Nevel Joins CSIU Following Successful Completion of Fellowship Project

by Christy Nevel, 2017 OCDEL Policy Fellowship Graduate

When I graduated from the fellowship in June of 2017, the project I was working on with the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit was not finished.  The EIVT, or Early Intervention Verification Tool, software had been finalized, but the Early Intervention Program Coordinators throughout the state of Pennsylvania had not been trained on using the software.  Because my current position was in the EI field, I sought permission from my mentor, Deb Noel, and my direct supervisor to continue on the project.  Both agreed and allowed me to see the project through to its completion.

From June through November, the EIVT, version 5.0, software was finished and three training webinars were scheduled for the early intervention program staff.  I had the opportunity to participate in all three webinars and to provide “behind-the-scenes” support by answering participant questions in the chat room.   As the last webinar was coming to an end, the Special Projects Technology Manager approached me about my interest in working for the organization, as the Information Technology Consultant, who I was working with on the software project, was planning her retirement in December.  With having no background or formal education in computer science, I was reluctant to consider the position.  However, I have never backed down from a challenge.  When the job vacancy was posted at the CSIU, I was again encouraged to apply by the Special Projects Technology Manager.  He told me half the job would be knowing how to use the EIVT software, which I already knew how to navigate.  He also told me that other aspects of the job, including the use of data bases, running reports, etc. could be taught.  So I went online to apply, knowing this position would place me in direct collaboration with OCDEL, and the people I had come to know and admire through my fellowship experience.  Out of 47 qualified candidates, I was selected for this exciting, new opportunity.

On January 18, 2018, I began my position as the Information Technology Special Projects Specialist for the CSIU.  I am responsible for providing technical assistance to the EI Program Coordinators, EITA staff and EI Advisors for the EIVT software.  I also work with OCDEL and the Department of Public Education on the Kindergarten Entry Inventory, and I am directly responsible for making sure all new kindergarten teachers are proficient in data entry for the KEI software. Additionally, I assist the EI Program Coordinators, both Infant/Toddler and Preschool, with obtaining necessary reports in the Data Warehouse, also known as COGNOS.

As I look to the future, I am excited to learn all this position and organization has to offer as I expand my knowledge in the world of information technology.  I also smile when I say my new job title, as it includes the phrase “IT”, which has always been intimidating to me because of my limited experience with computer programming and computer problem solving.  However, I will continue to apply my leadership strengths to this position, as I have done in every position I’ve held in the social services field. I also have the fellowship to thank for this new career opportunity, as I would have never considered moving into the IT field had it not been for my project assignment.

We Are All Digital Citizens

by Shimira Williams, 2017 OCDEL Policy Fellowship Graduate

We are all digital citizens!

No matter, how much you engage with technology, you are a digital citizen. And it’s our responsibility to build future digital citizens that will shape our digital communities and create future digital tools. Take a moment and think about the evolution of how we listen to and create music.

When I was eight years old, I got a record player, and my mom taught me all about how to take care of it and my albums (LPs). At eleven years old, I got an upgrade to a stereo with a record player, radio, microphone line and dual tape cassette deck.  Now, I could make mix tapes.  For my first trip on an airplane, my family got me a portable CD player.  In my senior year at college, I got a CD burner for my computer. At one point I owned 60 GB of music, today I primarily listen to music via a streaming service. The digital tools I use to listen or create music have evolved. At each point, I had to learn the nuances of the new digital tool. In a desire to learn more, I branched out from home into the community and started visiting my local library.

photo courtesy of Shimira Williams

I doubt when my parents purchased the record player they could imagine; in the future, I would be to create a playlist of my favorite songs and listen to them via wireless earphones from the connection to phone in my pocket. Online and in real life parents are a child’s first teachers. How you use your devices is reflected in your child’s play.  Giving the rest of the world a glimpse into your digital habits along with what shows up your web search results.

A few years ago my sister posts this picture to Facebook with the caption “ I can’t believe our little princess will be four soon.  #shewasworking #yesthatsadoublestrollerandlaptop #girlpower. ”

The picture got 38 likes, and seven comments, one being me

“Modeling mommy…”  In reply to one comment, my sister wrote “Lol. I bet. It’s interesting to see how they perceive us. She [Jael] sees me with the double stroller, laptop, keys, cell phone, and saying I’m working” – J. Smith

More recently, I had an awesome auntie weekend with four children three of them were under seven years old and other was 17. The last question, I asked the parents before they left for the weekend was how much screen-time are the children allowed.  “The kindergartens each get two hours per weekend, and the teenager has to unplug by 1 am.” Is that all screens or just television?

