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January 23, 2009
Mental Health Problems in Early Childhood Can Impair Learning and Behavior for Life
The Importance of Developing Early Literacy
The Influence of Culture on Early Child Development
Early Childhood Education in the News
Rules for Retaining Eligibility for Child Care Works Subsidy During Parental Job Loss
Orientation Training for Child Care Providers
Pelican Early Intervention Statewide Implementation to Begin February 2009
PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start and Child Care Works - Working Together for Families
Early Education in the Federal Stimulus Package Proposed by the US House and Possibilities in the Senate
Still Open! BUILD Subscriber Survey Online--Submissions due January 30
PENNAEYC Announces the Appointment of First Executive Director
Parents Can Become Emotion Coaches
2009 Events
Extra Learning Opportunities Conference
Regional Workshops For School Board Candidates
February Welcomes National Children's Dental Health Month
Celebrate Black History Month
Health Link Online Now Available
Grant Opportunity from the NEA Foundation
Trends and Reports
Mental Health Problems in Early Childhood Can Impair Learning and Behavior for Life
A recent report (pdf) from National Scientific Council on the Developing Child reports significant mental health problems can and do occur in young children, in which some cases, these problems can have serious consequences for early learning, social competence, and lifelong health. Furthermore, the foundations of many mental health problems that endure through adulthood are established early in life through the interaction of genetic predispositions and sustained, stress-inducing experiences. This knowledge should motivate practitioners and policymakers alike to address mental health problems at their origins, rather than only when they become more serious later in life. This report summarizes the most recent scientific advances regarding the importance of addressing emerging emotional and behavioral problems in the early years, and the implications of those findings for policy.
The Importance of Developing Early Literacy
The years before kindergarten are a particularly fertile and profitable time to prepare young children to read and learn by teaching them essential literacy skills. The challenge of helping all children become successful readers requires early teaching, using home and school instruction built upon proven research and effective practices. These are the messages being delivered as the National Institute for Literacy releases findings from, "Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention." The National Early Literacy Panel's (NELP) report serves as the basis of several powerful, research-based recommendations to the early childhood community educators, caregivers, Head Start providers, and parents on promoting the foundational skills of life-long literacy. Some of the key findings of the report reveal the best early predictors of literacy, which include alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, rapid naming skills, writing (such as writing one's name), and short-term memory for words said aloud. Instruction on these skills may be especially helpful for children at risk for developing reading difficulties. More complex oral language skills also appear to be important.
Camille Catlett, Natural Resources
The Influence of Culture on Early Child Development
The recent publication by Zero to Three, The Changing Face of the United States: The Influence of Culture on Early Child Development (pdf), explores the situation that working with young children—or on behalf of them—has increasingly meant taking into account the effect of caretakers and other family members on the development of the child. “Families matter” has become an important credo of the field. This shift in perspective—thinking about families when designing service plans, educational programs, and policy decisions—though crucial, has been fraught with difficulties. Adding families to the mix often calls us to step out of ourselves—our ways of thinking, our ways of doing—to better understand the people we serve. It has become clearer and clearer that when families interact with their children, they bring more to this interaction than their own personal ways of doing things. They bring the weight of their cultural beliefs, values, and behaviors.
For the full report, please visit the Zero to Three website (pdf).
Early Childhood Education in the News
A compilation of many articles published on early education between October - December 2008 (Excel format) are now available on the PA Promise website. The report can help you get a sense of the media interest in your community for early childhood education and to send letters to the editor. Special thanks to our PA Pre-K Counts grantees, community engagement groups and Cathleen Palm for sharing many of these articles.
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OCDEL Corner
Rules for Retaining Eligibility for Child Care Works Subsidy During Parental Job Loss
As Pennsylvnia is currently facing difficult economic challenges, it is a good time to review the subsidized child care policies regarding loss of employment. Parents enrolled in the subsidized child care program must work an average of 20 hours a week, or work at least 10 hours a week and attend an approved training program for 10 hours a week. A parent who loses employment involuntarily (ex: lay-off) remains eligible for subsidized child care and can continue to receive child care for a period of 60 days from the date the parent lost employment. This allows the parent time to find new employment. A parent who loses employment voluntarily (ex: quits) becomes ineligible for the program immediately unless the parent is re-employed by the end of the 13-day termination notice period.
Parents or providers seeking additional information should contact their local CCIS office.
Orientation Training for Child Care Providers
Do you want to operate a child care facility? Do you currently operate a child care facility and want to relocate or open another facility? If so, please see the important information below.
