February 2020
PA HSSCO NEWS
News, Resources and Upcoming Events for Head Start, Early Head Start, and State-wide Partners in the early learning community
What's Hot
Head Start Governor’s Institute 

The HSSCO and the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) are pleased to present the 2020 Prenatal to Grade 3 (P-3) Governor’s Institute: P-3 Collaboration – Working Together for Student Success . The purpose of Pennsylvania’s Head Start P-3 Governor’s Institute is to help Head Start grantees, school districts, and community organizations throughout the commonwealth make the vital connections and collaborations necessary for student success from prenatal through grade 3. The 2020 P-3 Governor’s Institute is being offered June 16-17 at the Spooky Nook in Lancaster, PA.

Participating teams will be selected through an application process. Applications will be submitted by the Head Start grantee on behalf of their team. Applications may be submitted for more than one team from the Head Start grantee, if each applying team represents a Head Start grantee with a different collaborating elementary school. Teams should be built around a specific elementary school(s), its Head Start grantee, and the local community. Selected teams will participate in this two-day event.

Lodging and meals will be covered for participating teams using Preschool Development Grant funds. Act 48 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:
  • Participate in pre-conference assignment;
  • Attend and actively engage in the entire two-day event;
  • Bring a core team of no less than five educators (maximum participating team of ten members): A Head Start administrator, a Head Start teacher, a K-3 administrator, a K-3 teacher and a McKinney Vento Liaison from the school district. Preference will be given to applicants who include up to three of the following: Head Start parent or family representative, Early Intervention representative, out of school time professional, community member, librarian, curriculum specialist, higher education partner, IU representative, Home Visiting, and Family Support representative.
  • Engage in continuous improvement via sharing and implementation of strategies/programs that will enhance student achievement; and

Applications are now available. Deadline to submit an application is March 20, 2020. Selected applicants will be notified via email by April 3, 2020. The application can be accessed at   Head Start Governor’s Institute P-3 2020 Application . If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Duarte at tradua@pakeys.org .
Mini Grants Available for Head Start and PA School District Homelessness Collaboration Projects

A mini-grant funding opportunity is being offered by PA HSSCO with Preschool Development Grant Birth-5 funds and is designed to:

  • Foster strong linkages and deeper collaborations between local homeless education liaisons and their counterparts in the Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs within their service area and
  • Increase the capacity and accessibility of Head Start programs to identify, recruit and serve children birth to age 5 and families experiencing homelessness.

The HSSCO will to award up to 15 mini-grants on a competitive basis to School District / Head Start program collaborative teams (or consortia of teams) that apply jointly. Teams that apply must share the same service area(s) and must include collaboration with their regional Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program. 

Mini grants will be awarded on or about April 27, 2020 ranging in size from $2,500 to $5,000.  The application can be found here .

The HSSCO will recognize project proposals designed to increase the accessibility of Head Start and/or Early Head Start services to children birth to five and their families experiencing homelessness. Attention will be given to those proposals that reflect strategies and plans for increasing the access of Head Start and Early Head Start services to homeless children and families that are effective, innovative, replicable, and that demonstrate a strong likelihood of achieving positive, measurable outcomes. More detail is provided about the allowable use of funds in application. 
IMIL Team Training March 11-13, 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA – Apply now - EXTENDED DEADLINE
 
The HSSCO is sponsoring up to 15 teams to attend the March 15, 2020 I Am Moving, I Am Learning (IMIL) Training in Pittsburgh!

IMIL is a Head Start program enhancement that was created to address childhood obesity. It was not designed as a curriculum or an add-on. Instead, IMIL fits seamlessly into what programs are already doing to meet the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework.

The National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness invites early care and education (ECE) teams to attend a three-day training event where participants will immerse themselves in the IMIL content. It is being presented by Dr. Linda Carson, founder of Choosy Kids. Programs interested in increasing physical activity, healthy nutrition choices, and quality teaching in the classroom are encouraged to apply. Discover strategies and materials to incorporate healthy activity in the classroom and to share with families to use in their home. IMIL is a dynamic training event where participants are able to truly experience active, integrated learning through movement and song.

Who Should Attend? The 2020 team training will allow attendees to look at IMIL through a new lens and encourage them to incorporate materials and content in new, innovative ways. These events are designed for ECE programs, including Head Start, Early Head Start. Head Start teams may consist of a director, health manager, and education manager or other relevant staff members. Registration for this event is free and the HSSCO will sponsor up to 15 Head Start/Early Head Start teams and provide a stipend for their travel and lodging expenses . Each individual team member must submit an application . The two-day agenda can be found here . 
HSSCO Needs Assessment Survey

The HEAD Start Act (as amended December 12, 2007) requires the Head Start State Collaboration Offices (HSSCOs) to conduct a needs assessment of Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) grantees and delegate agencies in the State, focusing on collaboration, coordination and alignment of services. The Act specifically requires HSSCOs:

  • Use the results of the needs assessment to further inform and refine the HSSCO strategic plan
  • To outline their support for HS/EHS grantees and delegates in meeting the requirements of the Head Start Act for coordination, collaboration and transition to elementary school and alignment with K-12 education
  • Annually update the needs assessment and strategic plan and make the results of the needs assessment available to the general public within the State.

