August 2019 edition
An inside look at Pennsylvania's early education system.
What's New for August
Great work is being done in Pennsylvania around early learning, and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and partners have started the summer by sharing progress around Early Intervention Services and Supports, and Family Engagement. Read the articles below to discover how Secretary Rivera, leaders at OCDEL, and even a past recipient of Early Intervention shared experiences and knowledge at a national level.

Former OCDEL Deputy Secretary, Harriet Dichter, co-authored a recently released report highlighting how the amount of funding available for the workforce is the linchpin of the ECE system — without well-qualified and fairly compensated early educators and supportive working conditions, programs will not be able to provide and sustain a high standard of quality for the children in their care. Get the link to the report in the article below.

Finally, there are no lazy days of summer for anyone in early learning-- keep busy with several funding opportunities, education assistance deadlines and new resources, like the updated Early Learning GPS.
Early Education in Pennsylvania
National Stage for Pennsylvania's Early Intervention
Pennsylvania was well represented at the recent 2019 Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Leadership Conference in Arlington, VA. PA Department of Education, Pedro Rivera, delivered remarks as a Keynote, while Carl Beck (Director of Early Intervention & Family Support Services), Cecilia Lee (SICC Chair) and Pat Hozella (Interim Bureau of Special Education Director) also presented.

Pennsylvania's Alex Lee and his sister, Isabell Lee, shared their experiences with Early Intervention. Alex received Early Intervention Services and Supports as a young child and is now an outspoken advocate of the impacts Early Intervention can have in the life of a student. Alex, who just finished fifth grade at Upper Merion Middle School, has been 100 percent included at school since preschool. During fifth grade, he made Distinguished Honor Roll every marking period. At 11, Alex already has an impressive resume that includes modeling for Toys R Us, doing a TV appearance on a Sprout show, singing opera in Italian on various stages, and speaking at the United Nations Headquarters in NYC. See more photos and get additional info about the presentations.

The OSEP Leadership Conference enhances leadership roles through opportunities to hear from experts in the field and to learn about evidence-based practices that will support participants’ ability to improve results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families.
Pennsylvania's Family Engagement Highlighted at National Conference
Congratulations to Pennsylvania's Sue Polojac, Sarah Holland and Pam Smith who recently presented PA’s Story: Creating a Birth Through College, Career, Community Ready Family Engagement Framework (FEF) at the Institute for Educational Leadership 2019 National Family & Community Engagement Conference in Reno, Nevada.

The Pennsylvania Family Engagement Birth through College, Career, Community Ready Framework, set to be released fall 2019, is a tool to guide the implementation of effective practices, use of shared language, and a family engagement continuum for families across their child’s educational lifespan. The FEF provides foundation practices, standards and supportive practices to guide leadership and community partners in leveraging knowledge, expertise and leadership, building partnerships with families and learning communities.

The conference hosted 1,700 attendees with a commitment to assuring families are at the forefront of educational decision making.
State Education Department Launches Online Book Nook Initiative to Promote Literacy
The PA Department of Education (PDE) recently launched an initiative aimed at promoting literacy even when school isn’t in session. Each week, PDE unveils a new video featuring a prominent Pennsylvanian reading a children’s book to an at-home audience. The initiative kicked off with Secretary Pedro Rivera reading the book, Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, one of his personal favorite books to read to young audiences. In upcoming weeks, the initiative will feature several officials from the Wolf Administration reading books related to the work they lead, such as

  • Trooper Brent Miller reads Richard Scarry's A Day at the Police Station
  • DOH Secretary Rachel Levine reads Charlotte Cowan's Katie Caught a Cold
  • Executive Deputy Secretary of Education Dr. David Volkman reads Natasha Wing's The Night Before the Fourth of July
  • Corrections Secretary Secretary John Wetzel reads Becky Birtha's Far Apart, Close in Heart: Being a Family when a Loved One is Incarcerated
  • Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell reads Sesame Street's The Monster at the End of This Book
  • Commissioner for Libraries Glenn Miller reads Lindsay Barrett George's Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse

The videos are accessible on PDE’s  Twitter ,  Facebook , and  YouTube pages.

