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 PennAEYC
Newsletter
January 2010
Our vision is that every child in Pennsylvania has the equal opportunity to be a successful, responsible, and productive member of society as a result of early childhood experiences. |
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Greetings!
Unbelievably I have now been in my position for one full year! What a year it has been. We have seen amazing work being done across the state in classrooms and organizations serving children and families. We have seen desperate times during a budget impasse that has had lasting effects on many in our field. I have had the pleasure and privilege of meeting so many of you as passionate as I am about our children.
One of the many things that has been reinforced to me is the concept that we are only as effective and influential as our actions match our words. "Do as I say and not as I do" does not work here. We must all be in it together and be willing to do whatever it takes and whatever it is that we are asking of others.
We also must be willing to hold each other accountable. It is so much easier to look the other way, or allow for situational excuses to become the norm rather than working towards goals no matter what the circumstance. It is so much easier for a supervisor to direct from behind a desk than to get out of the office and spend time in the shoes of their employee. It is so much easier for an employee to assume that management does not understand them while making no effort to reach out themselves. It is so much easier for us to blame politics or economics or the rotation of the earth rather than look ourselves in the eye and ask if we have really made the effort we suggest we have.
Whether it is running an organization, teaching a classroom of children, parenting or volunteering in your community, how do you walk the walk in your professional or personal life? How do you show them that what you say is most important to you, really is? I have challenged myself to think about my priorities, goals and values and how I translate those into actions on a daily basis and make my second year working with and for you even better than the first.
Jodi Askins
Executive Director |
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 PennAEYC News
We are pleased to welcome a new staff person and some new board members:
.jpg) Amber Ruch, Program Manager
Amber Ruch has a BS in Child Life and Psychology from Juniata College. She is currently the Associate Director--Preschool/ Kindergarten Specialist at Hildebrandt Learning Center and formerly was the owner/operator of Valley Preschool Learning and Care Center (two sites) for approximately 8 years.
 Nathalie Borozny, Vice-President for Advocacy
Philadelphia, PA
Professional Position: Reviewer who monitors Federal Head Start programs
Professional Goals: To ensure that each child receives a head start in learning and growing regardless of where they live and the economic status of their families through reliable monitoring of their early childhood programs.
Goals while serving on the PennAEYC Board: To ensure that each child in Pennsylvania receives a head start in learning and growing regardless of whre they live and the economic status of their families through advocacy and public policy activities.
Other volunteer experiences: Past President/Midwest AEYC; Founding Board member/Ohio AEYC; Member/Redeemer Ministry Corps Advisory Board; Auditor/ St. Stephen's Cathedral.
Education: Bachelor of Science/ Early Childhood Education from The University of Cincinnati; Master of Science/Early Childhood Education; Coursework for degree of Doctor of Education in the Sociology of Education from the University of Cincinnati.
Susan Lavelle, Vice-President for Chapter Support
Easton, PA
Susan has a BS degree in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Psychology. She is currently at the Pre-K Counts site for the Easton Family YMCA and formally was the founder/director of The Hanover Township Preschool in Bethlehem for 12 years. In addition, she is the President of the Lehigh and Northampton Association for the Education of Young Children. Susan has been serving on the board as a representative of the local affiliate for almost 2 years, but is new to the current board of directors position.
.jpg) Rose Snyder, Vice-President for Membership
Elizabethtown, PA
Professional position: Administrator, Hildebrandt Learning Centers at Masonic Village
Professional goals:
Continue to develop skills that will allow me the opportunities to support families, children and practitioners in my role as a leader in the ECE field.Obtain my Masters in ECE
Goals while serving on PennAEYC Board :
Improve Membership Communication
Increase awareness in the local AEYC of the role of Penn AEYC
Maintain & Increase Membership
Support importance of NAEYC Accreditation
Assist local AEYCs in the development of memberships
Other volunteer experiences: Girl Scouting, SB6 Administrator Mentoring Program, Community Involvement, Eden Alternative, Toys for Tots, School District Transition Team, Church Involvement
Education: BS Management & Organizational Development, AA ECE
Other: "Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements." Unknown |
PennAEYC On-Line
--Read and respond to Jodi's latest blog at www.pennaeyc.org. Read all about our latest featured chapter--Lancaster Area AEYC, featured member and past-president--Linda Ehrlich, and featured accredited center--Shady Lane in Pittsburgh.
