| Smart Start
On-Line |
Spread the word and help us get 100 fans on Facebook. Fan number 100 will get a special prize! |
| JOIN OUR LIST |  |
| Board Member Profile | |
Name: Roxie Nestlerode
Early Learning Specialist,
Penn State Better Kid Care, Penn State University
ECE/Elem Ed - B.S. (from PSU)
Human Development - M.A. (from Pacific Oaks College)
Why did you get involved with Smart Start? As an early childhood educator, I have always recognized the importance of early care and education, and have worked with various groups to promote quality early care and education programs over the years. I have been involved with Smart Start as it evolved from the original state initiative. It has been encouraging to see how Smart Start's projects have expanded and how Smart Start has helped to build community awareness of the importance and lasting effects of quality early care and education.
Favorite Smart Start Projects: I appreciate the variety of projects that Smart Start supports and coordinates, especially the early childhood mental health projects, such as the ECMH Speaker Series. Healthy social and emotional development is an essential for successful early learning and school readiness.
What are your goals for Smart Start in the future? For the future, I would like to see Smart Start develop projects and resources for parenting programs and for supporting early care and education programs in helping children with social/emotional needs.
|
| 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
Julie March, Intern
Action Committees
Early Care & Education
Early Childhood Mental Health
Health & Nutrition
Parenting & Literacy
Transition Team
Board of Directors
Charlene Friedman, Chair
Rebecca Ardoline, Secretary
Sudha Babu
Patricia Best, Vice Chair
Melissa Clark
Doug Coatsworth
Linda Duerr
J. Hugh Dwyer
D. Richard Francke
Rob Huffard
Denny Nau
Roxie Nestlerode
Jack Raykovitz, Vice Chair
Joseph Webber | |
| Resources | |
Our community is very fortunate to have easy access to the National Autism Conference, which is held at The Penn Stater Conference Center each year. Here are the details for this year's conference:
2011 National Autism Conference
August 1-4, 2011
This conference provides comprehensive, evidence-based information to assist educators, providers, and families in developing effective educational and therapeutic programming for all students with autism spectrum disorders.
For complete session descriptions and registration information
click here.
Credit: Act 48, ASHA, BACB & Psych
Fees
Pennsylvania education professionals: $150 for entire conference
Other Pennsylvania professionals: $200 for entire conference Out-of-state professionals: $225 for entire conference
One-day fee: $75
Pennsylvania family members or adults living with ASD: $25 for entire conference
Non-Pennsylvania family members or adults living with ASD: $50 for entire conference.
Webcast Information: Various sessions will be available to view live from your computer.
Webcast OPTIONS:
Watch any or all of the session offerings free of charge if not seeking to obtain CEUs. No registration is required, information will be available on the PSU website.
| |
|
| 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 | |
|
| Committee On-line Reporting Forms |
Advocacy Actions:Report any advocacy actions such as legislator contacts, signing petitions, or writing to the media.
In-Kind/Volunteer Time:Report your volunteer time spent on Smart Start projects and committees. Transition Activities:Report any meetings, activities, publications, etc. with a goal of making connections for improved transition to kindergarten. |
| 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. | |
|
|
|
|
Dear Smart Start Supporter,
Parent Input Needed! Smart Start is looking for parents to join our parent advisory group for this year - please read Eileen's article below for details.
For the children,
Smart Start Staff |
|
| Public Events and Meetings | |
Smart Start Committee and Board meetings are listed under the 'Committee Activities" section below.
June
June 4: Trash to Treasure sale, 7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Hills Plaza shopping center, benefitting Centre County United Way, contact Kim at United Way 238-8283, www.t2t.psu.edu
June 6: Bellefonte Area Transition Team meeting "Cupcakes for Kindergarten," 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., Bellefonte Family Resource Center, email suallen@cenclear.org for information.
June 15: Professional Workshop: Environmental Rating Scale Perspectives, Schlow Library. Info at www.pakeys.org
June 24: Parenting Plus Play Group - 12:30 - 2:00 pm, Bellefonte Youth Center, call 237-5731 for information.
June 24-25: Family Childcare Providers Professional Conference, Tofrees. Info at www.pakeys.org |
| Member Article: Parent Input Needed |
Eileen Wise is Executive Director of Smart Start-Centre County.
When we began our monthly Centre Daily Times column "For the Chidlren" one year ago, my vision was to give parents a chance to ask questions that would be of general interest to other parents, and to use the Smart Start network to provide answers and expert advice from early childhood leaders in our community.
 Our volunteer writers have covered a number of important issues including choosing good quality child care, when to seek a developmental evaluation, the hallmarks of kindergarten readiness and so on.
In this month's column, I turned the tables and asked for readers' advice. What have you learned in parenting your child? Would you be willing to share your thoughts to help the state of Pennsylvania do an even better job of creating resources and materials to help other parents?
Most of us become parents without any specific training for the job. If we're lucky, we had a chance to help out with the care of younger siblings, do some babysitting in the neighborhood or spend time with young cousins or neighbors.
When we become parents ourselves, we begin to realize the limitations of those earlier experiences, and we can become overwhelmed with the challenges of 24/7 parenting.
