| Smart Start
On-Line | |
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| Smart Start Is ... | | Smart Start-Centre County is a network of early care and education professionals, parents, and community leaders committed to giving children in Centre County the best possible start in life through education, information, activities, and outreach.
Staff and Interns
Eileen Wise, Executive Director
Kelly Johnson, Project Manager
Emily Woodard, Intern
Megan Hosband, Intern
Action Committees
Communications & Outreach
Early Care & Education
Early Childhood Mental Health
Parenting & Literacy
Board of Directors
Charlene Friedman, Chair
Rebecca Ardoline, Secretary
Patricia Best, Ph.D.
Doug Erickson, Treasurer
Roxie Nestlerode
Jack Raykovitz, Ph.D.
Mark Righter
Robert Sunday
Joseph Webber | |
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Staff Profile | 
Eileen Wise has been the Executive Director of Smart Start - Centre County since 2005. Name: Eileen Wise
Professional position: Executive Director of Smart Start-Centre County and Community Engagement Coordinator for Centre County
Educational background:
B.A. Biological Sciences
Ph.D. Microbiology
Montessori Elementary Teaching Credential
Why you are involved with Smart Start:
I was attracted to Smart Start back in 2002 when I first moved to Centre County and was teaching grades 4-6 at Penn Mont Academy in Altoona. I saw a notice about Smart Start on a bulletin board and decided to attend a Stakeholder Meeting. I was impressed to see so many people of all ages and walks of life passionately talking about the needs of children, so I decided to get involved as a volunteer at first. Then in 2005 I applied and became executive director.
Your favorite Smart Start project/s: Two come to mind right away. I've really enjoyed being able to offer the Early Childhood Mental Health Speaker Series to the community. Over the years we've had fantastic speakers, and providers have learned a lot about how to work with children with challenging behaviors. Our annual Countdown to Kindergarten event at Nittany Mall has attracted a lot of interest, and it is a true community event that involves many planners and lots of volunteers. I enjoy meeting the families at this event.
Your goals for Smart Start for the future: I would like to see Smart Start-Centre County become a household name throughout the county, and I would like our message -about the importance of the early years of life being so critical -become commonly understood and passionately believed. Of course, if that does happen, I would love to see an increase in our staff so that we can deliver all the resources, workshops, and outreach that we would like to be able to do.
Where you live: Our house sits on top of a hill and across from a beautiful cornfield in Stormstown.
Your family: My husband of 22 years, Jim, teaches acting and directs theatrical productions at Penn State. Our son, Michael, will be a junior at Penn State next fall. He is majoring in Communications, and was recently accepted into the film studies program. A Stormstown stray cat, Cleopatra, adopted us in 2002 when we moved in. |
| Resources | |
Many of us forget the need to keep track of recalls in children's products, like the recent recall of numerous brands of drop-side cribs. Visit Consumer Product Safety Commission site for more information. You can sign up for their listserv to get all the recall announcements.
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Better Kid Care offers a Mentoring Helping for child care providers at 800-859-8340 and many resources at the website www.betterkidcare.psu.edu. |
| Volunteer Opportunities |
Smart Start is looking for 2 volunteers for each of these events:
--Spikes game July 28
--Senator Corman Spikes Day August 7
--Kids Day at Grange Fair, August 30
Volunteers get a free Smart Start T-Shirt! Volunteers help with set up, take down, and supervise the activity for kids or talk with parents about our resources and activities.
