September 2023 Edition

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The State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC) co-chairs, Sadia Batool and Kate McKinnon, recently met with Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Arkoosh and Governor Shapiro’s Deputy Chief of Staff Lindsey Mauldin to present the 2021-2022 Annual Report of the Pennsylvania State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC) for Early Intervention and to discuss the important role families play in the SICC, as well as Family Leadership opportunities offered by OCDEL’s Bureau of Early Intervention Services and Family Supports (BEISFS).

The report highlights more than 100,000 Pennsylvania children, birth through preschool-age, were served through Early Intervention Services and Supports during 2021-22, in a variety of settings, the most numerous being within the home/community.

BEISFS supports families in meeting the developmental needs of their children. To enhance families’ knowledge and skills, BEISFS has a range of resources for families in Early Intervention, including linking with other families, leadership development, advisory groups, and Pennsylvania parent centers. Learn more about OCDEL/BEISFS supported Family Leadership opportunities at Early Intervention Family Resources.

Learn about high-quality resources to support the social emotional development of young children, with an emphasis on trauma informed care. Conference sessions also address self-care.

Audience: Directors and teachers of Pennsylvanian licensed child care centers, group child care, family child care homes, and after school care.

Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania. Additional details on registration and logistics will be provided soon.

Financial support for overnight room accommodations will be available for participants. There is no registration fee for this conference. Additional details coming soon!

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announces the ability of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) Mini-Grant application.

A grassroots and collaborative approach has emerged in several Pennsylvania communities to provide a cross-sector RRT deployed to early childhood education programs when an early care and education program is struggling with the challenging behavior of a child who is at immediate risk of expulsion. The development of this collaborative service at the local level has been in response to the increase in challenging behaviors in ECE settings combined with historically long waiting lists for the statewide Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) program. Locally developed RRTs typically include, but are not limited to, behavioral health professionals, Early Intervention (EI) professionals and Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) staff.  

To expand RRTs across the state and help standardize the development of RRTs, OCDEL, through the renewed federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG), will award nineteen (19) Rapid Response Mini Grants to local collaboratives to create teams, support emerging teams, or enhance existing Rapid Response approaches.

PDG will fund training, development, and implementation of RRT model approaches and include a cross-site evaluation. Increasing access to RRTs locally will support the following goals: 

1. Provision of trauma sensitive, human-centered, collaborative short-term support in ECE programs struggling to support a child(ren) with challenging behavior at risk for expulsion. 
2. Facilitate quick referrals to additional supports, not limited to Early Intervention (EI 0-3, 3-5), Family Support Programming, Home Visiting, IECMH consultation, and/or behavioral health services.  

Rapid Response Teams are not to be confused with county Crisis Intervention Services. 

Application deadline is Sept. 29, 2023. Get complete information, including background, scope of work, eligible applicants, funding information, Rapid Response mini grant options, and how to apply.

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has released the Announcement ELRC 23-04: 2023 Keystone STARS Performance Standards, Program Manual, and Accompanying Resources. This Announcement shares information on the 2023 updated Keystone STARS Performance Standards, Program Manual, and Accompanying Resources.

On May 16, 2022, the most recent version of the Keystone STARS Performance Standards and Program Manual were released and became effective July 1, 2022. Since that time, OCDEL has received feedback from the field related to professional development in Keystone STARS Staff Qualification (SQ) indicators. OCDEL examined the feedback and used it to make edits to a limited number of quality indicators that will become effective on October 1, 2023.

Additionally, the 2023 Keystone STARS Program Manual features updated and additional information and resources for 2023.

This announcement becomes effective October 1, 2023, and will replace in its entirety ELRC Announcement 22 #04 Keystone STARS Performance Standards and Program Manual and all accompanying documents.

For complete information, please see the Announcement ELRC 23-04: 2023 Keystone STARS Performance Standards, Program Manual, and Accompanying Resources.

Have you heard the phrase, Embedded Instruction for Early Learning? In Pennsylvania, Early Intervention professionals will work hand in hand with early childhood education (ECE) professionals to provide services to young children with disabilities to enhance their growth and development through this evidence-based, collaborative set of practices.

This course provides an overview of how teams will be able to work together to ensure children are able to access, participate, and receive supports in everyday routines and activities. Learn more about how this set of practices are implemented within early childhood environments in An Overview of Embedded Instruction for Early Learning in Pennsylvania, on the PD Registry!

