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The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning supports families and their children, from prenatal through school age, by using data, research and stakeholder guidance to assure high quality services.
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Early Education in Pennsylvania
Message from Terry Shaner-Wade
I want to thank everyone for your dedication and commitment during this time of transition. We've got a great vision and priorities and I assure you that work is moving forward, thanks to all of you.
This past month, the Secretaries of Human Services and Education publicly shared their commitment to high-quality early learning services. DHS Secretary Dallas was the guest of the Northwest Regional Key's "Ask the Expert" radio show and shared the main goal of integrating and aligning OCDEL services. "While maintaining integrity of the programs, we can maximize the amount of time people spend caring for and teaching our kids," Secretary Dallas stated. "The impact that will have in children's lives will pay dividends for the adults they will become, and the services they may need down the road."
Finally, I had the pleasure of representing OCDEL at a press event hosted by Senator Casey in Harrisburg. Senator Casey has been doing several events statewide to discuss high quality child care and the continued need for federal subsidies to support our families. It's fantastic to receive such leadership support on much-needed funding for child care assistance, especially as we continue making positive strides towards improving consistency, reliability and safety of the care offered by providers participating in Child Care Works subsidy.
PA Key Welcomes New Leadership
The PA Key recently welcomed the new leadership of Wendy Whitesell as Director of the PA Key, and Marnie Aylesworth as Director of Programs.
Whitesell's years of experience as a teacher, director, professor, advocate and consultant allow her to shape the vision for the PA Key from many different stakeholder perspectives, as well as bring innovative ideas to the table to support OCDEL's policy and programmatic needs.
Aylesworth has a deep knowledge of the PA Key and broader early learning systems at the state and federal level. Her expertise is essential as the role of the PA Key is shaped to support the policies and priorities set forth by OCDEL under Reauthorization and beyond.
Special thanks to Dr. Jill Hackman, Executive Director of the Berks County Intermediate Unit, and BCIU for their leadership of the PA Key during this transition.
Keystone STARS Re-visioning Core Principles
Based on feedback from more than 3,000 stakeholders, OCDEL released the new Core Principles for Keystone STARS (PDF). These principles will provide a strong foundation for continuing efforts to ensure that the Keystone STARS is responsive to the needs of children, families and providers in Pennsylvania. There will be frequent opportunities for the field to weigh in on the STARS system and standards and supports to meet those standards before the new Keystone STARS system rolls out in 2017-18.
Governor's Institutes Encourage Collaborative Partnerships
Over 86 teams participated in the 2016 P-3 Governor's Institute, P-3 Collaboration: Working Together for Student Success, held earlier this summer in four locations throughout Pennsylvania. The Institutes focused on P-3 alignment strategies, building collaborative partnerships, administrator and teacher effectiveness, P-3 cross-sector work and collaborations, data-driven improvement, and family engagement. The teams strengthened partnerships and built collaborations between community and school district early childhood programs, communities and school district early childhood programs; applied a (P-3) Framework to early childhood settings; participated in the (P-3) Early Learning Community on Standards Aligned System; and engaged in continuous improvement via implementation and sharing of strategies and programs to enhance student achievement.
Similar Institutes are planned for 2017. The dates and locations will be announced via the PA Early Ed News in October. For more information, please contact Jolie Phillips at [email protected].
PACCA will be holding two T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship webinars in September!
Join us for a webinar to learn more about the status of T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) funding and how the program works for early childhood professionals and program administrators. A designated Q&A time will be provided in both webinars to help answer specific questions. Both webinars are free online registration.
- T.E.A.C.H. 101 for Early Childhood Professionals,September 21, 2016 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM -What is the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood� PENNSYLVANIA Scholarship program and how does it work? This webinar will provide early childhood professionals with an overview of T.E.A.C.H., the supports it provides, contract requirements and how to apply. The webinar will also touch on other types of financial aid and important deadlines for upcoming semesters. Time for Q& A will help attendees to better understand the details of T.E.A.C.H. and next steps in pursuing a degree or credential. Click to register.
