News, Resources and Upcoming Events for Head Start, Early Head Start, and State-wide Partners in the early learning community
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Welcome to the first edition of the PA Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO) monthly newsletter!
The PA Head Start State Collaboration Office is funded by the Office of Head Start and is housed at the Pennsylvania Key. The purpose of the PA HSSCO is to build collaborative partnerships between federally funded Head Start and Early Head Start Programs and state-funded early childhood programs and systems to improve the quality of services to low-income children and their families in Pennsylvania.
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Welcome Amy Requa!
The HSSCO and the Pennsylvania Key are excited to announce that Amy Requa is now a full-time member of the PA Key, where she will serve as the Senior Health Manager.
Many of you know Amy from her 17 years of working tirelessly on behalf of Head Start and Early Head Start with her efforts to improve health outcomes for children. Most recently, Amy served for eight years as the PA Oral Health Coordinator for PHSA, as well as a Health Consultant to the PA HSSCO since 2010. She will now be able to use her vast knowledge and experience to assist all early learning programs in Pennsylvania to improve the health and well-being of their enrolled children, families, and the various professionals who serve them!
Amy’s new contact information is
amyreq@pakeys.org
or work cell: 610.952.3363. A BIG, warm welcome to Amy!!!
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Office of Head Start Leaders in School Readiness Campaign
The Leaders in School Readiness (LSR) Campaign
encourages Head Start directors and school principals to collaborate for children's success. Smooth transitions help children keep their head start in learning. Those gains are precious. Compared to their peers, Head Start graduates are more likely to finish high school, go to college, be employed, and enjoy good health.
Pennsylvania was one of twelve states that was invited to participate in the
Head Start Public Schools Collaboration Demonstration Project
. The Allentown School District and Community Services for Children are pairing up to collaborate with intention during this 2019-2020 school year and in future years.
The National Head Start Association’s
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Toolkit
is a great resource school districts in meeting new federal requirements that they formally partner with Head Start and other early childhood education providers to facilitate the transition of children from early childhood settings to kindergarten.
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Census 2020 – Count all Kids: What’s at Stake is Census 2020 Misses Children in Your Community?
The Casey Foundation’s 2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book warns that the 2020 census has the potential to shortchange the official count by 1.5 million children younger than age 5. This discrepancy would put hundreds of millions of federal dollars at risk, under-funding programs, such as Head Start, that are critical for family stability and opportunity.
It is estimated that the 2010 census under-counted more than one mission young children, which led to the federal government failing to allocate up to $880 billion, including funds associated with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Head Start.
What can Head Start and Early Head Start grantees do to ensure that their children are counted?
- Educate families about the importance of completing the census
- Assist them in completing the questionnaire, if needed
- Encourage families that are looking for employment to consider a job working with the Census Bureau.
For more information see the resources below.
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The Connection Between Head Start and State or Territory Early Care and Education Systems: A Scan of Existing Data
A new report,
The Connection between Head Start and State or Territory Early Care and Education Systems: A Scan of Existing Data
, from the Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis, summarizes data on the relationships between Head Start programs and early care and education systems in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. While the coordination of Head Start with other aspects of early care and education systems varies widely across states and territories, the data summarized in the report highlight Head Start’s connections with pre-K, quality rating and improvement systems, and the Child Care and Development Fund.
The report demonstrates that Pennsylvania is one of seven states which links federally funded Head Start child-level data, and one of four states with multiple state pre-K programs, in which state administered Head Start meet the criteria to be considered a state pre-K program. Pennsylvania is also one of eight state or territory agencies which received Early Head Start-Child Care Partners (EHS-CCP) grants, and one of only a few other states which also serves as an EHS grantee outside of the EHS-CCP grants.
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Head Start and Early Head Start in Pennsylvania
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Coming Soon!
The PA HSSCO is working with Dr. Ben Cohen from the Center for Schools and Communities to complete the 2020 HSSCO Needs Assessment. One part of this needs-assessment is a survey we are asking ALL our HS/EHS grantee staff to take the survey. It is important to the HSSCO we hear from as many of the grantees and grantee staff as possible, to develop future goals and strategies to support HS/EHS in Pennsylvania. Please watch your inboxes for the survey, to be sent in the coming weeks.
