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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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Message from Suzann Morris, Deputy Secretary
As we draw closer to the end of summer, many early learning programs throughout Pennsylvania are welcoming new students and classroom staff. To those who may be new to early childhood education, welcome! To those returning to their early learning and preschool classrooms, welcome back!
OCDEL extends a warm welcome to Teresa Miller, Acting Secretary for the PA Department of Human Services. Previously, s
he served as Insurance Commissioner, where she worked on a range of issues, including the administration's top priorities. We also send a sincere thank you to Ted Dallas for his leadership and support of OCDEL while in his prior role as secretary as he moves to an advisory role with the administration.
We would also like to send a message of support to Texas and Louisiana early learning providers and the families they serve who have been impacted by hurricane Harvey. Please keep them in your thoughts as they move forward in reestablishing services within their communities.
We know that inclusion benefits all children, families, and communities. Please take a few moments to review two new documents from OCDEL to help support promoting and implementing inclusive practices. There's even an infographic you can share on your website, newsletter or social media outlets to help others understand the benefits of inclusion in classrooms, schools and communities.
Finally, a new report from the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership highlights Pennsylvania as one of the states leading the nation in policies to support early education leaders. Our early learning professionals are one of our most valued resources in quality early learning and helping to meet the needs of Pennsylvania children and families--thank you for your role.
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Early Education in Pennsylvania
 New Guidance to Help ECE Support Children, Families & Staff
OCDEL Inclusion and Suspension/Expulsion Announcements: Timeline provides a timeline to help early learning professionals plan how they can support families, children and staff in their program.
Getting Started Implementing the OCDEL Inclusion Announcement provides additional guidance to early care and education programs to implement the next steps outlined in the OCDEL Announcement, Inclusion of All Children in Early Childhood Programs in Pennsylvania. It also supports the core principle of "inclusion, equity and respect for all children" of the Keystone STARS System and OCDEL programs in general.
The next steps outlined in the Announcement are intended to support early care and education programs in promoting and implementing inclusive practices. Resources to support each step are also provided.
The infographic, The Benefits of Inclusion in Early Childhood, demonstrates how all children, families and communities can benefit from the inclusion of all children.
What's New with T.E.A.C.H. for FY 2017 - 2018
PACCA staff have been extremely busy over the last year relaunching the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program, thanks to funding provided by the PA Department of Human Services (DHS) and Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL.) There has been feedback received from the field regarding scholarship models, the need for access to more degrees/credentials and other challenges that ECE programs and teachers face. As a result PACCA has been working to provide more supports and opportunities for the field. See what is new with T.E.A.C.H. for the 17-18 fiscal year.
- Higher Education Partners: Arcadia, Carlow, Mansfield, Neumann Universities & many more! Check out our website for a full list of partnering colleges and universities the scholarships available at each.
- Scholarship Models: Director Credential (Bachelor's & Master's level ONLY) & Student Teaching Only Scholarships available! Visit PACCA's website for more information and to download an application.
- Reduced Tuition Contributions: PACCA has revised all scholarship models to reduce the percentage of tuition/fees that both Recipients & Sponsoring Employers pay each semester. See scholarship applications for more details.
- Eligibility Criteria: Staff working in Head Start and PreK Counts programs that participate in Keystone STARS are now eligible to apply for scholarships.
- Did you miss What's New at T.E.A.C.H. Webinars for ECE Professionals & Sponsoring Employers? Access recordings of the webinars on PACCA's website.
- PACCA has funding available to award scholarships for upcoming semesters as well as retroactively for any semesters that began after July 1, 2017. Contact a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor for more info at 717-657-9000 or [email protected].
Introducing online, self-paced modules for early childhood professionals on the PD Registry!
OCDEL has developed the following self-paced, online modules available for various PQAS hours. Some of these courses also fulfill individual CCDBG Health and Safety requirements (indicated by a *). All of the current offerings include:
- 21st Century Skills in Young Children
- Assessment: Beyond the Basics of Observation and Data Utilization
- Asthma Basics and the Use of an Asthma Action Plan*
- Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): Building Change that Lasts
- Core Knowledge Competencies and Big Ideas Framework
- Engaging Adult Learners
- Food Allergies: Basics and Emergency Response*
- Infectious Diseases in Early Care and education environments: Prevention and Control*
- Introduction to Early Childhood and School-Age Professional Dispositions
- Linking Standards, Curriculum Framework and Assessment
- Safe Infant Sleep: Promoting Best Practice and Reducing Rise of SIDS*
- STEM and the Pennsylvania Standards for Early Childhood
- Supervising Activities in Medium to Larger After School and Summer Enrichment Programs
To find these courses, log in to your PD Registry account at www.pakeys.org and select "PD Registry" on the left menu of the Portal. Once on the homepage of the PD Registry, select "Course Catalog" on the left menu. Use the dropdown menu to locate the "Online" course selection and click on "Created by Office of Child Development and Early Learning" to see the list of offerings above.