You are the architect of the digital ecosystem for the child/children you interact with using media and digital tools.

Regardless of how you construct your digital ecosystem, its foundation should be built on research-based resources. While there are varying opinions, everyone agrees that we should make it a habit to unplug/disconnect from your technology, so you can refresh/recharge. Do what works for you and your environment. In my classroom, there was a docking station to charge technology when it was in use; you can create one at home too.  However, I try to use features built-in to the device, like Airplane Mode or Do Not Disturb. By far, Do Not Disturb is a favorite method because it allows me to enable the function on-demand or schedule.

Three Media Mentor Tips for getting started in media literacy education with young children:

As adults, we are the gatekeeper for how much access a child has to digital tools and the personal data of a child. With the uptick in data breaches we are forced to consider who, what, why and how data is being collected, shared and stored.

  • Be proactive about digital privacy rights. Before installing apps review what type of data access you allow. Take a moment to do a privacy and security check on your digital ecosystem.

Before we let a child play in an environment, we tend to explore the landscape and its surrounding. Do the same with digital tools, before handing it over to a child. And like at the playground sometimes you need to join in, and sometimes you can observe. Embrace the moments of observation as a window in a child’s voice.

  • It’s important to understand how and why a child is interacting with a digital tool through their lens. Ask them to teach you how to play. It’s empowering for both parties and can spark a robust conversation.

Extend your relationship into your digital world.  First, make a connection through a shared consumption experience like listening to an audiobook together.  Once trust is established, shift to co-creating, sometimes you lead, other times you need to follow your child’s lead.

  • Turn a moment into memory with media and Let your camera roll be a child’s soundtrack with collaborations from their community.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the video is priceless. Think about an old family photo and how different story people tell about it. Technology, allows us to amplify the storytelling, no longer do we have to guess when and where a picture. Video allows the people to tell their own story. Once we share it with our community, we solicit contributing narratives, via comments, reactions and call to actions.

The Internet has changed how and where we build community, but libraries continue to a community anchor.  A library card continues to magnify our exposure to different cultures and spaces while creating space to gather for shared experiences.

  • Get to know your librarian; they still serve as trusted community members of information. Many libraries are leading efforts to address the digital divide through skills programming and lending initiatives. Now libraries are interconnected, allowing our access to information and digital tools beyond what’s available at your local branch.

While where, what, how, and who we can access has evolved. At the core, it’s still human to human relationships co-existing in communities online and in real life. As citizens, we must ask why are we creating, connecting, communicating, and collaborating and how does it build our communities. Because it will dictate what digital tools future generations create.

 

This post originally appeared on the Erikson Institute Website

My First Press Conference at the Capitol

by Tyrone Scott, 2017 OCDEL Policy Fellowship Graduate

 

 

I am kind of a weird guy.  I realized this when I was about 12 years old, but I have been reminded of this more and more in years months.  In a recent meeting I was asked “Why would a 40 something former pro wrestler want to advocate for kids?”  That was a fair question but I think I do this for the same reason we all do it; to make the world a better place.

In my quest to make the world a better place, I joined the OCDEL Policy Fellowship.  This program had multiple benefits, but the one that is most relevant to the point of this blog (which I promise I will get to at some point) is the access to high ranking state officials.  Meetings with Secretaries of Human Services and Education, the Deputy Secretary of OCDEL, and even bumping into the Governor while buying pizza while at the OCDEL Policy Fellowship helped me prepare for an exciting but nerve-racking experience last week.

I have been lucky enough to be seen as an expert in early childhood education that legislators can turn to.  Last week State Representatives Solomon and Mehaffie introduced House Bill 1742 and invited me to attend the press conference since I helped them craft the legislation as part of a group of concerned stakeholders.  What I did not know, is they were hoping I would “say a few words about the process of developing the bill”.

