March 31, 2010

Trends and Reports

• Snapshots of Health Disparities for children with special health care needs 

OCDEL Corner

• Pennsylvania Committed to Education Reform, Will Apply for Second Round of Federal Race to the Top Grant Program
• Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts begins enrollments for Fall 2010
• Announcement C-10 #01, “PEMA Update to Emergency Plan Toolkit for Child Care Facilities” 
• Search for an Early Head Start Grantee

In the Community

• Hildebrandt child care center in Palmyra earns top state rating
• Westmoreland County Plans Activities to Celebrate Month of the Young Child
• Paving the Path to Kindergarten in Greene County
• Read To Me campaign kicks off in Warren & Forest Counties
• Presentation of Plaque for support of early education programs

Upcoming Events

• 2010 Events
• Bucks County Month of the Young Child Family Open House - April 14, 20 & 27, Bucks County
• Health Kids Day - April 17, Media
• Literacy Festival - April 24, Lebanon
• National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day - May 6, 2010
• 3rd Annual Higher Education Institute, The Future is Here:  Developing Responsive Pre-K to Grade 4 Educators & Learners - May 24-25, 2010, State College
• 2010 Spring Early Literacy Conference Creativity:  Building Block to Early Literacy - June 5, 2010; Homestead, PA
• The Washington Wild Things Present Early Intervention Families’ Night - June 8, Washington, PA
• Infant Massage Certification Four-Day Training - July 12-15, State College

Funding Opportunities

• National Center for Safe Routes to School Mini-Grant Program
• Target Stores Grant Program to Support Arts and Literacy Programs for Children and Youth

Into Action

• Participants needed for the Older Youth Recruitment and Retention Study

Higher Education

• Southeast Key Releases RFP for Higher Education Institutions
• Slippery Rock University presents Special On-line Program 

Resources

• Look what's new with Learning is Everywhere!
• Exciting News for One Book, Every Young Child 2010
• Obesity Prevention Self-Learning Module now available online
• Keystone Kids Go!

Trends and Reports

Snapshots of Health Disparities for children with special health care needs

Nearly one in five US children now have a chronic condition requiring above routine services or special health care services. These children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are especially vulnerable to weaknesses in the health care system. Data from the most recent Maternal and Child Health Bureau National Survey of Children's Health show that CSHCN experience a wide range of disparities in health status, in accessing health care and quality of care, and in school related outcomes compared to other children.  Learn about and advocate for CSHCN in your state using new CSHCN disparities profiles available through the Data Resource Center website and based on the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, a survey led by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. These customizable profiles allow easy comparisons between children with special health care needs and children without special health care needs on numerous health indicators. Reports can be downloaded for use and easy dissemination.  Additional snapshot reports of health disparities, including type of insurance, race/ethnicity and income level, will be available soon on the Data Resource Center website. 

To view the data, please visit the website for Maternal and Child Health Bureau National Survey of Children's Health.

OCDEL Corner

Pennsylvania Committed to Education Reform, Will Apply for Second Round of Federal Race to the Top Grant Program

Pennsylvania will press on with its education reform strategies and apply for the second round of federal Race to the Top grant funding, Governor Edward G. Rendell and Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said March 29, 2010.

The state learned on March 29 that its application ranked 7th among the 16 finalists competing for the first-round grants announced by the U.S. Department of Education. Tennessee and Delaware received the only first-round grant awards.

“Pennsylvania has been a national leader in education reform over the past decade and will continue to move forward in providing a quality education for all students,” Governor Rendell said. “Our schools, educators, education leaders and state should be extremely proud of the application we put forth and the strategies that we have developed to continue to build on our strong educational foundation.”

“While we were not chosen to receive funds in the first round of awards, it will not deter us from continuing our reform efforts,” Secretary Zahorchak said. “We will take the constructive feedback we expect to receive from the U.S. Department of Education and use it to bolster our vision for education reform for the second phase of Race to the Top, which will begin later this year.”

States that did not receive a first-round award will be eligible to re-apply for round two of the competition in June 2010, which will make available $3.4 billion.

“We will reapply because we are committed to making every effort to access every resource to the fullest benefit of Pennsylvania’s children,” Governor Rendell said.

