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May 2022 Edition
Early Childhood Education in Pennsylvania
Updated Document Available to Support PA Pre-K Counts RFA
Required Letters of Intent due May 11, 2022
Entities who anticipate applying for the PA Pre-K Counts RFA now have available an updated Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Statute, Regulations and Guidelines, Effective July 1, 2022 that is part of the application process. The updated document provides program requirements for PA Pre-K Counts programs.

As a reminder, applicants must submit Letters of Intent (LOI) to
RA-PAPreKCounts@pa.gov by 3 PM on May 11, 2022. Only applicants that submit a complete Letter of Intent by the deadline will be permitted to apply for funding. This RFA is intended to support providers in preparing to serve and enroll children by September 2022.

Please visit the Pennsylvania Key website for additional details, LOI instructions, and to find all related documents required for the RFA.
Announcement ELRC 22-01 Systems Alignment to the Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE)
The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Bureau of Early Learning Policy and Professional Development released the Announcement ELRC 22-01 Systems Alignment to the Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE). The Announcement provides clarification on the implementation of the Pennsylvania Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (PA PSCECE) including enhancements within the Professional Development (PD) Registry.

On May 1, 2022, all courses were set to expire on July 31, 2022. When the PD Registry enhancements went live on May 1, 2022, all PD events scheduled to take place after July 31, 2022, were cancelled.

Effective May 1, 2022, PQAS Instructors are able to revise/renew all courses to align with the new PA PSCECE. Once courses have been revised to reflect alignment with the PA PSCECE, PQAS Instructors can schedule events to occur past July 31, 2022.

Prepare Now for Upcoming Grant Opportunities Coming Soon to The PD Registry 
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) plans to administer upcoming grant opportunities through Pennsylvania’s Professional Development (PD) Registry. There are steps early childhood (ECE) professionals and programs can complete now to prepare!

If they have not already, all ECE professionals should:
  1. Create an account in the PD Registry;
  2. Complete their profile; and
  3. Add their employment.

Directors and/or owners should complete the steps above for themselves and assist their staff to complete them as well. Directors must also verify all staff who have added their employment to their profile and are able to invite any staff who have not added their employment. Verifying employment is important to ensure everyone is eligible for upcoming grant opportunities in the PD Registry.

Family Child Care Home and Group Child Care Home Providers: Apply Now for the Scholarship to Complete Better Kid Care’s Child Development Associate (CDA) Coursework
Deadline May 15, 2022
On behalf of Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), the Pennsylvania Key invites Family Child Care Home and Group Child Care Home providers to apply for a scholarship to complete a Child Development Associate (CDA) through Better Kid Care. Better Kid Care’s CDA coursework is independent, self-paced and exclusively online. This scholarship opportunity cannot be used for CDA renewals.

Once awarded, recipients will receive a payment code to access the online coursework through Better Kid Care. This program also requires the purchase of a CDA textbook package and this cost can be reimbursed through the Rising STARS Tuition Assistance program. The Pennsylvania Key will provide instructions for all of this and offer ongoing logistical support.

All coursework must be completed on or before Nov. 30, 2022.
 
If you are a Family Child Care Home or Group Child Care Home provider interested in this opportunity, submit your completed application via Microsoft Forms for consideration by May 15, 2022. Questions? Contact Amy Barrett at amybar@pakeys.org.
State & Local Councils Receive Feedback on Improving Meaningful Family Participation
The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Bureau of Early Intervention (BIS) and Family Supports received overwhelmingly positive feedback with lots of great ideas for how to improve meaningful family participation on Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICC) and the State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC), as well as to increase collaboration within the LICCs and between the LICCs and the SICC during a recent LICC/SICC Policy Forum on April 1-2, 2022 in Gettysburg.

Professionals and Family Leaders were invited from across the Commonwealth to this event, held in a hybrid fashion. Due to the interactive nature of the event, invitees were encouraged to attend in-person. However, for those who were not comfortable or able to come together in a group, a virtual option was also offered.  

