|
|
 |
 Governor Tom Wolf and new Department Secretaries take office January 20
On January 20, Tom Wolf was sworn in as Pennsylvania's 47th Governor at the Capitol. Governor Wolf stated in
his inaugural address,"Nothing is more essential than working together to make sure that every child in Pennsylvania has access to a great education, and that all teachers have the resources they need to deliver a great education. From early childhood to college and apprenticeships and training, we must strive to provide our kids an education that is both affordable and second to none. Our schools must be our highest priority."
Governor Wolf appointed Ted Dallas as Secretary of Human Services and Pedro Rivera as Secretary of Education. Both positions need to be confirmed by the Senate.
 | | Theodore "Ted" Dallas |
Theodore "Ted" Dallas was appointed secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR) May 2011, after serving as interim secretary since the beginning of that year. Prior to this appointment, Dallas served as Governor Martin O'Malley's deputy chief of staff, where he oversaw more than a half-dozen state government agencies ranging from economic development to housing and community development. Prior to his work in Maryland state government, Dallas served for five years as the executive deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. Dallas managed all programs and systems administered by DHR and oversaw assistance provided to over one million Marylanders annually. Dallas earned an undergraduate degree in political science and economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Temple University.
 | | Pedro Rivera |
Under Pedro Rivera's leadership at The School District of Lancaster, which serves approximately 11,500 students, the district made important strides, including rising graduation rates, steady gains in reading proficiency scores at all levels - with notable improvement in math, science, and writing - and high performing student participation in programs aimed at college success. Rivera has also led the development and implementation of a new PreK-12 curriculum, an aggressive professional development plan, and innovative teacher observation tools. Since taking over the district, Rivera has increased its fund balance from $4 million to $9 million. While working in the Philadelphia School District, Rivera worked as principal, assistant principal, classroom teacher, executive director, and human resources director. In September of last year, Rivera was honored by the White House as one of 10 Hispanic leaders around the country for his extraordinary work in education.
Outgoing Human Services (DHS) Secretary, Beverly Mackereth, will be working with the Ridge Policy Group effective February 2. Ms. Mackereth holds high regard for the work done in Pennsylvania to aid residents. "The department has done great things and I have my team to thank for that. As I reflect back on all of our accomplishments, I realize that there are so many positive changes and successes in each of our eight program offices that they are too numerous to write. The common theme however, is that all the work we did made the lives of Pennsylvanians better." Visit the PA DHS website for more information on the programs offered.
Outgoing Education Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq is retiring. Visit the PA PDE website for more information on programs offered.
Invitation to Apply for P-3 Governor's Institute
Deadline February 23, 2015
Applications are now available for the 2015 Prekindergarten to Grade 3 (P-3) Governor's Institute: P-3 Collaboration-Working Together for Student Success. The purpose of Pennsylvania's P-3 Governor's Institute is to help school districts, early learning providers and community organizations throughout the commonwealth make the vital
connections and collaborations necessary for student success from birth through grade 3. The 2015 P-3 Governor's Institutes are being offered regionally for the following dates/locations:
- June 14-17 Radisson Hotel Valley Forge, King of Prussia
- June 21-24 Doubletree, Monroeville
- July 12-15 The Ambassador Center, Erie
- July 26-29 Hilton, Scranton
Participation in the 2015 Institute is limited to 28 teams per region. Participating teams will be selected through an application process. Districts may submit applications for more than one team. Teams should be built around a specific elementary school, its feeder early learning programs, and the local community. Selected teams will participate in this 4-day event focusing on Kristie Kauerz' Framework for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Pre-K-3rd Grade Approaches. Professional development will be offered to support team specific implementation of P-3 efforts.
2014 attendees found great value in this networking and educational experience: "Thanks to the Governor's Institute, the administrator of our K-12 school that attended really began to understand and verbalize the importance of P-3 and how our district could be more intentional in including the 0-5 centers in conversations and decisions."
Click here to find out considerations for participation and how to apply. Deadline to complete the application is February 23, 2015. Those with questions should contact Jolie Phillips at jolphillip@pa.gov.
This initiative is part of Pennsylvania's Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge grant. For more information on other initiatives funded by this grant, visit the Department of Education website.
Direct Access Info to Keep Kids Safe in PA
A new website, Keep Kids Safe PA, provides direct access to the information needed to keep children safe from abuse and neglect. It is easy to remember, KeepKidsSafe.pa.gov.
