Category: Education & Policy - PEOPLE'S EMERGENCY CENTER

PEOPLE'S EMERGENCY CENTER

CWG Get Ready for School

8/9/2022

A Woman Ms Hartranft

Ms. Hartranft, SDP Program Manager

A Woman Ms Landy

Ms. Landy, Asst. Dir. of Educating Children & Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Children’s Work Group Conferences Announced!

We hope you are enjoying your summer. The next CWGEC Conferences will be in August and September! Get Ready for New School Year in August with Ms. Hartranft & Ms. Landy. Learn about health issues facing our families in September with Dr. Felice Le-Scherban and others from Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health.

Thank you Senator Hughes

8/9/2022

Photo of Senator Vincent Hughes at the Capitol

Senator Vincent Hughes Honored at Lancaster Ave Jazz & Arts Festival

PEC recognized Senator Vincent Hughes at the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival on July 16 for going above and beyond for the people of the 7th District. In fact, his work is helping children and families throughout the Commonwealth.

He has served this community as a member of the state legislature since 1987. He was a State Representative before being elected to the Senate in 1994. Senator Hughes is known for his support of health care access, small businesses, and economic development. He has been recognized locally and nationally – with his wife Sheryl Lee Ralph – for his work in HIV/AIDS advocacy.

Click the button below to see his acceptance speech.

Thank Senator Vincent Hughes: hughes@pasenate.com

View Senator Hughes Speech

Thank you Governor Wolf

8/9/2022

Your Voices Were Heard: Early Childhood Education State Budget Update

We thank Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania General Assembly for increasing funds for early childhood education. We especially thank State Senator Vincent Hughes for his tireless advocacy for young children experiencing homelessness as reflected in the new state budget. Together, they were able to add these new investments:

$60 million for Pre-K Counts
$19 million for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
Provide, increase or enhance partnerships between a school and community‐based nonprofit organizations to provide out of school programming for at‐risk school‐age students, $100 million for youth mental services, via formula grant to school districts;
Early Intervention for infants and toddlers increased by $9.3 million

CHIP (Children Health Insurance) increases by $40 million

THANK GOVERNOR WOLF

THANK SEN. HUGHES

THANK YOUR LEGISLATORS

Welcome Sierra Austin

8/9/2022

Welcome ECE Specialist, Sierra Austin

A Woman Sierra Austin

Please welcome a new member to the BELL Project Team, Sierra Austin, Early Childhood Education Specialist.

Sierra came to Philadelphia with dreams of learning more about the country’s Criminal Justice system, as well as to better understand how adversity impacts a person, and the shaping of human behavior. Those dreams came true after she earned degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology at Temple University. She also continued on at Temple University and earned her Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, with a focus on Black Criminology and Intersectionality. Sierra has gained her advocacy and social service experience after working in the Risk Reduction and Advocacy Unit of the Temple University Police Department. She currently works to assist service providers in connecting families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity to high-quality early childhood education programs.

Learn more about our BELL program

Enrollment Time for Head Start

8/9/2022

Teacher and children

Children at Youth Service, Inc.'s Baring House Nursery with that program's Director.

Hey, Philly Emergency and Transitional Housing Programs:
Time to Enroll Children into Head Start!

PEC's Building Early Links for Learning Project (BELL) team encourages all emergency and transitional housing programs to support their families of age-eligible children to enroll into Head Start. Research and experience shows that young children experiencing homelessness benefit from time in high-quality early childhood education programs like Head Start.
The School District of Philadelphia and other agencies manage enrollment of children for many Head Start programs. Here are different ways to get the application process going:

Fill out an online application (quickest turn-around).
Attend an Enrollment Event
Follow the School District of Philadelphia's Application page for more options to apply

Check out Early Childhood Education – The School District of Philadelphia (philasd.org) for more information.