Early childhood educators and partners--there's still time to order a free set of the poster series for helping kids who have experienced trauma from Heal PA and Bright Start. Bright Kids. Bright Futures. Each set contains four posters focusing on ages 0-3 and 3-6 years which feature information on:

• What are ACEs?
• Signs and Symptoms of Traumatic Stress
• Children can cope with trauma and build resiliency
• Tips for Educators: Taking care of yourself

Early childhood educators and partners can display the posters where families and staff can view the information. Posters are available at no cost and available in English and Spanish. Supplies are limited. Click here to view/download the posters and click here to order a set of the posters.

Looking for ways to support social connections among parents and family members or for an engaging way to get parents involved in your early learning program? Been curious about Be Strong Parent Cafes, but unsure if your organization is ready to dive in?

Interested family-serving organizations are invited to join on Sept. 20, 2023, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am for a virtual introduction to learn more about Be Strong Parent Cafes and how to bring cafes to your communities!

During this time, learn about the café process (including a mini round of café conversations!), consider what is needed to form a team and deliver cafes, and get information about the application process for the upcoming in-person Parent Café Training Institutes (PCTI) in November 2023 (Eastern and Western PA), March 2024 (Southcentral PA), and April 2024 (Northcentral PA).

Please note, if your organization plans to attend a PCTI in 2023-2024 to be certified to deliver Be Strong Parent Cafes, this session is required.

Questions? Contact Rijelle Kraft. Take the first step on your café journey and register for the Be Strong Parent Café Information Session today!

This professional development opportunity is delivered through a partnership among the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning and the PA Strengthening Families Leadership Team and is facilitated by the Center for Schools and Communities. 

An updated link to the recently released report, A State-Level Brief, Participation of Infants and Toddlers Experiencing Homelessness in Early Childhood Programs in PA (released July 2023) is now available. The brief, jointly released by the Pennsylvania Head Start State Collaboration Office (PA HSSCO) and Hope PHL, contains data for children from birth to age 3 (or 0-3 defined as “through the age of 2” or “prior to their 3rd birthday”), and describes what is known about infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness from data available in the housing and early childhood sectors and their participation rates in these programs.

• Sept. 12-13: 2023 Refugee Education Summit, King of Prussia
• Sept. 14: Social Justice Summit: Putting CRSE into Practice, Millersville and online
• Sept. 18-21: NHSA Fall Leadership Institute, Crystal City, VA
• Sept. 19-20: ZERO to THREE LEARN Conference, Minneapolis 
• Oct. 4-7: 2023 Early Educators Leadership Conference, Houston
• Oct. 11-13: 2023 Paving the Way to Educational Success Conference, Pittsburgh
• Oct. 16-18: 2023 Early Childhood Summit, Virtual
• Oct. 22-24: Family Involvement Conference, Allentown
• Nov. 8-10: 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit, Virtual & Shippensburg
• Nov. 15-18: NAEYC Annual Conference, Nashville, TN
• Nov. 28-Dec. 1: DEC's 38th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families, Minneapolis, MN
• Dec. 4-7: NHSA’s annual Parent and Family Engagement Conference, New Orleans
• Dec. 7-9: 2023 Empower Pennsylvania's OST Conference, Lancaster

2024

• March 25-26: Save the date: OCDEL Early Childhood Conference, Stable and Secure: Supporting Children Through Trauma Sensitive Approaches, Hershey, PA
• April 15-18: National Head Start Conference, Portland, Oregon
• June 24-29: National Research Conference on Early Childhood 2024, Arlington, VA
• Nov. 6-9: Save the date: National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference, Anaheim, CA

The Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) and the Pennsylvania Key are seeking a dynamic individual with experience in the early childhood profession to provide oversight, management, and supervision over the Pennsylvania’s Professional Development Organizations (PDOs), as well as facilitates collaborative efforts supporting the goals of the PDOs and Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s (OCDEL) vision for workforce development as administered by OCDEL and the Pennsylvania Key. Strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills are also necessary. 

This position will support PDOs in the implementation of PDO Policy Manual and serve as a conduit for exchange of ideas and consequences of implementation. The successful applicant will provide technical assistance, professional development, and monitoring to the PDOs and support PDOs and subgrantees to increase the components of evidence-based professional development and resources in their early educator preparation programs. Work with PDOs and sub grantees is to ensure content is focused and supports educators learning from within classroom contexts and experience. Support PDOs and subgrantees in establishing reliable systems that award credit for prior learning, on the job learning, and portfolio reviews for alternative pathways. Support for the PDOs and partners is crucial in implementing strategies that leverage the QRIS and workforce development systems (such as apprenticeship) and aid in the retention of educators. Application deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Learn more.

