Fwd: [OCDEL Com] WOYC tools, budget update

 

		4/6/10 Celebrate Week of the Young Child  Budget update Other outreach themes and activities Celebrate Week of the Young Child Week of the Young Child, April 11-17, is fast approaching and a wonderful way to celebrate the young children in your life and the teachers and others who help them reach their promise every day!  But there's more! April is also Pennsylvania's One Book, Every Young Child campaign, where young children throughout the commonwealth get celebrity readings of "What a Treasure." As community leaders, school leaders, and legislators are participating in various activities this month, now is an excellent time to raise awareness about why early education matters to you and should matter to them. There are dozens of ways that you can join the celebration! Here are a few: Attend an event – we have posted local events on our County pages – you can read to children, participate in parades and fairs and other fun activities! You may also want to invite a school principal or legislator to attend these events as well. Write a letter to the editor or op-ed (opinion editorial) – we have letter to the editor and op-ed templates for you to help get you started. A letter to the editor or op-ed can help inform others in your community about the importance of early education. If you'd like us to review a draft for you and help you get started, please email me or Karen Seeber, our new communications coordinator, for help. Write letters to your legislators, Governor. Now is a critical time to encourage our legislators and Governor to make quality early education a priority as they review the budget and decide what programs are too important to cut and what programs will be cut. Use our letter template to get you started, but share your experiences and views on why quality early education is too important to cut. You can also copy and paste your letter in our PA Promise e-mail to send an email to your state legislators and the Governor all at once.   Send appreciation e-cards to those who make a difference in the lives of young children. Show teachers, administrators, and other community leaders that you appreciate their efforts on behalf of children. A simple "Thank You" goes a long way. Make the most of this month! The seeds we sow in April could blossom into continued investment in early education in June! Budget update. TIP: the most updated community education tools are online at http://paprom.convio.net/Community_Education The House has passed the Governor's proposed budget, HB 2279. It is now in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Corman (R-Centre), the chair of this committee, has said that he intends to wait to see where the state revenues are before putting submitting a budget bill to the Senate. Right now, state revenues are down by more than $700 million. This means that it is very likely that there will be additional cuts proposed to the Governor's budget by a Senate bill – including cuts to early education programs! To get the most updated information and fast and easy action steps, sign up for PA Promise action alerts and visit the PA's Promise for Children website regularly at www.papromiseforchildren.com. Updates also posted on our facebook page. Make your voice heard now so you can help make quality early education a priority for Pennsylvania, and not a casualty of budget cuts. Additional themes and activities. Here are some other themes you can use for your outreach this month from the community outreach calendar: • Week of the Young Child (April 11-17) • One Book, Every Young Child • Mathematics Education Month  • National Child Abuse Prevention Month • World Health Day Here are additional suggested activities: • Coordinate with your CEG to participate in WOYC events in your community, including parent events, parades, etc. • Host a VIP to read at your program during One Book, Every Young Child • Invite legislators to visit your program in honor of WOYC (BRL p11) • Continue the conversation with legislators – if you haven't heard from them on their position on early education, contact them again (BRL p6) Send letter to the editor – in honor of WOYC, let's celebrate early education – explaining why early education is so important to our children's future (MT p8) BRL – Building Relationships with Legislators toolkit, available at http://paprom.convio.net/BRL                                                                         MT – Media Tips toolkit, available at http://paprom.convio.net/MT Download our community outreach calendar for themes and activities for the entire year! Share your good news anytime! Any time you have a positive event at your program, you can send a letter to your legislator and press release to media announcing the good news, such as: Joining STARS or moving up a STAR level Teachers and other program staff receiving awards, CDA, or other credential, or college degree Former student from your program succeeding in school, winning an award or some other honor Special activities for parents, such as parent workshops or family fairs You may also post your success stories on the PA Promise website for everyone to see.. Post testimonials, photos, events, etc. Let us know how you are doing. Please report your outreach to legislators to your Community Engagement Group. You can submit testimonials online at www.papromiseforchildren.com to send to: PA Key, attn: Kelly Swanson, 301 Market Street, 9th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101, fax: 717-213-0584, email: kelswa@berksiu.org.
	The OCDEL Communications and Community Education Listserv is designed to support programs providing OCDEL services as they tell their story and conduct outreach in their communities. Subscribers to this special listserv include organizations that provide a program supported by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and members of Pennsylvania's Early Learning Council and subcommittees. Tools distributed over this listserv are posted on the OCDEL Community Education Resources page on the PA Early Learning Keys to Quality website.

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Shimira Williams
Chief Educational Operator
Righteous Beginnings Learning Center - STARS 2
7712 Hamilton Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
T: 412.243.5058
F: 412.243.1547
E: skwilliams@righteousbeginnings.com

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