BELL at Families Forward Event

8/8/2022

A Woman and Child at a Resource Fair

BELL’s Parent Ambassadors Attend Families Forward Resource Event

On Wednesday, July 27, the Building Early Links for Learning Permanent Supportive Housing (BELL-PSH) Parent Ambassadors participated in Families Forward Philadelphia’s Annual Resource Fair. The event provided resources to families about housing, health, and education. Other participants included the School District of Philadelphia, City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health, the West Philadelphia Promise Zone and Action for Early Learning. The team engaged the residents at Families Forward with games and activities around child development and school readiness. They laughed. They learned. They ate water ice. Thanks to Families Forward for allowing us to be part of it.

If you're interested in having BELL-PSH visit your housing program, contact Todd Hopkins at thopkins@pec-cares.org.

A Parent Ambassador's Story

6/16/2022

Ra'Sha outside, concrete steps and black railing in the background.

Learning to Tell Her Story

By Todd Hopkins
PEC's BELL Permanent Supportive Housing Program Manager

Rha’sha is Building Early Links for Learning's newest Parent Ambassador. In that position, she is learning to share her story with other parents in Permanent Supportive Housing. She is hoping to do this as she engages families about the importance of early childhood development. She is very enthusiastic about child development. Along with being a Parent Ambassador, Rha’sha is currently working as an Assistant Teacher at an early childhood education program. She is currently taking classes online to earn her Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education.

She was asked to speak to a group of thirty eighth graders about her experience as a resident in the Permanent Supportive Housing system. This was her first time sharing it in front of a group of people. It is something that she wants to get comfortable doing. “I have a fear of speaking to crowds. I want to overcome that fear by being here today. I’m trying to help people while getting over my fear.”

Rha’sha is clear about what she wants her next goals to be. “I want to own my own home and I want to own my own daycare. I love working with children. There is a lot that I want to. Everybody has a story to tell. I plan to get really good at telling mine.”

For more information on the Parent Ambassadors and BELL-Permanent Supportive Housing, contact Todd Hopkins at thopkins@pec-cares.org. To learn more about PEC's Early Childhood Education programs, visit www.pec-cares.org/early-childhood-education.

Everyday Learning Play Spaces Update

5/31/2022

Early Learning Play Spaces planning team touring a space.

Always Saving Space for Collaboration

By Sarah Vrabic
Project Manager, PEC Everyday Learning Play Spaces

The first collaborative Meet & Greet between Everyday Learning Play Spaces and The BELL Project was a success!
On May 24th, BELL team members gathered with the Everyday Learning Play Spaces team on Zoom to facilitate “Play & Learning: Fun for Families and the Developing Child.” Parents staying in housing assistance programs with their children, the staff from those programs, and staff from high quality early childhood education programs joined us to play games and learn new ways to integrate play and learning into their daily lives.

BELL Project and System Breakdowns

5/15/2022

BELL Project Addresses System Breakdowns to Support
Working Parents in Shelter and Their Children

A shelter liaison reached out to a BELL Project Early Childhood Education Specialist. The staff person was concerned. She needed assistance with a family enrollment issue that had just been shared with her. The parent had the following concerns:

She had a job but may no longer be able to keep it due to childcare issues arising from unreceived subsidy payments.
She tried to go through both the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) and her worker at the welfare office, but neither were responding.
She didn’t know what else to do.

Everyday Learning Play Spaces Engages Families

5/15/2022

In their Own Words: Families and Staff with Everyday Learning Play Spaces!

PEC's Everyday Learning Play Spaces team has been working hard recently engaging with the staff and families at our current sites: Darlene Morris, Jane Addams Place, Families Forward Philadelphia, and Woodstock Family Center. We have received illustrative and rich feedback regarding what the staff and families would like to see our project accomplish.

Text PECCARES to 844-961-3547 for PEC news!

People's Emergency Center

Main Office: (267) 777-5880
Email: pec@pec-cares.org

PEC Community Development Corporation

Community Resource Hotline: (267) 777-5477
Email: peccdc@pec-cares.org

Policy & Research

Phone: (267) 777-5851
Email: policy@pec-cares.org

Social Media

@PeoplesEmergency Center

@PECCaresPhilly

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