Congratulations to the 39 early childhood programs recently recognized for their outstanding work around the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS improves the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of schools and other agencies, as well as improves social, emotional and academic outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities and students from underrepresented groups.

Now is the time to nominate an early learning professional for the PA Child Care Association's (PACCA) 2019 Educator of the Year and the Award of Excellence. Since 2003, PACCA has recognized individuals who have contributed significantly to the direct care and education of young children, and those who have demonstrated qualities of vision, teamwork and leadership. Submit your nominations by the June 30 deadline.

Pennsylvania increased its base payment rates for infant care by 2.5 percent as of August 2018, but is that adequate? A new report from the National Women's Law Center shares the findings for Pennsylvania and all 50 states when it comes to paying adequate rates for infant care. 

Upcoming changes for two Pennsylvania early care and education scholarship programs takes effect July 1, 2019. The article below provides highlights of those changes. Be sure to check out the new guidelines for eligible programs and other important information.

Thirty-nine early childhood programs were recently recognized at the Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support and Intervention Implementers Conference as having implemented Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) throughout their entire program with fidelity.

PBIS is an implementation framework for maximizing the selection and use of evidence-based prevention and intervention practices along a multi-tiered continuum that supports the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral competence of all students.

The multi-tiered “continuum” is comprised of carefully selected, evidence-based practices at three different levels of support intensity. Specific practices are matched both to the level of support need, and the local cultural context.

Eight Pennsylvania sites recently started and have fidelity at the first tier of the PBIS Pyramid, with 17 sites having continued fidelity at Tier 1. Thirteen sites have fidelity at Tier 1 and Tier 2, and one site is being recognized for fidelity at all three Tiers. Read more about PBIS.

July 2019 marks the opening of Caring People Alliance serving as Philadelphia County’s Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) and Allegheny Department of Human Services serving as Allegheny County’s ELRC. The Allegheny and Philadelphia ELRCs will support a single point of entry for families, early care and education providers, and communities to access information about:

ELRCs are modernizing the Commonwealth’s child development and early learning system to improve quality, accessibility and affordability of early care and education services in Pennsylvania. In 2018, ELRCs began operation in 17 regions throughout Pennsylvania. The addition of Philadelphia and Allegheny counties conclude the statewide coverage.

Families interested in finding their nearest ELRC and the services they provide can visit www.raiseyourstar.org . Those interested in Allegheny ELRC employment opportunities can click here . Those interested in Philadelphia ELRC employment opportunities can click here . 

Effective July 1, 2019, new criteria will be used to determine eligibility under two scholarship programs in Pennsylvania, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Pennsylvania and Rising STARS Tuition Assistance (RSTA). In order to maximize Federal and State funding and streamline the scholarship options in Pennsylvania, the requirements for eligibility under each program are changing for the 2019-20 program year.  Read more about these changes on the PA Key website.

Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller highlighted the value of evidence-based home-visiting programs at the Strengthening Families Conference in State College in early May. During the conference, participants are discussing best practices and innovative ways to provide supports to parents and children and participating in interactive workshops on topics such as self-care, supporting children’s brain development, promoting literacy, and more. Read more .

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services created the competitive Family Center and Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Request for Applications (RFA 23-18). The RFA included a new approach to disseminating funds that prioritized broader dispersion throughout Pennsylvania. 

  

On Wednesday May 22, 2019 the department cancelled this RFA to revisit the approach in a way that both broadens dispersion and continues to provide the important investments that need to be made in existing Family Centers. 

  

As a result, the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) will renew the existing grants for two additional state fiscal years. This renewal will be the final grant extension. OCDEL will contact existing grantees to complete the required extension documents. 

Beginning in 2019, the Pennsylvania Treasury Department is investing $100 for every baby born or adopted to be used for the baby’s future higher education expenses through the new program, Keystone Scholars. 

To encourage families to plan early for their child’s future education, Keystone Scholars will provide $100 to all babies born or adopted in Pennsylvania starting in 2019, making Keystone Scholars the largest program of its type in the nation. The $100 will be invested by the PA Treasury Department and will grow through the years right alongside their child. The Keystone Scholars account can be used for qualified expenses when the child pursues education after high school. These expenses include tuition, fees, books, and more at vocational and technical schools, community colleges, two-year colleges, and four-year colleges.

To maximize education savings, parents can open an individual PA 529 College and Career Savings Program account and link it to their Keystone Scholars account online to see all of their education savings in one place. Read more.

The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) is accepting nominations for the 2019 Educator of the Year and the Award of Excellence. The awards recognize contributions made by PACCA members to the early care and education profession. Members and non-members may make nominations.

The Educator of the Year award honors outstanding service and accomplishments in the delivery of services to children. It is given to an individual at a PACCA member agency who has contributed significantly to the direct care and education of young children. Nominations are sought for both center-based and family child care educators. It is suggested that the person has been a teacher for at least three years.