- T.E.A.C.H. 101 for Sponsoring Employers, September 28, 2016 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM -Find out everything you always wanted to know about the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood� PENNSYLVANIA scholarship program. Learn how to make it work for your staff and your program, and find out how to take advantage of all the benefits T.E.A.C.H. has to offer! This session will provide attendees with an overview and general introduction to the program. The webinar is for any director, owner or program administrator who wants to learn more about the restoration of scholarship funding and how to make the program work from a management perspective. Click to register.
Supports for ECE Professionals in Keystone STARS Programs to Increase their Education
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning has released Supports for ECE Professionals in Keystone STARS Programs which reflects funding for the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood � PENNSYLVANIA Scholarship and the Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program in 2016-17. This document can help early childhood education directors and staff in Keystone STARS programs identify eligibility and what it covered under each program.
 Encourage Families to Register for the Family Engagement Conference
For additional information, contact Marjorie Anderson at [email protected] or 717-250-1699.
New professional development helps programs make the most of their ECERS-3 assessments
As OCDEL works with the field to re-vision Keystone STARS to support continuous quality improvement, it has been implementing a new tool to assess preschool environments, the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, 3rd Edition (ECERS-3). Since 2015 OCDEL has been using the ECERS-3 tool in programs renewing their STARS designation in order tocollect data to inform the re-visioning process. Scores programs receive on the ECERS-3 will not affect their STARS status in 2016-17.
Teachers interested in making the most of the ECERS-3 tool to inform teaching practices and classroom environments have some great new professional development options. In addition to the basic online course, "ERS Online: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Third Edition," and ERS Foundations 101 course, you may take the new ECERS-3 Core Series face-to-face training, "A Strengths-Based Approach to Best Practice Using the ECERS- 3". This new course was developed with stakeholder feedback to inform continuous quality improvement planning - a new way of thinking about ERS Assessment! Several courses are scheduled throughout the state.
You can register for any of these courses in the PD Registry. Visit www.pakeys.org and log into the portal to access the Registry.
Revised Kindergarten, Grade 1 and 2 Learning Standards Now Available
Revised standards that include the Pennsylvania Core standards for English Language Arts and Math, as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) supportive practices are now available for Kindergarten, and Grade 1 and 2. Pennsylvania's Learning Standards for Early Childhood are research-based according to age and development, and form the foundation for curriculum, assessment, instruction, and intervention within early care and education programs and early elementary grades. The Office of Child Development and Early Learning encourages collaborations between schools and their feeder early care and education programs to support the use of Pennsylvania's Learning Standards for Early Childhood. These revisions were funded through Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) funding. Read the announcement for additional details.
In addition, Spanish versions of the Infant/Toddler and Pre-Kindergarten Standards are available to print from the PA Key website.
Governor Wolf Announces Launch of New Open Data Program
Governor Wolf recently launched OpenDataPA to enhance access to valuable information by creating a central repository to share the commonwealth's data with the general public.
Citizens, researchers, media, and developers can now browse through the first-released datasets at data.pa.gov, the home of OpenDataPA. The PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning's (OCDEL) preschool information was one of the first selected topics for OpenDatePA. OpenDataPA acts as an opportunity to provide more information in a format that is easily accessible for the public.
Supporting Friend/Neighbor Caregivers to meet November deadline for DHS certification
Did you know that after November 1, friend/neighbor caregivers must be DHS-certified to receive Child Care Works/ CCIS payments? There is no time to waste, but there is help. Visit the PA Key website for tip sheets on what to do to become DHS-certified and for supports available from your Regional Certification Office and Regional Key.