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Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement
The PA HSSCO, in collaboration with the PA Association for Infant Mental Health, is offering a limited number of scholarships for EHS/HS staff to receive the Infant Mental Health for Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement. Along with the Endorsement Fees, the scholarship with also provide T/TA in the form of a learning community to assist applicants with the application process and collection of documentation to evidence past experiences. Those interested in receiving the endorsement, please email Tracy Duarte at
tradua@pakeys.org
. More information on IECMH Endorsement can be found
here
.
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PD Registry
Is your HS/EHS program utilizing the Professional Development (PD) Registry? if not, you are missing out on an excellent opportunity!
The PD Registry supports the professional growth of EHS and HS Professionals by serving as a one-stop shop to: Track employment, education and training history; plan professional development including access to an easy to use self-assessment tool; and find statewide quality professional training opportunities.
The PD Registry also processes organization accounts for HS and EHS Programs. Having an organization account allows your program to: access verified staff qualifications for meeting DHS and Keystone STARS requirements; support staff with professional development planning; and track staff completion of OHS, DHS and Keystone STARS training requirements.
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Child Development Associate Credential Now Offered Through Professional Development Organizations
Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is implementing statewide Professional Development Organizations (PDOs). PDOs will specialize in access to credit-bearing coursework and credentials for the early childhood education (ECE) workforce. Shippensburg University and Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) were selected as the PDOs in Pennsylvania.
See a regional map.
While PDOs begin their work, the Pennsylvania Key contracted with several organizations and institutes of higher education to offer community-based cohorts so that individuals attempting to obtain a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential can complete the 120 hours of coursework and receive additional support. This opportunity is only available for 2019-20 and space in these cohorts is limited.
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PA One Book, Every Young Child Book Order Information
The One Book, Every Young Child Program in Pennsylvania will celebrate its fifteenth year in 2020. Over the years it has shared many wonderful books, authors, illustrators and activity ideas and will continue to do so. This year will be the second year that there will be two titles, one for the very young—
Freight Train
by Donald Crews, and one for preschoolers—
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
by Bob Barner. Both authors are also the illustrators and have created a number of books. You will find links to their webpages on the One Book website.
If you already participate in Scholastic’s Literacy Partnerships Program, just
print the order form
and follow the directions on the form. If your organization does not already participate just
complete this form
. You may order as many copies as you need any time during 2020. The One Book website (
www.paonebook.org
) has a fun guide for each title to share with families. There is also an educators’ guide for each, too.
This year there is a new twist.
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
by Bob Barner is also available on BookFlix as a video. BookFlix is provided for free to the residents of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries POWER Library program (
www.powerlibrary.org
). All you need is a public library card and Internet access to enjoy over 140 picture book videos. Each video is paired with a non-fiction book title that connects with the story. Children may listen, read along with or read the book independently. BookFlix also provides activities, games and more information on the book and often the author. The easiest way to learn more is to stop in your local library and ask for a demonstration.
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Healthy Smiles Task Force: Please Save 2020 Meeting Dates!
A Collaborative Initiative of The Region III Office of Head Start, PA Head Start State Collaboration Office,
PA Head Start Association, Key Partners and Stakeholders
Healthy Smiles, Happy Children: A Dentist for Every Child
PA Head Start Healthy Smiles Task Force
Thursday, March 5, 2020 (10:00 am-3:00 pm)
Camp Hill Shopping Center
3301 Trindle Rd., Camp Hill, PA, 17011
Thursday, May 7, 2020 (10:00 am-3:00 pm)
475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020 (10:00 am-3:00 pm)
1520 Hanover Ave, Allentown, PA 18109
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Head Start and Managed Care Organizations Monthly Networking Calls
Held on the third Thursday of each month from 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Next call: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 (1:30-2:30 pm)
** Please note a change in the call in #
NEW
Call-in number: 646.558.8656 or 669.900.6833
Meeting ID: 251 422 340
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January Early Childhood Health and Wellness
Here
is the January Early Childhood Health and Wellness resource list from the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness.
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Oral Health Story Kits are coming to EHS Home Based Programs
A partnership between the PA HSSCO and PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PAAAP) Healthy Teeth Healthy Children (HTHC) has resulted in 500 Oral Health Story Kits for Early Head Start home visitors to be distributed to programs during the spring of 2020. Oral health projects in Pennsylvania in recent years have targeted medical, dental, and child care providers to improve family oral health habits and increase access to care.
