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Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts application for competitive grant now available.
Nurse-Family Partnership reports reduced parent and child preventable deaths
Report shows how what happens at early stages of development influences later life
The importance of immunizations--August is National Immunization Awareness Month
Sign up for Text4baby to get free health info during pregnancy and until baby's 1st birthday

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PKCPennsylvania Pre-K Counts Application for Competitive Grant
Letter of Intent deadline: August 4, 2014
Application deadline: August 28, 2014 


The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is seeking applicants for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts. Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts was enacted into law by Act 45 of 2007 (and amended in 2008 and 2010) amending the Public School Code of 1949 (24 P.S. �� 15- 1511-D-15-1516-D). Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is meant to expand the number of children who have the opportunity to experience a pre-kindergarten program of high quality. The standards for the program will ensure a high return on the investment made in preparing young children for school and will help close the achievement gap between groups of students in the K-12 educational system. Early education through Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts can open the doors of opportunity for every child to do well in school, in the workforce, and in life. Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts funding is awarded on a cost per child basis.


This competitive opportunity will select eligible grantees for a four-year grant period beginning this year. Eligible applicants include existing Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts grantees, and new applicants from one of these five eligible entity categories:
 

a. School districts;

b. Licensed nursery schools;
c. Head Start grantees;
d. Child care centers and group child care homes designated at Keystone STAR 3 or STAR 4; and
e. A third party entity may apply for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts funding and administer the lead agency responsibilities for entities that are eligible to provide the classroom services under the categories listed above.


Letter of intent deadline is August 4, 2014 at 3 pm, and application deadline is August 28, 2014 at 3 pm. Detailed information on how to apply, along with program expectations can be accessed on the PA Keys website.

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Save the Date! October 6: Family Engagement Summit
 

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning asks you to save the date for the Family Engagement OCDEL Summit, Supporting Strong Partnerships for Children's School Readiness and Achievement to be held on October 6 at the PaTTAN Harrisburg.


The Summit will provide an opportunity for early childhood professionals, family leaders, school district personnel, and community leaders to network and discuss family engagement strategies, supports and resources in Pennsylvania around effective and efficient ways to partner to support children's school readiness.


Registration and full conference information will be available mid August. Until then, pass along the Save the Date Flyer, and for more information, contact Sarah Holland at saholland@pa.gov.

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textText4baby State Enrollment Contest


A resource for moms-to-be can help them, their baby, and Pennsylvania in the 2014 Text4baby State Enrollment Contest The contest has officially started and runs through November 1. During the contest, states compete to enroll as many users as possible in text4baby.


Text4baby is a free service that provides women with important health information during pregnancy and until their baby's 1st birthday. Pregnant women and new mothers who text "BABY" (or "BEBE" for Spanish) to 511411 receive three weekly messages, timed to their due date or their baby's birth date. They'll learn about labor and delivery, nutrition, breastfeeding, safe sleep, developmental milestones, smoking cessation, immunization and more. And its free!


Help Pennsylvania score big in the National text4baby Enrollment Contest and let's spread the word about text4baby. You'll be giving a mom and her baby the gift of a lifetime! Free materials are available in English and Spanish to help with promotion efforts. Contact lcortes@pa.gov for additional information.   

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RegistryNew PD Registry Resources Available


Are you an early childhood educator? If so, have you logged into your account in the new PD Registry on the PA Keys website?


Take a few minutes today and check out the latest resources, tipsheets and tutorial videos: 

  • Professional Development Registry Student Policies
  • Professional Development Registry for Students Part 1: Finding a Course
  • Professional Development Registry for Students Part 2: Registering for a Course
  • Professional Development Registry for Students Part 3: My Courses & Completing the Evaluation
  • Professional Development Registry for Students Part 4: Viewing Your PQAS Hours & Printing a Certificate
  • Professional Development Registry for Students Part 5: My Self-Assessment
  • Professional Development Registry for Students Part 6: My Professional Development Plan

Additional Resources for students, instructors and directors are available by logging in, clicking the My Learning Path Tab, and then clicking References.


Please contact registry@berksiu.org with any questions regarding the PD Registry.

 

  
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NFPNurse-Family Partnership Reports Reduced Parent and Child Preventable Deaths

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) released results of the first   randomized clinical trial of an early intervention program in a high-income country to show reduced maternal and child death. The study, Effect of Home Visiting by Nurses on Maternal and Child Mortality, reported in JAMA Pediatrics, found that NFP involvement reduced preventable deaths among low-income mothers and their first-born children living in urban, disadvantaged neighborhoods. The trial began in 1990 and was concluded in 2011; enrolled low-income mothers in Memphis, TN; and produced "a significant reduction in preventable child death from birth to age 20." They also found that mothers in the treatment group were less likely to die than those not receiving treatment. Research with this group will continue.

