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December's Message from Michelle Figlar, OCDEL Deputy Secretary
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. In the craziness of our daily lives it can be easy to forget to spend quality time with those most important to you. This year I am thankful that my family is making a smooth transition from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg. I'm also very thankful and humbled to be able to contribute to this amazing early childhood community.
This month, we took a step forward in our goal of creating government that works and increasing access to high quality programs. On November 10, DHS Secretary Dallas and I joined state and national leaders and the early childhood community at the William Penn Foundation's Quality Talks event to receive An Inquiry of Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS report by University of Pennsylvania. Read more.
Pennsylvania's Draft State Plan available for Public Comment, Public Hearing December 17
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and Office of Child Development and Early Learning invite you to review and provide comments on its draft State Plan for the Child Care Development Fund's (CCDF) Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG). The Child Care Development Block Grant is one of the primary federal funding sources for monitoring regulated child care programs, child care subsidy through Child Care Works, and child care quality improvement through Keystone STARS.
 STARS Inquiry: Springboard for Refining Keystone STARS
On November 10, 2015, the William Penn Foundation released An Inquiry of Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS. The Inquiry  examines how Keystone STARS standards impact child outcomes and how STARS levels are measurable steps to quality.
The Inquiry will be the springboard to inform refinement of Keystone STARS. Over the 2015-16 fiscal year, OCDEL and its stakeholders will work together to refine Keystone STARS. Visit the PA Keys website for a copy of the Inquiry and opportunities to participate in refining the program.
Changes in commonwealth website addresses
Two commonwealth websites now feature new addresses. The PA  Department of Human Services (DHS) is now www.dhs.pa.gov and PA Department of Education (PDE) is www.education.pa.gov. Those organizations which host websites that direct their visitors should update their information. Also, check documents which may reference the DHS or PDE websites to ensure information is updated. Quality Early Learning Radio Welcomes Will Hillenbrand
Will Hillenbrand, the author-illustrator of Kite Day, the 2016  selection for PA One Book, Every Young Child, was the November 13 guest on Quality Early Learning Radio. Will shared how he developed an interest in writing and illustrating children's books as a young boy, listening to stories being told in his dad's barbershop in Cincinnati. Click here to listen to the recorded call.
The Impact: Refining the Keystone STARS Program
The November 23 edition of the PA Department of Human Services' The Impact focused on Keystone STARS and the recently received a report from the University of Pennsylvania with recommendations for refining Keystone STARS, Pennsylvania's largest quality early care and education program. Also included was a testimonial from a Lehigh County parent about the impact of Keystone STARS. Click here to read The Impact. Click here to sign up to receive The Impact via email.
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Profiles of research-based parenting interventions
The Administration for Children and Families recently released, Compendium of Parenting Interventions, which profiles parenting interventions for families of children  birth to age five that are research-based and includes information on the cost, training requirements, duration and intended outcomes of each program. Parenting interventions are defined as interventions that have a central focus on parenting. They offer a structured set of activities that engage parents directly in ways that will influence parenting behaviors such as nurturing, discipline, teaching, monitoring, and management. The document can help early care and education providers know how to select parenting programs that have evidence that they work and are likely to be effective with the families of the children they serve.
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ERS Online Professional Development Available Now in the PD Registry
As part of the Keystone STARS and Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, programs take professional development to understand Environment Rating Scales (ERS), which assess quality elements such as classroom environment and adult-child interactions. New online, 3-hour, self-paced online professional development modules are now available in the Professional Development Registry. Participants may earn 3 PQAS hours for each module completed.
Courses available:
Save the Date: 2016 P-3 Governor's Institute
The Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Child Development and Early Learning is pleased to announce the 2016 Prenatal to Grade 3 (P-3) Governor's Institute: P-3 Collaboration - Working Together for Student Success. To be held regionally June-August, The Pennsylvania's P-3 Governor's Institute will 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. Click here for more info.