“Pennsylvania’s education community should be enormously proud of its strong showing in the Race to the Top competition,” State Board of Education Chairman Joseph M. Torsella said. “Our state’s school districts, charter schools, educators, and political leaders have made an historic commitment to reform and we’ll redouble those efforts in the weeks ahead—both in preparation for the second phase of the competition and because Pennsylvania’s kids deserve no less.”

The Race to the Top grant competition represents the largest discretionary funding effort for education reform ever made available by the federal government – a total of $4.3 billion nationwide. The grants are not formula-based.

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts begins enrollments for Fall 2010

Families interested in enrolling their children in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts next fall are being urged to apply now by contacting any one of the early childhood education providers funded by Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts for the 2010-2011 school year. Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is a state-funded initiative that enables school districts, Head Start providers, child care centers and nursery schools to deliver high-quality pre-kindergarten to more children, with an emphasis on those who are at the greatest risk of academic failure.

Eligible children include those living in families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (such as a family of four earning $66,150), English language learners, and children with special needs. Children are eligible for enrollment in the program from age three until the entry age for kindergarten.

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts classrooms offer qualified teachers, small class sizes, curriculum aligned with the Pennsylvania Early Learning standards, regular assessment of the children's progress and reporting of the program's performance. These quality expectations will ensure that the children enrolled have a high-quality early learning experience.  Nearly every child who participated in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts in 2008-2010 showed age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate skills after attending the programs. School districts have also reported that children who participated in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts entered kindergarten with age-appropriate skills, were more prepared for kindergarten than their peers, and were meeting development expectations through kindergarten. 

In 2009-10, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts provided high-quality pre-kindergarten to nearly 12,000 three- and four-year-olds across the state. Governor Edward G. Rendell’s 2010-2011 budget proposes $85.9 million, which will reduce services by 68 children to reach 11,732 children, and carries forward mid-year budget freeze from FY 09-10 of $475,000.

Families should contact Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts grantees directly for enrollment information and how to apply. For a complete list of current Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts grantees, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education Web site and click on “Programs” and “Pre-K Counts” for a listing of enrollment contacts.

Announcement C-10 #01, “PEMA Update to Emergency Plan Toolkit for Child Care Facilities”

On March 23, 2010, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Bureau of Certification Services issued Announcement C-10 #01, “PEMA Update to Emergency Plan Toolkit for Child Care Facilities” (pdf).

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) recently completed the update of the Child Care Emergency Planning Toolkit that is available on the PEMA website.  Representatives of OCDEL’s Bureau of Certification Services, PEMA, County Emergency Management Agencies and PACCA worked together to update the toolkit.  The announcement provides information regarding the update and the hyperlink to access the emergency planning toolkit on the PEMA website.

Please note that child care facilities are NOT required to rewrite their emergency plans as a result of the update.  Instead, the new document will be available for those facilities developing new emergency plans and making updates to their existing plans.

Search for an Early Head Start Grantee

An Early Head Start program in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania needs a new sponsor. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, is looking for community-minded organizations, (including faith-based organizations) that are interested in operating a high quality Early Head Start program that provides comprehensive services to low-income pregnant women and children from birth to age 3. Applicants may be nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Applications are due May 24, 2010.

Interested applicants should contact the OHS Operations Center at (866) 796-1591 to receive pre-application materials. The announcement is also available at the Grants.gov website under CFDA 93.600.

In the Community

Hildebrandt child care center in Palmyra earns top state rating

The Hildebrandt Learning Center at the Lebanon Valley Brethren Home in Annville has received STAR Four designation, the highest designation in the state’s Keystone STARS Program.

The center joins another Hildebrandt Center at Lebanon VA Medical Center as the only centers in Lebanon County to have achieved the rating, said Bill Grant, Hildebrandt director. The Palmyra center is also working toward accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Grant said.

To achieve the STAR Four rating, staff must undergo 24 hours of training per year, and two-thirds of staff must have degrees in the field or be enrolled in credential or degree programs, as well as meet additional criteria.

A year ago, parents were concerned when the Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, which serves the elderly, was considering closing the center, which is run by Hildebrandt on a contract basis, due to concern over costs.  Tuition was increased as part of a compromise plan to keep the center open. Grant said the center is now fully enrolled with 30 children. New this summer will be a camp for children ages 6-11 from June 14-Aug. 27.

Westmoreland County Plans Activities to Celebrate Month of the Young Child

Exciting plans are underway in Westmoreland County to celebrate April's Month of the Young Child.  Check out the many opportunities around Westmoreland County and share the fun and excitement at one or at all!

