The month of April brings the start of spring and Month of the Young C hild . A recent visit by Department of Human Service Secretary Teresa Miller kicked off the month with a PA One Book reading to a child care program. Read below for more information about Month of the Young Child and how you can help celebrate.

Congratulations to the recipients of Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network's Afterschool Champions. These recipients represent those working throughout Pennsylvania to ensure children have safe, reliable and supportive environments outside school hours.

With outbreaks of measles in the news lately, awareness and the importance of updated immunizations is forefront in the minds of many. Our friends at Early Childhood Education Linkage System ( ECELS) share information below on the updated 2019 National Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) immunization schedules.

Tracey Campanini has been named Acting Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). Ms. Campanini shares a strong history of experience and expertise in the early learning field. For more information about OCDEL, visit the Department of Human Services website.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Child Development and Early Learning is pleased to announce the 2019 Prenatal to Grade 3 (P-3) Governor’s Institute: P-3 Collaboration - Working Together for Student Success. The purpose of Pennsylvania’s P-3 Governor’s Institute is to help school districts, early learning providers, and community organizations throughout the commonwealth make the vital connections and collaborations necessary for student success from prenatal through grade 3. The 2019 P-3 Governor’s Institute is being offered June 24- 25, 2019 in Hershey, PA.

Participation in the 2019 Institute is limited to 22 teams that have not previously attended a P-3 Governor’s Institute. Participating teams will be selected through an application process. School districts, birth-5 early learning programs, and community organizations may submit an application. Applications may be submitted for more than one team from the same organization, if each applying team represents a different elementary school and birth-5 feeder school/program. Teams should be built around a specific elementary school(s), its feeder early learning programs, and the local community. Selected teams will participate in this two-day event. Professional development will be offered to support team specific implementation of P-3 efforts.

Most expenses, except meals, will be covered for participating teams using Preschool Development Grant funds. Act 48, and Act 45/PIL professional development credits and Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) hours will be offered.

To be considered for participation in this event, participating teams must agree to the following:

Applications are now available. Deadline to submit an application is April 30, 2019. Selected applicants will be notified via email by May 10, 2019. The application can be accessed at Governor's Institute P-3 2019 Application. If you have any questions, please contact Jolie Phillips at jolphillip@pa.gov .

In February 2019, Governor Tom Wolf announced funding for PAsmart Apprenticeship and Next Generation Industry Partnerships grants which will connect Pennsylvanians with the information needed to succeed in our evolving economy.

OCDEL supports the efforts of PA Department of Labor and Industry and is pleased to work with them to professionalize the early education field. Efforts include increasing access to a career pathway that results in stackable, portable credentials, and providing relevant, developmentally and culturally appropriate content to support educators working with young children to advance their individual career and education progression.

The following organizations will be supported through PAsmart funds:

For more information, visit pasmart.gov. 

In celebration of the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Month of the Young Child, Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller recently participated in the 14th annual Pennsylvania One Book initiative at Dickinson College’s child care center. Month of the Young Child, which began April 1, recognizes what children need to have strong, healthy starts and how early childhood education programs can meet those needs. Read more.

Month of the Young Child focuses public attention on the needs of young children and their families and recognizes the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. Visit PA's Promise for Children for ways you can become involved with Month of the Young Child.

The Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) recognized 15 champions including elected officials, practitioners, youth and organizations for innovation and excellence in afterschool and summer learning programs that keep kids safe, inspire learning and help working families. The awards took place on March 14, 2019 during PSAYDN’s annual reception, which brought together elected officials, program providers, youth, faith-based leaders, parents and business leaders from across the commonwealth to emphasize the importance of afterschool programs in the commonwealth. Visit the PSAYDN website for more information and a listing of the awardees.

When parents have access to tools and supports, they can keep their children safe and their family strong. During April's National Child Abuse Prevention Month (NCAPM) can bring awareness to ensuring parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, and help prevent child abuse and neglect by creating strong and thriving children, youth, and families in communities. Resources are available from the US Department of Health and Human Services for early learning programs, schools, and community partners to aid families. 

The Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA) and Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) have announced a Call for Presenters for the 2019 Early Childhood Summit. Submissions accepted for presentations of 1.5, 3, 4.5, or 6 hours in length that address important issues facing Pennsylvania’s early childhood education programs and professionals.  Click here to submit a proposal .

 

The Early Childhood Education Summit is a cross-systems professional development opportunity for early learning professionals across Pennsylvania. Since 2008, the Early Childhood Education Summit has provided educators, parents and staff at all levels and from various programs (Child Care, Early Intervention, Head Start/Early Head Start, Home Visiting, Pre-K Counts, and School Districts) with the opportunity to network and experience relevant training as a community. Attendees are able to earn professional development credits including Act 48 & PA ECE Registry hours. All proposals must be submitted no later than 5:00 pm on April 12.

