Over the course of the program, participants are expected to participate in all 37 hours of group work; which includes multiple virtual meetings, and 3 in-person meetings in a lapse of 9 months. Participants will be urged to get involved in our statewide advocacy campaign, and move forward with advocacy activities in their local communities.

The Benefits:

• Increase your ECE knowledge
• Strengthen your advocacy skills
• Gain 35+ Leadership hours for your PQAS profile
• Build your professional network through peer relationships

Apply here.

Contact Rosanna.Matos@firstup.org For More Information!

Informational flyer in English and Spanish.

This event is FREE and open to the public. PQAS credit available for Early Education professionals.

Date and Time: Monday, April 18, 2022, 6:00–8:00 PM

Register to join the Zoom.

Our 2019/2020 Annual Report is now available!

To read and watch our digital annual report, Listening and Leading in Challenging Time, click here.

First Up is working to build a society where the importance of access to high quality early care is accepted as fact, child care teachers are valued, and children are given the best foundation for learning possible – and we have done this crucial work for over 50 years. For more information, visit our website.

Flourishing Together aims to enhance the ways early childhood educators use trauma-informed care to meet the needs of children and families.

The Foundation Series is a free three-month virtual professional learning series designed to set an ECE professional on the path to becoming trauma-informed. Participants can earn up to 8 PQAS hours.

The registration deadline is March 23rd.

Learn more here and register.

This year’s conference is an exciting two-day professional development opportunity that is a direct response to the unusually challenging times we are living through. Early childhood professionals at every level are invited to come and experience this carefully curated event. Whether you need a strategy for managing challenging behaviors, instruction in a technical/professional skill, or a chance to move your body and focus on the present moment – this conference is for you.

For more information, visit our conference website and contact Rebecca Tyrrell with any questions.

First Up is seeking a Director of Development to oversee the organization’s fundraising efforts and the development team. The optimal person will be: a fundraising generalist with experience securing foundation, corporate, individual, and government support; familiar with Philadelphia’s philanthropic landscape; skilled at raising funds for a systems change focused organization; and accustomed to developing and managing a small team of fundraisers, to include working collaboratively with the Executive Director to cultivate, solicit, and steward donors, setting strategy, and providing coaching and other supports to Board members. S/he will represent the organization to external stakeholders, including prospects and funders, and will be skilled at building strategic relationships for the agency. Past experience in early childhood education is not a necessity, but interest in learning about and then becoming a champion for the mission are a must.

Learn more and apply.

In 1987 Kay and Fred Lokoff formed TLLCCF to honor the memory of their daughter, and to acknowledge the critical role of childcare teachers in providing quality early care and education. Childcare teachers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and on U.S. Military bases and installations around the world are invited to apply.

Fifty awards are presented each year. Every award recipient receives a $1000 cash prize, a trip to Philadelphia for the award ceremony (COVID permitting), and a chance to win the Helene Marks Award with the additional honor of being named the National Child Care Teacher of the Year.

Applications are due by January 29, 2021.

Learn more and apply.

Join First Up for a screening of ‘No Small Matter,’ the first feature documentary to explore the often overlooked and underestimated sector: early childhood education. The film lays out the overwhelming evidence for the importance of the first five years of children’s lives, and reveals how our failure to act on that evidence has resulted in an everyday crisis for American families.

Find out more HERE.

https://www.facebook.com/events/520277198518095/

Primary Functions

• Assess needs and develop service plans with the program or school team to improve quality or meet initiative benchmarks at the program site or school.
• Provide coaching, career advising, and professional development opportunities as assigned through collaborations with other partners, agencies, fee for service work, or as required by funders. Strive for excellence in work by consistently using best practices, incorporating cultural competencies and employing relationship-based coaching and consultation practices.
• Complete accurate and timely documentation of work including: visitation and tracking logs, service/action plans, data entry, program portfolio updates, and other reports using technology in an appropriate and efficient manner.

Additional Functions

• Work as part of First Up’s program services team and ensure positive relationships with all project partners and participants through effective communication, meeting attendance, and collaboration.
• Participate in First Up events and public policy activities as needed.
• Market First Up services consistently when in the community.
• Attend professional development to enhance abilities to serve practitioners.
• Maintain PQAS certification as both Instructor and TA Consultant. Remain current in first aid and CPR.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Requirements

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education; advanced degree preferred. Specialized certifications welcomed. Related degrees and ECE experience considered.