The Bureau of Early Intervention and Family Supports will work with the SICC to develop guidelines to better support families at the LICCs and SICC ultimately enhancing the delivery of integrated Early Intervention services to all eligible infants, toddlers, young children and their families. Learn more about the SICC and LICC.
May's Let’s Talk Quality Series Topic: Inspiring Spaces for Infants and Toddlers
The Program Quality Assessment (PQA) team is excited for Inspiring Spaces for Infants and Toddlers, the focus for May's Let’s Talk Quality Series.

The Let’s Talk Quality Series includes three-monthly activities – Let’s Talk Quality Blog, Let’s Talk Quality Webinar, and the newest, Let’s Talk Quality Spotlight. Each month the PQA team publishes a blog article, creates a webinar, and offers a spotlight session--all that focus on a monthly topic.
 
Register to join May12, 2022, 1PM or 6PM for the 1-hour Let’s Talk Quality Webinar:

Register to join May 26, 2022, 1PM or 6PM for the 1-hour Spotlight session where members of the PQA team will answer your questions and be available for discussion:
 
Check out the Let's Talk Quality Blog, for the blog post related to this month’s topic. While there, check out all the other great blog posts! 
Save the Date
Of Interest
Join the Candidates Conversation
The Children Matter Action Fund has launched its Child Care Voters ​Campaign and is kicking off the campaign season strong with three Candidate Conversations that span the entire state. These are the first of many Child Care Voters Candidate Conversations between now and Nov. 8. 

If you live in one of those areas – or even if you don’t – join one or all of the nonpartisan conversations. Hear for yourself from as many candidates as possible on what they’re saying about child care and what plans they have to save this critical sector. It's important the candidates talk about what they will do to meet families' needs for child care, improve the resources families have to get their young children ready for school, and grow the economy so there are more jobs.
  • Bucks County (House District 178), Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at 6:30 PM. Jolly Toddlers Nursery School, 275 2nd Street Pike, Southampton OR via Zoom REGISTER HERE

  • Erie County (House District 4), Thursday, May 5, 2022, at 6:30 PM. In-person at Edinboro McKean VFW Post 740 (10613 PA-98, Edinboro, PA 16412) OR Via Zoom: REGISTER HERE 

  • Montgomery and Berks Counties (Senate District 24), Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at 6:30 PM. Salford Mennonite Child Care Center, 480 Groffs Mill Rd, Harleysville OR via Zoom REGISTER HERE

Let’s Play Catch-Up on Routine Vaccines! 
This year, it’s particularly critical to ensure that families get back on track for routine checkups and recommended vaccinations following disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether a child is behind on a vaccine, missing several, or completely unvaccinated, now is the time to strongly encourage families to get their child caught up on childhood vaccinations. This is totally doable. Share with families that it’s not necessary to start over if they are concerned about vaccines being missed!

Routine childhood immunizations are safe. Throughout the pandemic, medical offices put in place new ways of providing quality care for children and made it very safe to bring them to the office. Certainly a lot safer than avoiding immunizations which protect children from as many as fourteen serious, disabling and potentially deadly, diseases.

Encourage families to pick up the phone and call their healthcare provider. To get caught up on recommended vaccines, families should schedule an appointment as soon as possible, explaining that shots keep their child healthy and strong — like eating vegetables or brushing their teeth — this can help to normalize the experience. A trip to the doctor should feel the same as a trip to the grocery store or the post office.

The vaccines recommended in the CDC schedule are carefully timed to provide protection to children when they are most vulnerable to diseases, and when the vaccines will produce the strongest response from the child’s immune system. It is therefore very important to follow the schedule as closely as possible.

CDC’s recommended schedule (Birth through 6 years old) is the same schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

Also, CDC has helpful immunization catch-up schedules based on age to refer families. 

