Thank you to everyone who applied to participate on the ELC Subcommittee for Child Care Certification Regulation Rewrites. Because of the critical role family child care (FCC), group child care (GCC) and school age only (SAC) providers play in Pennsylvania's child care system, OCDEL is seeking additional applications from these providers. FCC, GCC and SAC providers ONLY can apply here.

Starting in early 2022 through the spring, Subcommittee members will provide direct feedback to OCDEL on a series of draft regulations. Out of respect for participants schedules and safety, meetings will be held virtually with materials shared ahead of time via email. Interested FCC, GCC and SAC providers can apply now through Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. Please contact Karen Grimm-Thomas (c-kgrimmth@pa.gov) with any questions. 

Please share this opportunity with the families you serve. Families can click here to register for any of the sessions. For more information, contact Sarah Holland at saholland@pa.gov. Child care reimbursement offered (per guidelines) for families of children receiving EI services. ADA accommodations must be requested two weeks in advance (during registration).

This episode of the Home Visiting in Action podcast series features two experts from Pennsylvania about the value of engaging parents as leaders. Both are involved in operating Parent Cafes, a model run by Be Strong Families to bolster protective factors like reliance and strong relationships in parents. Parent Cafes are planned with and facilitated by parent leaders, making the model ripe for engaging parents in leadership positions.

Featured speakers include Nikki Durler, MIECHV program participant and parent leader from Lawrence County, PA; and Kari Copeland, Family Support Programs Coordinator, Family Services of Montgomery County, PA. Listen now!

Nature in the Classroom is the topic for December's Let’s Talk Quality Series from Pennsylvania' s Program Quality Assessment (PQA) team. 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 Dec. 9, 2021, 1PM or 6PM for the 1-hour Let’s Talk Quality Webinar, Nature in the Classroom:

Register to join Dec. 21, 2021, 1PM or 6PM for the 1-hour Spotlight session where members of the PQA team will answer your questions and be available for discussion about Nature in the Classroom and other PQA related topics:

Check out the Let's Talk Quality Blog on Dec. 8, 2021, for the blog post about Nature in the Classroom. While there, check out all the other great blog posts.

Join the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) during the winter months for some hot topics around early language and literacy development. Get access to resources to share with families and use in classrooms and centers. These one hour webinars will be offered for FREE from 1pm to 2pm on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month running in February and March 2021.

PQAS credit hours, Infant Toddler hours, and ACT48 hours available for these webinars. Get additional information on topics, credits and registration. 

2022

Contact the location that set up your previous appointment. If you need to find a different location, there are several ways you can find a vaccine provider. 

You may choose which COVID-19 vaccine you receive as a booster shot. Some people may prefer the vaccine type that they originally received, and others may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots. Learn more.

Fifteen scholarship opportunities are available from the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) for the 2022 National Child Nutrition Conference to be held April 19-20, 2022. Through the scholarship program, NCA will recognize the professionals who are dedicated to ensuring that our nation's most vulnerable populations have access to nutritious food.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is announcing the Litter Hawk Youth Award Program, a recognition program for students in Kindergarten through 6th Grade, who complete a designated project specific to their grade level. Kids can participate individually or as part of a lesson initiated by schools, afterschool programs, home-schools, scout troops, 4-H clubs, environmental clubs or other organized groups.

The Litter Hawk Youth Award Program is a way for kids to share their hope, optimism and concerns about litter and inspire others to care for their communities through art, words or video. Kids are asked to address the theme: How do you keep Pennsylvania beautiful? Participation deadline Jan. 31, 2022.

The years immediately following the completion of a doctoral degree are critical for scholars launching their own independent program of research. However, availability of funding to initiate exploratory, pilot, or extension research on which a new research program can be built, varies depending on the position and institution of the researcher.

Non-renewable grants of up to $7,500 are available from the Society for Research in Child Development on a competitive basis for research projects conducted by early career members who completed their degrees in the past five years, regardless of their appointment, institution or country of residence.

The funding priorities for these grants include a proposed project that:

The number of children and youth who experienced homelessness in school year (SY) 2019- 2020 was 9,382, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). This is a decrease of 1,554 children, or 14%, compared to the previous year. People’s Emergency Center (PEC) summarized this report to inform policy makers about young children experiencing homelessness, especially in the homeless housing system, in the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, and in the Pennsylvania Homeless Stakeholders’ Group.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) 2019-20 State Evaluation Report has a wealth of information, but PEC focuses on what the report provides on young children.

With the holiday season, families and friends may be looking for the perfect gift for a child. Did you know the perfect gift is at your fingertips? PA's Promise for Children has five perfect gifts to give a child this holiday season. Available in English and Spanish.

A new language guide is available as a resource for the broader education research community, as well as educators and policymakers. A Language Guide to Center Racial Equity in Education Research from the Early Learning Network can help researchers reflect on some of the current language used in the field that may limit collective efforts to advance equity in education.

This resource is not meant to be an exhaustive or prescriptive list of equity-based language recommendations. In general, it contains suggested ways to use more specific, person-centered language and move away from wording that applies external value judgements to demographic characteristics like race, home language and socioeconomic status.

Back-to-school is in full swing, and cooler days are setting in. Keep kids safe this Autumn with the printable poster from the Institute for Childhood Preparedness. Available in English and Spanish.

United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Team Nutrition has more than 100 Spanish language materials that support healthy eating and physical activity. Visit their website for more Spanish Materials Available from Team Nutrition. Spanish Materials Available from Team Nutrition | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov)

The November resources from Camille Catlett are now available. The November edition of Natural Resources contains information on Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Engaging in reciprocal partnerships with families and fostering community connections, and more. The November edition of Baby Talk features information on resources for grandparents, of masks delay for speech and language development, and more.