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Thanks to Smart Start & Central Region PennAEYC volunteers for answering phones for the WPSU Kids' Pledge Fund Drive last month. Check out our 'team' in their new Smart Start t-shirts!! |
Emily Woodard, Linda Duerr, Eileen Wise, Sue Seely, Elise Rodgers |
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| State Legislators | |
State Representatives
Kerry Benninghoff
Boroughs and Townships served: Bellefonte, Centre Hall, College, Gregg, Harris, Millheim, Penn, Potter, Spring, State College, Walker kbenning@pahousegop.com, 355-1300
H. Scott Conklin:
Boroughs and Townships served: Ferguson, Halfmoon, Huston, Patton, Philipsburg, Port Matilda, Rush, South Philipsburg, State College, Taylor, Worth
238-5477/ 342-4872
Michael Hanna:
Boroughs and Townships served: Benner, Boggs, Burnside, Curtin, Haines, Howard, Liberty, Marion, Miles, Milesburg, Snow Shoe, Union, Unionville
353-8780
State Senators
John Wozniak:
Boroughs and Townships served: Philipsburg, Rush, South Philipsburg
266-2277
Jake Corman:
Boroughs and Townships served: all other than Philipsburg, Rush, South Philipsburg
355-0477 | |
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| Disclaimer | |
Acceptance of advertising, announcements, and postings does not represent Smart Start's endorsement of any product, program, or service, nor is Smart Start responsible for representations made by others. | |
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| Committee On-line Reporting Forms | |
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Dear Smart Start Supporter,
You may notice that we've decided to give this e-newsletter a name - the same name as the printed Smart Start newsletter. It's a perfect name for what we do, which is bring people together and support their efforts to improve early childhood care, education, health and safety in our County.
It has become clear over the past couple of months, and particularly the past few weeks of final State budget negotiations, that our message is getting out there! More parents, legislators, business leaders, educators, and community members than ever before are getting actively and financially involved in making sure our youngest children have what they need for a good start in life.
We are expanding our website to reflect all the activity that we are involved in, starting with a new "In the News" section with links to the recent local media coverage of early childhood issues. Check it out by clicking here.
Are you ready to get involved? We are looking for volunteers for some fun upcoming events including a Spikes baseball game, Senator Corman's Kids Day with the Spikes, and Grange Fair. See the "volunteer opporutunities" and "calendar" sections for details.
Smart Start Staff |
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| Public Events and Meetings |
Smart Start Committee and Board meetings are listed under the 'Committee Activities" section below. To submit an item for this calendar, email kelly@smartstartcc.org.
July
Wednesday, July 28: Spikes game featuring Smart Start - Centre County. Get your tickets now by emailing eileen@smartstartcc.org. Tickets are $7 each, and we keep $2 from each ticket we sell. If you'd like to purchase tickets to sponsor a young child and his or her family to attend the game, we'll gladly make the arrangements. Purchase tickets from us for a chance to throw out the first pitch of the game or to lead the crowd in singing the 7th inning stretch! We also will have a silent auction at our promotional table at the game, so bring your checkbook and stop by for some great deals. To buy tickets, email eileen@smartstartcc.org. To donate an item for the silent auction, email kelly@smartstartcc.org.
Saturday, August 7: Senator Corman Kids Day with the Spikes, 12 noon until 3:00 pm, Medlar Field. There will be exhibits and fun activities for children by programs in the local community and the purpose is to inform the public about services available to them and to entertain and educate the youth.
Saturday, August 7: Sensory Integration: Tools, Resources and Real World Solutions for Life with Challenging Kids sponsored by NASW and Hope For Kids, Patton Township Municipal Bldg, 9:00 - 3:30, $60 for professionals, $50 for NASW members, $20 for caregivers, register on-line at www.nasw-pa.org under professional development tab. Questions: Daisi Eyerly, LSW 814-571-8064
August 26 - Sept 2: Grange Fair, Centre Hall.
Monday, August 30: Kids Day at the Grange Fair, 11 am-4 pm. Local agencies and organizations provide activities for children while informing families about their resources and services. Held in the Recreation Building. |
| Member Article: Summer Activities for Kids |
by Nancy Wilson
Nancy's article was written for "FOR THE CHILDREN" - Smart Start's new monthly column in the Centre Daily Times. To read the first column, click here.
Q: I am the mother of a toddler, preschooler and first-grader. I'll be home with my children this summer and want it to be relaxing and fun. What can I do to keep my children busy and happy?
A: There are many ways for you and your children to have some fun times. Keep your children busy with activities that are right for their ages. A bonus for you is that busy children behave better.