PA Key Early Head Start Infant/Toddler Specialist
The Berks County Intermediate Unit and the PA Key are seeking an individual with experience in Head Start and Infant/Toddler programming to provide technical assistance, coaching and monitoring to infant/toddler programs in a variety of early learning settings primarily in the Western region of the state. Strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills are also necessary. Master's degree in early education, child development, special education or social work preferred. Knowledge of Head Start Performance Standards preferred Minimum of 5 years of high level work in the field of early learning. Full time position available. Works with programs primarily in Venango, Lawrence and Huntingdon Counties with periodic travel to Harrisburg. Send cover letter and resume to Kelly Hollenbach, BCIU, 1111 Commons Blvd., P.O. Box 16050, Reading, PA 19612-6050 or email to [email protected]. Online application available at www.berksiu.org. EOE
October 10: Free Health & Safety Basics: Requirements for Certification Training Opportunity
Register now for a free all-day training on October 10, offered at PaTTAN East, PaTTAN Harrisburg, and PaTTAN Pittsburgh. This day of training will meet the certification requirement for the nine Health & Safety topics for the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). All staff in certified child care programs must have training in all nine topics by September 30, 2017. These hours can also count for the hours to meet the annual state requirement of six hours of training. To register, log in at www.pakeys.org, click on PD Registry, then Course Catalog. Type "Health & Safety" into the search box. See the flyer (PDF) for more info.
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Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge
The Impact of the Community Innovation Zones, Northern Pennsylvania
Community Innovation Zone grantees in the Northern region of Pennsylvania are making strides with reaching families around early learning opportunities. Family Connections of Easton in Northampton County is collaborating with community partners to host monthly Resident Dinner nights for families and their students. A survey by The Arc of Pennsylvania showed a need for additional professional development for early childhood programs, school district, early intervention, and other agencies that service families in the community. Read about the strides these and other northern county grantees are making in the September 2016 highlights.
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This initiative is a part of Pennsylvania's Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge grant. For more information on other initiatives funded by this grant, visit the
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Federal News
Case Studies of the Early Implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments
A report, Case Studies of the Early Implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments, from the US Department of Education presents findings from a descriptive study that examined the development and early implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs) in 12 districts across four Race To the Top-Early Learning Challenge grantee states (Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington) in the 2014-15 school year. The study consisted of document reviews, telephone interviews with state agency respondents and local preschool directors, and in-person interviews with district administrators, principals, kindergarten teachers, and other KEA assessors.
Highlighted within the report is Pennsylvania's development and implementation for the Kindergarten Entry Inventory (KEI), as well as background information on the kindergarten students in Pennsylvania and in the sampled districts and schools. Also included is how Pennsylvania officials developed the KEA and trained teachers to collect KEA data, how district administrators and teachers implemented the KEA, and the early use of KEA findings. Read the Full Report and Results in Brief.
Education Department Releases Guidance on Homeless Children and Youth
The U.S. Department of Education recently released guidance to states and school districts on the new provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for supporting homeless youth. The new provisions address the needs of homeless individuals, and ensure educational rights and protections for homeless children and youth. The guidance released will assist state and local partners in understanding and implementing the new law in order to better protect and serve homeless students and help schools in providing these students with much needed stability, safety, and support. The guidance was informed by the input of a diverse group of stakeholders to best address the needs of homeless youth.
Head Start Performance Standards Final Rule
The Office of Head Start (OHS) announced the first comprehensive revision of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) since their original release in 1975. The publication of this regulation marks an important milestone in the history of the Head Start program. The new standards build upon 50 years of leadership in comprehensive early childhood services and will further raise the quality of Head Start programs. The new HSPPS are streamlined, simplified, and reorganized to improve clarity and transparency to support high-quality program delivery and minimize administrative burden. Visit the Federal Register for info on Key Changes from Current Program Performance Standards, effect dates, Implementation support and more.
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Of Interest
The Food Trust Farm to ECE Recognition & Awards Application. Deadline September 19
The Food Trust is seeking to recognize five early care and education providers (child care centers, licensed family child care, private preschools, Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs, PA Pre-K Counts, preschool or childcare centers through K-12 school districts, and others) in Pennsylvania that are engaged in farm to early care and education (farm to ECE). This refers to early care center programs with established activities representative of the three pillars of farm to ECE: food and agriculture education, hands-on gardening opportunities, and use of local food for meals, snacks or taste tests. As part of this recognition, centers will be awarded $1,000. See the release for additional information (PDF).
Our Challenge for Giving Grant Opportunity. Deadline October 28The Greater Harrisburg Foundation, a regional foundation of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, announced the "Our Challenge for Giving" grant opportunity. Eligible organizations must reside in the central Pennsylvania counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, Perry and the Dillsburg Area or Northern York County, Mifflin and Juniata Counties and organizations benefiting residents of Millersburg, PA in Upper Dauphin County. Funding areas include education and health & human services.