Investing in schools and improving education for all students is a hallmark of the Wolf Administration’s Schools That Teach initiative and is central to Governor Wolf’s new  Statewide Workforce, Education, and Accountability Program (SWEAP) plan, which was introduced in February. SWEAP focuses on recruiting and retaining qualified teachers by raising the minimum salary from the current $18,500 to $45,000; and lowering the required age to start school from 8 years to 6 years; and raising the dropout age from 17 to 18.
Application now available for WIDA Early Years Professional Learning Cohort
Application deadline August 16
OCDEL has released an application for individuals to apply to be part of the WIDA Early Years Professional Learning Cohort. The Professional Learning Cohort is an intensive, long-term professional learning program designed to help participants build knowledge, skills, and confidence in facilitating local professional learning around the WIDA Early Years Essential Actions using various WIDA resources and tools. WIDA will be using national facilitators throughout this program.

The minimum participant requirements include:

  • Working in the early childhood education (ECE) field
  • Designing, developing, and facilitating professional learning.
  • Participants must have access to early learning programs (PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start, Child Care, Private Academic Nursery, etc.) where they can facilitate professional learning for ECE educators.
  • Participants must be a certified PQAS instructor with the ability to offer professional development through the PD Registry


Funding for this grant opportunity is provided by the Preschool Development Grant Birth-Five (PDG B-5) Grant Number 90TP0038 from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Timeframes for Issuance of Licensing Inspection Summary,
Plan of Correction, and Verification
On July 15, 2019, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) issued a bulletin, Timeframes for Issuance of Licensing Inspection Summary, Plan of Correction, and Verification that provides guidance effective Oct. 1, 2019.

This guidance provides consistent target timelines for steps in the licensing process, including issuing licensing inspection summaries and receiving, reviewing, and approving plans of correction, as well as direction to licensed entities on how plans of correction will be verified.

Licensed providers play a critical role in providing services to individuals with varying needs and in different settings across the commonwealth. Through this guidance and the upcoming training for providers on developing a plan of correction, OCDEL is not just trying to assure consistency, but also assure that all plan of corrections are implemented timely to achieve ongoing and independent regulatory compliance, which is necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of those served by a provider. 
Important Changes to Rising STARS Tuition Assistance for
Fiscal Year 2019-2020
OCDEL's Rising STARS Tuition Assistance (RSTA) program (administered by The Pennsylvania Key) helps cover a portion of tuition costs for early childhood professionals.

This program has several important changes for Fiscal Year 2019-2020:
  • “Grandfathered” applicants seeking an AA, BA, or PreK-4 Teacher Certification will continue to receive 95% of tuition costs with a maximum benefit of $6,000 per individual. These applicants will need to transition to T.E.A.C.H. or another financial aid resource by Fiscal Year 2020-2021.
  • New applicants for approved CDA or Credential Coursework will receive 95% of tuition costs and fees net of other funding sources for approved credential or CDA coursework up to eighteen (18) credits.
  • Additionally, new applicants for approved CDA or Credential Coursework can submit a request form (including receipt) for reimbursement for books after purchase.
  • A voucher for the CDA Renewal fee for $125 is also available.

The application process for Rising STARS Tuition Assistance changed as of July 1, 2019. Access the tipsheet on how to apply. To learn more,  visit the Rising STARS Tuition Assistance page . Questions? Call 1-800-284-6031 or email  pakeyvoucherprogram@pakeys.org .
Save the Date
Of Interest
Time Remains To Submit Application for PA NAP SACC Mini-Grant Project
Deadline Aug. 27, 2019
There is still time to apply for the Pennsylvania Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (PA NAP SACC) program, a continuous quality improvement process focused on nutrition and physical activity practices and policies within early childhood settings. The program utilizes Go NAP SACC, an on-line, evidence-based tool, to guide you through self-assessment, action planning, implementation, policy development, re-self assessment and reflection. The process empowers program leadership and includes individualized technical assistance to increase knowledge and improve quality of practice and policy. A limited number of programs will receive on‐site, targeted technical assistance from a Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC) at no cost to the site. 
 