Early Care & Education Professional Development Organizations RFI
Deadline September 8, 2017
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Service's Office of Administration, Bureau of Financial Operations has issued this Request for Information (RFI) on behalf of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) to solicit input regarding the proposed scope of work for the creation and management of regional Early Care and Education Professional Development Organizations (ECE PDOs). The Department anticipates releasing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to identify business partners to provide the leadership, management, and administration of the new regional ECE PDOs. Offerors, as single agencies or in partnership with other local entities, will submit proposals for specific service areas, and, if selected, they will be required to maintain a local presence in order to fully support early care and education providers as well as coordinate with the Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs). Through a competitive RFP process, agencies may apply as a single agency applicant or as a lead agency submitting with partners.
View the bid online at eMarketplace or by clicking here.
Attention PQAS Instructors: Please Mark Registration Closed and Scheduled Event Complete in PD Registry for Past Courses
There are a sizeable number of courses in the PD Registry that do not have closed registration and the scheduled event has not been marked as completed. As per PD Registry Policies, Processes, and Governance Section 5.2.3 states, "After a scheduled event is concluded, the instructor must update the status of all registered students in the event roster within two weeks of the event's ending." In order to reduce the number of these open scheduled events, all PQAS Instructors should check their scheduled events and close any that remain open past their two weeks ending.
It is possible this may have been a cancelled scheduled event that was never properly closed as well. If this is the case, please go to the "Manage" tab within the scheduled event and cancel the instance with a reason chosen from the drop down menu.
Thank you for your cooperation and ensuring information within the PD Registry is up-to-date!
Pediatric First Aid and CPR - The 10th Federal Required Topic
In July, the instructors who are PQAS approved to offer First-Aid/CPR were notified they need to instruct on pediatric/child focused curriculum and that "pediatric" or "child" needs to be in the title and/or the card or certificate for it to be accepted by PA Dept. of Human Services Certification. Make sure when you schedule your First Aid/CPR course your instructor is aware of this. Below is a list of the currently approved curriculum. If there is another curriculum you would like to have reviewed for approval, please send the information to [email protected].
American Heart Association
American Red Cross
American Safety & Health Institute
EMS Safety Council
Medic First Aid
National Safety Council
PedFACTs
Tri-State Pediatric CPR/AED/First Aid (Using AHA)
Upcoming Deadlines
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Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge
Partnership Benefits Pregnant and Parenting Teens and their Families
The PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) recently reached out to the Community Innovation Zone grantees to support a new partnership with local Pregnant and Parenting Teens: Education Leading to Employment and Career Training (ELECT) programs. ELECT was designed to expand the services of existing teen parent programs and provide comprehensive support services to students who meet the income eligibility requirements. OCDEL has offered stipends to 19 CIZ interested in developing this relationship. While the partnerships are new, there are already stories of impact. The most recent edition of the
CIZ Update shares how the CIZ-ELECT Partnership Prototype Stipend received by Lancaster-Lebanon IU 13 has provided both resources and the opportunity for collaboration.
This initiative is in part by Pennsylvania's Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge grant. For more information on other initiatives funded by this grant, visit the
PA KEI Validated as Evidence-Based Tool
The Pennsylvania Kindergarten Entry Inventory (PA KEI) has been validated as an evidence-based tool for guiding instruction and describing children's competencies as they enter kindergarten. The PA KEI is a teacher-reported measure of children's competencies at the start of kindergarten and was designed to be used as part of Pennsylvania's comprehensive prenatal-to-third-grade (P3) initiative as a resource to create a common language about children's development and instructional supports across early childhood practitioners, school administrators, and families.