• At the regularly scheduled meeting on April 8th, the Westmoreland County Commissioners will issue a Proclamation designating April as the Month of the Young Child. 
• Beginning April 1st, United Way of Westmoreland County School Readiness/CEG will display children’s artwork at the Westmoreland County Courthouse.  Artwork has been submitted by Early Learning Centers and depicts children’s treasures based upon the PA One Book, Every Young Child “What a Treasure.” 
• Early Learning Centers submitted children’s artwork based upon the book “What a Treasure.”  Select drawings will be framed and presented to legislators in April.  Other drawings will be framed and presented to school district superintendents. 
• Westmoreland County public libraries have been contacted and asked to accept children’s artwork for display.  Providers have been encouraged to contact their local library to display their center’s art. 
• United Way of Westmoreland County School Readiness/CEG, PAEYC and Westmoreland IU #7 is Sponsoring Building Blocks IX Conference at Westmoreland County Community College on April 9th & 10th.  School Readiness/CEG will have an informational table available during the conference.  For more information please contact Marsha Androsik, Westmoreland IU, 724-836-2460 x 2220 or mandrosik@wiu.k12.pa.us
• United Way of Westmoreland County School Readiness/CEG has made arrangements for a guest story reader at Barnes & Noble, Greensburg on Saturday, April 24th at 2:00 pm for a reading of the PA One Book, Every Young Child “What a Treasure.” 
• United Way of Westmoreland County School Readiness/CEG is encouraging Early Learning Centers to invite their local legislators to their center for activities, readings and tours to show them firsthand the impact early learning has on the lives of children. 
• United Way of Westmoreland County School Readiness/CEG is providing the PA One Book, Every Young Child “What a Treasure” for the community children’s story walk on April 16 from 6-8pm at Westmoreland County Community College, Founders Hall.  For additional information, please contact Beth Hoden, WCCC, 724-925-4013, hodenb@wccc.edu

Unless otherwise specified, for more information, please contact School Readiness Director, Jan Gebicki at 724-834-7170 x 19.

Paving the Path to Kindergarten in Greene County

The Greene County Early Care and School Success team has collaborated with Community Action Southwest’s Family Center to provide transition workshops entitled, “Paving the Path to Kindergarten.”  The Workshops were promoted throughout the 5 school districts in Greene County.  All families with children entering kindergarten in the fall of 2010 were encouraged to attend.  The children became familiarized with the concepts of circle time, share time, the days of the week, the months of the year and the pledge of allegiance.  They engage in free play, craft time and snack time.  The children also received a back pack to introduce them to the concept of preparing for the day by taking their back pack to each session.  They then receive a free book and information on the days topic (such as bullying, sharing, school bus safety, etc.) to take home and review with their caregivers.  This program has been a success not only for the children in attendance, but also the parents, who have formed a network to support one another and discuss their concerns and discuss questions around their children’s transition into kindergarten. 

For additional information about Transition activities in Greene County, please contact the Greene County Community Engagement Group Coordinator, Angie Vandyne at 724-852-5276 ext. 522 or avandyne@co.greene.pa.us.

Read To Me campaign kicks off in Warren & Forest Counties

During April's Month of the Young Child, the Warren and Forest Early Care and Education Coalition is sponsoring a reading campaign, Read 2 Me, with the goal to encourage families to spend at least five minutes a day reading with their children.  Each participating early learning facility will receive Read 2 Me calendars for each child to track their daily minutes of reading with their family.  On the back side of the calendar is information about the importance of reading with children and tips on how to effectively read with children.  When the month is over, the calendars will be collected and the total number of hours spent reading community wide will be calculated and publicized.   To kick off the Read 2 Me campaign, a Warren County Commissioner is reading a book to a group of Pre-K students at the Warren County Courthouse. Each child will leave with a book! 
 
For additional information about the activities of the Warren and Forest Early Care and Education Coalition, please contact Beth Fantaskey, Project Director at 814-723-3581 or fantaskey@atlanticbb.net.

Presentation of Plaque for support of early education programs

On March 23, 2010, the Child Care Professional Network and Delaware County Community Engagement of the YMCA of Philadelphia & vicinity presented a plaque to Delaware County Council in appreciation on behalf of the children of Delaware County and their families “for your continuous support and commitment of early education programs during the state budget negotiations from July through October 2009.”  

