The ARIN Intermediate Unit 28 Early Intervention (EI) Preschool Program provides a variety of programs and services for children from their third birthday until entry into school. Services for children during the preschool years are provided at no cost to their families when the child is determined to meet eligibility requirements. Individual Education Programs (IEPs) are written to define the services that will be provided to those eligible children.

Preschool Services may include:

• Screening and Evaluation
• Support in Early Childhood Environments
• Specialized Instruction
• Speech
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Hearing
• Vision
• Specialized Classrooms
• Transition to School Age Programs

Green = Student Classes in Session

Yellow/White/Purple= No Student Sessions

Family engagement is a collaborative and strengths-based process through which early childhood professionals, families, and children build positive and goal-oriented relationships. It is a shared responsibility of families and staff at all levels that requires mutual respect for the roles and strengths each has to offer.

Strong family engagement is central in promoting children’s healthy development and wellness, including:

• social-emotional and behavioral development;
• preparing children for school;
• seamlessly transitioning them to kindergarten; and
• supporting academic achievement in elementary school and beyond.

During November, celebrate National Family Engagement Month with activities and resources for families and early learning professionals from PA's Promise for Children.

Watch the video from OCDEL Deputy Secretary, Shante' Brown, to hear inspiring information about family engagement.

Investigate the fall season with Detective Readatron-15! Read Aloud 15 has developed resources that are filled with various ways children can investigate the fall season with Detective Readatron-15. These resources encourage children to explore the world around them while increasing their vocabulary and language skills.

Find matching games, sensory hunts, and more printable resources using these links:

• Printable Resources
• Reading Trackers
• Activity Sheets

If you’re looking for new books to share with or explore with children of various ages, check out the book selections webpage that is also available. Please use these resources and share them with others to help promote reading aloud every day!

Reading skills begin to develop before your preschooler picks up a book! Hearing language is an important part of developing the skills necessary to learn to read.

Pennsylvania's ECYEH Awareness Week highlights the importance of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which ensures that homeless children and youth in Pennsylvania receive the education they need to build stable futures. Schools and programs statewide will be hosting events to support homeless students and their families. Educators, community members, and leaders are encouraged to participate to gain a deeper understanding of the vital impact you make and the ongoing resources needed to support these students.

Click on the pdf below to read the detailed Homeless Awareness Week newsletter created by Sarah Schroth, the Region 6 Coordinator for Pennsylvania's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program. Did you know the Region 6 Homeless program is based out of ARIN IU 28?

Finding immediate and long-term resources for children and youth experiencing homelessness and their families can be overwhelming for them and the professionals who support them. Finding Your Way in PA app is a simple and effective way to empower children, youth, and their families experiencing homelessness to search for and contact a variety of services for shelter, food, health and mental health, education, and work.

It is important to ensure that you and your family are well-prepared and ready should disaster strike; preparedness and planning are key. Children have unique needs, especially during a disaster or emergency. Using everyday child’s life to help your child learn and build skills will help them if faced with an emergency in the future. Back-and-forth interactions with you can help your child’s developing brain make connections with what is happening around them and help them feel safe and secure.

Starting a simple habit with your young child, like regularly eating meals together, can have a life-long impact. A day beginning with breakfast and ending with dinner as a family is more than a benefit of sharing plates of food though. It’s an opportunity to bond as a family, teach children table manners, share stories and experiences, and sample and learn about traditions, cultures and foods. But there are even greater benefits of family mealtimes.

According to The Family Dinner Project, some of the specific benefits of family dinners are:

• Better academic performance
• Higher self-esteem
• Greater sense of resilience
• Lower risk of substance abuse
• Lower risk of teen pregnancy
• Lower risk of depression
• Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
• Lower rates of obesity

Sometimes it can be challenging for families to find the time to sit as a family and share a meal. Between work, school, child care, extra-curricular activities and other household demands, many families find that busy schedules conflict with family meal times. Try these tips to make it easier to find a time to share meals with your family.

