On Wednesday, April 5th, The BELL Project joined the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in celebrating Work Together Wednesday as part of the Week of the Young Child. The day focused on cooperation and teamwork, which aligns perfectly with the BELL Project's mission. The Week of the Young Child is an annual event that highlights the needs of young children and their families, as well as the programs and services that meet those needs.

Each day of the week is dedicated to a specific theme designated by NAEYC, and organizations plan and implement local events to celebrate. The BELL Project brought together several organizations at the Lucien Blackwell Community Center to celebrate children and foster relationships between Early Childhood Education programs, Shelter Staff, and the agencies that support them.
How Does Philadelphia Develop a Unified Pre-K system?
Join us at the Children's Work Group Early Childhood Conference (CWGEC) on Friday, April 21, via Zoom from 9:30 AM to 11 AM. The conference will feature Sean Perkins, Chief of Early Childhood Education for the City of Philadelphia Office of Children and Families, who will discuss efforts to unify the early childhood education system in Philadelphia and the development of a universal PreK system.

Sean Perkins has brought together over 40 system leaders from the ECE system, City, and State leadership to take on this challenging task. Additionally, the conference will feature a discussion on environments within shelters and advocacy opportunities.

To register, visit the link below.
The Everyday Learning Play Spaces (ELPS) team has recently been hard at work on our Child Friendly Space at the Darlene Morris Love and Care family housing program. Based on ideas and feedback we received from the staff and families there, we are happy to provide a space for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, older siblings, and caregivers to enjoy together. We transformed an unused room to accommodate an infant and reading corner, writing desk, kitchen and dress-up station and much more!  
BELL's Omari Baye Joins Pennsylvania Webinar on “Using Data to Advocate for Infants & Toddlers Experiencing Homelessness in Pennsylvania”  
Omari Baye smiles seated on a bench or wall in front of greenery.
Omari Baye, Manager of HopePHL's Building Early Links for Learning Project, participated in a webinar hosted by SchoolHouse Connection with Tracy Duarte, Director of the PA Head Start State Collaboration Office. They co-presented to an audience of emergency housing providers, education administrators, and liaisons working to support children and youth experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
HopePHL's BELL Project Releases New Community Report on Young Children Experiencing Homelessness 
HopePHL’s Building Early Links for Learning (BELL) has updated our community report finding sharing our experiences during the pandemic.  Take a look at the report.
‘Thank you’ to US Representatives Evans, Scanlon, Wild, and Boyle! 
Local Congressional members recently proposed increasing support for two key programs supporting thousands of Pennsylvania’s children and youth experiencing homelessness.  

We alerted our local delegation that a bipartisan “Dear Colleague” letter was circulated in the U.S. House of Representatives that calls for $800 million for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program and $300 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program in the FY2024 budget.
Harvard Releases New Video: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined 
Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child produces materials that inspire much of Philadelphia’s work to support children experiencing homelessness. Below is a link to their latest 5-minute video that is both fun and instructive to everyone’s work with young children. Hope you enjoy and keep being inspired! 
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Building Early Links for Learning is supported by Vanguard Strong Start for Kids®