--Become a Facebook Fan of PennAEYC.
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 Upcoming Activities
February 3-4: NAEYC Public Policy Forum, Washington D.C.
February 24: Full-Day Accreditation Training at NAEYC Headquarters. Registration is now open for NAEYC's newest full-day accreditation workshop. Improving Program Quality through Self-Study debuted at the 2009 Annual Conference. For additional information and to register for this training, please visit the event website.
April 8-10: 2010 Delaware Valley AEYC Conference; "Delight in Discovery;" Philadelphia; www.dvaeyc.org
April 8: PennAEYC workshop - NAEYC Updates - Developmentally Appropriate Practices working with Infants and Toddlers , Lancaster - Park City Community Room
April 10: Central Susquehanna AEYC Conference; Keeping the Balance; Williamsport; [email protected]
April 17: PennAEYC workshop - NAEYC Updates - Developmentally Appropriate Practices working with Preschool Children, Camp Hill - Giant Community Room
April 21: PennAEYC workshop - NAEYC Updates and Helping Your Staff Understand Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Harrisburg - Capitol Area Early Childhood Training Institute
M ay 14-15: 2010 Pittsburgh AEYC Conference; "Creativity: Where the Future Begins" www.pghaeyc.org
May 24-25: Higher Education Diversity Institute co-sponsored by PennAEYC, Penn Stater, State College
June 6-9: NAEYC Professional Development Institute; Pheonix, AZ
June 7: Early Childhood Public Policy Forum, Harrisburg
June 8: Early Childhood Action Day, Harrisburg |
Professional Development
PennAEYC Spring Sessions Offered:
April 8: PennAEYC workshop - NAEYC Updates - Developmentally Appropriate Practices working with Infants and Toddlers , Lancaster - Park City Community Room
April 17: PennAEYC workshop - NAEYC Updates - Developmentally Appropriate Practices working with Preschool Children, Camp Hill - Giant Community Room
April 21: PennAEYC workshop - NAEYC Updates and Helping Your Staff Understand Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Harrisburg - Capitol Area Early Childhood Training Institute
Look for information on these PennAEYC sessions
coming soon to Northwestern Pennsylvania! |
 AEYC Chapter News
To submit your chapter news, email [email protected].
Bucks County AEYC: With the holidays behind us, the Bucks County AEYC buckles down and prepares for the busy months ahead. Finalizing the budget, meeting with the nominating committee, preparations for the Advocacy Breakfast and Week of the Young Child, and our annual Spring Dinner are on the list of "things to do" for 2010.
Scheduled for Thursday February 25, BCAEYC and DVAEYC are co-sponsoring a Bucks County Worthy Wage Social from 12:30 to 2:30 pm in Langhorne. Special guest Gerri DiLisi will update early childhood professionals on what's HOT in PA Public Policy. Contact Charlene McHugh at (215)757-8782 x19 for more information.
Dawn Marie Stempien, President
[email protected]
Pittsburgh AEYC: PAEYC conference May 14th and 15th 2010 with a dinner Friday evening honoring the early care and education community and Harriet Dichter. "Creativity: Where the Future Begins!!" Bev Bos is our keynote speaker. Please join us in Pittsburgh! |
 State Public Policy News
State Administration Updates
In December, Estelle Richman resigned as Secretary of Public Welfare in December to become Chief Operating Officer at the US Housing and Urban Development agency. The Governor has nominated Harriet Dichter to succeed Richman as secretary. Todd Klunk is now the Acting Deputy Secretary of OCDEL and Marci Walters has become acting Bureau Director for Finance, Administration and Planning.
Public Policy
On February 9, 2010, Governor Rendell will release his proposed state budget for FY 2010-2011 to the General Assembly and the public.
