Prenatal-to-Three Playbook Details State of Child Care in Allegheny County

Child Trends, in partnership with The Heinz Endowments, has published the Prenatal-to-Three (PN-3) Playbook. The playbook reveals PN-3 challenges and successes in Allegheny County, and provides resources and tools that equitably support Allegheny County families with children three years old and younger.

The Heinz Endowments partnered with Child Trends in spring of 2020 to create the Prenatal-to-Three (PN-3) Playbook. The project team at Child Trends worked with several local child care organizations, including Trying Together, and interviewed over 30 PN-3 stakeholders in Allegheny County to develop it.

Other News

• Shapiro Administration Urges CHIP Recipients To Update Contact Information
• URA Offering Funds for Low-Income and First-Time Homebuyers
• Investigation Reveals Potential Bias in Allegheny Family Screening Tool
• Apply for Discounted Public Transportation Fares
• New Positive Racial Identity Development Resource Available
• February 2023 Staffing Crisis Survey
• 2023-2024 Kindergarten Registration Information
• SNAP Emergency Allotment Ending After February 2023
• Trying Together Offering Child Development Trainings
• Free Tax Return Preparation in Allegheny County
• New Tax Guides for Child Care Professionals

Upcoming Events

Professional Development

• Virtual Director Roundtables, ELRC Region 5
  • Tuesday, 2/14 | 10 a.m.
  • Tuesday, 2/14 | 2 p.m.
• Robots in Your Out-of-School-Time Programs? Yes! Your Learners Won’t Want to Leave, Kinderlab Robotics
  • Thursday, 2/16 | 2 - 3 p.m. 
• Introduction to ASQ-3®, Trying Together
  • Monday, 2/20 | 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• Champions and Early Childhood Professionals: The Mindfulness Movement Documentary, Healthy Minds
  • Monday, 2/20 | 12 -1:30 p.m.
• Let’s Chat About: Moving Beyond the Read Aloud, OCDEL and EITA
  • Friday, 2/24 | 1 - 2 p.m.
• NAEYC 2023 Public Policy Forum (PPF), NAEYC
  • Sunday, 2/26 - Tuesday, 2/28 

Events

• Women's Rap,  Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center
  • Friday, 2/10 | 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Transforming Our Pittsburgh Family Album, The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
  • Sunday, 2/12 | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
• Storytime at The Hub, Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center
  • Tuesday, 2/14 | 10 - 10:45 a.m. 
• Storytime at The Hub, Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center
  • Tuesday, 2/21 | 10 - 10:45 a.m. 
• Hill District Early Literacy Initiative Presents Story Time, Macedonia FACE
  • Wednesday, 2/22 | 5 -6 p.m. 
• Parent Advisory Committee, Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center
  • Thursday, 2/23 | 6 - 7 p.m.
• Rise Together, Homewood Early Learning Hub & Family Center
  • Friday, 2/24 | 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Thank Congress for Investing in Child Care

On December 29, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 into law. The appropriation for fiscal year (FY) 2023 included more than $8 billion in total annual discretionary funds for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in addition to increases for other important child care and early education programs.

• $8 billion in total funding for CCDBG, $1.9 billion above FY2022.
• $12 billion in total funding Head Start, $960 million above FY2022.
• $315 million in total funding for the Preschool Development Grant Block, $25 million above FY2022.
• $420 million in total funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B, $10 million above FY2022. Part B ensures that all children with disabilities have access to free appropriate public education, including preschool grants.
• $540 million in total funding for IDEA Part C, $44 million above FY2022. Part C provides states with funding to support early intervention programs for infants and toddlers.
• $75 million in total funding for Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS), $10 million above FY2022. CCAMPIS supports parents with low incomes who are engaged in postsecondary education afford and access campus-based child care services.

Thank you for the tens of thousands of email, phone, and social media messages you sent to elected officials urging them to include additional early care and education funds!

Please take the time to thank the members of Congress who voted yes for these new funds.

Featured Resources

• Observances in February
  • Black History Month
    • Positive Racial Identity Development, Trying Together
    • For Parents: Celebrating Black Leaders, PBS Kids
    • Nine Books to Celebrate Black History Month, PA Promise for Children
    • Black History Month Hub with free, online activities, National Education Association
  • National Children’s Dental Health Month
    • Brush Up on Oral Health tip sheets, The Office of Head Start
  • February 14 is Read to Your Child Day
    • Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Book Lists, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
    • Buzzword Words & Activities, Buzzword 
  • February 17 is National Caregivers Day
    • Developmentally Appropriate Parenting: Caring for the Caregiver, Trying Together
• Developmentally Appropriate Parenting (DAP) Series, Trying Together
  • Get information on topics such as Childhood Physical Health; Child Care; Transitions & Routines; and much more.
• Anti-Racism Resources, Trying Together
  • Anti-Racism Resources for Families
  • Children’s Books on Race and Equity
  • Talking to Children about Hate Crimes and Anti-Semitism
• Recess Advocacy Toolkit, Trying Together & Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative
  • Examples of Play
  • PE Teachers: Advice & Tips
• Request for Professional Services, Trying Together
• Professional Development Catalog, Trying Together
• Parenting Together Pathway, Trying Together
• Family Engagement Toolkit, Trying Together