Welcome to PA Early Education News. An inside look at Pennsylvania's
Formerly the BUILD Early Childhood Education News
Top News

Get Info about Early Education in PA  
  

  

  

    

TraceyTracey Campanini announced as Acting OCDEL Deputy Secretary

 

Barbara Minzenberg, Ph.D completed her duties as Deputy Secretary of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning on April 12, 2015. As part of her closing comments to staff and friends, she expressed her continued support of early childhood education and appreciation for the opportunity to work with some of the most competent, knowledgeable, and caring professionals in the country.     

 

As the administration completes a candidate search for a new Deputy Secretary, Tracey Campanini will  serve as Acting Deputy Secretary. Ms. Campanini joined OCDEL in 2012 and has a 25+ year career in Head Start, Early Head Start, Keystone STARS, Pre-K Counts and Early Intervention.

FirstLadyPA's First Lady Celebrates Ten Years of "One Book, Every Young Child" Initiative

 

Earlier in April, on a Schools That Teach tour stop, Pennsylvania's First Lady Frances Wolf, kicked off the 10th year of the "One Book, Every Young Child" initiative in Halifax. This statewide program supports reading and instills a love of learning in Pennsylvania children. Following the launch, First Lady Wolf also held a roundtable discussion with teachers at Enders-Fisherville Elementary School to discuss Governor Wolf's commitment to making affordable, quality pre-kindergarten education available to all children across the commonwealth.

 

"This administration is committed to schools that teach, and that starts with ensuring our children have a quality early education that provides them with the skills needed to succeed," said Mrs. Wolf. "One Book, Every Young Child supports this goal and engages children in the magic of reading."

 

In addition to proposing historic investments at all levels of public education, Governor Wolf has made universal

pre-kindergarten instruction for all 3- to 4-year olds a critical component of his plan, which includes:

  • increasing funding for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts by $100 million;
  • nearly doubling the commonwealth's current annual investment of $97.3 million; and
  • a $20 million increase in state funding for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, which would bring the program's total funding to $59 million. 
Throughout April, state officials from the departments of Education (PDE) and Human Services (DHS) will read a book to preschoolers in the month-long event highlighting the importance of early literacy. This year's book is Philadelphia author Greg Pizzoli's Number One Sam.

 

Learn more about the PA One Book program and the book, Number One Sam
   
PA Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance Request for Applications
Letters of Intent due April 29  

  

RFApplicationsPennsylvania's fiscal year (FY) 2015-16 proposed budget makes historic investments in education to prepare our children for the jobs of tomorrow, including an additional $120 million more for early childhood education. With new investments in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts ($100 million) and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program ($20 million), the state will be able to increase the number of children served in high-quality pre-kindergarten by 75 percent. The proposal in the FY 2015-16 Executive Budget represents the first step in achieving the goal of universal access to high quality pre-kindergarten programs. Please note that funding is contingent upon approval by the Pennsylvania Legislature.   


PA Pre-K Counts: The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is seeking applicants for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts. PDE is issuing this Request for Applications now in order to support providers in preparing to serve additional children and to assist in being ready for enrollment by September. Click here for important information about the PA Pre-K Counts Request for Applications. 

Head Start Supplemental Assistance: The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is seeking applicants for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP). PDE is issuing this Request for Applications now in order to support providers in preparing to serve additional children and to assist in being ready for enrollment by September. Click here for important information about the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Request for Applications.    
STARSApply now to participate on the 2015-16 Keystone STARS Stakeholders Group
Deadline May 15
  

Want to play a more active role in the future of Keystone STARS? Applications are now being accepted for participation on the 2015-16 Keystone STARS Stakeholders Group (formerly known as the STARS Advisory Committee). OCDEL is looking for applicants who are professionals with a solid understanding of Keystone STARS and the skills to help continuously improve the program. Members will represent diverse geographic regions of the state and have a range of attributes, collective skills, and experiences that will enable the STARS Stakeholders Group to achieve its goals.