Early Childhood Education Caucus
This week Senator Patrick M. Browne, Representative Pat Harkins and Representative Phyllis Mundy sent out an invitation to members of the House and the Senate inviting them to join an Early Childhood Education Caucus. The caucus will inform members, create dialogue, build consensus and provide direction for legislative action by sharing information, research and studies on high quality early care and education. Members will discuss Pennsylvania's current early child care and education programs and inform their colleagues on the importance of high-quality early care and education programs for children, families, school, and communities. |
 Federal Public Policy News
Race To The Top
As part of the federal economic recovery effort, President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan established the Race to the Top competitive grant initiative. It is the largest discretionary funding effort for education reform ever made available by the federal government - $4.35 billion nationwide.
On January 19, 2010 Pennsylvania submitted a Race to the Top application the full $400 million for which Pennsylvania has been deemed eligible. According to Secretary Zahorchak, the application includes a series of bold and ambitious initiatives that will provide a strong catalyst towards the goal of ensuring every child receives a quality education that will be the foundation of a lifetime of success.
Pennsylvania's Race to the Top application includes letters of support from more than 130 individuals and entities from across the commonwealth, including PennAEYC and many of our local AEYC chapter affiliates.
For more information on the application go to the Department of Education's web site for your review. A related press release can be found at this link.
Big News on Child Care Funding!
The President and Vice President released elements of the fiscal year 2011 budget request, the entirety of which will be released on February 1, that would provide a $1.6 billion increase for the Child Care Development Block Grant that helps low-income working families and would nearly double the dependent care tax credit for families making under $85,000 a year. This is an exciting and very welcomed change in course for the federal investments in high quality, affordable child care.
The proposal also calls on Congress to reauthorize the Child Care & Development Block Grant and improve the quality of child care through that funding stream and the Early Learning Challenge Fund.
After the President presents his budget request, Congress must act on a Budget Resolution. Stay tuned for alerts to contact Congress on these and other programs in the budget.
To read more about the proposal, click here.
To read NAEYC's press release on the announcement, click here. |
 Early Childhood News
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts regulations submitted
On January 26, 2010, the Department of Education submitted final-omitted regulations for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, Office of the Attorney General, and House and Senate Education Committees. You can view the regulations at http://www.irrc.state.pa.us/Regulations/RegInfo.cfm?IRRCNo=2817.
These regulations will give the full effect of law to many of the quality expectations and requirements set forth in the PA Pre-K Counts guidance such as
Definitions for eligible providers and grantees;
Developing a community needs assessment and serving at-risk children;
Using grant funds to supplement, not supplant, other public funding sources;
Maintaining enrollments;
Developing community collaborations and partnerships;
Meeting program quality expectations (teacher/staff ratio; teacher qualifications; curriculum, assessment); and
Grantee fiscal responsibilities.
Although there is no official public comment period, individuals and organizations may submit letters of support to the IRRC. Please note the Regulation Number (#6-319) in your comments.
The Commission accepts written comments on regulations by first class mail, fax or email. Emailed comments should be addressed to [email protected] . The Commission's mailing address is: 333 Market Street, 14th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101; Fax number: (717) 783-2664. Comments on final regulations should be received at least 48 hours prior to the Commission's public meeting. The public meeting date is scheduled for March 11, 2010.
Specific questions or concerns regarding the regulations should be directed to Linda Warren, Executive Policy Specialist at OCDEL, at [email protected]. From BUILD Newsletter:
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Issues Decision in St. Elizabeth's Case Affirming the Department of Public Welfare's Authority to Require Certification of Religiously-Affiliated Non-Profit Child Care Facilities
On January 7, 2010, Commonwealth Court issued a published decision affirming the Department's determination that St. Elizabeth's Child Care Center, a religiously-affiliated non-profit child care center, must obtain a certificate of compliance prior to commencing operation.
In its decision, Commonwealth Court held that there was no evidence that the child care certification regulations place an actual or imminent burden on St. Elizabeth's free exercise of religion. Therefore, St. Elizabeth's cannot challenge on religious liberty grounds the requirement that it obtain a certificate of compliance in order to operate a child care center.