Experience

• 2 or more years as an ECE practitioner in an early childhood program: NAEYC accredited or PA Keystone STAR 3 or higher center preferred.
• 2 or more years as an educator in both ECE and Elementary settings for projects that span Preschool to Grade 3

Specific Skills

• Expertise in one or more of these specialty areas:
  • Learning Program; Curriculum and Assessment; Child Development
  • Kindergarten Readiness and Transition
  • Career Advising; Professional Growth and Development
  • Leadership/Management/Business Practices
  • Health and Safety
  • Family Engagement
  • Community Partnerships
• Knowledge of PA Keystone STARS and NAEYC accreditation and developmentally appropriate practices for ECE
• Ability to employ a variety of consultation and coaching strategies that are based on appropriate and culturally competent practices and the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct.
• Capacity to align consultation with professional development content.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated effective organizational, communication, and time management skills.
• Knowledge of PA DHS and PDE requirements for ECE programs.
• Demonstrate proficient computer skills, including word-processing, databases, and internet use.
• Ability to work independently with little supervision and to manage multiple task simultaneously

Required Clearances, Credentials, Licenses.

• Must maintain PQAS certification both as Instructor and TA Consultant.
• Maintain current FBI, PA Criminal Record and Child Abuse Clearances
• Complete annual Professional Development Record and PD and TA Core Competencies Self-Assessments and Training Plan.
• Complete/renew mandated reporter certificate.

Working Conditions

Job requires significant flexibility. Regional travel required – must be able to get to all sites in project via personal car or public transit. Limited work time in the office but must be able to juggle multiple priorities and responsibilities. Work is partially in an office environment and partially in the field. Job includes using office machines and may require ability to sit for long periods, stand, bend and lift up to 50 lbs. Must be able to carry and perform competently on a laptop computer. Some evenings and weekends required.

If interested please send resume and cover letter to Lisa Schultz lisa.schultz@firstup.org. Questions call 215-893-0130 x 230.

Amidst this transition, we continued carrying out our important work in Quality Improvement and Advocacy while taking on new programs including our ECE Apprenticeship workforce development project in partnership with District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund and our True Cost of Care project in partnership with Temple University’s Department of Economics.

First Up created this Annual Report to document these and other milestones as we renew and revitalize our commitment to the ECE professional community.

Registration is now open for the First Up Annual Conference on March 1st and 2nd at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman Quadrangle. The conference will explore how Equity Starts Early.

We have two amazing keynote presentations – Dr. Rosemarie Allen on Friday, and Dr. Veirdre Jackson on Saturday – and our annual offering of national and local experts to help you expand your Early Childhood Education knowledge and toolkit.

Keep yourself informed about the latest developments by downloading the free First Up Conference App (coming soon to the App Store and Google Play) and following us on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll find everything you need to know listed in our conference app, including a complete schedule of workshops and special events.

What Is Equity?
This year, in addition to a broad-ranging educational experience, the First Up Annual Conference is a forum for professionals to deepen their relationships and think further about inclusive practices within their teaching. Equity in education is about providing each individual child we serve with the tools needed to be successful learners and members of our increasingly diverse classrooms and communities.

One of the most difficult tasks early childhood teachers face are providing our children with multicultural experiences. Equity means more than making sure each child is treated the same or is given the same resources and attention as their peers. The goal of Equity Starts Early is to offer developmentally appropriate approaches to discussions of power, bias, oppression, past injustices, privilege, and inequality … and that is just the beginning.

Equity encourages us to challenge our own practices to ensure that the children in our care are primed for even greater success. Join us this year as we dig deeper into personal experiences, challenge ourselves to grow and learn, and master new skills to apply in the classroom and beyond.

To find out more about the conference, go here.

https://www.firstup.org/equity-starts-early/

Our Annual Conference
Conference registration is NOW OPEN! Join us on March 1st and 2nd at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman Quadrangle to explore how Equity Starts Early at the First Up Annual Conference!

We have two amazing keynote presentations – Dr. Rosemarie Allen on Friday, and Dr. Veirdre Jackson on Saturday – and our annual offering of national and local experts to help you expand your Early Childhood Education knowledge and toolkit.

Keep yourself informed about the latest developments by downloading the free First Up Conference App (coming soon to the App Store and Google Play) and following us on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll find everything you need to know listed in our conference app, including a complete schedule of workshops and special events.

http://www.firstup.org/equity-starts-early/

What Is Equity?
This year, in addition to a broad-ranging educational experience, the First Up Annual Conference is a forum for professionals to deepen their relationships and think further about inclusive practices within their teaching. Equity in education is about providing each individual child we serve with the tools needed to be successful learners and members of our increasingly diverse classrooms and communities.

One of the most difficult tasks early childhood teachers face are providing our children with multicultural experiences. Equity means more than making sure each child is treated the same or is given the same resources and attention as their peers. The goal of Equity Starts Early is to offer developmentally appropriate approaches to discussions of power, bias, oppression, past injustices, privilege, and inequality … and that is just the beginning.