During 2011-12 in Pennsylvania, Nurse-Family Partnership reached 40 of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania, serving 5,002 children, which is one percent of the infants and toddlers in Pennsylvania. Fifty-seven percent of the high risk counties were served by Nurse-Family Partnership.
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MentalhealthUnderstanding Children's Mental Wellness
 
Child Trends and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have published a report, Are the Children Well? A Model and Recommendations for Promoting the Mental Wellness of the Nation's Young People, that summarizes current knowledge on children's mental health and provides a comprehensive framework for understanding mental wellness. The report discusses mental wellness from early childhood to early adulthood, showing how what happens at early stages of development influences later stages. It highlights the evidence for interventions that can improve mental health wellness at multiple levels.

In Pennsylvania, the Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Consultation Program is a child-specific consultative model which addresses the social-emotional development of young children within their early care and education program. The program is designed to assist early care and education programs in meeting the social and emotional needs of children who exhibit challenging behaviors in the classroom.

 

 

More Trends & Reports 

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immunizationAugust is National Immunization Awareness Month: Immunizations to keep your child healthy

As a parent or family member, you may get upset or concerned when you watch your baby get three or four shots during a doctor's visit. But all of those shots add up to your baby being protected against 14 infectious diseases. Young babies can get very ill from vaccine-preventable diseases. The vaccination schedule is designed to protect young children before they are likely to be exposed to potentially serious diseases and when they are most vulnerable to serious infections.

Vaccines reduce the risk of infection by working with the body's natural defenses to help it safely develop immunity to disease. Vaccine-preventable diseases can be very serious, may require hospitalization, or even be deadly - especially in infants and young children. Your child's doctor can guide you in determining what vaccines your child needs and when she needs them.
  
Visit the Center for Disease Control website's Parent section to learn more about the importance of having your child fully vaccinated, age-specific vaccine information, and how you can get help paying for vaccines.
  
  
  
Summer Adventure Tracker! Exploring your own local community this summer? Kids can track their adventures with a downloadable map and log sheet from ReadingRockets. Match your adventures with the Start with a Book themes and find lots of related books, activities and apps to extend the learning. 
  
Best Books for Babies 2014: Created by a panel of local librarians and child development experts this annual list is a nationally recognized guide for parents, teachers, and caregivers in selecting quality materials to share with babies birth to 18 months.
  
Keys to Successful Partnerships: Six Types of Involvement: A new infographic presents a quick visual reference of parent involvement from researcher Joyce Epstein. Types include Parenting, Communicating, Volunteering, Learning at Home, Decision Making, and Collaborating with the Community.
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Financial Literacy Program Grants: CompareCards, a credit card comparison company, is dedicated to preparing youth for a bright future by supporting financial and economic education programs. The company is inviting applications for its Financially Literate Youth (FLY) program for the 2015-2016 school year. CompareCards will award grants to support pre-existing financial literacy programs in K-12 schools with priority to programs that reach a broad group of students and implement a project/curriculum that teaches students how to build good financial habits. Deadline August 8 
 
Martin M. Sacks Memorial Fund Grant: The Martin M. Sacks annual competitive grantmaking program is for nonprofit organizations providing youth and family-oriented programs in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties. Focus of funding includes Physical, emotional or behavioral health services; After-school programs; and Services for children/youth with special needs. Deadline September 12
  
The Emerging Philanthropist Program Grant: The Emerging Philanthropist Program (EPP) a joint project between The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) and Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP), invites nonprofit organizations to apply for a new grant opportunity. Any nonprofit organization in Harrisburg and/or serving Harrisburg families with programs or services that address family development and engagement with an emphasis on those families with children ages 0-10 years may apply for a one-time grant. Deadline September 19
July 30, 2014
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Community Events 

    

July 31: Special Kids Network Meeting, Hawley

Throughout August: Pathways to Poetry: A Family Event. Greensburg

August 1: Smiley's Parent Training, Butler

August 2: Please Touch Museum's Kindergarten Mixer, Philadelphia 

August 2: Ready Set Go...Kindergarten! Harrisburg

August 2: Family Nature Palooza, Indiana

August 9: Children's Museum Pittsburgh hosts Kindergarten... Here I Come! 

August 11-22: Pottstown SD Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program  

August 15-28: Play and Learn Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program, Blue Bell, Hatboro & Lansdale

 

October 17-18: Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking Early Intervention, Pittsburgh
November 14-15: Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking Early Intervention, Pittsburgh
 

2015

February 27-28: Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking Early Intervention, Pittsburgh
April 24-25: Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking Early Intervention, Pittsburgh

Professional Events

   

August 12-14: Summer Learning Lab, Critical Thinking and the Creative Process, Edinboro
  
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Email information to Mary Hall, marhal@berksiu.org.

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The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provides families access to high quality services to prepare children for school and life success. 

  

Find more information about Quality Early Learning in Pennsylvania
 
The Early Childhood Education e-news is a project of the Pennsylvania Build Initiative and the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Public Welfare to inform early learning professionals, the early childhood community, policymakers, community leaders and the public on developments in early childhood education and care in Pennsylvania.

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