Enter the 2017 Healthy Homes Calendar Art Competition. Deadline October 31
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH) has an exciting opportunity for you! OLHCHH is developing a 2017 Healthy Homes Calendar, which will observe national holidays pertaining to safe and healthy homes and provide home health and safety tips. The highlight of the calendar will feature children's drawings or artwork, so through the end of October, an art contest is being held to select 12 lucky winners whose art best represents the concept of a "safe and healthy home".
Freshen up your Family Handbook with Shared Source PA!
www.SharedSourcePA.org gives you a big jump-start on creating or updating your program's Family Handbook. The Family Handbook page of www.SharedSourcePA.org is full of templates, and sample policies/procedures that you modify to reflect your program's mission,
goals and policies. Simply download the handbook to your computer (it's in Microsoft Word), edit it to reflect your own policies and practices, add photos, your logo, a personal message, and whatever personal touches may be needed to reflect the unique nature of your program. The comprehensive set of policies are there to jog your memory and give you a sample of the types of information you should include in your program's own handbook.
Shared Source PA Resource Finder is your quick and easy locator for the items you use most on Shared Source PA! Just print it out and hang it next to your work space for easy reference!
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Trends & Reports
Engaging Parents, Developing Leaders
A new resource from The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Engaging Parents, Developing Leaders, A Self-Assessment and Planning Tool for Nonprofits and Schools, introduces an assessment and planning tool to help nonprofits evaluate their parent engagement efforts and chart a path toward deeper partnerships with parents and caregivers. The tool spans just eight pages, with accompanying text outlining how to use it, how to assess its results and what real-world strategies and programs are already in play - and working - to boost parent engagement.
Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement
In this Call to Action, Public Libraries: A Vital Space for Family Engagement, Harvard Family Research Project and the Public Library Association call for libraries to join together with schools and community organizations to establish a system of family engagement that extends throughout a child's life, supports children and families, and prepares children for success.
2016 State Policy Learning Table
In 2016, the BUILD Initiative and the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) entered Year 2 of the project to learn alongside state leaders on how to effectively implement policy that promotes
- professional learning,
- positive teaching conditions,
- culturally relevant
teaching practices; as well as
- credentialing and licensing systems that promote effective early childhood teaching and learning for children from birth through 3rd grade.
Valuable tools such as research briefs, reports, articles, and state examples as well as PowerPoint presentations can be found on the landing page.
Good News About Educational Inequality
A recent report in The New York Times, Good News About Educational Inequality, reports the enormous gap in academic performance between high- and low-income children has begun to narrow. Children entering kindergarten today are more equally prepared than they were in the late 1990s. When tracking changes over time in "school readiness gaps" - the differences in academic skills between low-income and high-income children entering kindergarten, from 1998 to 2010, the school readiness gap narrowed by 10 percent in math and 16 percent in reading. The gaps that remain are still vast. But even this modest improvement represents a sharp reversal of the trend over the preceding decades.
Primary Early Care and Education Arrangements and Achievement at Kindergarten Entry
Young children experience various types of early care and education environments the year before they enter kindergarten. This report, Primary Early Care and Education Arrangements and Achievement at Kindergarten Entry, from the National Center for Education Statistics, examines data to explore relationships between children's primary care and education arrangements the year before kindergarten and their academic skills and learning behaviors at kindergarten entry.
Supporting Professional Development in Family Child Care to Enhance Early Head Start Practice
Professional development can be a driving force for the maintenance and improvement of quality services delivered to children and their families in programs. In order to provide high-quality comprehensive services, there is a need to ensure that all Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) grantees and child care partners possess the knowledge and skills necessary to implement developmentally appropriate practices in their work with very young children. Read the full article, Supporting Professional Development in Family Child Care to Enhance Early Head Start Practice from the National Center on Early Head Start - Child Care Partnerships.
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Resources
New CHIP Website Improves Access
A new-and-improved Pennsylvania CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) website was recently launched. The new site will help to efficiently provide health care to Pennsylvania's children by making it easier for the PA Department of Human Services staff, providers, and CHIP recipients to access important information. A link is also provided on the website that families can use to apply for CHIP for their children. Learn more at www.chipcoverspakids.com.
