PreK Systems. Authors provided guiding principles and a conceptual framework for the equitable, intentional inclusion of family child care professionals in public pre-K systems. 

Assistant teachers are an integral component of the preschool classroom. However, there is limited research on the impact of assistant teacher qualifications and training on child outcomes. In a newly released policy brief from NIEER, Assistant Teachers in State-funded Preschool Programs, explore what is known about assistant teachers in state-funded preschool programs, and share strategies states have implemented to support assistant teachers in meeting qualifications. 

Access to child care and early education is often measured in terms of supply, but research shows that there are multiple factors that families consider when making decisions about care. This research highlight explains why a multi-dimensional definition of access can help policymakers develop and refine policies to promote equitable access to care for families. Read the brief, Defining and Measuring Access to Child Care and Early Education with Families in Mind.

Searching for child care and early education can be easier if more information is readily available to help families find care that fits best with their needs and preferences. This research highlight explains different factors that influence families’ child care search and shares strategies to improve state consumer education websites. Read the brief, Factors that Influence Families’ Search for Child Care and Early Education.

Child Trends has released a groundbreaking new report, Lessons From a Historic Decline in Child Poverty, which finds that the social safety net was responsible for much of the historic 59 percent decline in child poverty from 1993 to 2019. Lead authors find that, overall, the social safety net cut child poverty by 9 percent in 1993 and by 44 percent in 2019, tripling the number of children protected from poverty. In addition to the safety net, lower unemployment rates, increases in single mothers’ labor force participation, and increases in state minimum wages explained about one third of the decline in child poverty over this time.  

The National Farm to School Network and Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems are proud to release the third and fourth briefs in the series detailing the findings from the 2021 National Farm to Early Care and Education Survey and the resultant recommendations.

This series of briefs explores the state of farm to ECE and opportunities for advancement by focus area, including:

There are many ways that multilingual families can support language and literacy at home! Colorín Colorado’s new series of eight tips for families is available in 16 languages.

The number of COVID-19 vaccinations for children 6 months – 5 years of age is very low--in Pennsylvania it’s about 10%, and nationally it’s 8%. COVID-19 vaccines lower the chance of getting very sick from the virus. Vaccinated children are less likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than those who are not vaccinated. When more people are vaccinated, including children, there is less chance that other people will get sick.

Share these great resources, available in multiple languages, to learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations for children:

All Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) pages are translated into Spanish. Select the Español button on the top right corner to see the Spanish translation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has available printable fact sheets, Flu: A Guide for Parents, which child care programs can share with their families. Fact sheets include information parents should know about the flu, and what to do if their child is sick. The fact sheets are available in English and Spanish.

New America and Education Counsel have developed the Using Policy to Enable Effective and Supportive Transitions for Children, Families, and Educators toolkit that provides steps and policy ideas to help leaders take action on improving transitions and aligning children’s early learning experiences. 

The Season Two conclusion of The New Neighborhood Podcast aired June 2022 with co-hosts Cailin O’Connor and Sanna Sharireiff. This podcast explores some of the dramatic changes taking place across the country as people work to reinforce a sense of community, support young children and families, and work to build equity within communities. Click to find both season’s episodes.

The September resources from Camille Catlett are now available. The September release of Natural Resources contains information about The Benefits of Environmental Education and Nature Connections in Early Childhood, Using Nature Contact to Support Children Under Stress, and more. The September release of Baby Talk contains information about Resources for Families and Professionals About Prenatal/Postnatal Diagnoses, Free Webinars on Using Music to Support Infants and Toddlers, and more.