Volume 05 | July 2019
New Enhancements Available Now in the PD Registry!
As of July 1, 2019, Pennsylvania’s PD Registry received some new enhancements that are now available. Early Childhood Professionals are now able to apply for the following services in the PD Registry:


Pennsylvania’s Early Childhood Education Career Pathway is now live in the PD Registry. A career pathway is a tool to support the ECE professional in entering the field prepared for success while growing the existing professional’s capacity to move up in the field if they would like. To learn more, visit the Career Pathway’s page .

NOTE: The Career Lattice will still be used for Keystone STARS designation and Education and Retention Awards (ERA) until further notice. Additionally, early childhood educators that currently meet the expectation of particular career lattice level will be honored at that level by being grandfathered into the Career Pathway level that is equivalent if verified within the determined timeline. Many individuals have already uploaded transcripts before the new enhancements went live on July 1. You will still need to complete your profile to be placed on the career pathway. If transcripts were already uploaded, this step will not be needed again. To view tip sheets on completing the profile and uploading transcripts, please view them at the PA Keys website .

A recorded webinar is available that covers the new enhancements and how to use them. There is also an FAQ document for further information. For tipsheets and more about the PD Registry, visit bit.ly/pakeyregistry .

Read more about these new updates below.
Early Childhood Professionals
Verified Education & The Career Pathway In Detail
Education Verification

If you have already uploaded your college transcripts or credentials, you may have noticed your education has been verified. The verifiers have begun reviewing education of early childhood educators who have their transcripts uploaded under the Education tab.  Please make sure:

  • your uploads are under the correct area of Education (i.e. High School, CDA & School Age Credential, Completed Higher Education…);
  • your transcripts have your name, the institution name and your confer date on the transcript (Some online programs where you can print your transcripts do not have all three of these identified.);
  • If your transcript/credential/diploma are under a different name, make sure you add that “Previous Name” to your Personal Profile; and
  • you upload your diploma with your transcripts for college level verification.

What is my Career Pathway Level and How Do I Get One?

Pennsylvania is moving toward a Career Pathway to put Early Childhood Educators on the road to success, by defining entry level qualifications for the field and steps you can take to advance and grow in the profession. In doing so, The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) intends to attract professionals to the field, support the growth and development of professionals already in the field, and build upon the expertise of our workforce.

In order to get placed on the pathway you need to complete your PD Registry Profile. Make sure your Personal information is updated, you have identified your place of employment and uploaded documents to verify your education. Once you submit your profile and request to have your profile processed, the verification team will verify your education and you will receive an email identifying your Career Pathway Level. You can also print a copy of the Career Pathway Certificate which is located in your Reports tab.

NOTE: The Career Pathway will not affect your Career Lattice level used for ERA this year.

New Application Process: Director Credential
What is it?

The Pennsylvania Director Credential is designed as a standard to measure and validate the abilities and competencies of directors and administrators to manage high quality early childhood and school-age programs. Additionally, it represents the level of personal and professional accomplishments of directors and administrators, their professional contributions through demonstrated leadership, and active engagement in professional endeavors beyond the scope of the daily operation of a program.

What are the requirements?


How can I apply for it?


Where can I learn more information?


Questions?

Call 1-800-284-6031 or email dircred@pakeys.org .
New Application Process: Rising STARS Tuition Assistance
What is it?

The Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program pays 95% of tuition costs for eligible college coursework taken by early learning professionals, with a maximum benefit of $6,000 per individual each fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). The program covers tuition costs only and does not include books, materials, or fees. Tuition costs net of other funding sources such as scholarships, stipends, discounts or grants (except the Pell Grant) are used to determine the amount of assistance. It is recommended completed applications be submitted at least four weeks prior to the start of the course, or prior to the tuition due date, whichever is first.

T.E.A.C.H. may be a better financial assistance option. For more information on T.E.A.C.H. and to compare these two programs,  view this PDF  (PDF).


What are the requirements?


How can I apply for it?


Where can I learn more information?


Questions?

Call 1-800-284-6031 or email pakeyvoucherprogram@pakeys.org .
New Application Process: CDA Voucher
What is it?

The CDA ASSESSMENT FEE VOUCHER PROGRAM supplies payment for the CDA Assessment Fee that is required to complete the CDA Assessment process. The full CDA Assessment Fee of $425 is paid directly to the Council for Professional Recognition. This program does not reimburse individuals.


What are the requirements?


How can I apply for it?


Where can I learn more information?


Questions?

Call 1-800-284-6031 or email pakeyvoucherprogram@pakeys.org .
Welcoming Two New Early Learning Resource Centers
July 1, 2019, marked the start of two (2) new Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs)! The PD Registry team extends a warm welcome to:


Through the ELRCs, early childhood professionals can obtain support in building quality outcomes for children by working with quality coaches to achieve Keystone STAR 3 and 4 status, building connections with community partners and supporting children and families in accessing additional services, such as PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start, home-visiting, and Early Intervention.

For more information on ELRCs or to find yours, visit the Raise Your STAR website (raiseyourstar.org) .
Apply To Be An OCDEL Policy Fellow Today!
Since its start in 2016, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL)'s Policy Fellowship has had 32 fellows.