Teaching Preschoolers about an Election
Fayette County teacher, Kimberly Brown, heard a comment that a 3-year old could never understand the concept of voting. She and support staff, Amy Ace-Feher, decided that although their students were ages 3-5 years, there was no reason they could not comprehend the voting process! Discover their easy step-by-step process that can be adapted in any pre-K or kindergarten setting to teach children about the election process.
Fall Activities to Engage Families and Children
The weather will be turning cooler before we know it, and fall is a great time to engage families and children. PA's Promise for Children has been collecting fun fall activities you can use in your outreach to families, or with your own children at home. Check out the Feelin' Fall board on Pinterest. Do you have fall-inspired activities from your early learning program? Send them to Mary at [email protected] and they could be featured on the PA's Promise website!
Ways to Help Your Child Start The School Year Right
Back to school season can be a hectic time of year for both parents and kids. Whether you're a parent sending your child to Pre-K for the first time or you're a seasoned pro and are embarking on yet another back to school season, it's never a bad idea to brush up on what you can do to help get this year off to a great start. Check out resources from the US Department of Education that can help make sure you are ready to make this school year one of the best.
How Do Your Kids Get to School?
A new interactive tool from Safe Kids Worldwide provides six tips to protect kids on the move. Get information on bus, bike, crossing safety and more.
Setting Language in Motion
Setting Language in Motion is a free, web-based resource developed as a collaborative effort to be used as a family support for babies who are deaf or hard of hearing. The goal is to foster an understanding of the importance of early language acquisition that supports robust linguistic competence and conceptual development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Learn more by visiting the Hearing/Deafness page on the EITA Portal, scroll to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resources and click to find the bulletin board.
A New Guide to School-Based Health and Wellness Resources for Allegheny County
Raise Your Hand for Health is a resource guide of health and wellness resources available to schools in Allegheny County. This guide is designed to be used by school administrators, teachers, school wellness committees, parents, caregivers, students and public health professionals. Raise Your Hand for Health was developed by Let's Move Pittsburgh, a program of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC by completing a comprehensive inventory of health and wellness programs and services available to Allegheny County schools.
New Tool Helps State Plan for Quality Preschool
State early education administrators and policy makers need comprehensive and valid information on the costs of alternatives for expanding access and raising quality. The web-based tool can also be used at the state or district level to estimate the cost of expanding high quality preschool for 3 and 4 year olds. The Cost of Preschool Quality Tool (CPQ), developed by CEELO, includes settings for "best practice" based on the 10 National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) quality benchmarks and federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG) requirements, but also allows for changes on these setting so that states can understand implications for cost of various alternate modes of delivery.
New NCASE Resource Library Supports Out-of-School Time
Now available is the new National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) Resource Library. This curated collection contains tools, information, and examples of promising practices, which is meant to inform and support efforts to increase access and to improve the quality of programs for school-age children.
Every Kid in a Park
August 25 marked 100 years of the National Park Service, and its "Every Kid In a Park" program. The White House, in partnership with the Federal Land Management agencies, launched the Every Kid in a Park initiative to help engage and create our next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates. The immediate goal is to provide an opportunity for every 4th grade student across the country to experience federal public lands and waters in person throughout the 2015-2016 school year. As of September 1, all kids in the fourth grade have access to their own Every Kid in a Park pass at www.everykidinapark.gov. This pass provides free access to national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, and more!
Get Your How to Become President of the United States Poster
Teach kids of all ages about the process of becoming President of the United States with this free colorful and informative Kids.gov poster (22x34in). You'll even get a free lesson plan for your class, just in time for election season!
Creating a Welcoming Early Childhood Program for LGBT Families
The Early Childhood National Center on Parent, Family & Community Engagement has resources to enhance relationships with parents, who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, or Transgender (LGBT). Directors, teachers, providers, and parents can use these resources to help build strong partnerships. These partnerships can lead to successful family and child outcomes in early childhood settings.
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Higher Education
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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
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The Pennsylvania Early Childhood Education 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.
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