• Plan your menu. Even planning meals a few days in advance makes it one less decision a family must make—and address—when it comes to a family meal. Even basic meals, like oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast, can change from day to day by the simple mix of fruits, jams, or nuts.
• Prepare food, or even just ingredients, beforehand. It’s much easier to throw together a meal, like stir-fry when the peppers and onions are chopped, and the cooked rice is waiting in the refrigerator. Wonder when you’ll find the time to prep food? Reserve a time in your schedule where each family member can help, like a Sunday afternoon. And don’t discount your little ones! Even young children can wash lettuce or scrub apples.
• Schedule your family meals. Sometimes families automatically add soccer practice, or Sunday service to their calendars, but may not think to add specific days for family meals. If schedules are busy, take the time to plan for family meals—even if it’s 20 minutes for breakfast three times a week, or every Wednesday night for dinner.
• Turn off technology. Let family mealtimes be a time for family—not tablets, phones or television. Without the distraction of technology, every family member can focus on each other.

Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania is hosting a series of Virtual Parent Cafes in the Fall. Registration is required, but the Cafes are free. Child Care reimbursement is available for family members who would require childcare to participate in the Cafe.

Parent Cafes are a time for families to connect, listen, and share with each other, in meaningful ways about their parenting journeys. Through conversation, family members learn about how to keep their families strong.

Click here to register.

Armstrong County Community Action:

Phone number: 724-548-3408

Facebook Page

Website

Indiana County Community Action:

Phone number: 724-465-2657

Facebook Page

Website

Email: mfaught@iccap.net

The SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) helps individuals and families in need by providing funds for purchasing nutritious food. If you're interested in learning more or would like to apply for SNAP benefits, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank offers a simple referral form. Once submitted, their staff will contact you within 2-3 business days to assist with the application process and answer any questions you may have. This service ensures that eligible residents can access the food support they need.

For more details, visit the https://pittsburghfoodbank.tfaforms.net/4834451...

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is now accepting applications. LIHEAP is a federally-funded program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) that provides assistance for home heating bills so those Pennsylvanians meeting eligibility and income guidelines can stay warm and safe during the winter months. Assistance is available for renters and homeowners.

Pennsylvanians can apply for LIHEAP online at www.compass.state.pa.us or can complete an application in person at a county assistance office.

Do you know about Power Library, Pennsylvania's electronic library? With Power Kids, you and your child can access things like:

• BookFlix: Watch videos and read books
• CyberSmarts: Learn how to be a safe, responsible and smart citizen with eBooks
• TrueFlix: Learn about people, places, nature, history and science from videos and eBooks
• Chat with a Librarian

In addition, many libraries throughout Pennsylvania offers their members access to downloadable or streaming eBooks and audiobooks through Axis 360 and Hoopla. Enjoy new bestsellers and old favorites on your compatible digital device! Check with your library for additional info.

Looking for a fun, free activity to do with your child(ren)? Check out your local Lowe's for the November 16th workshop! You can either complete the activity at the store, or get it to take home and complete!

Spark imagination with DIY-U kids' Firehouse Dog Bank workshop! Budding architects and future firefighters alike will delight in assembling this charming bank, complete with a firehouse facade and a friendly Dalmatian peeking out. Not only will mini builders enjoy the thrill of creating their own savings companion, but they'll also learn about fire safety and the role of firefighters in our communities. Join us for a day of building, bonding, and crafting memories that will inspire young minds to dream big and save with style!

Click here to register for the workshop! Change your store to the Lowe's location closest to you!

Check availability in your area!

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library provides books free of charge each month to children from birth to age 5. Wondering what books your child will receive each month in 2024? See below!

Sign up for the FREE monthly Kindergarten, Here I Am eNews!

Each month get activities, tips and resources you can use to help your kindergartner prepare for and have a successful Kindergarten year.

November: We're in the Bathroom!

Each month offers activities families can do together in a variety of settings. The activities within the Learning is Everywhere Calendar and on the website are aligned with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards (ELS).

These guidelines can be used to determine what infants, toddlers, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten children may know or be able to do within specific age ranges.

Safety First! Children should be supervised at all times in the bath. Never leave your child alone in a bathtub! Even children who can sit or stand by themselves may find it difficult in a wet and slippery bathtub.

