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Keynote Presenters 2019 Safe Schools Conference

Keynote presenters at 2019 Safe Schools Conference will share strategies to foster youth resiliency, navigate student mental health challenges and increase school emergency preparedness.

Join us for “Keeping Our Children Safe: Strategies for Schools and Communities” on October 2-3, 2019 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Presented by the Center for Safe Schools, this annual event brings together representatives from schools, community agencies, mental health organizations and law enforcement who are working to ensure safe environments where children can learn and teachers can teach. Don’t miss informative workshops, special sessions, networking opportunities, and these exciting keynote presentations.

Call for Presenters for the 2020 Migrant Education Program and English Language Development Conference

The Center for Schools and Communities, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), is seeking relevant and compelling presentations for the 8th annual Migrant Education Program and English Language Development Conference “Education Without Borders” that will be held March 3-5, 2020 in Harrisburg, Pa.

The conference is designed to provide a space for parents, teachers, administrators, scholars and PDE staff to engage in professional practices of knowledge sharing, discussion, critical analysis, and re-visioning of educational policies and practices for the purpose of advancing the quality of educational experiences for migrant education and English learner students and families.

Each conference session seeks to promote the conference’s broader goal of strengthening systems and building capacity at all levels. Following an ecological systems approach, the conference attends to both formal and informal learning across the lifespan, attending to students’ positive educational and developmental growth from birth through high school graduation by promoting strong partnerships between home, school and community contexts. The conference sponsors seek high-quality interactive workshops that explicitly draw connections between current theory and research and educational practice.

Lights On Afterschool

Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their role in keeping kids safe, inspiring them to learn and helping working families. The effort has become a hallmark of the afterschool movement and annually sees more than 1 million Americans celebrate at more than 8,000 events nationwide.

Let your voice be heard. Join us!

Light On Afterschool Training
Tuesday, August 20 | Webinar 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET

Learn how to convene a successful Lights On Afterschool event. Now more than ever, it is important to advocate for afterschool, out-of-school time and summer learning programs.

Join Afterschool Alliance staff and program staff as they talk about Lights On Afterschool event best practices – from the simple to the more complex.

Light On Afterschool Day
Thursday, October 24 | Nationwide

Parents as Teachers State Office at CSC Facilitating Foundational Trainings for Family Support Professionals

Pennsylvania Parents as Teachers (PAT) state office at Center for Schools and Communities facilitated foundational trainings this week for parent educators and other family support professionals. The interactive, face-to-face trainings gave participants a better understanding of what it means to partner, facilitate and reflect with parents whose children are growing in independence and abilities as they approach school entry. Training and curriculum covered children’s growth and development from before birth through age three. The trainings included topics such as approaches to learning, neuroscience, child development, developmental concerns, transitions to early care and education and family engagement.

Pennsylvania PAT evidence-based home visiting model promotes the optimal early development, learning and health of children by supporting and engaging their parents and caregivers. PAT serves families during pregnancy through the child’s first year in school; and PAT can enroll families in the voluntary program anytime during that continuum. It provides parenting education and family support services that build protective factors, especially among families in vulnerable situations. Programs work with families for two or more years to ensure greater depth of knowledge and increased likelihood of continued positive outcomes.

The PAT vision is that all children will develop and grow to realize their full potential. Parents as Teachers programs operating in Pennsylvania since 1992, are funded through a variety of sources, including the federal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, state Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), county children and youth agencies, school districts, foundations and gifts. The Pennsylvania PAT state office at Center for Schools and Communities provides implementation support to programs through site visits, phone consultations, monthly webinars, newsletters and professional development in local workshops and regional and statewide settings, as well as PAT National Center developed core certification courses. Pennsylvania PAT is part of Pennsylvania Family Support Stakeholders group and the Family Centers network, and collaborates with other evidence based-home visiting models and advocates in the Childhood Begins at Home Campaign.

Keep Kids Safe During Summer Fun

Whatever your plans are this Fourth of July – fireworks, barbecues, swimming, family road trips and more – Safe Kids Pennsylvania wants to help keep your kids safe this Independence Day and throughout the summer.

The Pennsylvania Afterschool Delegation Makes Capitol Hill Visits

Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) at Center for Schools and Communities led the state delegation during the Afterschool Alliance’s “Afterschool for All Challenge” in Washington, D.C. on June 12. The group met with 2019 PSAYDN Afterschool Policymaker Champion Congressman Glenn Thompson and visited Senators Toomey and Casey, Congresswomen Scanlon and Dean, and Congressmen Thompson, Perry and Doyle.

This marked the 18th Afterschool for All Challenge; as 2000 voices from across the nation told Congress not to eliminate the quality afterschool and summer learning programs that families rely on to keep children safe, inspire them to learn, and give working parents peace of mind. The Trump administration has proposed eliminating all funds for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the primary federal funding stream for afterschool and summer learning programs.