The Award of Excellence honors outstanding service and accomplishments in the field of administration. The award is presented to a member of PACCA who has demonstrated qualities of vision (ability to see possibilities for making things happen and communicating this vision to others), teamwork (ability to work with and support others) and leadership (willingness to reach out to benefit the child care community). It is suggested that the person has been a director, executive director, administrator, or owner for three years.

To nominate a colleague, complete the Nomination Form. Nomination deadline is June 30, 2019.

Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania is offering undergraduate class in Early Childhood Education for Summer 2019 and Fall 2019, as well as a graduate class in Early Childhood Education for Summer 2019.

The National Women's Law Center's new report, Still Shortchanging Our Youngest Children: State Payment Rates for Infant Care 2018, examines payment rates for infant care for families receiving child care assistance in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report analyzes payment rates for center care and family child care for infants, tiered rates for higher-quality infant care, and payment rates for infant care relative to rates for preschool-age care. The report shows that most states are not paying adequate rates for infant care. Pennsylvania is one of four states where the differential between the lowest and highest rates for center care for a one-year-old was greater in February 2018 than in February 2017, and one of five states where the differential between the lowest and highest rates for family child care for a one-year-old was greater in February 2018 than in February 2017. As a result of these low rates, providers are often reluctant to serve families receiving child care assistance, and those providers who do serve these families often lack the resources needed to offer high-quality care.

A recently released report, Closing the Gap: How CCR&Rs Can Help Communities Meet Their Child Care Supply and Demand Needs, from Child Care Aware explores the role of Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) in closing child care supply and demand gaps in their states and communities, and highlights how CCR&Rs and their state-level partners are using unique strategies to expand access to child care for all children and families. 

A new blog post from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's PolicyLab explores play therapy for young children and mothers in substance use disorder programs. The article highlights PolicyLab's partnership with the Health Federation of Philadelphia to evaluate a new intervention, The Young Child and Parent Program (YCPP), for mothers who are either pregnant or have children under age five. Through a play-therapy approach, YCPP aims to improve the well-being, permanency and safety outcomes for young children affected by maternal substance abuse and at risk of out-of-home placement. They will be testing two types of evidence-based, therapies, Mothering from the Inside Out (MIO) and Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP).

The recent study, Electronic Media Use and Sleep Among Preschoolers: Evidence for Time-Shifted and Less Consolidated Sleep, published in the Journal of Health Communication, examined the association between electronic media use and sleep among preschoolers, using a national sample of 402 mothers of 3- to 5-year-olds. Participants completed an online survey assessing preschoolers’ electronic media use, bedtime and wake time, sleep time, napping behaviors, and sleep consolidation. Results showed that heavier television use and tablet use, both overall and in the evening, were associated with later bedtimes and later wake times, but not with fewer hours of sleep, providing evidence for a time-shifting process. In addition, heavier daily television use and evening smartphone use were associated with increased daytime napping. Moreover, heavier daily television use, daily and evening smartphone use, and evening tablet use were associated with poorer sleep consolidation, suggesting less mature sleep patterns. These findings indicate that media effects on the timing of sleep and the proportion of sleep that occurs at night are important to consider when assessing the health risks of electronic media on children.

Families whose children are entering kindergarten in the fall have the opportunity to sign up for the Kindergarten Here I Am enews, a monthly newsletter that provides tips and resources to support their child through the kindergarten year. The newsletter is based on the printed version of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning's Kindergarten Here I Come Activity Guide.

Families of preschool aged children can subscribe to the Kindergarten, Here I Come enews, which provides activities, book lists and resources to support a child's preparation for Kindergarten. Professionals are also invited to subscribe to either enews and use the information within their classrooms and share with families.

The Center for Healthy Minds from the University of Wisconsin-Madison is providing a well-being toolkit, intended for educators, parents and caregivers of children. Included are tips, audio and video practices, the Kindness Curriculum and more.

When schools let out for the summer, many low-income students are left without a reliable and consistent food source. Community partners can play a role in ensuring children access meals throughout the summer. Visit the USDA website to learn how your organization can be a summer meals champion to low-income students.  

Want to enhance your knowledge around family homelessness? The Federal Office of Head Start at the Administration for Children and Families developed eight modules, each of which take approximately 30 minutes to complete. A certificate is available upon completion. To access the modules, visit the Professionals page on the EITA Portal.

A guest post by Dr. Marnie Aylesworth in the June edition of Learning is Everywhere shares the relationship between stress and parenting in creating stressful moments. Our brains are wired to react impulsively when we are stressed. That means sometimes we do and say things when parenting that we wouldn’t normally do or say. We react out of emotion instead of taking a step back to be thoughtful about how we respond to our child. Read more.

The May 2019 edition of Baby Talk from Camille Catlett has info about what eight things family do that produce compassionate children, how some forms of sitting are worse than others, how simple directions from parents can guide children's discovery and more.