March 2022
ACTION ALERT: Support Youth / Young Adults Who Experience Homelessness or Housing Insecurity
The Philly Homes 4 Youth coalition is demanding that the City and the Office of Homeless Services set aside 20% of the American Rescue Plan funds ($42 million) they have received for the needs of homeless youth and young adults. 

PEC asks every one of you to go to a new website as soon as possible and fill out the form to express your support.  
New Report on Participation of Young Children Experiencing Homelessness in Early Childhood Programs in Pennsylvania 
The Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office, in partnership with Dr. Grace Whitney and People’s Emergency Center, released a new brief about children experiencing homelessness enrolled in childhood education programs in the Commonwealth.

Who should read this? People in the following systems: childcare, home visiting, PreK, Head Start/Early Head Start, homeless housing programs, county administrators, school districts, early intervention, family services, and child welfare.  
PEC Featured in Inaugural Edition of “Beyond Housing” 
PEC was featured in January’s issue of Beyond Housing Magazine, a new national magazine on family and child homelessness. The article – entitled “Family Homelessness Providers and Head Start—Natural Partners: Taking the Model Statewide” – highlights PEC’s work focusing on young children experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. Written by Tracy Duarte, Grace Whitney, Joe Willard, Omari Baye, and Roslyn Edwards, the article features the development of PEC's Building Early Links for Learning (BELL) Project. PEC thanks the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness for their interest and support.  
New Peer-Reviewed Published Journal Article Features Local Research 

By Sarah Vrabic, Manager
Everyday Learning Play Spaces, PEC
Perceptions of support in shelter environments for caregivers and young children experiencing family homelessness 

Sarah C. Vrabic, Janette E. Herbers, Mariah Davis, Courtney Thomas. Published in Child: Care, Health and Development 

A supportive shelter environment can serve as a protective factor that fosters resilience for children and families experiencing homelessness. To determine caregivers’ perceptions of support within their shelter program and how those perceptions may influence child functioning and family well-being, we interviewed caregivers staying in five family housing programs in Philadelphia. 

We will present this important work for the first time at the March 18th Children's Work Group Early Childhood Conference.