Welcome to the Healthy Minds Program!

Welcome to the Healthy Minds Program!

Welcome to the Healthy Minds Program!

606 Raspberry St

Erie, PA 16502

Welcome to the Healthy Minds Program!

• 504 Education Plans: Tips for Teachers
• Individualized Education Programs (IEPs): Tips for Teachers
• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Tips for Teachers
• Words to Know (Special Needs Glossary)

• IEP IFSP Implementation Plan (English) (Spanish)
• IEP Request Form (English) (Spanish)
• Outside Resources Documentation Form (English) (Spanish)

• Developmental Screening Policy (English) (Spanish)
• Outside Resources Policy (English) (Spanish)

• Give your child opportunities to explore and manipulate age-appropriate objects. Put your baby down for tummy time when they can strengthen their arm, legs and back muscles. Encourage them to reach and grasp by holding rattles, teethers or other toys. As your child gets older, they can use their hands to explore items like foods, textures and more.
• Encourage use of both hands. Did you know that being left or right handed can come from mom or dad? A study shows the same genetic markers tied to being left-handed may also play roles in brain development and communication between different brain areas. Although children may be as old as six years old before they show a preference for using their left or right hand, encouraging them to use either hand means they can more fully explore their world and learn.
• Expect a mess. Messes can be learning experiences! When your toddler eats spaghetti with their hands, or your preschooler digs into the dirt, these are learning experiences using fine motor skills.
• Use sign language skills. Before they can talk, babies as young as 4-6 months can begin to learn basic sign language, like more, all done, or milk. These basic signs are ways to communicate and can be steps towards building fine motor skills. 

Child care staff and providers are advised to contact their local Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organizations (ECE PDOs)for access to free, Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) approved, Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training.

See below:

1) What are the professional development requirements for substitutes? 

If this was a provider asking, we would refer this provider to their Certification Representative to obtain the required information to answer this question. 

There are too many “unknowns” involved for a “one size fits all” answer. 

(Note, however, all staff are required to complete the 12 hours & meet the other professional development regulations. There isn’t an exemption or exception for limited hours, seasonal, etc.)

**NOTE: If this question was from a child care temp agency, I can refer them to our Harrisburg contact for more information on what is required in a “temp worker” (as opposed to a someone who is employed by the child care itself) file.

2)If a child has a mental health episode  at the site, is that reportable to DHS? Ex. 

Writes a suicide note while at the center. Parent picks up the child and takes the child to the ER. 

Yes.  3270.20(a) & (b).  ER visits stemming from incidents occurring at the child care would fall under the reporting requirements to DHS within 24 hours via self-service, email or phone call, with the written incident report within 72 hours.  

3)Question regarding school age children. If they are suspended from school or  sent home because they're sick or for behavior reasons, are we required to have them in care for after school care? 

No, they are not required (or even permitted, in most cases) to provide care to school-age children during school hours. 

In the case of suspension when the provider does want to make an accommodation, they should reach out to their certification representative to see what documentation they would need to obtain in order to maintain compliance.

3270.241(a):   (a)  If a child is required to be enrolled in public or private school under the Public School Code of 1949 (24 P.S. § §  1-101—27-2702) and if the child is not enrolled and if the child is not exempted from enrollment under the Public School Code, a child care facility may not admit the child for care during the hours when the child is required by law to attend public or private school.

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As always, I would advise them to reach out to their certification representative as soon as they have a question so they can get a speedy answer and proceed, because as we both know- usually the questions aren’t as straight-forward as they may seem.

Thanks!

Lisa Yeloushan l Early Learning Program Certification Supervisor

Department of Human Services l Office of Child Development & Early Learning

Bureau of Certification Services l Western Region

11 Stanwix Street, Room 240 l Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Mobile: 412-427-3264 l Fax: 412-565-2658

Pittsburgh Regional Office: 800-222-2149

www.dhs.pa.gov l www.education.state.pa.us

Intermediate level environmental engineering activity lasting 2-4 weeks. Oil erosion can cost the world billions of dollars every year by washing pollutants into our streams and rivers and by causing the loss of farmland. What can you do about this problem? Help save the world (and some money!) with nothing more than a few plants!

