New Early Ed Programs

CSC will open six prek classrooms this fall through a $924,000 grant from the state called PreK Counts. Five of the classrooms will operate in Allentown and one in Easton. The program is free to children from low-income families (300% of poverty). 120 more children in the Lehigh Valley will be better prepared for success in kindergarten through this program.

All classes will adhere to the state’s Early Learning Standards. CSC is also working collaboratively with the Bethlehem Area School District, which is adding 40 more students to its early learning initiative. CSC has attained the highest recognition for excellence in prek preparation through its Early Head Start and Head Start programs. Its classes are NAEYC and Middle States accredited.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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Health & Safety

Sept 15, 10 am to 3 pm (Naticoke, PA) and Sept 22, 10 am to 3 pm (Allentown, PA), CSC offers programs for Early Child Professionals: Pediatric First Aid, Emergency Preparedness, Playground Safety, Fire Life Safety, and Health and Safety Concerns for Practitioners. Lunch provided. Options on which courses. $10 fee. For information, call 1-800-528-7222, ext 2311.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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New Board Members Elected

Pamela Dent, mother of three and married to Congressman Charles Dent, recently joined the CSC Board of Directors as a Community Child Advocate. She comes to the Board with passion and conviction that quality early education is a vital component to success in life. Mrs. Dent continuously reads the reports on studies related to childhood education and keeps abreast of pending legislation on both the state and federal level. She speaks convincingly to legislators and community leaders.

The Board also recently welcomed L. Susan Hunt back to serve after a brief hiatus. As Director of Administration (currently also Acting Executive Director) at the Allentown Art Museum and previously the publisher of The Morning Call and other newspapers, Ms. Hunt has a wealth of financial and operational knowledge and skill to ensure that CSC remains strong and effective.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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Kostas and PNC to be Feted

Community Services for Children salutes outstanding individuals and corporations for their contributions to making the lives of children better through The Inez and Edward Donley Award. We’re pleased to announce that the 2007 awardees are PNC Financial Services Group and Kostas Kalogeropoulos, Senior Executive Vice President of Development, Meyer Jabara Hotels.

The 2007 Donley Awards and Children’s Gala, CSC’s major fundraising event, will be held Friday, September 7, 2007, at Blue Grille (formerly Candlelight Inn).

In 2004, PNC kicked off the “PNC Grow Up Great” $100 million investment in early education. PNC created this program to better prepare children from birth to age five for school through grants to non-profit early education organizations, volunteerism, advocacy and awareness during the next 10 years. Joining PNC and its 24,000 employees are experts in the field, including Sesame Workshop, PBS member stations and Family Communications, Inc, the producers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

CSC’s Head Start of the Lehigh Valley was given a three-year grant to initiate the Arts Integration Program, which brings performing and painterly artists into several classrooms to enhance education. PNC has also generously donated 1100 “Ready to Learn Kits” for every child enrolled. PNC employees have also donated thousands of dollars worth of books, toys, school supplies and clothing for the children.

Kostas is well-known in the Lehigh Valley for his strategic thinking, leadership, philanthropy, and passion especially for children. In 1984, Kostas founded Dream Come True, an organization that grants wishes to seriously, chronically and terminally ill children in the Lehigh Valley area. Since then, additional chapters have opened in Connecticut and Maryland. In 1986 he founded Camelot for Children, the house in Pennsylvania to serve chronically and terminally ill children, providing them with a warm, fun, and safe environment to honor life. For the children’s parents, Camelot provides evening group discussions where they are given spiritual and medical support. Most recently, Kostas joined with Lee Butz, Linny Fowler, and David Jaindl to form Pennsylvania’s only branch of the Miracle League, which provides children with disabilities an opportunity to play baseball. The Meyer Jabar Hotels have also generously supported the CSC Gala through auction donations.

Children and Families in the Lehigh Valley are the happy recipients of the generosity of both.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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Keystone STARS Improves Quality

The quality of child care in Pennsylvania is improving, especially in programs participating in Keystone STARS. This is the result of a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State.

“Child care in Pennsylvania serves more than 300,000 children, and it is the largest program helping to prepare children for school,” said Gov. Rendell. “The findings of this study are so important because research has shown that high-quality early care and education are critical in preparing children for success in school, work and life.”
The study evaluated 572 child care facilities across Pennsylvania in 2005 and 2006. Programs were assessed using two rating scales (ECERS-R and FDCRS) using a 1-7 scoring basis, with 1 = inadequate and 7 = excellent.

Among the major findings of the study are:

• Child care quality is improving. While average scores dropped between 1996 and 2002 from 4.50 to 3.90, in 2006, the average score for sites not participating in STARS rose to 3.94.
• Keystone STARS continues to improve quality in child care centers. The average scores in 2006 for centers participating in STARS ranged from to 4.11 (Start with STARS) to 5.42 (STAR 4).
• Programs with a defined curriculum provide higher quality education for children, scoring 4.83 on the ECERS-R scale while programs without a curriculum scored only 4.36.
• Programs employing teachers with at least an associate’s degree provide higher quality early education and care, scoring 4.82 on the ECERS-R scale while programs employing teachers without at least an associate’s degree scored only 4.11.