Rigorous validity analyses of the PA KEI provided scientific evidence for two dimensions of child competency that can be applied to all groups of kindergarten children: Learning Engagement Competencies and Emerging Academic Competencies. In line with the two primary aims of the PA KEI, this scientific study supports two uses: 1.Evidence supports use of KEI data by teachers to inform instruction for all children (gender, race/ ethnicity, DLLs, and students with IEPs) and 2.Evidence supports use of KEI data by state policymakers, school district leaders, and principals to provide a descriptive snapshot of all children rated on the PA KEI. Read more.
Extension Provides Additional Time to Complete Key Initiatives
The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), has been approved for a one-year no cost extension for the Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge grant. The $51.4 million federal grant was awarded to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services in 2013 and was slated to be completed in December 2017. The extension allows OCDEL an additional year to complete key initiatives with no additional monies from the United States Departments of Education and Human Services. OCDEL is confident that continued collaborative planning will allow appropriate expenditure of funds to ensure that all projects are successfully completed. The key initiatives continued in the extension year ending December 31, 2018 include: Grant Management, Community Innovation Zones, Tiered Quality Improvement System Revisioning (Keystone STARS TQRIS), Workforce Development Framework, and Kindergarten Entrance Inventory (KEI). The no cost extension will provide additional time for improvements and innovations to become self-sustaining, and assure sufficient infrastructure is in place. Pennsylvania is committed to creating policy and system changes to support our most vulnerable children and communities.
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Of Interest
Now Available: ESSA Webinar Recording
A recording of Pennsylvania Office of Elementary/Secondary Education's Deputy Secretary Matt Stem's webinar presenting Pennsylvania's draft Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated State Plan is now available on PA Department of Education (PDE) ESSA webpage.
ESSA advances the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) promise of ensuring that all students--from pre-kindergarten to post secondary, as well as low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, English Learners, and other historically marginalized students--have access to a world-class education that prepares them for college, career, and life. For Pennsylvania, ESSA presents two important opportunities: the chance to move away from the prescriptive policies and unintended consequences of No Child Left Behind, and toward state-level efforts that enjoy broad, bipartisan support, including more equitable and predictable funding for public schools and valid measures of school performance that look beyond standardized test scores.
Visit PDE's website to review the Consolidated State Plan and the webinar recording.
ECE Summit Program Now Online: Review and Select Your Workshops
Those attending the 2017 ECE Summit on October 16-18 can now register for individual workshops, but don't wait too long! Seating at certain workshops is limited and space fills up quickly. Should a particular workshop reach capacity, priority for seating will be given to attendees who selected that workshop during workshop selection. To help determine which workshops participants would like to attend, workshops and agenda are posted on the Summit website. For those who registered early, an email was sent on August 11, explaining how to log back in and select workshop sessions. Those experiencing difficulties can contact Theresa Rine at PACCA at 717-657-9000 x 101.
Online Registration Open for 8th Annual PA Infant Mental Health Conference
Register now for the 8th Annual PA Infant Mental Health Conference to be held October 19-20 in Philadelphia. This yearly conference brings nationally recognized experts in the field to the Commonwealth to educate PA's professionals on the most current research, promotion, prevention, and clinical practices. This year's conference speakers include Gerry Costa, Ph.D., Chandra Gosh-Ippen, Ph.D., Sheri Hill, Ph.D., and Brenda Jones Harden, Ph.D. Attend presentations on the topics of professional formation, lessons learned through child-parent psychotherapy, building healthy brains, and serving infants and young children in child welfare. Get more info and register.
Register for NFSN Farm to Early Care and Education Quarterly Webinar
October 19, 3-4 pm
Head Start offers vital, high quality early care and education (ECE) opportunities to low-income families across the country. Farm to ECE offers benefits that support the goals and priorities of the ECE community, with a particularly strong alignment with Head Start priority areas, including an emphasis on experiential learning opportunities, parent and community engagement, and life-long health and wellness for children, families and caregivers. Join this webinar to learn about the exciting new resource from National Farm to School Network (NFSN), Growing Head Start Success with Farm to Early Care and Education, which aligns Head Start Program Performance Standards and the Early Learning Outcomes Framework with farm to ECE opportunities, and to hear from Head Start practitioners about best practices and successes in implementing farm to ECE in the Head Start setting. This webinar is open to the public, but registration is required. Click here to register.