Effective September 22, 2008, the Department of Public Welfare’s regulations for child care centers, group child care homes and family child care homes at state that a legal entity or a representative of the legal entity shall participate in an orientation training provided by the Department within 12 months prior to commencing operation of the child care facility (see 55 Pa. Code §3270.11(b), §3280.11(b) and §3290.11(c)). This means that anyone who wants to operate a child care facility for the first time or any current provider who wants to open a new location must attend an orientation training session within 12 months prior to operating the new facility. A legal entity or the legal entity’s representative may attend an orientation session provided by a Regional Office of Child Development and Early Learning at any location statewide.
There are two types of orientation training sessions one for certified facilities i.e., child care centers and group child care homes, and one for registered facilities i.e., family child care homes. Each orientation training session is one day long. The same curriculum is used statewide. The orientation training focuses on issues relating to opening and operating a new child care facility. Examples of the topics covered are as follows: the types of child care facilities, child care facility regulations, the application process, clearance requirements, business papers, certificate of occupancy, staffing, recognizing safety hazards and information about child care subsidy, Keystone STARS and Early Intervention. The orientation training curriculum was developed using adult education principles and combines video presentation, group activities, group discussion, exercises and many handouts. Certification representatives facilitate the orientation training sessions.
Each person who attends orientation training will receive a certificate of attendance. When filing an application for a certificate of compliance or registration to open a new facility, the legal entity must submit, along with the application, the certificate of attendance as proof of compliance with the requirement for orientation training. If the certificate of attendance is not submitted with the application, the application is not complete. Please note that a complete application must be submitted to the Department in order for an initial inspection to be scheduled.
To attend an orientation session, please contact your Regional Office of Child Development and Early Learning:
Central Region: 1-800-222-2117 Northeast Region: 1-800-222-2108
Southeast Region: 1-800-346-2929 Western Region: 1-800-222-2149
Pelican Early Intervention Statewide Implementation to Begin February 2009
With the successful pilot of PELICAN EI, statewide implementation will begin in February 2009 and be completed June 2009. PELICAN EI is the web based IT system to manage children’s demographic information, evaluations, plans and service coordination notes. Counties were divided into three waves to assure coordination of implementation and onsite training. Training provided by OCDEL, Early Intervention Technical Assistance and Deloitte staff, includes a two day computer lab training for county staff and on site technical assistance during the county’s week of “Go Live.”
Wave 1-week of February 2, 2009 and will end the week of March 2, 2009: Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, Schuylkill, Northumberland, CMSU, Wayne, Lackawanna/Susquehanna, Bradford/Sullivan, Luzerne/Wyoming, Blair, Centre, HMJ, Franklin/Fulton, Cumberland/Perry, Potter, Tioga, Lycoming/Clinton and McKean
Wave 2- week of March 23, 2009 and will end the week of April 20 2009: Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, CMP and Northampton.
Wave 2-week of May 4, 2009 and will end the week of June 1, 2009: Venango, Clarion, Forest/Warren, Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, Beaver, Butler, Allegheny, Greene, Washington, Fayette, Cameron/Elk, Clearfield/Jefferson, Cambria, Bedford/Somerset and Armstrong/Indiana.
The Bureau of Early Intervention will begin the financial management requirements for PELICAN EI in February with the expected piloting of the financial management phase to occur in January 2010.
For additional information, please contact Carl Beck at cabeck@state.pa.us.
PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start and Child Care Works - Working Together for Families
PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start and the Child Care Works subsidized child care program work cooperatively to meet the educational and child care needs of families. A number of children enrolled in PA Pre-K Counts or Head Start are also eligible for subsidized child care. Children enrolled in PA Pre-K Counts or Head Start retain eligibility for subsidized child care and do not need a six-month re-determination until they are no longer enrolled in PA Pre-K Counts or Head Start. This assures continuity of care for children and prevents loss of subsidy to cause parents to remove their children from their educational programs. The Department of Education pays for the hours the child is enrolled in PA Pre-K Counts or Head Start. The Department of Public Welfare pays for additional hours of care before and after the PA Pre-K Counts or Head Start day, so parents can work. This is an excellent way to share resources, partner funding, meet parents' needs, and assure that children receive a full day of coordinated, quality early education and care.
For additional information, please contact Bob Frein, OCDEL at rfrein@state.pa.us.
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Action Requested
Early Education in the Federal Stimulus Package Proposed by the US House and Possibilities in the Senate
On January 15, the US House Democrats released their proposed stimulus plan which includes $275 billion in economic recovery tax cuts and $550 billion in targeted priority investments for construction and research, homeland security, alternative energy, information technologies, as well as social welfare, public health and education programs.