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Protect Yourself and Others from the Flu
Pennsylvania Department of Health is offering flu vaccine  clinics statewide. The clinics will provide flu vaccines at reduced or no cost for uninsured/ underinsured adults, as well as children through 18 years of age who are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid eligible, or American Indian or Alaska Native. The cost is $5 per person (payable by check or money order) for individuals and families who meet the guidelines; however, no one will be turned away because of an inability to pay. For more information, visit www.flufreepa.com or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258). Request for Proposals for the 2016 QRIS National Meeting
Submission deadline: December 22The BUILD Initiative and the QRIS National Learning Network are now accepting workshop proposals for the 2016 QRIS  National Meeting, to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 12-14, 2016. In developing proposals, applicants should consider a session that includes both actual practice in states and the research or studies that support those exemplary practices. Also welcomed are the perspectives of national presenters sharing trends and promising practices. Proposed sessions should reflect research and practical experience that is innovative, well-grounded, and consistent with the principles of effective adult learning in a conference setting. Click here for the goals of the meeting and how to submit a proposal.
Submit a workshop proposal for the 2016 Pennsylvania Head Start Association Conference
Submission deadline: January 9, 2016
The Pennsylvania Head Start Association is accepting  workshop proposals for the 2016 PA Head Start Association Conference. The conference will be held April 6-7, 2016. Additional details about the conference coming soon. Click here to submit a workshop proposal by January 9, 2016.
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Child care workers aren't paid enough to make ends meet
Child care workers play an important role in the U.S. economy by allowing parents of young children to pursue employment  outside the home and providing children a stimulating and nurturing environment in which to learn and grow. Despite the crucial nature of their work, child care workers are among the country's lowest-paid workers, and seldom receive job-based benefits such as health insurance and pensions. The paper, Child care workers aren't paid enough to make ends meet, from the Economic Policy Institute directly examines child care workers' job quality, including how much they earn, whether they receive benefits on the job, and whether they and their families are able to make ends meet.
Rising to the Challenge: Building Effective Systems for Young Children and Families
The BUILD Initiative released seven chapters of Rising to the Challenge: Building Effective Systems for Young Children and Families, a BUILD E-Book, in which BUILD shares learning from the initial implementation of the efforts, highlighting experience, trends and reflections stemming from the significant contribution from the federal investment. By documenting the experience of the states, as captured through interviews with state leaders, Rising to the Challenge provides a source of learning for all fifty states and territories and puts into practice the leadership commitment to continuous learning in the best interest of the children and families.
Foundation of good health = competition in the global economy
Ready Nation recently released A Healthy Bottom Line and two new industry briefs, detailing why the  manufacturing and energy industries should support early childhood development. Poor health among today's and tomorrow's adults is jeopardizing businesses' ability to compete in the global economy. Mounting evidence shows that the foundation for good health lies in the earliest years. Critical to this foundation is greater access to high-quality early care and education, two factors that are imperative for promoting business success and a creating a culture of health across America. An infographic outlines four ways that America's businesses are paying for poor health, and how early interventions in childhood can mitigate the problem.
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Families recommend their favorite books: Holidays
Seven tips to communicate with your baby: Too Small  To Fail provides a list of seven helpful parent and caregiver tips to help tune in and better understand and respond to a child's cues, as well as foster a little one's communication skills as you talk, read and sing to him or her.
Get Ready for December with the Kids.gov Calendar: Families and teachers can use the resources, activities, and tips on the Kids.gov calendar to celebrate the holidays with fun information for the whole month! Find classroom resources, including lesson plans and activities, to highlight National Handwashing Awareness Week, Bill of Rights Day, the Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge and more.
The Benefits of Monitoring Child Care Settings: A new video, The Benefits of Monitoring Child Care Settings, from Administration for Children & Families lays out the benefits of monitoring for children, parents, and providers and describes how new monitoring requirements of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. Use the video to educate stakeholders about this key piece of the new child care landscape.
Twelve Multi-Cultural Holiday Books for Kids: Celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Winter Solstice this December? PA's Promise for Children has a dozen multi-cultural holiday books for children as a free printable list.
Fostering Early Brain Development: New short videos  from Child Trends offer powerful messages for parents and providers working with young children. They feature Dr. Dana Suskind, summarizing research on topics such as why the first three years of life are so important, what we know about early brain development, how to help low-income parents, and more.
15-minute In-Service Suites: The Office of Head Start offers 15-minute In-service Suites, a professional
development resource for staff in busy, active early childhood centers and programs. They are organized around one topic or big idea and address effective teaching and assessment practices. The 15-minute in-service suites connect to the domains and dimensions of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System.
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may bring opportunities to reconnect between families and children, and PA's Promise for Children has family book suggestions to help that connection. Get family recommended books about 