Using Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant funding, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is soliciting applications for the Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Bullying Prevention and Safe Relationships (BPSR) Program until Sept. 14, 2023. The CYSHCN BPSR will have a grant term of 30-months, from Jan. 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026. Funding will be provided for up to six awardees.

The BPSR Program promotes relationship development and the reduction of bullying among 12 through 21-year-old CYSHCN, through understanding risk factors and preparing CYSHCN with self-responsibility supports aimed to decrease future trauma.

The CYSHCN BPSR Program RFA can be found on the Pennsylvania eMarketplace: BPSR RFA. Questions regarding the RFA can be submitted through the Pennsylvania eMarketplace process and during the pre-Application Conference. Responses will be posted as an addendum to the RFA.

Start Strong PA is working with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s PolicyLab to survey of child care directors and owners to gain their perspective on the Pennsylvania child care system including:

• concerns, 
• what is working well and,
• priorities for improvements.

Survey information will be used to:

1. Identify themes by provider type, geographic region, etc. to inform Start Strong PA’s budget proposals, as well as other future policy and advocacy efforts.
2. Inform the focus of listening sessions for child care providers to be hosted in collaboration with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).
3. Collect information regarding the impact of the on-going child care staffing crisis.

Your individually identifiable information will not be shared with OCDEL. It will only be used by Start Strong PA for any needed clarification with regard to the staffing survey data or for permission to be quoted in the upcoming report on the findings.

Ten participants will be randomly selected to receive a $100 gift card! The deadline to participate is September 20, 2023. Click here to participate in the survey.

PA NAP SACC is seeking licensed child care providers for Pennsylvania Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (PA NAPSACC) Wellness Grant Opportunity. This grant provides an opportunity to engage in a continuous quality improvement process focused on obesity prevention practices and policies within an early care and education setting. The program utilizes Go NAPSACC, an on-line, evidence-based tool, to guide self-assessment, action planning, implementation, policy development, re-self-assessment and reflection. The process empowers program leadership and includes individualized technical assistance to increase knowledge and improve quality of practice and policy. Programs will also be linked with a Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC) at no cost to the site. The CCHC will review current nutrition and physical activity practices and policies, assist with developing sustainable policies, and offer guidance for continuous quality improvement. Learn more.

The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) has announced a Request for Proposal (RFP) for subgrants for the Equitable Access in Child Nutrition Programs project. Public or private academic organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and state or local government organizations are eligible to apply for a grant to fund research projects to understand the barriers to equitable access and service delivery in the Child Nutrition Programs.

FRAC is interested in receiving proposals related to barriers in the CACFP, as well as within other child nutrition programs. If you've witnessed or experience barriers to equitable access or service delivery in the CACFP, consider submitting a proposal. CACFP specific research on these issues would help provide evidence that would support program improvements. The deadline to apply is Oct. 3, 2023. Learn more.

Enroll for the Fall 2023 Online Child Care Health Advocate Course - Tuition Assistance Available

Enrollment is now open for the Fall 2023 online Child Care Health Advocate course (EARL 160-01) offered by Northampton Community College. This unique three-credit hour college course is taught remotely over 10 weeks: Oct. 2 through Dec. 9, 2023, and prepares the Child Care Practitioner to function in the role of a Child Care Health Advocate (CCHA). The course addresses 15 different health and safety modules as a resource for child care directors, teachers, assistant teachers, and child care practitioners. Participants will learn to assess, identify, and prioritize health and safety needs of children and staff and will learn to collaborate with a registered nurse or licensed physician who serves as the facility’s child care health consultant.

In partnership with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), tuition assistance is available for child care facility staff currently employed in Pennsylvania. Space is limited; register early to be sure you have a place for the upcoming term. Please email education@northampton.edu to start the enrollment process for an OCDEL-supported slot. All Pennsylvania early childhood staff including directors, teachers, assistant teachers, and family child care home providers are eligible to enroll. OCDEL will cover all tuition-related fees, books and materials for the course (valued at over $1,000).