Child care providers and advocates acknowledged the support of the County Council during the budget crisis by fully paying for contracted Child Care Works, Early Intervention, and other mandated services. Over 45 child care providers with more than 700 employees and multiple organizations were represented by the committee who gave the Council the award.

Council Chairman (pdf) John J. Whelan (center) accepted the award which stated, “Because you support us, we were able to keep on working!” from Margie Sebastiani (left), Owner-Director of Sonshine Christian Academy, Drexel Hill, John Sperduto (1st from left), President of Child Care Professional Network, Sally Bechtold (1st from right), Director of Aston Presbyterian Day Care Learning Center, and Ricky Pfeifer (right), Delaware County Community Engagement Coordinator of YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity.

Whelan was joined in receiving the award at the March 23 County Council meeting by (2d row, from left) Councilman Thomas J. McGarrigle, Council Vice Chairman Christine Fizzano Cannon and Councilman Andy Lewis.

For additional information about the work being done in Delaware County around quality early learning, please contact Ricky Pfeifer, Delaware County Community Engagement Coordinator, at 610-209-2846 or rpfeifer@philaymca.org.

Upcoming Events

2010

• April 8-11:  National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) 2010 Annual Convention & Expo, Houston, TX
• April 9-10:   Building Blocks Conference IX - Youngwood, PA
• April 9 & May 7:  Healthy Smiles, Happy Children:  A Dentist for Every Child Oral Health Forum, Philipsburg & New Castle 
• April 11-17:  Week of the Young Child
• April 14:  Pennsylvania Early Learning Forum, Harrisburg, 717.232.1898
• April 15, 22 & 29:  Workshop for Early Intervention Families, Pittsburgh, 412-885-6000 x3136
• April 16:  Director's Roundtable:  Advocacy in Action:  Preparing for Action Day, Lancaster
• April 20:  Wyoming County Community Education Fair - Tunkhannock
• April 24:  2010 Education Summit, California, PA, 724-225-9550 x404
• May 6:  2010 Children's Mental health Awareness Day, various locations
• May 14-15:  44th PAEYC Conference - Creativity:  Where the Future Begins, Pittsburgh

If you are hosting an event, please submit it to the PA Promise for Children website to help spread the word. Your event will show up on the Early Education in my County page.

Find out how you can submit an event to the PA Promise for Children website (pdf)!

Bucks County Month of the Young Child Family Open House - April 14, 20 & 27, Bucks County

Parents and caregivers of young children are invited to the Bucks County Month of the Young Child Family Open House on April 14 (Levittown), April 20 (Warminster) or April 27 (Quakertown).  Provided will be an information night with local organizations and early childhood experts who can help answer important questions.  Get free food, information, children's activity books, community resources and more!

Meet representatives from community organizations to discuss:

• Quality child care – What is it? How do I find it?
• Quality Preschool
• Kindergarten readiness – is your child ready?
• Health issues of young children
• Community resources available to families

Choose a date and location:

• Wednesday, April 14, 5-7 PM:  Levittown Regional Library, 7311 New Falls Road, Levittown (215-949-2324)
• Tuesday, April 20, 5-7 PM:  Warminster Free Library,1076 Emma Lane, Warminster (215-672-4362)
• Tuesday, April 27, 10 AM-1 PM:  Quakertown Library, 401 West Mill St., Quakertown (215-536-3306)

Visit the website for Quality Care Coalition of Bucks County for more information on Month of the Young Child events or call 1-800-770-4822 extension 2952.

Health Kids Day - April 17, Media

The Rocky Run YMCA, located at 1299 W. Baltimore Pike, Media, Delaware County, invites the community to bring children to Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 17. Continuing with the YMCA commitment to encourage fitness, there will be free group classes in Zumba and Boot Camp. The new mascot, "The Y Guy", a moonbounce, Soccero from Kixx,  and Hip Hop for the Sixers will keep the kids jumping from 10:00 - 2:00 PM.  Free T-shirts go to the first 300 kids. 

More fun activities include  clowning, face painting, and recycling activities. Some activities will be in the pool. In addition, the library will be giving out library cards and the fire department, state police, and ambulance will have displays in the gym. Families are encouraged to bring their children for a fun filled day!

For additional information, please contact Rocky Run YMCA at 610-627-9622.