Literally 5 minutes before we were to be on stage, I was asked if I could I say a few words. I was happy to share my knowledge and story of why informing families of STARS ratings is important, which is what the bill proposes, but I don’t know that I would have had the confidence to speak to reporters at a formal press conference had I not already had audiences with some of the most powerful people in the Commonwealth.  For those wondering, when I stepped up to the microphone I said the following…. OK. I literally have no idea of what I said, but I assume and hope it was something like this:

“Raising children is a task that none of us could ever be prepared for.  No matter hope many books we read or friends we listen to or little cousins, nephews, or nieces we borrow to ‘practice with’ for a weekend, we will never understand the awesome responsibility until it happens to us.  I believe that most families love their children and want the best for them. I believe most early education providers love working with children and want the best for them.  Issues arise when we don’t know what ‘the best’ is.

We are fortunate enough to live in a state where the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has devised a way to inform both families and providers of where they stand in terms of quality.  A simple one to four rating scale lets us know where our children will be spending their time… or it would if every family was made aware of what their child’s provider’s STAR rating is.  This legislation proposes a way to do that so all families will know what they are getting.

OCDEL has recently made the STARS system more user friendly and flexible to allow providers of all shapes and sizes to move through the ratings as long as they can demonstrate quality in their own way.  We want to be fair to all providers and encourage them to take advantage of the free technical assistance provided by the STARS system to assure they reach the highest quality ratings.”

Of course what I probably said was  “Uh… STARS are good and families should know that.  Thank you.”

Kaufmann Joins OCDEL Bureau of Early Intervention Services as EI Advisor

by Heather Kaufmann, 2017 OCDEL Policy Fellowship Graduate

In 2010, I began my journey in the Early Intervention field as a Service Coordinator at a local county program. My previous work experience consisted of teaching at multiple child care centers, as well as a few years in retail management. With no prior knowledge of the Early Intervention field, I felt nervous but also excited as I had always enjoyed working with children. During my time as a Service Coordinator, I learned a lot about child development and the process that families go through to obtain services and supports for their children.  I fell in love with the field and realized that there was so much more that I could be doing for these families. I was promoted to EI Coordinator in 2015 and quickly became involved in various state level meetings and committees.  One of the most exciting things, however, was being accepted into the inaugural OCDEL Policy Fellowship. I thoroughly enjoyed working directly with families, but these committees and meetings helped me to recognize that I had a desire to be part of the bigger picture, not just on the local level but at the state level.

Just  last month, I achieved my goal  and was hired as an Early Intervention Advisor with the Bureau of Early Intervention Services at OCDEL. My background knowledge from the local EI program has really prepared me to jump right into this new role. Additionally, my Fellowship experience has assisted in easing the transition. The knowledge that I acquired during the fellowship regarding how state government works, as well as OCDEL’s relationship with the policymakers has been very beneficial, even in the first few weeks on the job. One of the best examples of how I am utilizing the knowledge that I gained during the Fellowship happened during my very first week, when I was asked to join a team that was working on a data request from an outside organization. I felt prepared for the meeting because OCDEL’s data manager had spoken to  us regarding data requests; what they are, and how they are handled here at OCDEL.

My time in the OCDEL Policy Fellowship was extremely valuable in supporting my work at the local level.  I am excited to apply that knowledge to my new position with OCDEL and where my new OCDEL journey takes me.

Tolliver Named One of “Who’s Next” in Education

On July 26th, Will Tolliver, a 2017 OCDEL Policy Fellowship Graduate, was  recognized for his contributions to Pittsburgh’s Education Landscape.  The Incline, a Pittsburgh-based online news publication, highlighted 18 educators from around the Pittsburgh region with an array of skills.  Tolliver’s highlight is as follows:

“William B. Tolliver, Jr. is a program associate for Educational Projects at the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children aka PAEYC. He started the role in August 2016. Tolliver provides support to make grant-funded education initiatives happen and focuses on projects for children from birth to fourth grade. His nominator praised him for coordinating a program called Raising Readers, “a literacy initiative that brings books, children, as well as Zone 5 police officers, to learn and connect with one another.” He was previously the Homewood nature educator at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and assistant to the director for Creek Connections. Tolliver is a board member of the Day One Project, is on the Pennsylvania Environmental Educators Capacity Leadership Team and is an alumni fellow with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning. He is a graduate of Allegheny College and lives in Shadyside.”

Since then, Tolliver has moved on from his role at PAEYC and is enjoying the opportunity to get back to his environmental education roots and passion for the outdoors.

Pittsburgh’s The Incline “Who’s Next: Education”