Additional resources: 
May is Mental Health and Trauma Awareness Month
There is a growing movement across the United States toward becoming healing-centered, while raising awareness for mental health. Trauma Informed Awareness and Mental Health Awareness are crucial now more than ever, as COVID-19 has impacted, and continues to impact, our lives.

#WeHealUS is a national campaign involving every state! Numerous partners are joining the movement in Pennsylvania with HEAL PA to raise awareness around trauma and mental health. Pennsylvania businesses, organizations, associations, agencies, corporations, municipalities, and advocacy groups are helping build a unified, impactful, and consistent campaign throughout Pennsylvania for the month of May. Find resources you can use and access daily events and free webinar sessions.
Early Childhood Educators: Apply to be Members of the Commission on Professional Excellence in Early Childhood Education
Application deadline May 27, 2022
Seventeen national organizations dedicated to young children have come together to form a new Commission on Professional Excellence in Early Childhood Education.
 
The Commission’s mission, as originally outlined in the Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession, is to develop and promote the framework for a unified, cohesive, and equitable early childhood education profession informed by and in partnership with early childhood educators across states and settings.
 
Upon launch and in ongoing recognition of the importance of educators’ voices, the Commission is opening an application process for individual early childhood educators to apply to be co-equal, full voting members of the Commission. Applications are open until Friday, May 27, 2022, and all associated expenses for early childhood educators to participate will be covered by the Commission’s organizational members. The Commission will appoint up to seven early childhood educators, representing a diverse cross-section of the profession.
 
NAEYC members can apply to serve! Here are links to additional details:
Is the Drinking Water in Your Early Childhood Facility Safe from Lead?
Is the drinking water in your early childhood facility safe from lead? Public water is regulated to be lead-free when it is delivered to you. However, water can absorb lead from solder, fixtures, and pipes found in the plumbing of some buildings or homes. This short video from Pennvest shares information on the different sources.

Pennvest is a federally funded program, providing free voluntary drinking water testing and expert support to child care facilities and schools in Pennsylvania. Your child care facility can join the hundreds of facilities already enrolled all across Pennsylvania for free testing and expert advice. This program is more than just a free test kit; it provides training, guidance and expert support at every phase of the sampling process to help you support the health of the children in your building. Learn more.
Learn About the PA ABLE Savings Program! Free Webinar for Individuals with Disabilities, Families and Professionals
A PA ABLE Savings Program account gives individuals with qualified disabilities (Eligible Individuals), and their families and friends a tax-free way to save for a wide range of disability-related expenses while maintaining government benefits. The state and federal tax-free investment options are offered to encourage Eligible Individuals and their families to save private funds to support health, independence, and quality of life.

To help learn about the important features and benefits of PA ABLE, the Pennsylvania Treasury Department is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (with ASL Interpreter and CART captioning). Some of the topics discussed include: eligibility requirements for opening a PA ABLE account, the federal and state tax benefits of PA ABLE, and how PA ABLE account interacts with current benefits.

Employers and HR professionals can participate in an overview webinar Offer PA ABLE Savings Program to Your Employees For FREE on Thursday, May 19, 2022, 2:00 PM. about the PA ABLE program, learning:
  • What PA ABLE is
  • Who is eligible
  • How employees use accounts
  • How to set up payroll deduction
Applications Open for NAFCC Leaders Shaping Leaders 2022 -2023 Fellowship
Submission deadline May 6, 2022 
Applications for Leaders Shaping Leaders Fellowship are being accepted through May 6, 2022. The Leaders Shaping Leaders fellowship is a dynamic virtual learning series that includes interactive education, networking, and leadership building. The fellowship will consist of seasoned Family Child Care (FCC) leaders paired with emerging leaders from the same state.

The goal is to cultivate tomorrow’s leaders who can assist in shaping the future of early care and education in the country for years to come.