We do our best and make it through, and we experience many rewarding aspects of parenting along the way. Eventually, we come to see ourselves as experts of a sort. We are practical experts in the strengths and needs of our own child. We recognize the times when a meltdown is about to occur, and we learn how to avert, divert, prepare, and plan so that things go smoothly and our family's quality of life is enhanced.
We also learn how to help our child make the best of big transitions, such as starting preschool or kindergarten.
Through talking with caregivers, pediatricians, teachers and other parents, we learn the communication skills we need in order to be an effective advocate for our child in each new setting.
Won't you share your parenting expertise with us? At the state level, the Office of Child Development/Early Learning is re-designing its Pennsylvania's Promise for Children web-site and is seeking parent input through a six-question, open-ended survey. You may take the survey online or you may download the hard copy from www.smartstartcc.org and mail your responses to me at Smart Start-Centre County, PO Box 853, State College, PA 16804.
At the local level, Smart Start would like to invite local moms and dads to join our new parent advisory group. This group will meet socially several times during the course of the coming year to help us by giving input on our publications and projects and by sharing stories and ideas. Please email, write or call me to join this new group. |
| Volunteer Opportunities | | |
Volunteers needed for Smart Start's participation in the the WPSU Live Membership Drive, Wednesday, June 8, 6:45 - 9:00 a.m.
All volunteers receive a free Smart Start T-Shirt!
|
| One Book, Every Young Child Project 2011 |
 | | Anita Ditz, Children's Librarian |
Smart Start-Centre County intern Kathy Le organized a successful 6th annual Community Reading Project during April 2011 to promote early literacy and the PA Library Association's "One Book, Every Young Child" program.
16 returning and 16 new community volunteers visited 27 child care, preschool, and family daycare sites around the county to read the One Book selection Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job to a total of 851 children.
All 27 sites were provided with free copies of the book, stickers, bookmarks, a study guide, and a laminated set of matching cards. This year, for the first time, over 800 children received a free copy of the book to take home, thanks to a generous donation from the State College Kiwanis Club. Many of the readers also did shoe- and career-related activities with the children.
Some of the volunteer readers participated in a Readers' Tea where Anita Ditz, Children's Librarian at Schlow Centre Region Library, demonstrated reading the story. Anita also did a public reading of the story, which was introduced by Mayor Elizabeth Goreham and Borough Manager Thomas J. Fountaine, at the State College Municipal Building.
In a letter thanking Smart Start for coordinating this project, the administrators at Grace Lutheran Preschool & Kindergarten said,
"The trip to the Schlow Library to meet the author, Ed Strong's story presentation during our school assemblies, and the children receiving books to share at home ensured the program was fun, educational, and stimulated interesting discussions. Our Kindergarten students created their own version of the story by photographing the shoes of the people who work in the church in diverse capacities . . . Thanks, too, for facilitating the Centre Daily Times' visit to our site during the school assemblies. We appreciated the opportunity to have our school featured in connection with your program."
 | | Ed Strong |
Our volunteer readers said:
"I really benefited greatly from the Readers Tea and the instruction given by the State College Librarian on how to read to children."
"I believe that reading to children at a young age opens many doors that would otherwise remain shut."
"I thought it was a very unique and enriching opportunity to share my love for books."
 | | Sudha Babu |
|
| Local News | |
To submit items for "local news" email kelly@smartstartcc.org.
|
| Advocacy This Month: House Slashes ECE Funding |
From Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children ( www.pennaeyc.org)
The Time is NOW!
Even if you have made calls, sent e-mails, written letters or visited in person.......the time is now.
The Pennsylvania House SLASHED nearly $40 million of the Governor's proposed funding for Early Childhood Education!
If you believe in quality early learning we need you to Reach out TODAY and tell your Senator how these cuts in Child Care Works subsidy, T.E.A.C.H. scholarships and Keystone STARS would affect your parents, your program, your coworkers, and the future of this state!
Every Senator needs to hear that early childhood should be a priority in this budget.
We need every voice in the early childhood community. Please do not wait to take action. Every second counts until the final budget deal is made. Please reach out to your Senator TODAY.
If you aren't sure who to contact or how to reach them, you can find your Senator at www.legis.state.pa.us.
Your elected officials need to know what is important to you....and the time is NOW!
|
|
| Committee Activities | |
Health and NutritionCommittee
Next meeting: June 30, 9:30 - 10:30, Nurse Family Partnership Office, 450 Windmere Drive, Ste. 175, State College
Early Childhood Mental Health Committee
Next meeting: June 23, 9 - 10:30, Center for Child and Adult Development Office, 1315 W. College, Ste. 303, State College
Parenting & Literacy Action Committee
Next meeting: TBA, noon - 2:00, Schlow Library, State College
Early Care & Education Action Committee
Next meeting: June 28, 8:30 - 10:00, Child Development and Family Council Office, 2565 Park Centre Blvd, Ste 100, State College
Board and PCC Committee session June 9, 5:30 - 7:00, Patton Township Building
PCC meeting, June 20, 9:00 - 11:00, Child Development and Family Council Office, 2565 Park Centre Blvd., Ste 100, State College |
|
|