The Fellowship is driven by the need to enhance career pathways for early childhood professionals. The intent of this program is to grow the candidacy pool of future leaders in Pennsylvania's early childhood system at the state and local levels, and ultimately, strengthen the quality of the early learning system to better serve children, families, and providers.

Through this program, fellows will be able to:

  • Network with colleagues from across the state and field;
  • Participate in leadership training, conferences, and special events;
  • Contribute directly to the work of OCDEL;
  • Learn critical skills from PA's leaders in early childhood education; and
  • Make their voices heard.

For more information or to apply for the Policy Fellowship, visit www.paocdelfellows.net .

Applications are due Friday, July 26, 2019.
Online Professional Development Opportunities
ZERO TO THREE Offers Self-Paced Professional Development Opportunity in the PD Registry
Nurturing and sustaining effective partnerships with families is crucial to promote young children's optimal health and well-being. ZERO TO THREE is offering early childhood professionals a self-paced, eight-lesson course titled Knowledge and Know-How: Nurturing Child Well-Being which provides the core foundational knowledge required to work effectively with parents and their very young children.

Knowledge and Know-How integrates reflective and relationship-based practices critical to support parenting efforts, reinforce a shared purpose, and achieve common goals. This course provides meaningful tools and promising strategies to respond effectively to the complex needs of very young children. Additionally, it offers common language for early childhood professionals involved in cross-disciplinary efforts and initiatives intended to build family strengths and promote optimal child well-being.

To learn more about this course and/or to register, login to your PD Registry account and visit https://www.papdregistry.org/register.aspx?evid=303862.

ZERO TO THREE is a national organization that works to ensure that babies and toddlers benefit from the early connections that are critical to their well-being and development. For more information, visit www.zerotothree.org .
¡STARS 102 ya disponible en español!
  1. Inicie sesión en el registro PD (www.papdregistry.org)
  2. Haga clic en “Training Calendar” en el menú de la izquierda 
  3. Haz clic en el enlace rápido “STARS 101 y 102” en la parte superior de la página calendario de entrenamiento
  4. Haga clic en “STARS 101 y 102” debajo de ese enlace 
  5. Desplázate hacia abajo hasta que veas el curso “STARS 102-en Espanol-online” 
  6. Haga clic en ver eventos 
  7. Haga clic en “Register online” y siga las indicaciones para registrarse. 
  8. Ya registrado, puede acceder a este curso en línea haciendo clic en “My PD” lengüeta y luego haciendo clic en el cuadro azul a la derecha del título del curso.

To access STARS 102 in Spanish:

  1. Log onto the PD Registry (www.papdregistry.org)
  2. Click Training Calendar from the left menu
  3. Click the STARS 101 and 102 quick link at the top of the Training Calendar page
  4. Click STARS 101 and 102 below that link
  5. Scroll down until you see the STARS 102-En Espanol-Online course
  6. Click View Events
  7. Click Register Online and follow the prompts to register.
  8. Once registered, you may access this online course by clicking on the My PD tab and then clicking the blue box to the right of the course title. 
Instructors
Instructors Are Invited to a Special Webinar on New Enhancements in the PD Registry
Join us for the “New Registry Enhancements for Trainers” webinar. The webinar will include a walk through of the new event entry, the new conference module, and multi admin access for instructors attached to events. Some highlights include:

  • A new look and feel to the event entry (View a tipsheet on this.);
  • A new conference module for Professional Development Organizations to be able to create a conference with multiple sessions and people can register for multiple sessions and pay for the entire conference (View a tipsheet on this.); and
  • Multi-Admin access--allows trainers to have administrative access to events for easy accessibility.

Date:  July 22, 2019
Time:  1-2 pm
Description:  Join us for this webinar to learn about our new registry enhancements including new training event entry, trainer ability to edit events, multi admin access to events, and the brand new conference module. This webinar will also be recorded for your convenience. Tip sheets will also be available on the PA Keys website under the Professional Development tab and PQAS.

New Event Entry Available Now
The PD Registry has enhanced the training event entry to allow individuals to toggle through each tab of the event scheduler and to edit non-essential event information once an event has been schedule.

For more information and steps, follow the link below.

New Conference Entry Also Available
Conference entry is now available within the PD Registry for training sponsor organizations who are approved as a Conference Organizer. A Special Event/Conference application is required to enter in conferences. This new function will allow:
 
  • Instructors to schedule one conference with multiple sessions; and
  • Attendees to register for multiple sessions and check out/pay with one transaction.
 
For more information and steps, follow the link below.

Need Assistance?
The Registry team wants you to be supported as you use the PD Registry. There are several ways to receive assistance:

  1. Visit the PA Key website for a variety of tip sheets from basic information on creating an account to more in-depth topics such as submitting a course for Instructors.
  2. Email registry@pakeys.org and a PD Registry team member will get back to you as soon as possible.
  3. Call 1-800-284-6031 and select extension 1 to connect with one of the PD team members.
  4. Like us on Facebook to stay up-to-date with the latest PD Registry news.
 
The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. When contacting the PD Registry team, please have your name, contact information (including email), organization (employer) information, and your Registry ID number. If you do not have this information, one of the PD Registry team members can help you find it.
You are receiving this email because you have a registered email address on The PD Re gistry . If you think you are receiving this email by mistake or you would like to unsubscribe, please email registry@pakeys.org or call 1-800-284-6031.

Find more information about Quality Early Learning in Pennsylvania 
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