The Genius of Play

Dr. Amanda Sullivan explains why play is an excellent way for early educators and caregivers to challenge STEM stereotypes with young children. Dr. Sullivan offers six simple ways for educators and caregivers to promote play that can help break STEM stereotypes.

Build a Jumping Robot

Intermediate level mechanical engineering activity lasting 2-5 days. Can you build a robot that hops like a frog? In this engineering project, you will learn how to build a simple robot that uses the energy stored in a stretched rubber band to jump. You will use the engineering design process to try to make your robot jump higher and farther. How far can you make it jump?

Service Learning and STEM

Download the Service Learning and STEM resource document to learn of the similarities between service learning and STEM and for examples of the impact service learning has on students

Gravity: It's What Keeps Us Together

This set of 10 easy-to-understand activities uses math to understand gravity on Earth and in space. The activities are kid-centered (for example, what would I weigh on Mars) and use math in an integrated format.  

STEM Next’s Million Girls Moonshot welcomed the third cohort of the Flight Crew - a youth ambassador program that is advancing equity for girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

The 2024 Flight Crew cohort includes 51 youth, ages 13-18, from all 50 states. The Flight Crew elevates youth voices to inspire more young people to become future STEM leaders. The group embodies the spirit of the Million Girls Moonshot, a STEM equity initiative to engage millions more girls in afterschool and summer STEM learning opportunities by 2025. 

• Access to STEM Framework

To improve the overall quality of out-of-school STEM programs, we need to address how program providers design and implement programming to increase access in STEM for youth who have been underrepresented in the STEM fields. Partnering with the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) and national experts, we have developed an Access to STEM Framework — a guide for supporting program providers in this transformation.  

• The Black Girls Create Project: A Pilot Culturally Responsive Informal STEM Learning Program  

The program model encourages (1) the use of social history (i.e., learning about Black women's contributions to STEM), (2) culturally responsive instruction (i.e., anchoring STEM learning within the cultural context of girls’ lives), (3) mentorship from young, diverse scientific role models, and (4) the development of transferable STEM skills through design and digital fabrication.

• 3D Printing by Hand

Students will explore how 3D printers work. Then, working in pairs, they will use the same methods used by 3D printers to create a 3D model of an object. This comes with a video for educators and a complete lesson plan. 

• Experiment with Parachutes

In this aerodynamics science project, kids test whether the size of the parachute is important for slowing down the speed of the fall. They make a series of parachutes from small to large and test how quickly they fall from the same height.

• Marble Run Kit & Caboodle Activity

Don’t be misled by the word “kit” in the title! This activity plan uses easy-to-find materials to make a marble run (think marble roller coaster!). The “kit” is a complete lesson plan and video. 

• 12 Great Ideas for Engineers Week

These quick, easy-to-implement, and fun activities highlight the design process and engineering principles.  Materials are easy to find at the grocery store or in the afterschool setting.

A comprehensive curriculum provides activities that are introduced in a developmental progression and follow a scope and sequence aligned with all learning domains and state standards. Teacher training and professional development are included in our curriculum at no extra cost. Easy to use, pick up and go solution for all teachers no matter what their experience. There’s only 1 price per location (super affordable!) versus paying per classroom, like other expensive boxed curricula. I have personally used this in PA early learning schools and love how easy it is to use and to train new staff on. I would love to schedule a demo with you to show you what we are all about, is there a good day next week?

                Includes:

• Aligns with all State Standards, Keystone STARS, Head Start, DRDP, and CLASS

• Access to all age groups (infant- Pre-K) , for all teachers  

• 52 weeks of lesson plans and over 4,000 daily activities

• Integrated standards, learning support, social emotional and CLASS aligned activities throughout each lesson

• Educational advisor support to train your teachers and help with onboarding

• Professional development trainings are included at no extra cost (teachers will receive certificates for in-services attended)

• Spanish translations for all lessons

Contact:
Meghan Marchesani | Business Development Coordinator Learning Beyond Paper, Inc.