 

Keystone STARS Stakeholders Group is a statewide work group whose purpose is to advise OCDEL about the Keystone STARS program including performance standards, operations, and program design and data. The Keystone STARS Stakeholders Group makes recommendations by providing feedback and representing Keystone STARS provider concerns. They also assist in the development of program protocols, tools and resources to strengthen the quality of learning programs in the commonwealth. Individuals appointed to the Keystone STARS Stakeholders Group serve a three-year term of service which includes a minimum of three annual membership meetings, conference calls and emails.

 

Applications are due no later than May 15, 2015 for the 2015-16 program year. Download the 2015-2016 Keystone STARS Stakeholders Group Letter & Application document for more information on responsibilities, requirements, meeting dates, and how to apply.

HSAnniversaryHead Start Celebrates 50 Years of Impact for Children and Families

  

This year marks a historic milestone for Head Start: its 50th anniversary. Since it was created 50 years ago, Head Start has provided more than 32 million children with comprehensive early learning experiences, including school readiness, health, mental health, nutrition, and family engagement supports. in 2015, that number will be over a million nationally. In Pennsylvania, over 38,000 children are served by federal and state funded Head Start and Early Head Start programs. In order to qualify, a family of four must have an income of less than $20,000.  

 

Throughout the years, Head Start has demonstrated

educational, economic, health and law benefits

to the lives of the children and their families.   

 

Get more information about and find locations for
Head Start in Pennsylvania. At PA's Promise for Children,
read stories from families whose children have been impacted by Head Start programs.

Coming Soon: ECE Healthy and Green Mini-Grants

Information about the Early Childhood Education Healthy & Green mini-grant will be in the April 29 edition of the PA Early Education News!
Learn more about PA's Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant    

 


 

 

  

Community Innovation Zone Grantee Spotlight:
Greater Nanticoke Area School District Family Center

Greater Nanticoke Area School District (GNASD) Family Center has been busy developing and rolling out their My School and Community Passport, which includes a comprehensive listing of recreational and cultural places, organizations and events in the community. Enrolled families may receive free tickets to family-fun events. This innovative program focuses on community outreach activities, supports developmental-centered parenting and meaningful parent-child interaction. GNASD Family Center recognizes that promoting family engagement with the child and the community empowers families and has positive impacts on children's outcomes in school.

The initial roll-out of the passport has been successful. Currently, 67 children are enrolled in the program. GNASD is working on significant community outreach to create awareness of the program. Flyers have been created and distributed to local preschools, day cares and Head Start programs. A QR code was added to flyers so families could go directly online and register for the passport system. The GNASD Family Center is expecting a sizable increase in enrollment during kindergarten registration where they will also be conducting hearing screenings.

Click here to read more about the Greater Nanticoke Area School District's Family Center outreach and successes.
 
Read Early Learning Articles of Interest    

 


 

 

  

Pennsylvania Celebrates Week of the Young Child

 

Week of the Young Child (April 12-18, 2015) is a time to celebrate young children and all that we can do to help young children reach their promise. Communities throughout Pennsylvania are celebrating with proclamations, parades, fairs, and children's art shows. Read more about activities in your community at the Pennsylvania's Promise for Children website.  

April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Each April, communities raise awareness about child abuse and neglect, and promote activities across the nation aimed at protecting children and supporting families. This year is the theme chosen by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect's (OCAN's) 2014 National
Conference, "Making Meaningful Connections," which focuses on the community and cross-system collaborations required to protect children and strengthen families.

Click here to visit the 2015 Prevention Month website and access resources, publications, videos and more aimed at protecting children and strengthening families.

Children invited to submit artwork for PA Get Smart Program contest

Deadline October 31

The Pennsylvania Get Smart Program invites all children (up to 12 years old) to help build the National Campaign to say "NO!" to germs and "YES!" to being healthy! This involves ideas like washing your hands (to wash germs away), getting vaccines or "shots" (to help prevent illness), and using medicines called antibiotics appropriately (to fight bacterial infections). Deadline for submission is October 31, 2015. Three children each from five different age groups will win prizes. Winning entries will be displayed on the Get Smart website. Click here for additional details

 
Latest edition of PA Child and Adolescent Services System Program (PA CASSP) Newsletter

The March edition of the PA CASSP Newsletter features information about Project Launch, Pennsylvania Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Partnership, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, and more.