Literacy Festival - April 24, Lebanon

Lebanon County will be extending the Week of the Young Child to April 24th to include the first Literacy Festival to be held April 24, 2010 in the downtown at HACC-Lebanon, the Lebanon Arts Council, the Lebanon County Library and the YMCA.  The festival will include streeet vendors and will host parenting classes, three major authors, Kay Winters, Linda Oatman-High and Kerry Royer, and illustrator, E.B. Lewis, children’s crafts, story tellers, puppet shows, the Adjective Lady, Kindermusik and book giveaways.  The County Commissioners will declare April 19th through 24th, the Week of Literacy in Lebanon County!  Local businesses, civic organizations and a grant from Verizon have made this possible. 

For additional information, please contact Betty Holsopple, Quality Early Learning of Lebanon County at 717-450-1513 or margaret_holsopple@iu13.org.

National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day - May 6, 2010

National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) is a day for everyone to promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families. Awareness Day raises awareness of effective programs for children's mental health needs; demonstrates how children's mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, recovery, and resilience; and shows how children with mental health needs thrive in their communities.

On Thursday, May 6, 2010, Awareness Day will mark its 5th anniversary, as well as a first-time focus on the topic of early childhood. Communities across the country will observe the day with events, youth demonstrations, and social networking campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and increase understanding of the mental health needs of children and their families.

Awareness Day 2010 will specifically focus on increasing basic awareness of the importance positive mental health has on a child's healthy development, with the key message that "positive mental health is essential to a child's healthy development from birth. "

Awareness Day efforts will encourage the following actions:

• Integrate mental health into every environment that impacts child development from birth
• Nurture the social and emotional well-being of children from birth
• Look for and discuss milestones of a child's social and emotional development from birth

To view materials, collaborating organizations and community events, please visit the website for Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Adminstration.

3rd Annual Higher Education Institute, The Future is Here:  Developing Responsive Pre-K to Grade 4 Educators & Learners - May 24-25, 2010, State College

The Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, the Pennsylvania Key, and PennAEYC have issued an invitation to the 3rd Annual Higher Education Institute on Diversity, The Future is Here: Developing Responsive PreK- Grade 4 Educators & Learners, to be held on May 24-25, 2010 at the Penn Stater, State College, PA.

The purpose of the institute is to provide faculty, administrators, and other professional development providers with methods, research, and instructional strategies associated with meeting the unique educational needs of all learners in Pre-K through Grade 4. A specific focus will be on racially, ethnically, linguistically, ability, and socio-economically diverse learners and their families.

Areas to be addressed through institute sessions include:

• Effective approaches for addressing Chapter 49-2 requirements
• Building effective collaboration with diverse partners
• Assessment of the performance and progress of all learners
• Building opportunities for high quality inclusionary practices and programs
• Emerging issues and research related to preparing current and future personnel to support all learners in Pre-K through Grade 4
• Resources and instructional strategies for developing responsive educators

For additional information, including registration instructions, please see the 3rd Annual Higher Education Institute, The Future is Here:  Developing Responsive Pre-K to Grade 4 Educators & Learners brochure (pdf).

2010 Spring Early Literacy Conference Creativity:  Building Block to Early Literacy - June 5, 2010; Homestead, PA

The 2010 Spring Early Literacy Conference Creativity: Building Block to Early Literacy will be held on June 5, 2010 at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, The Waterfront in Homestead, PA.

The conference is open to all early childhood educators.  Come experience a full day of learning about best practices and activities in early literacy.  Keynote Speaker will be Robin Echols Cooper, educator and performer, and Luncheon Speaker will be Sally Alexander, children’s author. 

Act 48 and PA Professional Development Hours are available.  For additional information, please contact Barbara Stolarz at 412.361.8560 or visit the Beginning with Books website.

The Washington Wild Things Present Early Intervention Families’ Night - June 8, Washington, PA

Sponsored by Early Intervention Specialists, Inc., the Washington Wild Things present Early Intervention Families' Night on June 8, 2010.  Experience the Field of Dreams--take the Field with the Wild Things players and stand next to them for the playing of the National Anthem!  Field of Dreams begins at 6:45 PM.  A special group ticket rate of $6.00 is being offered for reserve level tickets.

For reservations, please contact Dave Wojtkowski at 724.250.9555 or dwojo@washingtonwildthings.com, or see the Early Intervention Families’ Night flyer (pdf).