The best outings for your children can be in your own back yard. Kids are natural collectors - they love to gather things such as acorns, pine cones, small stones, leaves and twigs. Sticks and stones can provide hours of fun. These are treasures for a child. Your toddler will need you nearby to play safely with these. Another benefit of being outdoors is that children can be loud. They can laugh, yell and shout. Children love to run, play and climb. In the evening, look for fireflies and at stars. Children love to use flashlights when it's dark outside. Sit around and tell some family stories. Children need to be active every day. Rainy days can be a challenge. Here are ways to keep your kids active when indoors: ·Children love to dance to music. ·Have fun sock-skating on a tile floor. ·Bring home exercise videos from the library to make exercising fun. ·Play indoor basketball with bean bags or sponge balls and a laundry basket. ·Crumple up old newspapers for an indoor "snowball" fight. ·Pile up some pillows and blankets for climbing. Have your older children help plan your activities. Give them choices of things to do, all of which are OK with you. Avoid over-scheduling. Allow time for daydreaming, relaxing and creativity. Do some art activities outdoors, where messes are easier to clean up. Sit in a shady spot and read stories together. Have picnics outside for meals and snacks. Have your children help. Children love to help cook. For those times you want to do something away from home, the Centre Region has much to offer. Schlow Centre Region Library has a summer reading program with a variety of activities for children age 3 to 12. They offer story hours, shows, art and craft activities, and more. There are classics movies shown at the library on Fridays. On Wednesdays, the State Theater has free movies. Other public libraries in the county also have summer programs for children. The Centre Region has many parks which have picnic areas, playground equipment and places to play ball. The Centre Region Parks and Recreation offers many types of summer activities for families and children.
Nancy Wilson is an early learning specialist with Penn State Better Kid Care Program. For the Children is a monthly column in which we tap our network of experts to answer community questions. |
| Advocacy this Month: State Budget Update |
You can view the full text of the 2010-2011 budget bill, HB 2279, here. Thank you for your amazing work this year to educate our legislators and other policymakers on the importance and impact of early education. Although early education did receive modest cuts, other departments were cut more than 10%. Click here to find out how our legislators voted. This budget depends on receiving $850 million in FMAP funding from the federal government. FMAP stands for the Federal Medicaid Matching Assistance Program. The cost of Medicaid is shared by federal and state government. To assist states in meeting greater demand for Medicaid during the economic crisis, Congress provided the states with a larger share of Medicaid matching funds. These funds are scheduled to expire in December, 2010. Since the last vote in the Senate, FMAP has been stalled, although several Governors, including Governor Rendell, have been lobbying Washington to pass the extension to protect vital services to children and families. If FMAP does not come through, the Governor and legislative leaders will need to go back to the negotiating table to cut ANOTHER $850 million, and early education will again be vulnerable. |
| Local News - Keystone STARS | | To submit items for "local new" email kelly@smartstartcc.org.
Smart Start congratulates the following 10 early childhood programs which moved up in the STARS rating system during the past fiscal year. By participating in STARS, these programs have shown their ongoing commitment to improving the care, environment, health, education, and safety for the children they serve.
Birth- Pre-K
Kathy Phillips Family Day Care Home - STAR 4
Kelly Smay Family Day Care Home - STAR 4
Laurie Judy Family Day Care Home - STAR 4
Easter Seals - STAR 3
Little Garden Patch - STAR 1
Child Space: A Developmental Daycare Program - STAR 1
Kindergarten and Up
Philipsburg School Age Program - STAR 2
YMCA- Y Kids - STAR 2
YMCA- Panorama Elementary - STAR 2
YMCA- Park Forest Elementary - STAR 1 In Centre County alone, 2,253 children were cared for in STARS programs last year. We are also pleased to recognize the 14 STAR 4 programs in Centre County, four of which have also attained NAEYC Accreditation and one NAFDCA Accreditation : Bellefonte Family YMCA Child Care and their sites at Pleasant Gap, Bellefonte Elementary, Marion Walker, & Benner Bennett Family Center - NAEYC Accredited Child Development Laboratory - NAEYC Accredited Daybridge Child Development Center - NAEYC Accredited
Growing in Faith Kathy Ann Phillips Family Child Care Home Kelly Smay Family Child Care Home Laurie Judy Family Child Care Home Montessori School of the Nittany Valley - NAEYC Accredited St. Paul's Christian Preschool
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| State of the Child Panel Event |
Panelists Todd Klunk, Kevin Casey, Diane Barber, and moderator Terry Casey | Over 90 participants attended an important gathering committed to financial investment in education and early childhood at the Penn Stater Conference Center on Tuesday, May 25, 2010.