This monthly resource from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Children's Behavioral Health Services features mental health information appropriate for early learning and school district staff. Click here to access the March 2015 edition. 
Crayon Collection Supports At-Risk Children

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) has kicked off its partnership with the Crayon Collection, a national initiative that collects millions of repurposed crayons from restaurants each year to donate to at-risk children across the country. By engaging with local businesses, Head Start centers will expand the Crayon Collection's reach to our nation's youngest, most at-risk early learners. The kick off was part of NHSA's celebration of Head Start's 50th anniversary at their annual conference earlier this month. This partnership will help keep crayons out of landfills and put them in the hands of vulnerable children nationwide.

Click here to find out how to donate to or participate in the program. 
Get Early Learning Trends and Reports
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Economics of Early Childhood Investments

The White House Council of Economic Advisers released a paper, The Economics of Early Childhood Investments, analyzing the research on economic returns to investments in early childhood education. The Economics of Early Childhood Investments cites research suggesting that expanding early learning initiatives would provide benefits to society of roughly $8.60 for every $1 spent, about half of which comes from increased earnings for children when they grow up. The report highlights programs such as Early Head Start, Head Start, and Nurse-Family Partnerships, and the impact of each.

Other benefits include increased parental earnings and employment, reduced need for remedial education and later public school expenditures, increased educational attainment, improved health, and decreased involvement with the criminal justice system.

Also highlighted are the 'active ingredients' in successful early childhood programs, such as curriculum, program duration, and teacher quality and professional development.

For additional details, read The Economics of Early Childhood Investments.

 

Report: Not enough children get enrolled in preschool

All families hope their child will start school ready for success. Unfortunately, not every family can find the high-quality early learning opportunity that sets their child up for success. The U.S. Department of Education released a new report, A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America, outlining the unmet need for high-quality early learning programs in America. Roughly 60 percent of 4-year-olds are not enrolled in publicly funded preschool programs, and even fewer are enrolled in the highest quality programs. According to the report, in Pennsylvania, 72% of 4 year olds are not enrolled in a publicly funded program.

The report calls for significant new investments in high quality early education to help close the school readiness gaps between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers, as well as an expanded access to high quality early learning to ensure that all children graduate from high school prepared to succeed in college, careers and life.

Get additional details in the report, A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America.
More Trends & Reports
Find Early Learning Resources
 
 




Farm to Child Care Year-Round: Developed by the Public Health Law Center at William Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota, this one page resource gives ideas (and links to activities) for incorporating farm to preschool throughout each season. Check it out and see how to make gardening a part of your routine, no matter what season it is! 

 

STEM Toolkit: National Environmental Education Week (April 19-25) inspires environmental learning and stewardship among K-12 students by connecting educators with quality classroom resources. Dig into this easy-to-use guide for activities on gardens, energy, geography, water and climate. 

 

KnowBullying App: This free app from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can help prevent bullying. KnowBullying has simple conversation starters to begin a discussion with your child. Learn strategies to prevent bullying for ages 3-6 years and older. Available on Google Play and Apple.  

 

PBS Kids Video: Did you know that kids can watch their favorite PBS Kids programs anywhere on a digital device? Curious George, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and more are all available to stream plus new videos every week! Download the App.   

 

50 great apps for teachers: Scholastic Instructor magazine offers apps for teachers with activities for a wide range of subjects, for preschoolers and up. These were chosen through crowdsourcing on Scholastic's Facebook page for teachers as well as with help from the magazine's teacher advisers and education bloggers.   

 

Video-on-Demand Children's TV Programming Children with Visual or Hearing Disabilities: The U.S. Department of Education announced the availability of free, video-on-demand children's television programming for thousands of children who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing through the Education Department's Accessible Television Portal project.  Among the shows are: "Ocean Mysteries," "Magic School Bus," "Bill Nye the Science Guy," "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood," "Expedition Wild" and "Peg + Cat."     

April 15, 2015
Community Events 

 

Find Kindergarten Registration Information for your school! 

 

Now through May:

Now through May 29:

Now through April:

April 16:

April 24-25:

October 14:

Professional Events

 

April 15: 
  
Want your event to appear
in the PA Early Education News?
Email information to Mary Hall, [email protected]