The HSSCO needs assessment for the July 2019 - July 2020 HSSCO grant year seeks to assess (a) how much support and collaboration exists among HS/EHS grantees and (b) what supports grantees need. This needs assessment will focus on the following regional, Pennsylvania and National Head Start priorities:
  • Child and family behavioral/mental health issues;
  • Child and family opioid/substance use issues;
  • Children and families experiencing homelessness;
  • Workforce and professional development for program staff
  • Public School and HS Collaborations and transitions to Kindergarten
  • Staff health and wellness

Ten randomly selected respondents will receive a $25 Amazon gift card for completing this survey. If you wish to participate in the random drawing, please follow the link at the end of the survey.  Take the survey now.  
Federal Updates
Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness

Homeless numbers continue to rise. The National Center for Homeless Education released a report on Jan. 30, 2020 showing that the highest number ever of children and youth identified as homeless in the nation. The report, Federal Data Summary School Years 2015-16 Through 2017-18 , found 1.5 million children and youth identified as homeless in United States.  This reflects a 15% increase of children experiencing homelessness in the US and a 32% increase in Pennsylvania.
 
The report shows the number of identified, enrolled students reported as experiencing homelessness at some point during the last three school years increased 15 percent, from 1,307,656 students in School Year (SY) 2015-16 to 1,508,265 students in SY 2017-18.

In Pennsylvania, the number of identified, enrolled students increased from 23,164 in SY 2015-16 to 30,624 in SY 2017-18, a 32% increase! You can read the report here .

Please note, these numbers reflect children enrolled in K-12 and not children B-5. We know that children in federally funded shelters are disproportionately young. During the school year of 2016-17, 10 percent of all children experiencing homelessness who spent time in shelters were under the age of 1 and 35 percent ages 1 to 5. These numbers are expected to rise.

Home At Head Start / Improving Services to Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness

It is urgent that Head Start and Early Head Start programs do their best to identify children and families experiencing homelessness in their local communities – here are some resources to assist you.
  • Do you have families in your program that have recently moved to your service area from Puerto Rico due to the earthquake or hurricane? If so, Storm Camera, the State McKinney Vento Coordinator with the PA Department of Education would like to hear from you. Please email him at scamera@pa.gov or Yolana Yugar at Yolanda.yugar@aiu3.net to share your experience. You will not be asked to share family names or confidential information without permission.
  • Great News!! The Homelessness Learning Modules (from ECLKC) are now in the PD Registry! You can access them through the PD Registry training calendar. There is a link at the top of the calendar - homeless courses. Follow it and you will see the eight modules. Click on event details to register for each course. The PA Key PD Registry staff are currently working with the National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement to also bring the Spanish version of the courses to the registry. Stay tuned!
  • ECLKC continues to add excellent resources for programs to support programs in improving their services to children and families experiencing homelessness. They can be found here.
  • Sesame Street in Communities has several excellent, free resources pertaining to family homelessness and a new character, Lily, who is experiencing homelessness herself. They have videos, articles, workshops and printable pages available on their website. They have also recently partnered with the Office of Head Start and Dr. Bergeron to make this video. Sesame Street in Communities continues to be a favorite of the PA HSSCO!
  • Have you met or worked with your PA ECYEH Regional Coordinator? The ECYEH Regional Coordinators are an excellent resource for HS/EHS programs and can provide you with resources and staff training. If you have yet to develop a relationship with your Regional Coordinator, you can locate your region and your Coordinator’s contact information on this map.
  • Interested in more resources?  The PA HSSCO has compiled this resource list of some of the best websites and materials for your convenience. Please check it out and feel free to share it with your staff and community partners. As always, you can reach out to Tracy Duarte at tradua@pakeys.org for more information or assistance in locating local supports. 
In Case You Missed It

ACF-PI-HS-20-01 Service Duration Requirement lowered.   T he US Department of Health and Human services Secretary Azar lowers Head Start Service Duration Requirement to 45 percent.

2019 Delay in Compliance Date for Background Checks and QRIS : Programs have until Sept. 30, 2021 to comply with the comprehensive background check procedures and state or local quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) in HSPPS 45 CFR §§1302.90(b) and 1302.53(b)(2).