Office : 833-452-7669

mmarchesani@learningbeyondpaper.com

580 Village Boulevard, Suite 380

West Palm Beach, FL 33409

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Developing a Home-Based Child Care Network: A Technical Assistance Manual

The Administration for Children and Families invites you to explore Developing a Home-Based Child Care Network: A Technical Assistance Manual.

Why Home-Based Child Care Networks?

Home-based child care (HBCC) networks are a promising strategy for recruiting, supporting, and retaining HBCC providers.

Who Can Benefit?

This technical assistance manual is for leaders and partners at the state, regional, and local levels who are planning to support the HBCC provider community through HBCC networks.

What’s in the Manual?

The manual provides key considerations and answers to questions you need to carry out HBCC networks. It also accomplishes the following:

• Examines the rationale for adopting these networks as a promising approach for improving the quality of HBCC programs and supporting HBCC providers in serving a range of diverse populations

• Discusses the critical components of an HBCC network through the lens of benchmarks and indicators that articulate evidence-based standards for high-quality networks

• Outlines four stages for successfully carrying out an HBCC network

• Contains appendices with a variety of resources to help you carry out the strategies described in the manual

Technical Assistance Is Available!

The National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance (NCECQA) can provide technical assistance on developing and carrying out HBCC networks. To learn more or request assistance, contact your CCDF Systems Consultant or Office of Child Care Regional Program Specialist or email NCECQA@icf.com.

1. PA State Police Criminal History Clearance - it can be submitted online at https://epatch.pa.gov/home and after submittal, an email will be received letting you know it has been processed. You need to print the final certification letter for our records.

2. PA Child Abuse History Clearance - it can be submitted online at https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home and after submittal, an email will be received by you with a copy of the final results certification. You need to print it for our records.

3. FBI fingerprint Criminal Background Check - You need to pre-register online at https://uenroll.identogo.com and use the service code: 1KG738. Once pre-registered, you can make an appointment to go have your fingerprints done at a location closest to you. You will be given a receipt. In a week or two, you will receive unofficial results by email. We will need to be provided a copy. Then in 4-6 weeks, you will be sent the official results. You will need to give that to us for our records. 4. Mandated Reporter - https://www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu http://www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov

5. Security Awareness and Acceptable Use Training.

ELRC Portal under Documents > Training Materials > General Information > ELRC > Security Awareness and Acceptable Use Training.

Under the Employees tab > go to the far right, then click on the blue box with the 3 dots.

Under the job title, it verifies the current employment start/end date and below that is a button to click that states 'This individual is part of the Leadership Team'

Competency based learning is focused on student learning outcomes and is built with the following design principles in mind:

• Students advance upon mastery, not age.

• The pathway to competency is built with explicit and measurable learning objectives.

• Assessment is primarily formative, and skills or concepts are assessed in multiple contexts to guarantee both deep understanding and application.       

• Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance

• Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Clearance

• FBI Criminal History Clearance

  
  

The child abuse history clearance is required for anyone working with children in the state, including those in social services. The application for this clearance is available online through the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Portal.

The state police criminal history clearance is required for child care employees and some volunteers. The FBI clearance is required for child care employees and some volunteers, and can be obtained through the state’s Department of Human Services. More information on how to obtain these clearances is available online.

• Mindfulness Exercises: Offers simple mindfulness practices educators and caregivers can use to manage stress and stay present during their work with young children.

• Practical Applications: Provides guidance on incorporating mindfulness into everyday tasks, such as breathing exercises, mindful listening, and body awareness.

• Self-Care Focus: Emphasizes the importance of self-care for early childhood professionals, helping them reduce stress, avoid burnout, and improve emotional regulation.

• Child-Centered Approach: Includes tips on modeling mindfulness for young children and creating a calm, nurturing environment that supports their emotional and social development.

• Jan. 27-30: National Head Start Association's Winter Leadership Institute, Washington, DC

• Feb. 26-28: 2025 ELO and EMPOWER Pennsylvania Out of School Time Conference, Harrisburg

• March 10-14: 2025 Virtual Early Learning Conference

• March 11-13: PA 2025 ELECT Conference, Lancaster, PA

• March 15-18: Assoc. of Maternal & Child Health Programs Conference, Washington, DC

• March 24-26: Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program Conference, Gettysburg, PA