In 2015, the HTHC, a program of PAAAP, developed a community-based health literacy resource – the Oral Health Story Kit for Public Libraries – to raise awareness, provide resources, and encourage positive oral health behavior change in a trusted setting by recruiting librarians as advocates and educators. With the support of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to support oral health workforce activities in Pennsylvania, an Oral Health Story Kits for Home Visitors prototype was developed and piloted between Oct. 2018-May 2019.
The Oral Health Story Kits for Home Visitors are designed to be self-sustaining educational oral health resources for use with the general public without the assistance of an oral health professional, in order to make them easy to use. They also now contain information about Pennsylvania's
Early Learning Resource Centers
for families to access additional supports around early learning. For more information about the Oral Health Story Kit project, please contact Healthy Teeth Healthy Children Program Director Kristin Haegele Hill at
hthc@paaap.org
or 484-446-3059.
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Staff Wellness
Feeling stressed in the New Year? The Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center has some great resources on staff wellness and stress reduction including mindfulness practices, promoting empathy and understanding trauma. Check out these resources on ECLKC
here
.
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ECELS-Healthy Child Care Pennsylvania
Since December 1989, the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PA AAP) has operated the Early Childhood Education Linkage System (ECELS). The mission of ECELS is to improve the quality of early childhood education and school age child care programs. In 1995 the federal government launched state-by-state Healthy Child Care America programs. These were modeled, in part, on ECELS. Since then, the full name of the program has been
ECELS-Healthy Child Care Pennsylvania
.
ECELS-Healthy Child Care Pennsylvania provides professional development and technical assistance about health and safety in child care. Much of our work is focused in Pennsylvania. In addition, we share resources with colleagues in other states and countries. We link quality improvement efforts of government, early childhood educators, health professionals, and other organizations. State, federal and private foundation grants as well as the work of volunteers have sustained ECELS-Healthy Child Care Pennsylvania for more than two decades. In addition to the generous volunteer contributions, current sources of funding for ECELS-Healthy Child Care Pennsylvania include the Pennsylvania Key through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and fee-for-service revenue for provision of workshops and review of self-learning modules for state-authorized professional development credit.
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Flu Season Resources
Flu season is in full swing in PA. Here are some resources that can be hung in classrooms and other locations throughout your programs.
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February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
2020 marks the 75th anniversary of community water fluoridation, and the ADA is helping dentists celebrate the occasion as National Children's Dental Health Month approaches. In honor of the program, the slogan for the 2020 National Children's Dental Health Month is “Fluoride in water prevents cavities! Get it from the tap!
Below are links to activities and resources that can be used in your programs throughout the month. Have any photos of staff, children and/or parents participating in a dental activity that you’d like to share with the HSSCO for the February Newsletter? If so, please send them to Tracy Duarte at
tradua@pakeys.org
.
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The Healthy Smiles Task Force is seeking Oral Health Parent Ambassadors for the 2020 Project Year
The Oral Health Ambassadors Project is an innovative way to empower our Head Start parents to promote oral health for all children and families.
- We will accept “Oral Health Ambassador” applications submitted by the deadline of Friday, Feb.7, 2020.
- We will select up to 10 "Oral Health Ambassadors" from up to 10 Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs by Feb. 14, 2020.
- Each Oral Health Ambassador will receive a $100 stipend for actively participating in this project.
More information and the application to apply can be found
here
.
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PHSA
The PHSA Winter Administrator’s meeting will be held on March 1 -2, 2020 at the Hotel Indigo in Harrisburg. More details and registration information can be found
here.
The request for proposals for the 2020 Pennsylvania Head Start Association Annual Conference deadline has been extended until February 14! The PHSA Conference team is especially interested in proposals on the following topics:
- New Teaching Staff
- Master Teaching Staff
- Health/Safety/Nutrition
- Disability Services
- Administration
- Home Visiting
- Coaching
- Master Teaching Staff
- Mental Health
- Family Services and Engagement
- Adult Learning
- Infant-Toddler
This year’s Conference is being held on April 29 and 30 at the Spooky Nook in Manheim, PA. Registration, lodging and conference information can be found on the PHSA website
www.paheadstart.org.
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Region III T/TA
Healthy, Active Living Institute: Maryland, Feb 26, 2020
** Early Bird registration ends Jan 30!!
Kindergarten Readiness Partnerships Institute: Virginia, March 31 – April 1, 2020
The Home Based Institute: PA, April 27 & 28, 2020
Fiscal Management Institute: Virginia,June 24-25, 2020
Registration and additional information about these events 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
.
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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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