Submit a Workshop Application for the 2018 Community Schools National Forum
Deadline October 20
The Coalition for Community Schools, together with the Family League of Baltimore and partners from Baltimore City Public Schools, the City of Baltimore, and other local community partners, will be convening the 2018 Community Schools National Forum: Partnering for Equity & Opportunity. This Forum represents hope and possibility in the midst of the challenges we face. It will draw a diverse set of people: community schools practitioners, families, youth, non-profit leaders, policy makers, program leaders, and many others. Truly a cross-sector convening, the Forum is a unique venue for participants to learn new skills, build new relationships, and go home with the tools and inspiration to increase equity and opportunity through community schools.
Workshop are now being accepted that reflect the core theme and goals of this year's National Forum.
1. Highlight how community schools partner for equity and opportunity;
2. Participants will see community schools as the foundation for community change;
3. Strengthen and lift up state coalitions; and
4. Promote community schools as an evidence-based practice.
Lock Haven University of PA Upcoming Graduate Class in ECE
Lock Haven University of PA is offering the graduate class, Diversity in Development from Infancy through 4th Grade for Fall 2017. This course can be taken separately or as elective coursework for the Master's of Education in Teaching and Learning. The course can also be used toward the Pennsylvania Director Credential. It is available online. For more information, see the flyer.
Lehigh Carbon Community College Fall Courses
For Fall 2017, Lehigh Carbon Community College will offer Child Development Associate (CDA) and Director's Credential. These credentials will be offered as credit-bearing courses. To register or for more information contact Deb Wanamaker at 610-799-1875 or [email protected] or see the flyer.
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Trends and Reports
Pennsylvania Among States Leading in Policies Supporting ECE Leaders
According to the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership's recently released L.E.A.D. Early Childhood Clearinghouse, Pennsylvania is highlighted as one of the states leading the nation in policies to support early education leaders. The Clearinghouse gives a snapshot of the current landscape for center directors, school principals, and family child care providers. This comprehensive resource provides data on state leader policies, compensation, higher education program offerings, and more.
Mapping America's Child Care Deserts
A recent report, Mapping America' Child Care Deserts, from Center for American Progress analyzes the locations of licensed child care providers in 22 states, including Pennsylvania, and found that a staggering one-half of all Americans live in what is known as a "child care desert," with rural, Latino, and Native populations disproportionately impacted.
In Pennsylvania, 59 percent of all residents live in a child care desert. However, child care supply is especially low in Pennsylvania's rural areas, where 73 percent of residents live in areas without enough licensed child care providers. CAP finds that child care deserts are associated with fewer mothers in the workforce. In Pennsylvania, the maternal labor force participation rate in child care deserts is 1.6 percentage points lower than it is in neighborhoods with adequate licensed child care.
Farmers Markets Help Kids Make Healthy Food Choices
Farmers markets are an excellent field trip to help kids learn more about their food system and to make healthy food choices. A recent article about the Rochester Public Market in New York featured stories about parents who use farmers market as an educational tool to not only teach their children about healthy food, but the importance of supporting your local farmer and environment.
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Resources
Emergency Preparedness Resources
With the recent impact of hurricane Harvey, emergency preparedness might be on the forefront of the minds of child care providers and the families they serve. The Office of Child Care provides a listing of emergency preparedness resources for child care providers. Get information to help prepare before an emergency strikes.
The Benefits of Inclusion in Early Childhood Infographic
A new infographic, The Benefits of Inclusion in Early Childhood, from the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning demonstrates how all children, families and communities can benefit from the inclusion of all children. It easily prints on legal sized paper, and can be shared on social media, websites, in newsletters and other formats to spread the word and educate on the importance of including all children.
Every Child Belongs: Welcoming a Child with a Disability
The latest issue of Teaching Young Children from NAEYC (August 2017) has suggestions for basic modifications and strategies to support children with disabilities in the classroom. The article also reminds teachers to re-examine their own beliefs and knowledge about families and child development so that they can effectively set realistic expectations for children with disabilities.
New Farm to ECE Resource
A new resource, Growing Head Start Success with Farm to Early Care and Education, from the National Farm to School Network aims to promote Head Start stakeholders' understanding of how farm to ECE can support achievement of Head Start Program Performance Standards and actively contributes to learning and development benchmarks as outlined in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. This resource aims to highlight how farm to ECE elements, implemented individually or in combination, may address multiple domains and standards, and provide significant benefits for children, families and communities.
The Power of Partnership with the Business Community
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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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