Previous research examining Pennsylvania’s early care and education programs has shown that quality has decreased substantially over the past decade, according to Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman. “We could not sit back and watch quality in these programs continue to decline, especially when the early years of a child’s life have a permanent impact on their brain development and learning abilities.”

Since 2002, Keystone STARS has increased access to quality early learning experiences due to an emphasis on staff education, staff participation in ongoing professional development, use of a curriculum and helping practitioners support children’s early learning and development. As of September 2006, nearly 4,300 child care programs were enrolled in Keystone STARS.

“These findings reinforce earlier studies that indicate that teacher education and a defined curriculum play an important part in the quality of an early care program,” said Richard Fiene, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University Prevention Research Center and co-author of the evaluation.

Keystone STARS is one of a variety of programs administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare’s Office of Child Development to help families and communities provide for, protect, nurture and teach our young children.

To read the executive summary and download the full report, go to www.pakeys.org.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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Jane Ervin new CEO 2007

Jane Ervin takes over as CEO for Community Services For Children.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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Donley Award Slated for Retiring Exec

The Board of Directors of Community Services for Children, Inc, (CSC) have announced plans to honor Patricia W. Levin as the recipient of the 2006 Inez and Edward Donley Award for Advocacy for Children. The award will be made at the Children’s Gala and Auction, Saturday, November 4, 2006, at the Northampton Country Club, Easton. USI Insurance Services is the event’s presenting sponsor.

After serving 34 years as a tireless advocate for children, Levin has announced her retirement effective June 30, 2006.Mr. Edward Donley will present the award himself at the Gala. Also heading various committees are Linda Anthony, Marketing/PR; Colby Kent, Sponsorships & Advertising; Shirley Miller, Auction; Linda Nabb, Facilities, Food & Decorations; and Julie Timmcke, Program Committee. Key staff are Helen Carroll, Bruce Seidel, Barbara Murray, and Sara George.The Donley Award, named for the first recipients in 1996, honors long-term public service benefiting children or improving the lives of children and their families. In addition to the Donleys, previous honorees include Gov. Ed Rendell; Dr. Arthur Scott, president of Northampton Community College; Just Born, Inc; Scott Fainor, president of KNBT Bank; and The Harry C. Trexler Trust, among others.

With limited seating, advanced reservations are strongly encouraged. Tickets are $125. Call CSC’s Development Office, 610-437-6000, 3432.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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The Provider Press

The Provider Press is a state funded newsletter published ten times a year by CSC. It supports improving the quality of child care by providing state-of-the-art information for child care professionals, as well as national, state and local news and current events. It is distributed to more than 1800 regulated child care facilities and local child care planning group members throughout 15 counties in Northeastern PA.
The End.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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New Members Join Board

Community Services for Children is pleased to announce two new members joining the Board of Directors for three-year terms, David Rabaut and Keith Boroch.

David Rabaut, PhD, had more than 25 years’ experience in United Way before retiring recently. He began his career at the Community Services Council in Philadelphia in information systems and then moved to the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. He served as Director of Management Assistance, Allocations Director, Vice President for Services, and retired as Senior Vice President. Mr. Rabaut was one of the founders of the Pennsylvania Association for Information and Referral, is a former adjunct Professor of History at Allentown College, currently serves as Vice president of Historic Bethlehem Partnership, and is on the Board of the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, the Community Foundation, the Allentown School District Community Council, the Easton Housing Authority, and Education 2010!

Keith L. Boroch has served as Chief Operating Officer of the Visiting Nurse Association of St. Luke’s since December 2005. In this capacity, Mr. Boroch is responsible for the strategic, operational, and financial activities of programs delivered by the organization. He has over 20 years’ strategic, operational and financial management experience in several industries. His career has spanned public accounting, financial services, information technologies, manufacturing and healthcare. Prior to joining St. Luke’s, he served as Chief Financial Officer of the Visiting Nurse Association of Mercer County located in Trenton, NJ.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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CSC Promotes Healthy Marriages

The US Office of Family Assistance recently awarded CSC with a $254,000 grant to work with 150 low-income married couples whose children are enrolled in CSC’s Early Head Start/Head Start program to enhance marriage skills. This award follows on the heels of CSC’s successful model project called Family Formation and Development, which helped unmarried couples improve their relationship and co-parenting skills that would lead to enhanced two-parent support of their child.

The Healthy Marriage program will involve married couples throughout the Lehigh Valley. The 8-week sessions involving 10 couples each will focus on conflict resolution, problem-solving, decision making, stress management, and communication skills.

3S33d_admin September 21st, 2010

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