Activities for your preschooler:

Use your finger to write letters on a steamy mirror and have your preschooler tell you what letters you have written. Then, help name something that begins with that letter. How many things can you each name? Language & Literacy

Use the bathroom mirror to play Make My Face! Either you or your preschooler can begin by making a face, and then the other imitates it. Help your preschooler by providing a name for the face. “This is my happy face. This is my angry face. This is my surprised face.” Who can make the best face? Who can make the silliest face? Social & Emotional Development

Sing up for the FREE monthly Learning is Everywhere eNewsletter!

Print the book list! 9 Bath Time Books.

• Tub Toys by Terry Miller Shannon
• Do Pirates Take Baths? by Kathy Tucker
• Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel
• Puppy Takes a Bath by Christine Ricci
• King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood
• Estelle Takes a Bath by Jill Esbaum
• Barnyard Bath! by Sandra Boynton
• Five Little Monkeys Jump in the Bath by Eileen Christelow
• Five Minutes’ Peace by Jill Murphy

• Each month Learning is Everywhere provides a list of books that compliment the activities. What can you do with this list?

  • Make a short video of your child reading or giving a book review of one of the books on the list. What was their favorite part of the book? Share the video with family and friends. Tag PA's Promise for Children on Facebook or Instagram!
  • Share the list with your friends who have children.
  • If you are a teacher, print this list and give it to the families of your students, or post this list where families can see it. They'll know which books are being read in your classroom.
  • If you are an early learning community partner, host a special reading event for families using the monthly book lists. Each month has a different focus--find them at PA's Promise for Children. Include an activity from the monthly list to engage families.
  • Print the list and take it to your local library. Your librarian can help you find the books on the list. Then read the books with your child. Help your child circle or cross out the books on the list as you read them.

  
  

  How do you use this book list? Share on PA's Promise for Children, the Facebook page, or send it to Mary at marhal@pakeys.org.

Potty or toilet training can be a stressful time for families and children, even though it doesn’t have to be!

What age to begin?
There really isn’t a magical age when potty training can begin. A child who is ready to begin potty training depends on a variety of factors, least of which is age. Less than 25% of children are potty trained by 2 ½ years old, while more than 75% are potty trained by age 3 ½ years old. More important than age are developmental milestones, so look for the signs your child is ready.

Look for the signs
Signs of readiness include staying dry for at least two hours, recognizing urination or bowel movements, developing the physical skills needed (like being able to pull up/down pants), or has the ability with adaptations (if you child has a developmental delay) and can follow simple instructions. Most importantly, make sure they have an interest in and wants to use the potty.

Develop a language
What names will you use for going potty, urinating and bowel movements? If your child is in child care, are these the same names used by the provider? Keep the names for these simple. Communication can occur in ways other than verbally, such as sign language, using picture cards, or a communication device. Visit your library to explore books for your child about potty training.

Get ready
Go to the store with your child to purchase a potty or a potty seat and pick a place in the bathroom to put the potty. Let your child sit on the potty or put their favorite baby or stuffed toy on the potty. Gather a few favorite books to read together while your child sits on the potty.

Be consistent and be patient
Learning a new skill takes time and accidents will happen. Provide consistent times to use the potty. When your child accomplishes something new, or even when they try, let them know they’re doing a good job and you’re proud of them. When accidents happen, don’t get mad or angry—instead clean up and encourage them to use the potty next time.

Dress for success
Make sure your child is dressed for easy and quick access to the potty. Lightweight pants with an elastic waist, and underwear or pull-ups that can easily be pulled down or up can make a difference to success. Avoid dresses or skirts that might get dipped into the potty or caught in hands when wiping, or pants with a zippers, as they can be difficult for a child to quickly do or undo.

Cleaning up
Make sure each potty session ends with a hand washing session! Use plenty of soap, work into a lather, and rinse well. When washing, make sure all the parts of hands are washed–-backs of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails.

Parent to Parent matches parents of children with special needs or disabilities with other families who've had similar journeys. A new diagnosis for your child might feel overwhelming, but P2P wants to ensure that you don't feel alone. By being matched to another family, they can provide emotional support, advice, stories of their own experiences, or just a listening ear!

Click here to complete a new match intake form

Want to become a Peer Supporter? Click here!

For more information, call 1-888-727-2706