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Families invited to participate in Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking-Early Intervention
Deadline approaching for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Application for Competitive Grant
Recommendations for improving aligned, high-quality early education
Helping parents and caregivers care for themselves as an important part of caring for their children

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PKCDeadline approaching for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Application for Competitive Grant
Application deadline: August 28, 2014 


With an August 28 deadline, time is near for those who wish to apply for the PA Pre-K Counts Competitive grant.

 

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 provides a high quality pre-kindergarten experience to at-risk children. The standards for the program 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, pending allocation of funding through the state budget each 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.


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. A pre-application webinar was held and recorded on August 6, 2014 and is now available. The purpose of the pre-application webinar was to provide opportunity for clarification of the RFA.

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C2P2Families invited to participate in Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking-Early Intervention
Application deadline September 12


Families are invited to attend the Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking-Early Intervention (C2P2 EI)

series. These events are free leadership development training for families of children who receive Infant-Toddler Early Intervention or Pre-School Early Intervention Services. Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking-Early Intervention helps families identify best practice supports in early intervention, connect with community resources, and navigate the Pennsylvania Early Intervention System.


Apply if you are an interested family member from Pennsylvania who: 

  • has an infant, toddler or pre-schooler who receives early intervention services;
  • desires to learn  leadership skills to advocate for yourself and others; and
  • is willing to commit to attend all trainings

All 4 trainings are 2-day sessions held on Fridays and Saturdays during October, November, February and April in Pittsburgh. Find out more and download an application to share with families.  

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familiesStrengthening families with the support of healthcare professionals


Across the country, states, programs, communities and pediatricians are using the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework to guide their work and help them to focus on protective factors that all families need. A new report, Promoting Children's Health and Resiliency: A Strengthening Families Approach, from Strengthening Families and the American Academy of Pediatrics provides pediatricians and other health care providers with prevention and intervention resources to help support the health care professional's role in helping parents and caregivers learn to care for themselves as an important part of caring for their children.


The report also provides information to identify and respond to children who have experienced trauma, as well as references of pediatricians who are currently doing this work.


For additional details, see Promoting Children's Health and Resiliency: A Strengthening Families Approach, or learn more about the Strengthening Families approach in Pennsylvania.

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acceleratingBeyond Subprime Learning: Accelerating Progress in Early Education


The New America Foundation has published a new report, Beyond Subprime Learning: Accelerating Progress in Early Education, which provides eight recommendations for improving aligned, high-quality early education from birth through third grade. Each recommendation includes steps that can be taken by the various stakeholders who would be primarily responsible for a given intervention.


  1. Bridge the Continuum: Streamline systems across the birth-through-third grade years
  2. Upgrade Educators: Professionalize and improve the early education workforce
  3. Emphasize Families: develop dual-generational strategies
  4. Intentionally Support Dual-Language Learners: Embrace children's languages as assets
  5. Rethink Standards & Assessment: Coordinate teaching & learning for young children
  6. Strengthen and Improve Accountability Systems: Promote children's learning and development
  7. Collect and Use Data Responsibly: Inform educators and policymakers
  8. Bring Research Closer to Policy and Practice: Use implementation science and openness

For additional information, see the report, Beyond Subprime Learning: Accelerating Progress in Early Education.

 

 

More Trends & Reports 

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Fun summer learning activities: August LIECDuring August, Learning is Everywhere provides activities families can do with their children to support learning. Also, find ways to celebrate summer, get tips on summer car safety, and print the list of 10 Books About Going to School.
  
August Edition of Baby Talk: In the August edition of Baby Talk, discover the impact on children's language development as a result of television, how daily reading affects children's language acquisition and literacy, and more!
  
Digital Media Resource: PBS LearningMedia is a free digital media resource designed to support curriculum-based teaching and learning from PreK through 12th grade. The service offers video clips, audio recordings, photographs, interactive games, primary source documents, and more.
  
Get a Copy of IDEA: If families are involved in the well-being of an infant, toddler, child, or youth with disabilities, they'll find reading the exact language of IDEA (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004) both illuminating and important. Part B of IDEA is focused on services to school-aged children with disabilities. This includes preschoolers (ages 3-5) and children in K-12. Regulations for this part of the law are available. In addition to being able to read it online, families can also download a full copy, print it out, and keep it handy.
  
Literacy Explorer Kits from Raising Readers: Literacy Explorer Kits contain reading tips and developmental information, playgroup ideas for child and parent together time and activities to help parents extend the learning at home. Each Kit contains: reading tips/developmental info, playgroup maps, parent & child together time idea sheets and explorer bag info sheets to create take home explorer bags for families.
  
Little Children, Big Challenges: Be prepared for the little  ones who have a hard time with separation at the beginning of the school year. Sesame Street has a toolkit with video clips, educator guide, songs, and parent tips that can help make going to school an easier transition. 
  
Resource for Developmental and Autism Screenings for Burmese and Nepali families: A multi-disciplinary team from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recently completed Burmese and Nepali translations of the Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC) and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT). A brief one page handout about the translations describes the screeners and provides a few examples and provides the websites where the screening tools can be obtained. Both screening measures are open source and there is no cost to use them. These tools can be read by the families themselves or easily utilized by interpreters working with low literacy families.
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Nominations Invited for I Love My Librarian Award: The Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, and college librarians. The program seeks nominations that describe how a librarian is improving the lives of people in a school, campus, or community. Deadline September 12
  
Toolbox for Education Grants: The Lowe's Charitable and Education Foundation supports projects that encourage parent involvement in local schools and build stronger community spirit. Deadline October 15
  
National Science Teachers Association Invites Nominations for Shell Science Teaching Award: The National Science Teachers Association is inviting nominations for the Shell Science Teaching Award, an annual program that recognizes an outstanding K-12 classroom teacher who has had a positive impact on his/her students, school, and community through exemplary science teaching. Deadline November 28
August 13, 2014
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Throughout August: Pathways to Poetry: A Family Event. Greensburg

Through August 22: Pottstown SD Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program

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

August 20: Life's A Game Expos, Washington 

August 27: PIC Family Literacy Program Parent/Child Evening Interactive Literacy Activity, Greensburg

August 28: PIC Family Literacy Program Parent/Child Evening Interactive Literacy Activity, Uniontown 

October 6: Family Engagement Summit, Harrisburg

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

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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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