From our friends at ECELS: Immunization is a key component of early childhood health and development. Early childhood and school readiness begin with good health! It is important for early childhood education staff to make immunization a priority. Promote an environment of health with:

Early childhood education (ECE) programs are prone to disease outbreaks. Recent outbreaks of measles, flu and pertussis (whooping cough) have occurred in ECE settings. Unvaccinated children are at increased risk for disease and can spread disease to others. Babies are at high risk since they are too young to be fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated people are a threat to children and adults who might not be able to receive certain vaccines because they have cancer or other health conditions. Children who are not up-to-date with vaccines, recommended for their age, may be excluded from child care and schools if an outbreak occurs.

Each section in the updated 2019 national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) immunization schedules has been revised for clarity, brevity, and consistency among the child, adolescent and adult schedules. Access to the schedules to be used by health care providers, parents and adults is at the CDC website.  

In Pennsylvania, state regulations require that early care and education providers must have a health report for each child no later than 60 days following the first day of attendance at the facility and updated thereafter. The report must include a review of the child’s immunized status according to recommendations of the ACIP and age-appropriate screenings recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

The national journal ZERO TO THREE dedicated the March journal to address the needs of young children experiencing homelessness. Building Early Links for Learning, Connections to Promote Resilience for Young Children in Family Homeless Shelters includes the Building Early Links for Learning (BELL) project, and from Philadelphia-area contributors: Dr. Janette Herbers, Dr. Sara Shaw, and Dr. JJ Cutuli. The journal’s co-editor, Grace Whitney of SchoolHouse Connection, dedicated the edition to Dr. Staci Perlman, People's Emergency Center ’s (PEC) first Visiting Scholar. Staci tragically passed away a few years ago. Grace writes Staci was “a colleague to many of the contributors, a creative scholar, and educator of many, and a gentle but fierce advocate for babies experiencing homelessness.” It was Staci working with Grace to draft the original concept behind the BELL project. The article on BELL by Dr. Cutuli and PEC explains how that idea became a reality. 

The Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO)  recently published  ESSA and Early Learning – A Marathon Not a Sprint , a recent presentation by Jana Martella (CEELO) and Danielle Ewen (EdCounsel) during the 2019 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) C onference discussing evidence-based early learning initiatives that have emerged as ESSA is implemented across the country and provides advice and recommendations to SEA and LEA leaders on how to seize those opportunities.

The federal ESSA has provided state education agencies (SEAs) with new and broadened opportunities to bring early learning to the forefront of their education strategies, and to encourage local school districts to do the same. Visit the Department of Education website to learn about Pennsylvania's plans in regards to ESSA.

A new report, Afterschool Programs: A Review of Evidence Under the Every Student Succeeds Act,

from Reach for Action summarizes the research on the effectiveness of afterschool programs, with a special focus on identifying programs that meet evidence requirements under the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA encourages--and in some cases requires--that funding recipients establish that their programs are backed by evidence of effectiveness. 

The report identifies 148 afterschool programs with studies meeting ESSA's three most rigorous research quality tiers. Of those, 64 programs also have evidence of positive impact.  The report concludes with recommendations for program providers, states, evaluators, and the federal government, while an in-depth companion guide provides further details about the afterschool programs and their associated studies. 

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) is often misunderstood. A new infographic from ZERO TO THREE can make it easier for professionals to talk about IECMH. It can be used as a tool when discussing the critical importance of social and emotional development with stakeholders.

The infographic provides the definition of IECMH and illustrates how all service areas touching the life of a child play a role in supporting social and emotional development.

The infographic can be used as:

The National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) on May 6, 2019 shines a national spotlight on the importance of caring for every child’s mental health and reinforces that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has resources to engage audiences, social media tips, media outreach tools and more that bring focus on the impact suicide has on children, youth, young adults, families, and communities and showcase evidence-based strategies to connect those in need to information, services, and supports that can save lives.

Ready.gov is offering a free toolkit with safety and preparedness messages and ready-made social media posts. Also available are hashtags, graphics, and corresponding links that can be shared with a program or organization’s audience.

Garden programs are an especially useful tool for improving kids’ diets because they literally bring healthy foods to life. Get seven ideas to teach nutrition in the garden from Kids Gardening.

Breastfeeding is special—it prevents certain diseases, helps babies grow and develop, and makes them feel safe and secure. But it's also a journey with ups and downs and feelings of accomplishment and frustration. To make it work, mom needs support from her family and friends. With this resource from the US Department of Agriculture , dads and grandparents can learn how to help mom meet her breastfeeding goals and get tips for providing encouragement.

The March 2019 edition of Baby Talk from Camille Catlett is now available and includes information on celebrating children’s efforts rather than their performance, how bottle feeding may play a role in right versus left handedness, and more.