Imagine a Day Without Child Care - Advocating for Early Childhood Education in Harrisburg

The Early Excellence Project is dedicated to narrowing the opportunity gap and supporting early childcare centers in receiving resources and accreditations to enrich the learning of Black and Brown children. Our team is working to ensure that every child has access to the foundational education they need to thrive, and we advocate tirelessly for the resources and policies necessary to support this vision.

Advocacy in Harrisburg

Recently, our staff traveled to Harrisburg for a Day Without Child Care, to advocate for increased state investment in the early childhood education workforce. This visit was organized by Start Strong PA as part of their effort to address the critical issues facing early childhood education providers, you can learn more about their work here.

The Current Crisis

Pennsylvania is experiencing a historic shortage of childcare teachers, leading to a reduction of 26,000 childcare slots available for families​​. This shortage is a direct result of inadequate pay and support for early childhood educators. The average early childhood education (ECE) teacher earns just $29,000 per year, a salary that does not cover the cost of living in any county in Pennsylvania​​. This reality impact the early childhood workforce and our entire commonwealth more broadly in several ways:

• Economic Impact: The childcare shortage impacts the broader economy. Businesses suffer when employees cannot find reliable childcare, leading to increased absenteeism and decreased productivity. Childcare is not just a family issue; it is a workforce issue that affects the entire state economy.

• Workforce Wages: We emphasized the need for fair wages for ECE teachers. Current wages are unsustainable and contribute to high turnover rates. Approximately 50% of ECE educators do not plan to, or are unsure if they will, remain in their jobs over the next five years​​.

• Equity in Education: Investment in early childhood education is an investment in equity. Black and Brown children often face significant barriers to quality education, and underfunded childcare services exacerbate these disparities. By increasing state investment, we can provide better support to the educators who serve these communities.

Call to Action

We urge all Pennsylvanians to join us in advocating for more substantial investment in the early childhood education workforce. Here’s how you can help:

• Contact Your Legislators: Find your state representative and state senator here and urge them to support increased funding for ECE.

• Share on Social Media: Use the hashtags #RaiseChildCare, #CareCantWait, and #SolveChildCare to amplify our message. Tag @StartStrongPA to ensure our voices are heard by policymakers.

Our trip to Harrisburg is just one step in our ongoing advocacy efforts. The Early Excellence Project remains committed to fighting for the resources and policies necessary to support high-quality early childhood education for all children, especially those from marginalized communities. Together, we can ensure that every child in Pennsylvania has access to the education they deserve.

Literacy Lessons for Little Learners:"I Am Enough" by Grace Byers

Welcome to our latest post in the Early Excellence Project blog series, where we dive into fun, engaging, and educational activities for our young readers. Today, we're exploring the beautiful book "I Am Enough" by Grace Byers. This book is not just a story; it's a powerful message of self-love, acceptance, and respect that resonates with both children and adults. Let's make reading this book an interactive and enriching experience for your little ones with no-prep, easy activities.

Questions to Ask After Reading

After you've read "I Am Enough" with your child, it's great to talk about the story to help them understand and connect with the book on a deeper level. Here are some simple questions you can ask:

• What does 'I am enough' mean to you?

• How did the book make you feel?

• Can you remember a time when you felt like the girl in the story?

• What is one way you can show kindness to others?

• Why is it important to love ourselves just as we are?

These questions encourage your child to think critically about the book's themes and how they apply to their own lives, promoting empathy and self-esteem.

Sight Word Activity

Sight words are common words that young readers should learn to recognize on sight. "I Am Enough" is filled with simple, repetitive sight words that are perfect for practice. Here are a few to look for: I, am, we,

can, love, and are.

As you read, point these words out and encourage your child to spot them throughout the book. This activity helps with word recognition, a key component of the science of reading, which emphasizes the importance of understanding and recognizing words quickly and accurately for reading fluency.

Drawing Activity: Connect with the Book in a Creative Way

Let's get creative and connect with "I Am Enough" through art. This drawing activity requires no prep and uses materials you likely have at home.

Materials Needed:

• Paper

• Crayons, markers, or pencils

Activity Instructions:

• Self-Portrait: After reading the book, ask your child to draw a self-portrait. Encourage them to think about what makes them unique and special, just like the girl in the story.

• Favorite Scene: Have your child draw their favorite scene or message from the book. It could be a moment of kindness, friendship, or self-love.

• Words of Affirmation: Around the drawing, ask your child to write or dictate words that describe them positively, such as "kind," "smart," "enough." If they're too young to write, you can write these words for them.
  

This activity not only reinforces the book's message but also allows children to express themselves creatively and build their self-esteem.

Wrapping Up

"I Am Enough" by Grace Byers is more than just a book; it's a lesson in self-love and acceptance. By engaging with your child through thoughtful questions, sight word hunts, and creative drawing activities, you're not only enhancing their literacy skills, but also their emotional intelligence. Remember, the goal is to make reading fun and meaningful, using simple materials and activities that bring stories to life.

Stay tuned for more literacy lessons for our little learners, and happy reading!

Literacy Lessons for Little Learners:"Ada Twist, Scientist" by Andrea Beaty

Welcome back to our Early Excellence Project blog series, where we aim to turn reading into an adventure for our youngest scholars. Today, we're spotlighting "Ada Twist, Scientist" by Andrea Beaty, a delightful story that follows Ada, a curious girl who embarks on a quest for answers through science. This book not only entertains but also inspires children to ask questions and explore the world around them. Let's dive into some engaging activities to accompany this read.

Questions to Ask After Reading

Discussing "Ada Twist, Scientist" with your child can deepen their understanding and appreciation of the story. Here are some questions to get the conversation started:

• What makes Ada a good scientist?

• Why is it important to ask questions?

• Can you think of a time when you were curious about something like Ada? What did you do?

• What did Ada learn by the end of the book?

• How can you be a scientist in your everyday life?

These questions encourage children to reflect on the value of curiosity, perseverance, and the scientific method in discovering the world around them.

Sight Words to Search For Within the Book

"Sight words" are frequently used words that young readers should recognize by sight. "Ada Twist, Scientist" offers a great opportunity to practice these. Here are some sight words found in the book: ask, why, how, what, when, where, who.

As you read the book with your child, make a game of finding these words. This activity supports the development of reading fluency, a key principle in the science of reading, by enhancing word recognition skills.

Drawing Activity: Connect with the Book in a Creative Way

Engage your child's imagination and reinforce the story's themes with a simple drawing activity. You'll need only basic supplies and a little creativity.

Materials Needed:

• Paper

• Crayons, markers, or pencils

Activity Instructions:

• Invent Something: Inspired by Ada's love for science, ask your child to draw an invention they dream of creating. It could be anything from a robot that cleans their room to a machine that makes candy.

• Science Experiment: Have your child draw a picture of themselves doing a science experiment. Encourage them to think about what they would study and how they would do it.

• Ada Twist, Scientist Portrait: Invite your child to draw Ada Twist in her lab, surrounded by all the tools and gadgets a scientist might need.

This drawing activity not only taps into your child's creative side but also encourages them to think like scientists, fostering curiosity and imagination.

"Ada Twist, Scientist" by Andrea Beaty is a celebration of curiosity, a love for science, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. By engaging with your child through thoughtful questions, sight word identification, and creative drawing activities, you're not only supporting their literacy development but also encouraging them to think critically and creatively about the world around them. These activities are designed to be simple, requiring no prep and using materials you likely have at home, making learning both fun and accessible.

Stay tuned for more engaging literacy lessons for our little learners. Happy exploring!