The event was organized to promote the importance of investments in children from birth through high school. The event included panelists from state government, local schools, and state-wide advocacy organizations.
Panelists shared facts and figures, research findings, and personal stories to encourage attendees to contact their local representatives and other community members to speak on behalf of the children in their counties in order to provide a better education and future for them.
Organizers Ann Walker, Executive Administrator of Child Development and Family Council of Centre County Inc., and Eileen Wise, Executive Director of Smart Start - Centre County, were very pleased with the turnout, which included people from 47 school districts in 8 surrounding counties including Centre, Blair, Clinton, Cambria, Huntington, Mifflin, Juniata, and Clearfield Counties. Participants represented school districts, early care and education facilities, higher education, advocacy groups, social service agencies, businesses, seniors, and other interested community members. The event was covered by the Centre Daily Times, and several follow-up letters to the editor were published as well.
Other co-sponsors of the event included the community engagement groups from neighboring Clinton and Cambria counties, and Cen-Clear Child Services, the Head Start provider for Clearfield and Centre Counties.
Terry Casey, President of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association, moderated the panel. Todd Klunk, Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) Office of Child Development and Early Learning, spoke about the critical importance of early childhood. The other state government speakers were Kevin Casey, Deputy Secretary with the DPW Office of Developmental Programs; Richard Gold, Deputy Secretary of the DPW Office of Children, Youth, and Families; and Mike Walsh, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Education's Office for Administration.
Other speakers were Jodi Askins, Executive Director with the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Diane Barber, Early Childhood Director representing Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; Kacy Conley, Director of the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network; Robin Foltz, Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania School Age Child Care Alliance; Dan Fisher, Superintendent of Bald Eagle Area School District in Centre County; art teacher Sue Lemmo from the Curwensville School District with the Pennsylvania State Education Association; Yvonne Thompson-Friend, PA State Coordinator for Seniors4Kids; and Sharon Ward, Director of PA Budget and Policy Center with the Keystone Research Center. |
| Committee Activities | | **committee members, please remember to complete our online reporting forms for all your volunteer hours, advocacy efforts, and transition activities
Early Childhood Mental Health Committee
--Writing a grant proposal for the Speaker Series.
--To get involved in this committee, email Wendy Whitesell at wjw8@psu.edu. The next regular committee meeting is July 15, 9:00 - 10:00 at the Center for Child and Adult Development, 1315 W. College, Ste. 303, State College.
Parenting & Literacy Action Committee
--The Pre-K Calendar is at the printer! We are excited to begin distribution soon! The new Babies Rock with Books is in final review.
--To get involved in this committee, email Connie at ces11@scasd.org. The next regular committe meeting is to be scheduled at Schlow Library, State College.
Early Care & Education Action Committee
--Four district-wide transition roundtable discussions are being planned by four teams. The committee is also reviewing the Kindergarten Parent survey to be administered this Fall.
The next regular committee meeting is July 27, 8:30 - 10:00 at Child Development and Family Council, 2565 Park Centre Blvd, Ste 100, State College.
Communications & Outreach Action Committee
--Media coverage of the State of the Child Regional Panel Event included the PA BUILD e-news and the NAEYC early learning e-news!
Professional Coordinating Committee
Next meeting July 19.
Other Information
Next Board Meeting will be held August 17. |
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Connected for Kids