Infant Massage Certification Four-Day Training - July 12-15, State College

A four-day infant massage educator training course will be offered at Penn State this summer. The course is scheduled July 12-15, 2010, at the Penn Stater Conference Center, located at University Park, State College.

Taught by international trainers of Infant Massage USA, the Infant Massage Certification Four-Day Training prepares participants to teach parents and caregivers how to massage infants and children. Educators work with parents, families, and caregivers in private, group, hospital, and agency settings. In addition to teaching private and group classes, educators may also participate in research studies, conduct in-service programs, and present at professional conferences.  

Upon completing the course requirements, each participant will be certified as a certified educator of infant massage (CEIM) and will become a full member of Infant Massage USA. Participants will be recognized worldwide as infant massage instructors of the international organization. 

The four-day training (28 CE hours) is followed by the CEIM Exam and Practicum (28 CE hours). By attending the course and exam requirements, students will receive a total of 56 CE hours.

For additional information, please visit the website of Penn State University. 

Funding Opportunities

National Center for Safe Routes to School Mini-Grant Program
Deadline:  April 7, 2010

The National Center for Safe Routes to School assists communities throughout the United States in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school. The Center's Mini-Grant Program will provide up to 35 grants of $1,000 to community nonprofit organizations, K-12 schools, and local government agencies for projects that focus on increasing safe walking and/or bicycling to school. Eligible activities may also explore a variety of issues related to Safe Routes to School programs, including physical activity and environmental benefits, distracted driving, personal safety, integrating children with disabilities, and community building.

For additional information, please visit the website for The National Center for Safe Routes to School. 

Target Stores Grant Program to Support Arts and Literacy Programs for Children and Youth
Deadline:  April 30, 2010 

Through its 2010 Store Grant program, Target will provide direct support to K-12 schools and other nonprofit organizations that foster a love of reading and provide art experiences.  In the Early Childhood Reading category, Target will fund programs that foster a love of reading and encourage young children, preschool through third grade, to read together with their families. Reading grants support programs such as library storytimes and family reading nights. In the Art and Culture in Schools category, Target will fund in-school arts programs that enhance student's classroom curriculum by bringing arts and cultural experiences such as in-school performances, artist-in-residency programs, and workshops to schools.  To be eligible, an applicant organization must be federally tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, a school, a library, or a public agency.  Grants in the amount of $2,000 each will be made for programs taking place between September 1, 2010, and August 1, 2011.

For additional information, please visit the website for Target.

Into Action

Participants needed for the Older Youth Recruitment and Retention Study

Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) knows that quality out-of-school time programs are great for youth, but recruiting and retaining middle- and high-school students can be challenging.

PSAYDN needs feedback on which recruitment and retention activities are effective, and is asking directors of programs serving primarily middle- and high-school youth to participate in this research. Please help by completing a 20-minute web survey by April 15, 2010. The focus is on youth programs that are open regularly throughout the school year and/or regularly throughout the summer, not sports teams or activities that meet for only one hour per week.

Please visit the PSAYDN website to participate in the survey.  For questions or additional information, contact Kacy Conley, PSAYDN Director at (717) 763-1661 x 210 or kconley@csc.csiu.org, or Kate Hynes, Penn State University at (814) 863-6422 or  kbh13@psu.edu.  

Higher Education

Southeast Key Releases RFP for Higher Education Institutions

The Southeast Regional Key released on March 23, 2010 RFPs for Higher Education Institutions that have experience in delivering credit-bearing C.D.A. (RFP #2) credential classes in Montgomery county and community organizations that have experience in delivering non-credit professional development (RFP #4 - Montgomery county). To be eligible to provide this service, the Bidder must demonstrate knowledge of the communities included in this region, and in particular, of the child care systems within these communities.

There will be a Bidder’s conference calls scheduled for April 9, 2010 at 9 AM (RFP #2) and 10 AM (RFP #4).  To access these calls, please call 888-354-0094 and use Conference ID: 1987379#.  Mandatory Letters of Intent to Bid are due by April 9, 2010 (2 PM).  Please email a non-binding letter stating your Intent to Bid to Zachary Cohen, Professional Development Supervisor at zcohen@seregionalkey.org. Applications are due by April 30, 2010 (2 PM).

For additional information, please see the Instructions for Proposal Information (pdf), or visit the Southeast Regional Key website.