The website is designed to serve as the hub for information related to critical components impacting child protection, including a link for mandated reporters to make reports of suspected child abuse electronically, training on child abuse recognition and reporting, information related to clearances and general information related to child protection.
The Keep Kids Safe PA website is a direct link with up-to-date information regarding the 23 pieces of legislation recently enacted, changing how Pennsylvania responds to child abuse.
Deadline soon to provide feedback on enhancements to COMPASS Early Learning Program Search
Ends January 23The opportunity to provide feedback on enhancements to COMPASS Early Learning Program Search ends Friday,  January 23. Pennsylvania provides the resources for family members and the general public to search for and generate a customized referral list of early learning programs and providers. This customized list is generated from available search filters like care level, program, geographical information, and optional child care and early learning search criteria. It is a very comprehensive directory of programs serving children from birth through school-age. The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) wants to ensure that the Early Learning Program and Provider Search meets the needs of families for finding the right early learning programs for their children. Families and the general public are invited to provide feedback in a new online survey set to enhance the COMPASS early learning program and provider search. The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete and will be available until January 23. No personal data will be collected with the survey. Feedback will help inform enhancements to the site. Those who have not already used the search, should click here to try it. Please click this link to take the survey and provide feedback.
New Story Fund accepting applications to help families
Deadline January 26The New Story Fund is accepting applications from families in need of assistance purchase the products or services they need to care for their children with special needs. These funds are to help children and families faced with the most serious and complex educational, emotional and behavioral challenges, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), serious emotional disturbances, mental retardation or other developmental disabilities. Families can be nominated for an individual award of up to $1,500 each year. Please visit the New Story Fund website for more information, criteria and submission guidelines.
Nominate now for the Early Intervention Leadership Award
Deadline February 23Nominations are now available for the Early Intervention Leadership Award. Each year, the Pennsylvania State Early Intervention Coordinating Council (SICC) honors an individual who has a significant impact on public policy, early intervention practices or staff development. Past honorees include parents, service providers, advocates, local administrators and state leaders. Click here to access the nomination award form. Please send completed nomination packets to Ms. Andrea Algatt at: aalgatt@pa.gov no later than Monday, February 23, 2015. The award will be presented on April 2, 2015 during the regularly scheduled ICC meeting.
Sign up to be a PA One Book Reader or Host Site!
The 2015 PA One Book is seeking guest readers and host  sites for April PA One Book readings. The PA One Book, Every Young Child is Pennsylvania's collaborative project using the vehicle of "One Book, One State" program to highlight the importance of early literacy development. This year's selection, Number One Sam by Pennsylvania author, Greg Pizzoli, demonstrates a balance between empathy, competition and sportsmanship. Reading events will take place during April's Month of the Young Child. Guest readers can read Number One Sam by completing the Guest Reader Online Registration. Early learning programs which would like to host a guest reader can complete the Host Site Online Registration.
CIZ Grantee Spotlight: Chester County Intermediate Unit, Preschool Online
The Early Childhood Education Community Innovation Zone (CIZ) grant allows the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) to provide a dynamic program, Preschool Online. This
 program provides synchronous education to 36 preschoolers throughout Chester County who have barriers preventing them from attending other preschool services. Participating students benefit from 90 minutes of typical preschool instruction, aligned with Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards.
Participating families receive home visits, community referrals, and parent education. The parent education aspect of the program includes developmental milestones, kindergarten readiness, and job readiness skills. By accessing the online learning platform, parents can access bilingual training related to technology and cyber safety.
Through the Community Innovation Zone grant, the CCIU Preschool Online program is collaborating with the Oxford Area School District to promote high quality early childhood awareness and education throughout the school district. The first goal is to develop a community resource website to help parents locate educational and social services throughout the area.
Read a participant's feedback and see the program in action, or get more information about the CIZ grant.
This initiative is part of Pennsylvania's Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge grant. For more information on other initiatives funded by this grant, visit the Department of Education website.
Register now for Expand the Brand!
Deadline February 13
Expand the Brand, a quality early learning communications and  networking leadership group, is now accepting applications for its next training series in King of Prussia during Spring 2015. Expand the Brand seeks to help grow more early learning leaders by focusing on three main skill sets that form the foundation for effective communication. These skills include public speaking, messaging and planning. The six training modules and community outreach activities in the series work together to increase awareness, build demand and encourage support for quality early learning. Topics include: communicating about what quality is and why it matters, how to make the case for quality, graphic design, media relations, crisis communications and marketing yourself as an early learning leader.