WIC and Head Start Collaboration : This new resource published by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Head Start programs highlights specific ways and suggested strategies on how these two programs can collaborate to enhance participant-centered services.

Census 2020: Resources for programs

Early Head Start 25 th Anniversary: Happy Anniversary Early Head Start! Learn more about the success and history of Early Head Start and explore resources around the development of children age birth to three here .

New on ECLKC: Highlights

From the National Head Start Association
Head Start and Early Head Start in Pennsylvania
Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships Grantee and Partner Meeting
              
The HSSCO is hosting a meeting of all Early Head Start - Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) grantees and partners during the annual PA Head Start Conference on April 30, 2020 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at the Spooky Nook in Lancaster, PA. Christine Reber, the Director of the Bureau of Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Operations at OCDEL will join us for this networking meeting. If you have specific questions for Christine regarding subsidy, resource and referral or the ELRCs, please send them to Tracy Duarte at tradua@pakeys.org  prior to the meeting, along with any other agenda item suggestions. Please email Tracy Duarte at tradua@pakeys.org by April 24, 2020 with a list of those who plan to attend.  
N ominations Accepted for HS Alumni Scholarship and Francine Bunch Award
Nominations due March 13, 2020
Celebrate the successes of Head Start programs by honoring a Head Start Alumni, Parent or Staff Member. Nominate a Head Start Alumni for the Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA) Alumni Scholarship and nominate a parent, former parent or staff member for the Francine Bunch Award. Application packets are available at the PHSA website . Applications are due to PHSA by March 13, 2020.
Deadline Approaching to Renew Lapsed or Expired CDA With Renewal Amnesty Program
Application deadline March 31, 2020

The March 31, 2020 deadline is quickly approaching for early childhood education (ECE) professionals whose Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential has lapsed or expired to take advantage of the CDA renewal Amnesty program. If an ECE professional completed their CDA any time after Jan. 1, 2010 and did not submit a renewal to keep the CDA current, they can take advantage of this opportunity to reinstate their CDA credential--but they must act soon!

The renewal program is eligible through Rising Stars Tuition Assistance (RSTA). To apply for Financial assistance, ECE professionals need to complete their profile in  the Professional Development (PD) Registry  to see the Financial Assistance tab.

To qualify for the CDA renewal Amnesty program, the following eligibility requirements must be met:

  • Expiration date as far back as Jan. 1, 2010
  • Must meet all current renewal requirements (visit the CDA Council website for more information about the renewal process)
  • Apply online using Your Council CDA council portal system (for more information on this process, please visit the CDA Council website)

The program will run through March 31, 2020. All applications and payments ($125) must be submitted online by March 31, 2020. For more information about RSTA,  visit the Pennsylvania Key website . For more information on CDA Renewal,  visit the Pennsylvania Key website .
Early Intervention Family Survey Now Available
Pennsylvania’s Early Intervention Program (Infant/Toddler and Preschool) wants to hear from families about their experience with Early Intervention. Families whose children are receiving Early Intervention Services can respond to the survey now through June 30, 2020. 

If you know a family receiving Early Intervention services, please share with them the flyer . The survey can be accessed via a QR code or web link, and is available in both English and Spanish.   

Introducing Online Courses from OCDEL About Pennsylvania's Prenatal to Third Grade (P3) Systems Building Logic Model

Pennsylvania’s Prenatal to Third Grade (P3) Systems Building Logic Model is designed to support OCDEL’s mission of providing families access to high quality services to prepare children for school and life success. When early learning settings are implemented with attention to quality and are intentionally aligned to one another, all children, including those lacking opportunity, benefit. Comprehensive P3 approaches hold incredible potential to dramatically change the path of opportunity gaps and to set young children on solid pathways to educational and lifelong success.

The Pennsylvania P3 Systems Building Logic Model was developed to assist a variety of groups (state agencies, regional teams, local communities) in the planning and implementation of innovative P3 policies and practices. The Bureau of Policy and Professional Development has developed the following courses as companion resources to The Pennsylvania P3 Systems Building Logic Model:

  • Understand Context Overview (FREE)
  • Understanding Context: The Health and Managed Care Organizations System in PA (FREE)
  • Understanding Context: The Public Education System in PA (FREE)
  • Understanding Context: The Home Visiting System in PA (FREE)
  • Grant Writing 101 ($5)
  • P3 Systems Thinking (FREE)
  • An Introduction to Pennsylvania’s Family Engagement Framework (FREE)
  • Transition Across the Early Learning Continuum (FREE)

You can access these courses by searching within the PD Registry ( www.papdregistry.org ) in the training calendar.

If you have any questions or problems, contact Barry Wiestling at bwiestling@pa.gov .
Health
Upcoming Conference Calls & Meetings

The MCO and Head Start/Early Learning Community Networking Conference Calls are held monthly on the third Thursday of each month from 1:30 – 2:30 pm. All MCOs and the Early Learning community are invited to join these conference calls. More information and the call-in number can be found here . 

