Stefanie Camoni There are a variety of program observation instruments available to Pennsylvania programs and three that are specific to school-age classrooms. Most are familiar with the SACERS-U® and CLASS K-3® but another instrument, the School-Age Program Quality Assessment® (SPQA) has been added to the list.Read More

By Stefanie Camoni   Will my program have external assessments conducted by a program quality assessor this year? Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, external assessments are temporarily suspended for the program year. No external assessments will be conducted by program quality assessors through June 30, 2022. Instead the assessment team will partner with quality coaches...Read More

Kelli Harris This year, Teacher Appreciation Week falls from May 3-7. Within that week, Tuesday, May 4th is National Teacher Day. It’s worth taking some time to think about teacher appreciation, because it’s the perfect time to let the teachers in your program know how special they are. Gifts do not need to cost a...Read More

Amy Hoffman World Kindness Day is observed every year on November 13. This holiday might be new to some of you (it certainly was to me!), so here are some facts: It was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, which is a coalition of kindness organizations from around the world. The purpose is...Read More

By Michelle Long Have you recently moved, changed your email or phone number? When is the last time you checked your profile and contact information in the PD registry?Read More

By: Kitty Syster Are you tired of making the same lunches over and over? If you participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), you know how important it is to provide nutritious, well balanced meals for the children in your care. But sometimes it can be difficult to create new lunch and...Read More

Beth Simon In the wake of yet another devastating shooting of America’s young people the Program Quality Assessment team extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the victims and the families of the victims in Parkland, FL. It seems as appropriate a time as any to relate this back to our small early childhood blog...Read More

Beth Simon The term Program Observation Instrument or POI for short is a new term that you will see in the revised Keystone STARS Standards. In case you haven’t heard, the new Keystone STARS Standards went into effect last month. The new standards refer to various “Program Observation Instruments (POI)” that can be used for...Read More

Megan Pittsinger “What is CACFP?” you may ask. CACFP is the Child and Adult Care Food Program. CACFP provides aid to programs for the provision of nutritious foods. For information on how to apply for CACFP please visit United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Current CACFP Guidelines (until October 1, 2017) The...Read More

By Michelle Mallonee Long When the Program Quality Assessor provides the four-week window for your facility’s assessments, you are allowed to select up to four black-out dates (days the assessor will not show up for a visit). The assessors need to see a typical day in the classroom (what the children experience on a regular...Read More