Click here to apply . Please note that this online application cannot be started and completed later. Applicants should allow enough time to complete the application in one sitting. To preview the questions on the application ahead of time, please click here for a PDF of the application content .
 
Questions or additional inquiries should be directed to Lori McMonigal, Coordinator for Special Projects - Tuscarora Intermediate Unit, at 717-248-4942 x 112 or lmcmonigal@tiu11.org .
Building Capacity for Coaching
Application Deadline Sept. 20, 2019
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) in collaboration with The Pennsylvania Key is pleased to announce the Building Capacity for Coaching Initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to leverage coaching supports from Penn State Better Kid Care (BKC) and other professional growth activities in order to develop internal coaches in STAR 3 and STAR 4 facilities. Selected applicants will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of early childhood practices and must have the approval of their administrator or director as this will require a time commitment.
 
What participants will gain:
  • Selected coaches will receive a one-time stipend of $2,500;
  • Participating teachers will receive supports and coaching on areas of practice that can strengthen or improve child experiences in their classroom;
  • The program will have developed the internal capacity to offer coaching to other staff in the future to ensure continuous quality improvement;
  • You will receive exceptional professional development opportunities at no cost as well as access to the Learning Community; and
  • You will have provided valuable insight as OCDEL works to learn more about what is needed in terms of coaching supports for early childhood education providers.
 
Visit the PA Key website for more information, including expectations, requirements of participation and how to apply. Deadline to submit applications is Friday, Sept. 20, 2019.
OCDEL Offering New Courses through The PD Registry
OCDEL is now offering 6 online courses through the PD Registry.

Click on each course and log into the PD Registry to view the course description and register. Those with questions should contact Barry Wiestling at bwiestling@pa.gov. 
Planning Grant Opportunity from U.S. Department of Education
Application Deadline Aug. 14, 2019
The U.S. Department of Education has issued a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 2019 for Planning Grants for Increasing Instructional Time and Reducing Administrative Burdens. The purpose of the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program is to promote academic achievement and to improve results for children with disabilities by providing TA, supporting model demonstration projects,disseminating useful information, and implementing activities that are supported by scientifically based research. Deadline for Applications is Aug. 14, 2019.
Gro More Good Garden Grants Opportunity
Application deadline Oct. 11, 2019
Get a jump start on planning for the 2019-2020 program year! The Gro More Good Garden Grant application period for the 2020 Head Start Garden Grantees is now open, so start an application today.

How can you participate?

Head Start programs are eligible to apply so please share with any Head Start/Early Head Start programs.
Call for Manuscripts: DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series No. 8 Transition Practices
Submission deadline Oct. 9, 2019
The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) will publish the eighth monograph in the DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series in 2020. The topic of this monograph is transition practices. Transition refers to the events, activities, and processes associated with key changes between environments or programs during the early childhood years and the practices that support the adjustment of the child and family to the new setting. These changes can occur at various transition points: from hospital to home, into early intervention (Part C) programs, out of early intervention to community early childhood programs, into Part B/619, and to kindergarten or school-age programs. Successful transitions are associated with greater satisfaction for professionals and families, and improved adjustment and positive child outcomes.

Research and Reports
Financing Early Educator Teacher Quality
In this report, Financing Early Educator Teacher Quality, from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Lea Austin, Marcy Whitebook, and previous OCDEL Deputy Secretary, Harriet Dichter, demonstrate how assumptions about what teachers need produce per child costs vary by thousands of dollars.