The course is intended to enable students to meet Standard 1.3.2.7 Qualifications and Responsibilities for Health Advocates from Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards for Early Care and Education Programs. It offers a unique opportunity for Child Care Practitioners to acquire academic credit that may be applicable toward college degrees and has received accolades from previously enrolled students. Credits from this course can also be used to renew director credentials. Questions regarding course content can be directed to ecels@paaap.org. Register today for this exciting opportunity!

Sixty-eight percent of young children in Pennsylvania have all available caregivers in the workforce and require external care arrangements, is one finding within a recently released report, State of Early Care and Education in Pennsylvania from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, in collaboration with Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA. Pennsylvania’s comprehensive early care and education system spans a child’s formative years, from birth to age five. This report looks deeper at Pennsylvania’s child care and pre-k system complexities and recommends the improvements necessary to ensure the system functions equitably and increases access and affordability for all families in the commonwealth.

Science instruction is a critical aspect of early learning. Teachers can support young children’s learning about scientific concepts through the use of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which is a proactive approach to instructional planning that helps ensure success for all learners. This teaching techniques article, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Inclusive Preschool Science Classrooms, published in the Journal of Science Education, offers preschool teachers practical solutions for implementing in the UDL framework for science instruction in their classrooms.

An accepted conclusion is that children at risk for educational failure who participate in high-quality early care and education (ECE) enter kindergarten “more ready”, possessing skills comparable to their more advantaged peers. There is less consensus about longer-term outcomes with some studies finding continuation of early gains, while others report “fade out” by elementary school. This study, Kindergarten through Grade 3 Outcomes Associated with Participation in High-Quality Early Care and Education: A RCT Follow-Up Study, from the Early Childhood Education Institute, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, investigated child outcomes, kindergarten through Grade 3, of 75 children randomly assigned as infants to either participate or not in an enhanced Early Head Start/Head Start program. It was hypothesized that the children who experienced this high-quality ECE would perform better than their control group peers across a range of measures. From kindergarten to Grade 3, children in the treatment group demonstrated higher skills in letter and word identification, vocabulary, oral comprehension, and math than control group children after controlling for child/family characteristics and classroom quality. 

The September releases of family-friendly newsletters for families and providers of children, ages birth to Kindergarten are now available. The newsletters feature fun early learning activities that align with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards, resources and information to help families as their child's first and most important teacher.

Take a look and share with families and friends, then subscribe to get the next release directly into your inbox.

• Learning is Everywhere
• Kindergarten Here I Come
• Kindergarten Here I Am

Farm to school includes serving local food to kids in school settings, educational experiences about food and agriculture - including farm tours and taste tests - and school garden activities. If your community already engages in these activities, October is a perfect time to promote and celebrate! Find additional ideas and resources for your "Farm to School Month" plans and join The Pennsylvania Farm to School Network (PFSN)’s virtual Open House on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, 1:30-3pm ET to get additional ideas and last minute tips on how best to celebrate in October. Interested in having your farm to school work featured on the PFSN website and newsletter? During Farm to School Month, stories from across Pennsylvania will be shared online to promote all the great work happening in our state. Submit your story here to be featured, or email it to pafarmtoschool@thefoodtrust.org.

Families have the right to know what data their child’s program is collecting and how it’s being used. The U.S Department of Education-funded Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) has resources to help families understand why data are important. Check out the Data Resources for Families page.

Back to School Basics: Creating Routines

Hard to believe, but the time has come to prepare for the start of the school year! However that looks in your program, it is a time of transitions and new beginnings filled with wonder and excitement. This is an opportunity to get to know and strengthen relationships with the children and review classroom routines and expectations. It is also a time for patience. Change is difficult for everyone, children and adults alike. Extend patience and grace to the children and adults in your program, including yourself. Learn more in the recent release of the Bright Start Bright Kids Bright Future newsletter.

Are you a provider who has signed up for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)? CACFP is a federal program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks served to eligible infants, children and adults. These participants can be at child care centers, day care homes, adult day care centers, at-risk afterschool care centers, and emergency shelters. Learn how you can start getting reimbursed for the healthy meals and snacks you might already be serving.

The August resources from Camille Catlett are now available. The August release of Natural Resources contains a Checklist and Guidelines for Identifying Children’s Interests, Implementing a Curriculum Responsively: Building on Children’s Interests, and more. The August release of Baby Talk features information about Social-Emotional Development: Conversation Starters for Feelings & Emotions, Infant Visual Preference for Mother's Face Predicts Emotional Resilience, and more.