Keystone STARS providers, LEARN partners and Community Innovation Zone grantees are especially encouraged to apply! As part of the training, participants will complete real-world assignments that may count as a professional growth activity for Keystone STARS. Deadline for applications is February 13, 2015.
Click here for complete information and to access a downloadable application. Contact Karen Seeber at 717-213-3731 or karsee@berksiu.org with any questions.
|
The benefits of reading aloud to childrenYou may recall the 2014 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement, recommending pediatric providers advise parents of young children that  reading aloud and talking about pictures and words in age-appropriate books can strengthen language skills, literacy development and parent-child relationships. Now, a recent study, Kids & Family Reading Report, funded by Scholastic suggests that parents should start reading aloud early, and demonstrates the connection between early reading aloud and reading later in life. The study found that more than half of children ages 0 to 5 were read to between 5-7 days each week, and those figures decrease as a child ages. Nearly three-quarters of parents with children ages 0-5 (73%) say they started reading aloud to their child before age one, yet only 30% say they began before the age of three months. Nine in 10 parents (91%) say their children are read books aloud at home before age 6, primarily to develop their child's vocabulary and language skills and to foster reading enjoyment. For more details, read the study, Kids & Family Reading Report. For suggested books to read aloud to children, check out the monthly book list from Learning is Everywhere.
More Trends and Reports
Looking for a trend or report that appeared in a past edition of Build ECE News?
|
New Family Voices Blog: Pennsylvania's Promise for Children  launched a new blog written by and for families. In the January post, Melissa Murphy shares how she built a personal and professional network after her daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome.
When I Play, I Learn: Did you know that when children are  playing, they are learning? It's true! The new When I Play, I Learn has fun activities using every day items, like a towel, measuring cups, a box, or a blanket. Print the When I Play, I Learn book, or just a page or two to see what activities a child can do and what skills they are learning.
ECELS Health Link ONLINE: The Winter 2015 issue of ECELS Health Link ONLINE is full of great ways to make health and safety a priority in early learning programs. The Winter 2015 edition contains information on active play outdoors in the winter, winter scavenger hunt, and influenza vaccines and more.
Kindergarten Registration: PA's Promise for Children has  Kindergarten Registration information for schools throughout Pennsylvania. Select your county, then search for the school. Your school's info isn't listed? Send Kindergarten Registration info to marhal@berksiu.org to get it on the website.
January Baby Talk: The January 2015 edition of Baby Talk is now available and features information about building a child's vocabulary, guidance on the value of toys, what to think about before selecting a toy for a child, and more!
The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time: TIME compiled the list of 100 best children's books of all time in consultation with respected peers such as U.S. Children's Poet Laureate Ken Nesbitt, children's-book historian Leonard Marcus, the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, the Young Readers Center at the Library of Congress, the Every Child a Reader literacy foundation and 10 independent booksellers. See if your favorite children's book made the list.
Jan Brett's Alphabet Poster: Download a free copy of the Jan Brett's Alphabet poster. This colorful poster displays each upper and lower case letter of the alphabet and shows a picture of items corresponding to the letter.
USDA MyPlate Winter edition: The USDA MyPlate has  released a Winter edition of seasonal resources. On the website, find activity sheets, tip sheets, an infographic, and recipes. Get creative in the kitchen and find unique ways to make healthy foods the main attraction in the winter!
A Free Resources That Promote Life Skills For Young Children: Mind in the Making and First Book have combined forces to compile lists of books and tips that support seven essential life skills. The lists are organized by topic and age group (0 to 2, 3 to 5 years, 6 to 8 years, and 9 to 12 years). For each life skill (e.g., focus and self-control), relevant children's books are listed that can be used to support/develop that skill. Options for using each book are provided on a downloadable tip sheet; many tip sheets are available in both English and Spanish.
|
Camp Hill Community Foundation Grants: The Camp Hill Community Foundation (CHCF), a regional foundation of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, invites nonprofits to apply for grant opportunities. Any nonprofit organization directly benefiting Camp Hill citizens may request funds through the application process. The foundation's unrestricted funds may be used to make grants to any qualified charitable organization for any charitable purpose, including q uality early childhood care and education programs. Deadline March 13.
|
|
|
|
|
Professional Events
Want your event to appear
in Build?
|
|
|
|
|
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 Human Services 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.
Please feel free to forward this email to friends, family, and colleagues.
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
infographic from Read Aloud has great info on reading aloud to children, and why it matters.