Recognizing that estimates are important points of information – as they are often used to inform short- and long-term term decisions about early childhood education services – the authors examined a set of cost models with regard to assumptions about resources for teachers and their working environments. These assumptions drive the per child and total systems estimates produced for budgetary purposes and ultimately frame the daily realities of early educators.
Screening Alone is Not Enough to Address Childhood Trauma
A new brief, Childhood adversity screenings are just one part of an effective policy response to childhood trauma, warns against the increasing reliance on childhood screening alone to identify and respond to childhood trauma in individual children. Instead, experts Jessica Dym Bartlett and David Murphey recommend an alternative, more comprehensive approach that prioritizes a strengths-based, trauma-informed perspective and helps children build resilience—rather than simply identifying those children who have had adverse experiences. Bartlett and Murphey propose five policy recommendations to achieve this:

  1. Train family and child service providers in trauma-informed care.
  2. Promote adversity screening as one component of a comprehensive, trauma-informed, strengths-based approach to addressing childhood adversity.
  3. Support research to develop more sensitive tools that assess young children’s exposure to adversity.
  4. Increase the availability and accessibility of evidence-based therapies.
  5. Expand preventive strategies that reduce the likelihood of children experiencing early adversity and its harmful effects.
The Opportunity Index
Many factors influence the kinds of opportunity people have, starting with unchangeable characteristics such as gender, race and ethnicity, genetic factors and family background. The quality of parenting, a family’s income and individual health as well as the health and safety of neighborhoods, the quality of schools and the inclusiveness of one’s community—all of these can respond to improvement efforts at personal, institutional and societal levels. These conditions vary from place to place, as well as over time, and that is why these conditions are the focus of the Opportunity Index.

The Opportunity Index is an annual report developed by Opportunity Nation, a campaign of the Forum for Youth Investment, and Child Trends. The Index provides data that shows what opportunity looks like in the United States.

Since 2011, the Index has provided a snapshot of conditions that can be used to identify and improve access to opportunity—in comprehensive terms—for residents and their communities. The data and full analysis online show how Opportunity Index scores have changed over time and what access to opportunity looks like today. The Index provides Opportunity Scores for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and 2,065 counties, which together represent 97 percent of
the US population.

The multidimensional nature of the Opportunity Index provides a broad picture of opportunity that goes beyond economics alone. The most recent Index includes indicators within four dimensions of community well-being: Economy, Education, Health and Community

Resources
Early Learning GPS: New Look, Updated Resources
Thousands of families with young children and professionals who support families have used Pennsylvania's Early Learning GPS to share information about children's brain, development and learning. New updates to the Early Learning GPS allow families to take a 10-question quiz about their child, then get resources to support their child and their child's learning. Visit www.earlylearninggps.com to take the quiz and access the printable resources.
What We Can Do About Toxic Stress Infographic
Building resilience and strength in families and communities is one of the most important investments we can make as a society. But what does that mean? Reading about the science of toxic stress for those who have experienced it can be overwhelming, or even make one feel damaged and unfixable, as though the effects might be too hard to overcome. But it’s important to know that—though the effects of toxic stress can be real and powerful—experiencing it is never the end of the story. There are things that can help, on an individual level, a community level, and a policy-making level, to lessen the effects of toxic stress. An infographic from Center on the Developing Child shares information on what we can do about toxic stress. 
Kick off the Summer with Farm to Head Start and Early Childhood Education
Farm to early childhood education (ECE) includes the use of local foods in meals and snacks, gardening opportunities, and food, nutrition, and agriculture learning activities to promote health and wellness and enhance the quality of ECE settings. How can a Farm to Head Start/ECE help your program serve fresh, local food? Learn how it works through presentations from national experts and Head Start program examples in this recorded webinar by the USDA, Office of Head Start and National Farm to School Network. 
CONNECT Modules and Courses
Both the CONNECT Modules and Courses are now available on the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) website. The free CONNECT Modules are designed for faculty and professional development providers to support practitioners in becoming confident in providing and supporting interventions for young children with disabilities in inclusive settings Each module is focused on research-based practices with an emphasis on inclusive settings and meeting the needs of diverse learners. The Modules are designed to build early childhood practitioners’ critical thinking skills. 
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