Federal amounts for early childhood education programs, over two years, are proposed and they include:
$2 billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant
$2.1 billion for Head Start/Early Head Start
$600 million for IDEA for Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers
The proposal for K-12 education is:
$13 billion for Title I grants
$13 billion for special education
$1 billion for education technology
$14 billion for K-12 Education
Pennsylvania Impact: According to the Federal Funds Information for the States, Pennsylvania’s estimated allocations over two years are as follows:
Education- $1.6 billion
--Title I - $535 million
--Special Education $487 million
--Education Technology - $41 million
--K-12 Construction - $576 million
Highways - $1.4 billion
Clean water - $248 million
Child Care - $61.8 million
Head Start - $33.5 million
Early Head Start - $33.5 million
Early Intervention for Infants & Toddlers-$16 million
These funds are absolutely critical to Pennsylvania’s early education system.
The House will be considering this bill over the next week or so. Although the Senate has not yet released its proposal, Senator Casey sent letters to the chairs of the Senate Appropriations committee requesting that they consider increasing the federal amounts for child care and Head Start/Early Head Start to at least $3 billion each.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Contact your US Representative and urge him/her to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. You can send a quick email using our PA Promise alert.
2. Thank Senator Casey for his leadership in securing adequate funds for early education in the federal stimulus package. You can send a quick email using our PA Promise alert.
Please act today.
Still Open! BUILD Subscriber Survey Online--Submissions due January 30
Readers of BUILD ECE News are invited to participate in our annual BUILD Subscriber Survey. The survey is an opportunity for our subscribers and the broader education community to provide feedback on their information needs as well as policy recommendations to OCDEL. Submissions will be accepted through January 30, 2009 and is accessible online only.
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In the Community
PENNAEYC Announces the Appointment of First Executive Director
The Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jodi Askins to the newly created position of Executive Director. Ms. Askins currently serves as Associate Executive Director of Early Connections, and Community Outreach Specialist of the Northwest Regional Key in Erie, Pennsylvania. For the past three years she has also served as Co-Chair of QUEST, a statewide advocacy coalition working to improve the quality of early education programs.
Ms. Askins has nearly 15 years of service working on behalf of children and families across the state. She is experienced in non-profit management, the administration of preschool and child care services, fundraising, community organizing and advocacy. She has served the Center for Rural Pennsylvania for the Anne E. Casey Strengthening Rural Families Economic Success (RuFES) initiative as team leader for NW Pennsylvania. In 2007, she was selected as one of 20 emerging policy and advocacy leaders from across the country, for a fellowship with The National Women's Law Center Progressive Leadership and Advocacy Network (PLAN).
Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children opened an office in Harrisburg earlier this year and has been preparing for its first full time Executive Director as part of a strategic plan to play a greater role in the Commonwealth's early education policy. With almost 5,500 members, PennAEYC is now the second largest affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in the country.
Ms. Askins will begin her work on February 2, 2009. She can be reached at the Harrisburg office, 301 Market Street, 8th Floor, Harrisburg; 717-213-0581 or by email, jaskins@pennaeyc.org.
Parents Can Become Emotion Coaches
One of the biggest challenges facing parents these days is how to help their children handle strong emotions, particularly negative ones like intense frustration, sadness, and anger. Like adults, children come equipped with a wide range of temperamental differences, and they also experience a wide range of emotions. Unlike adults, however, they have to spend years learning the skills of handling or “regulating” their emotions, and then channeling them into appropriate actions.
Research has shown that children who do learn these skills of identifying and regulating emotions in early childhood are more likely to have a successful life—specifically to have close and satisfying relationships, be able to meet the challenges of life, have better health and well-being, and be able to meet their long-term goals.
In 2007, Smart Start received a grant from the Centre County Community Foundation to partner with Penn State’s Prevention Research Center and other community partners to present a workshop introducing a novel parenting strategy by its Australian creator, Dr. Sophie Havighurst, from the University of Melbourne. The “Tuning in to Kids: Emotionally Intelligent Parenting” workshop was so well-received that Dr. Havighurst and co-creator Ann Harley returned last May to offer the full training to 55 Centre County participants.
As a result, Centre County now has the only cohort of qualified professionals able to offer this parenting series in the entire United States. “Tuning in to Kids” consists of six weeks (two hours per week) of guided instruction for parents of preschool-aged children in the techniques that will enable them to become effective “emotion coaches”. The key aspects of Emotion Coaching are: Being aware of children’s emotions; Viewing children’s display of emotions as a time for intimacy and teaching; Helping children to verbally label the emotions being experienced; Empathizing and validating children’s emotions; and Helping children to solve problems (and setting limits where appropriate).