Slippery Rock University presents Special On-line Program

Slippery Rock University presents a special online program for current Head Start, Child Care, Pre-K & K teachers, designed for those working professionals who need to add ECE certification to their existing Elementary Education Degree. Students must be admitted as a post-baccalaureate student to Slippery Rock University to register.

For additional requirements and information, please refer to the Post-Bacc. Application for Admission to Teacher Certification Programs at the website of Slippery Rock University.  For admissions information, call 1-800-SRU-9111.

Resources

Look what's new with Learning is Everywhere!

You don’t need Facebook® to become your child’s biggest fan.  Learning is Everywhere can help in using everyday teachable moments to build up your child’s self esteem and encourage social and emotional growth and development.  Discover ways to connect your child and extended family, ways to track your family's history, and make a family tree come to life!

Learning is Everywhere also highlights April's National Child Abuse Prevention month with the Program Spotlight of the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, an organization that protects children by teaching citizens to recognize and report child abuse and neglect by providing information, educational materials, and programs that promote positive parenting.

A month of Learning is Everywhere wouldn't be complete without a listing of books and songs.  This month, celebrate Pennsylvania 2010 One Book, Every Young Child with the book, What a Treasure!  Also provided is the book list from the Learning is Everywhere calendar, the listing of books from the PA Commonwealth librarians, and a song listing to fit April's activities!

Exciting News for One Book, Every Young Child 2010

The One Book, Every Young Child 2010 featured book, What a Treasure! by Jane and Will Hillenbrand, has available only 3,000 copies remaining for bulk orders prices (pdf)! 

The goal of One Book, Every Young Child is to increase awareness among parents, other family members, and the early childhood community of the need for practices that promote early literacy development by reading with children daily and engaging children in the story.  How can this goal be reached?  By asking adults with preschool children in their lives to read What a Treasure! during April 2010.

All of Pennsylvania’s public libraries will have multiple copies of the book and every childcare center, home-based childcare, Head Start classroom, and family literacy program will receive a copy of the book through the Commonwealth Library.

Celebrate One Book, Every Young Child 2010 through the following:

• 15 days of author visits across the state
• Museum developed traveling trunks of book-related puppets, games, and toys to bring the museum experience to children who otherwise could not visit one
• Posters with activities linked to Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Standards
• Website activities on the PA One book website 
• Exciting events in public libraries across Pennsylvania
• Guest Readers reading the book at many Pre-K sites

Please join the fun and help to make a difference in the lives of Pennsylvania’s young children!  For additional information about PA One Book, Every Young Child, please contact Anne Kruger, Commonwealth Libraries at 717-783-5741 or akruger@state.pa.us.

Obesity Prevention Self-Learning Module now available online

Obesity is epidemic in the United States. Learning healthy fitness behaviors during early childhood is much better than trying to change poor habits later in life. Recent studies indicate that children are not active enough in both center-based and home-based child care settings. Also, frequent meals and snacks that children eat in early learning programs are opportunities to foster healthy behaviors necessary to prevent obesity.

ECELS has a new Self-Learning Module Online available, called Moving and Munching - Supporting Physical Activity and Nutrition in Early Learning Programs. This module allows users to assess their program’s physical activity and nutrition policies and practices for children ages 3-5 using the research-tested Nutrition and Physical Activity Self- Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC).  The module includes developing an action plan to make improvements based on the self-assessment.  In addition, the module covers how to create a nutritious menu and evaluate the menu according to Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines.  There are resources for staff and parents too.

Find this new online self-learning on the ECELS website. Select “Child Care Provider Training,” and then either select “Self-Learning Modules” from the drop down menu in the heading for that section or scroll down to the Self-Learning Modules.  Look for “SLM Online - Fitness and Nutrition: Moving and Munching-Supporting Physical Activity and Nutrition in Early Learning Programs.”

Keystone Kids Go!

Keystone Kids Go has a new home on the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network website.  Visit the website to learn more about the Color Me Healthy program and training available in Pennsylvania along with free downloadable resources!

A distance education professional development opportunity is available for those who are unable to attend a face to face Keystone Color Me Healthy training session.  Keystone Color Me Healthy Distance Education Lesson is designed for all child care professionals and includes an educational CD combining video and Power point to enhance your learning experience.  Earn 2 professional development hours upon completion.  Training fee is $5.00 and includes CD, Workbook, and Coupon for one assignment review.  Order materials by calling 800-452-9108 or visit the Better Kid Care website.