Who should apply?
  • Seasoned leaders looking to work with the next generation of FCC leaders.
  • FCC educators looking to start or expand their FCC group or organization.
  • FCC professionals who want to better understand the public policy process.
  • Those who want to be a part of the decisions and policies that affect home-based child care.

Why join?
  • To expand your network of FCC advocates across the nation.
  • To increase your professional and leadership toolkit.
  • To become a community agent of change.
  • To start or grow your family child care network or association.
  • To secure your business legacy.

This program is one year long and is conducted in English. An interpreter and supports for Spanish-speaking participants will be provided. Spanish-speaking applicants are encouraged to apply.
Research and Reports
Racial Disparities in Preschool Access: Differences in Enrollment and Quality Within and Between Two State Programs in Pennsylvania
Black children in Pennsylvania have less access to high-quality preschool providers, according to a new report by Penn State researchers. The report, Racial Disparities in Preschool Access: Differences in Enrollment and Quality Within and Between Two State Programs in Pennsylvania, was published by the Center for Education and Civil Rights.
 
The researchers compared enrollments in Child Care Works (CCW), a child care subsidy program for low-income families, and PA Pre-K Counts (PKC), a state-funded pre-kindergarten program also targeting low-income families. They found substantially more Black than White children are enrolled in CCW, and that within CCW, a higher percentage of White than Black children were enrolled with a preschool provider with a higher rating on the state’s quality rating system. In addition, within PKC, White children were more likely than Black children to be enrolled with a provider with the highest quality rating. 
Child Trends researchers conducted a historical landscape scan of systemic racism in the United States, which revealed deeply rooted inequities in the early childhood education (ECE) system. This history of racism has led to a complex network of issues faced by the contemporary ECE workforce. To center racial equity in conversations about the ECE workforce, the authors suggest that policymakers and other ECE stakeholders examine existing systemic barriers (e.g., discriminatory hiring practices and educational access), the diversity of ECE professionals and the families they serve, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care providers.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) were found to support the development of self-regulation in young children, according to a review of 18 research studies conducted between 2010 and 2021.
 
The authors of Using Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Support Self-regulation in Young Children: A Review of the Literature determined positive effects on self-regulation were significantly greater for children with difficulties or delays in developing self-regulation skills. “In an era in which educators, families, and children are facing unprecedented levels of stress and distress caused by a global pandemic, the need for these skills feels more important than ever,” wrote Jill O. Bockmann and Seon Yeong Yu of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 
Nearly one-third of children under age 6 in families with working parents live with parents who work nontraditional hours (i.e., before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on weekdays, or on weekends). To understand the care needs of these families, researchers at the Urban Institute analyzed survey data and interviewed parents working nontraditional hours in two states and D.C. The report, What Childcare Arrangements do Parents Want during Nontraditional Hours? shares that many parents recommended care in the child’s home by relatives or friends for nontraditional hours; however, they found this type of care was not supported by publicly funded child care policies or practices.
 
They noted that “current child care policies often appear to assume that parents work traditional hours and regular schedules, and concepts of quality care are designed around what children need during daytime hours.” Read the full report here, and a policy brief here
Resources
Farm to Early Care and Education Curricula
Check out a host of free resources on farm to early care and education curricula available through the National Farm to School Network.
Fruit and Vegetable Snack Menu
The Association for State Public Health Nutritionists’ (ASPHN) National Fruit & Vegetable Nutrition Council has a Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Work Group who developed a new resource to help CACFP providers and others (parents, caretakers, nutrition-workers and students) easily, plan, prep, and provide fruit and vegetable-filled snacks with a month's worth of recipes! Check out the CACFP Fruit and Vegetable Snack Menu for on ASPHN's website. 
Resources from Camille Catlett
The April resources from Camille Catlett are now available. The April edition of Baby Talk includes information about Books About Feelings for Babies and Toddlers; Brilliant Bilingual Babies; and more. The April edition of Natural Resources shares information about Why is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Important? Tips on Implementing SEL Principles at Home, in School, and in the Community; The Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children; and more.
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