Equity encourages us to challenge our own practices to ensure that the children in our care are primed for even greater success. Join us this year as we dig deeper into personal experiences, challenge ourselves to grow and learn, and master new skills to apply in the classroom and beyond.

The Day’s Schedule…

9:00 – 11:00am

Emergent Literacy with Alix Cozen
Understand the types of materials needed to support a literacy enriched environment utilizing the ECERS activities subscale. Identify the four basic principles of emergent literacy and evaluate your current literacy strategies utilizing the ELS. Finally, identify strengths and weaknesses to make a plan for positive changes.

11:00am – 1:00pm

Out of the Box Ideas for the Library Center with Lauren Besack
Gain a comprehensive overview of the specific guidelines and recommendations for classroom library centers. From the infant classroom through school-age, reading is an important part of any early childhood program. A well-designed and organized library center can encourage small group play and language development. The benefits of a library center will be discussed and new and exciting ideas will be shared.

1:00 – 1:30pm: Break

1:30 – 2:30pm: Film screening: Are We Crazy About Our Kids?

2:30 – 4:30pm

Music, Movement and Rhythm Reading: Curriculum for Preschool with Peter Moses
Through fun and interactive performance, discussion, handout resources, group singing, instrument and book demonstrations, learn many great songs, finger-plays and dances to inspire music in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Gain an understanding of both the effective and cognitive benefits to young children available through direct involvement with music, movement, wonderful children’s books, rhythm instruments and age-appropriate props. These benefits include socialization, vocalization, abstract reasoning opportunities, sequencing, as well as fine and gross motor skills.

Registration

Registration fee is $21.00 for all three sessions. Be sure to sign up online for all three!
Receive 6 PQAS and ACT 48 hours.
To register, log on to the PA Keys Registry at https://www.papdregistry.org.
Contact Ashley Haneiko at ashley.haneiko@firstup.org or call 215-893-0130, ext. 237 with questions or for assistance.

In that time, we have transformed our coaching model to focus on empowering and equipping teachers with the tools they need to better support the social emotional needs of children. Over the past ten years, we’ve worked with 205 Early Childhood Education programs with a STAR 2 rating to raise the quality of these programs to STAR 3 and 4. Our ECE Fellowship has graduated and launched 85 new advocates into the field over the last eight years. And there’s so much more!

The effect of this important work has been clear, powerful, and motivating, creating a culture of continual improvement that I am honored to foster and witness day in and day out with our tremendous staff, partners, and advocates.

As we look towards our next 50 years of impact, we have engaged in a robust strategic repositioning process in order to remain responsive to the needs of our providers, professionals, partners, and the community. After six months of thoughtful and creative conversations, we’re thrilled to unveil our new name, logo, and tagline.

DVAEYC is now First Up: Champions for Early Education!

At its core, Early Childhood Education is about putting children first. Our new name, First Up, confidently embodies our core commitment to early educators. During a child’s first eight years, a high-quality early learning experience is critical to their social, emotional, and educational development. Our new name asserts that those first relationships that children develop with family, caregivers, and early childhood professionals are crucial in creating a path forward to success.

Our new tagline powerfully affirms our continued advocacy for the people, policies, practices, and places that help our youngest learners thrive. As Champions for Early Education, we will continue to work directly with early childhood educators and professionals. We will continually innovate and improve in order to provide them with best-in-class training, specialized for their needs, and offer affordable technical assistance to ensure that their organizations run effectively.

Our new logo clearly demonstrates our dedication to excellence. The symbol combines a blue ribbon with a bookmark to reinforce that Early Childhood Education professionals are champions, committed to learning in all of its forms. The arrow within the negative space represents upward momentum and a promise for the continual improvement of ourselves and our communities of impact.

Our new brand is a positive transformation for our organization, and also marks the conclusion of our longtime association with NAEYC. By moving away from a membership-based model, we are moving towards being true to First Up’s practice and longstanding commitment to serve the whole region – regardless of membership status. We value our fifty-year relationship with NAEYC and will continue to support its work.

First Up will remain responsive to the needs of our providers, professionals, partners, and the community, and we encourage you to contact us at info@firstup.org with any questions or comments you may have. We’d also love for you to join us at our Brand Celebration Open House on July 11, 2:00-6:00 p.m. at our offices, 1608 Walnut Street, Ste. 300, in Philadelphia!

Join us at our Brand Celebration Open House on July 11
https://www.facebook.com/events/1938590556172646/

Until then, here’s a full list of resources to help you get to know our new brand:

• View our staff’s new email addresses – http://www.firstup.org/our-staff/
• Explore our updated website – http://www.firstup.org
• Like our new Facebook page – http://facebook.com/firstupearlyed
• Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @FirstUpEarlyEd

Thank you for your continued support as we champion the highest-quality Early Childhood Education, not only for Pennsylvania’s children, but for all children.