A brief factual history of the case is as follows:
After visiting the facility, the Department of Public Welfare directed St. Elizabeth's to cease and desist operation of an uncertified child care facility.
St. Elizabeth's appealed the cease and desist action through the Department's Bureau of Hearings and Appeals administrative appeal process.
The Bureau of Hearings and Appeals upheld the Department's cease and desist action.
St. Elizabeth's filed an appeal in Commonwealth Court alleging that the Department does not have the legal authority to mandate certificates of compliance for nonprofit child care facilities.
Commonwealth Court determined that the Department of Public Welfare did not have the authority to require certificates of compliance for nonprofit child care facilities based on the interpretation of Article IX.
The Department of Public Welfare filed a petition for allowance of appeal in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
The Supreme Court issued its decision on February 19, 2009, reversing the Commonwealth Court decision and affirming the department's authority under the Public Welfare Code to require a certificate of compliance for nonprofit child care facilities. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court remanded back to the Commonwealth Court St Elizabeth's claim that certification interfered with the free exercise of their religion, as protected by the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution and Pennsylvania law.
The Commonwealth Court issued its decision on January 7, 2010 affirming the Department's authority to require a certificate of compliance for religiously-affiliated nonprofit child care facilities.
St. Elizabeth's has the option to seek further appeal of this decision. |
 Resources
Wanted: Programs to Spotlight on the Learning is Everywhere website
Does your program serve the families and children of Pennsylvania? Does your program serve the entire state? If so, you're invited to submit information about your program to be featured in the "Program Spotlight" section of Learning is Everywhere! Learning is Everywhere is searching for programs in Pennsylvania that assist families and children with education, physical and mental health care services, early intervention, etc. You can have information about your program available to the thousands who visit the PA Promise for Children website and Learning is Everywhere pages, and everyone who receives information via BUILD. Send a brief description about your program and contact information to Mary Hall, Communication & Outreach Specialist, at [email protected] and your program's highlights could be featured in the coming months!
Develop Skills and Techniques to Support ELL Students Effectively
Scholarships available for PBS TeacherLine series of online courses (pdf) that focus on the specialized skills and techniques teachers can use to help English language learners accelerate their mastery of English while staying on track with classroom instruction. |
NAEYC News
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is pleased to announce the promotion of Jerlean Daniel, Ph.D. to become Executive Director Designate of the Association. Daniel will replace outgoing Executive Director, Mark R.
Ginsberg, Ph.D. on July 1, 2010.
Currently, Dr. Daniel serves as a Deputy Executive Director of the Association and is also a distinguished elected past-president. Daniel has been an active NAEYC member and Association leader for more than 30 years. She has been a staff member for five years, joining NAEYC after a 21 year career at the University of Pittsburgh where she
served as a child care center director as well as a faculty member.
Dr. Ginsberg will leave his position as the Association's Executive Director on June 30 to become Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University. He has served as NAEYC Executive Director since January 1999. Under his leadership, among other accomplishments, the Association has nearly doubled in budget and in the size of the national staff; enhanced its capacity and influence as a policy advocate; significantly grown its professional development and publications portfolio; successfully reinvented the National Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation and strengthened its higher education accreditation activities including
developing an accreditation system for associate degree granting programs in early childhood education; and acquired a new headquarters facility. | |
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Disclaimer: PennAEYC provides a forum for discussion of major issues and ideas in our field. We hope to provoke thought and promote professional growth.
The views expressed or implied are not necessarily those of the Association. Acceptance of advertising, announcements, and postings does not represent PennAEYC's endorsement of any product or service, nor is PennAEYC responsible for representations made by advertisers. | |
Your Membership Status
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If you are a PennAEYC member, your membership information is as follows:
Member ID #:
Member category:
Expiration Date:
Local Chapter/s:
To become a member or renew your membership, go to www.naeyc.org/membership or call NAEYC at 1-800-424-2460.
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