Centre County professionals trained in the “Tuning in to Kids” model were impressed with the elegance of the sequence of lectures, discussion strategies, and concrete activities, along with the emphasis on treating young children with warmth and empathy.
Wendy Whitesell and Karen Ashcroft of the Bennett Family Center at Penn State will be the first to offer the workshop series to parents at their center this year. At this point Smart Start is seeking funds to coordinate delivery of this workshop series in Centre County. Smart Start welcomes the input of parents in the community. If you would like to see this series offered to the public, please contact us at 238-0331 or email eileen@smartstartcc.org.
Eileen Wise, Executive Director, Smart Start-Centre County
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Upcoming Events
2009 Events
January 24 Early Years Conference, State College, PA 16801 contact 814-355-4897
January 24 Professional Development Day, Butler County, PA, contact 724-287-2761
March 10-14 NACCRRA 2009 National Policy Symposium, Washington, DC
March 28 Professional Development Day, Beaver County, PA, contact 724-654-8370
April 2-3 PHSA Spring 2009 Conference, Harrisburg, PA
April 2-4 National Afterschool Association's 21st Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA
April 19-25 Week of the Young Child
April 17-18 DVAEYC Conference, Philadelphia, PA
May 12 Early Childhood Action Day
May 31-June 3 Second Annual Higher Education Institute, Grantville, PA
June 14-17 NAEYC’s 18th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, Charlotte, NC
July 12-15 CAYL's National Conference for Elementary School Principals Cambridge, MA
Extra Learning Opportunities Conference
The 2009 Extra Learning Opportunities Conference, Promising Practices-Proven Strategies: Afterschool Programs Working for Pennsylvania Youth is scheduled for March 4-6, 2009. The conference is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in partnership with the Center for Schools and Communities and will be held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at the Hilton Harrisburg. The conference will focus on key elements of high-quality extra learning opportunities, and on developing systems that support and promote collaboration and youth success. Anyone who works on behalf of children and youth in out-of-school time programs should attend.
Regional Workshops For School Board Candidates
The Education Policy and Leadership Center, with the Cooperation of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) and Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will conduct A Series of Regional Full-Day Workshops for 2009 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Registration is $40 and includes coffee/donuts, lunch, and materials.
Philadelphia Region: Saturday, February 7, 2009 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, 1605 West Main St., Norristown, PA 19403
Pittsburgh Region: Saturday, February 14, 2009 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Allegheny County Intermediate Unit, 475 East Waterfront Dr., Homestead, PA 15120
Harrisburg Region: Saturday, February 21, 2009 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Headquarters; 400 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Lehigh Valley: Saturday, March 7, 2009 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Parkland High School, 2700 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., Allentown, PA 18104
For registration information, agendas and additional information, please visit the EPLC website.
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Resources for Early Learning Professionals
February Welcomes National Children's Dental Health Month
National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) turns 60 this year. Each February, since 1949, the American Dental Association (ADA) has sponsored National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. NCDHM messages and materials have reached millions of people in communities across the country.
Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. The Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) conducts the NCDHM program annually to educate Pennsylvania youths about the importance of good oral health. The PDA website has available several tools, such as a coloring sheet (pdf) and a calendar (pdf), to use within the classroom for dental education.
Celebrate Black History Month
Celebrated in February, Black History month explores and acknowledges the many contributions of African-Americans. Bring that education into the pre-k and Kindergarten classroom with the help of various websites which provide activities and other supporting materials.
Health Link Online Now Available
The Winter 2009 issue of Health Link Online is now available on the ECELS website. The articles in this issue are:
· Clean ‘Green’ ? What About UV Light?
· BPA in Plastic Bottles, Containers & Lined Cans for Liquids
· 2008-09 Influenza Prevention UPDATE
· Tooth-Saving Teamwork
· Be Food Safe
· Safer Active Play
· 2009 Vaccine Schedule Released
No funding is available to ECELS to distribute this newsletter in hard copy. This online newsletter is available so children, families and staff in early education and child care can learn about best practices to stay healthy and safe.
Grant Opportunity from the NEA Foundation
The NEA Foundation provides grants to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Proposals for work resulting in low-income and minority student success with honors, advanced placement, or other challenging curricula are particularly encouraged. Applicants must be practicing U.S. public school teachers in grades PreK-12, public school education support professionals, or faculty or staff at public higher education institutions. Preference will be given to applicants who serve economically disadvantaged students. Preference will also be given to members of the National Education Association. The NEA Foundation especially encourages grant applications from teachers with less than seven years of experience in the profession and education support professionals.
For additional information, including application guidelines, visit the NEA Foundation website.
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