Also, please register for the Healthy Smiles Task Force Meeting on March 5, 2020 in Camp Hill. The registration link can be found here under the March 5, 2020 meeting! We will honor our 8 th Head Start Oral Health Champion on March 5: Dr. John Wyckoff, DDS (working in collaboration with the Capital Area Head Start Program for many years). Thanks to Sandra Guibas for nominating Dr. Wyckoff!
Health Resources from ECLKC

The Head Start Injury and Illness Database can be used by programs to track incidents of injury and illness in the program setting. 

Creating a Culture of Safety : Head Start program managers, staff, and families keep children safe by creating a culture of safety. Everyone contributes to an environment that allows people to speak up about safety concerns. They also make it all right to talk about mistakes and errors and encourage learning from these events. Children are safer when everyone works together to improve the strategies they use in homes, centers, and the community. 

Keep Children Safe Using Active Supervision : Use these webcasts and resources to create a systems approach to child supervision, provide staff development to ensure program-wide implementation, and learn to use redundant strategies to ensure children are safe.
Upcoming Events
Pennsylvania Head Start Association Conference

Beautiful Day in our Neighborhood – The 2020 PHSA Annual Head Start Conference registration is open.  The conference will be held on April 29-30, 2020 at Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim, PA. Registration and lodging information can be found here .

The HSSCO is looking forward to presenting/co-presenting the following sessions at this year’s conference and welcomes you to attend any or all of the following.

  • Shared Services Models - Exploring Opportunities for HS and EHS Grantees: Tracy Duarte and Karen Grimm-Thomas: Shared services is a framework or organizational structure that enables center- and home-based ECE providers to establish systems that can sustain high-quality teaching and learning while at the same time making sure all necessary fiscal and administrative tasks are performed. In a Shared Services Alliance, multiple ECE sites form a network that pools needs and shares resources, including staff, information, automated systems, skills, and funds, in order to strengthen capacity and ensure sustainable, high-quality care In this session, HS and EHS grantee staff will gain an understanding of shared services and shared service alliances, explore successful state models and discuss strategies for PA HS/EHS grantees to consider have opportunities to provide OCDEL and the HSSCO feedback on systems, policies and supports necessary for HS grantees to implement a shared services model.

  • Homelessness in Early Childhood – Tabitha Kramer and Tracy Duarte: Infants, toddlers and preschoolers experiencing homelessness are at a higher risk of developmental delays due to unstable living environments and trauma. These young children face a variety of challenges in early childhood programs. Attend this session to better identify children experiencing homelessness, and ensure they receive necessary supports.

  • Move2bFree Featuring Choosy (extended session) – Amy Requa: This session will introduce a proactive approach for rekindling joy in ourselves and our relationships with children by reconnecting to self-care through increased movement and physical activity. You will experience the power of movement to energize and transform brain health, empowering you to model positive attitudes and healthy behaviors for children in your care. You will explore creative activities and positive messaging strategies for adults and children using Choosy's music, deepening your capacity for joy, empathy, and positive regard for ourselves and others. This session will engage you to move beyond ingrained habits to inspire children to aspire to living a "sedentary-free", "sugar-free", "cavity-free" and "stress-free" life!

  • Oral Health Story Kits for Home Visitors – Resources and Strategies for Talking about Teeth with Families (targeted to home-based program staff/home visitors) – Amy Requa: This session provides an overview of the Oral Health Story Kit for Home Visitors, a self-contained, self-sustaining tool-kit with helpful resources developed by the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the PA Head Start State Collaboration Office specifically for Home Visitors. This Oral Health Story Kit is used to inform and educate children, parents, grandparents, and families about the importance of oral health to overall health and well-being. This session offers guidance to Home Visitors on how to engage families in positive conversations about adopting good oral health habits. Participants will learn why taking care of your mouth is important and how this content is easily integrated into your daily work with families. This session offers opportunities for group interaction, sharing of ideas and key strategies to launch an effective implementation process for Home Visitors.  
Region III OHS
 
Registration for the Region III Kindergarten Readiness Partnership Institute is now open! This institute will be held on March 31 – April 1 in Fredericksburg, VA and is being hosted by the Virginia Head Start Association as a track in their conference. Please see the flyer for more information and registration information. Additional information about this event and other professional development events can also be found on the PD Bulletin Board . As always, if you have any questions, please submit them via the PD Bulletin Board or by clicking here .
For questions or more information about PA HSSCO, contact Tracy Duarte, Director, at tradua@pakeys.org .

The Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office (PA HSSCO) is federally funded by the Office of Head Start in a grant to the PA Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). Get more information about PA HSSCO .

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