Early Childhood Education

A variety of opportunities for educators and their students through the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Professional Development Organization (PDO) at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is a Pennsylvania Department of Education grant-funded partnership among four PASSHE universities (Shippensburg, Lock Haven, East Stroudsburg, and Edinboro) and 19 other universities, colleges, and community partners to increase the educational credentials among those who teach and care for preschool-aged children in childcare centers. The PDO aims to expand the pipeline of credentialed early childcare providers who teach and care for our youngest citizens during their developmentally formative years. Children’s early care and education are vital to their school readiness and lifelong learning. However, there is a wide disparity in credentials among workers who foster the learning environments of pre-kindergarten-aged children. In Pennsylvania today, only about one-third of those working in childcare centers have a relevant credential or degree. The challenge is to close that gap by enabling the affordability of and access to credit-bearing coursework and credentials for the workforce who care for and educate young children.

"Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) provides training and technical assistance to local Infant/Toddler and Preschool Early Intervention programs providing support and services to children birth to school age with developmental disabilities and their families. EITA also supports local agencies that provide Evidence-Based Home Visiting (EBHV) services and family support programs serving children birth to school age and their caregivers. EITA works on behalf of the Bureau of Early Intervention Services and Family Supports (BEISFS) under the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), and the Departments of Human Services and Education. EITA is part of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN). EITA is administered through the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit."

Community Services for Children’s vision for the Early Learning Resource Center is a single entry point for families, early learning providers, and communities to gain information and access services that support children and their families with the ultimate goal of improving quality, accessibility and affordability of early learning
in Pennsylvania.

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The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) (a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services) is focused on creating opportunities for the commonwealth's youngest citizens to develop and learn to their fullest potential. By developing an effective early childhood education system with high standards for programs and professionals, supports to meet these standards, accountability and community engagement, OCDEL is helping our children, families, teachers and communities reach this goal. Parents, schools, child care providers, Early Intervention and Head Start programs, libraries, community organizations, and other stakeholders have joined with the OCDEL to provide high quality early childhood programs and effective family support programs to address challenges faced by families that affect school readiness and academic success.

Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children, known as PA Promise, is a campaign to help families make good choices about their child’s early learning and choose quality early learning programs that are right for their family. The Pennsylvania Office of Early Learning and Development (OCDEL) is the primary partner in PA Promise.

PBS LearningMedia offers FREE educational resources for PreK–12 educators and students.

" Pennsylvania’s early childhood source for professionals. We have all the latest information for OCDEL’s early childhood programs and helpful facts for your professional career development. You can also check here for the latest news, events and links to additional initiatives and resources."

"PaTTAN provides a full array of professional development and technical assistance targeted to improving student results. This professional development and technical assistance takes many forms in order to meet the varied needs of PaTTAN’s constituents. Week-long summer institutes, ongoing professional development series, webinars, on-site assistance, and individual student or teacher supports are some of the means by which PaTTAN provides support to schools."