Resources

There are many resources and tools available to support providers participating in Keystone STARS that will lead to positive outcomes for children. The tools and resources were created or selected because of their direct correlation to the content of the Keystone STARS Performance Standards and to provide concrete tools that can be used in the continuous quality improvement process. See the resources below to get started or visit the PA Keys website for additional tools at www.pakeys.org/stars.

• Best Practices in STARS Financial Awards Spending - Providing financial awards to facilities serving children who are vulnerable and at risk is one strategy implemented by The Office of Child Development and Early Learning to promote continuous quality improvement. This document is designed to assist you in creating written justifications of financial award usage and providing recommendations on making intentional decisions about award expenditures.
• Other STARS Financial Supports – You may qualify to receive grants and awards while in the STARS program. Contact the NW Regional Key for more information.
• Environment Rating Scales (ERS) –The Environment Rating Scales (ERS) are standardized rating scales used to assess the quality of classrooms for children. There are scales that assess Early Childhood Environments (ECERS-R), Infant-Toddler Environments (ITERS-R), Family Day Care (FCCERS-R), and School-Age Environments (SACERS). The appropriate scale for Group Day Care is dependent on the setting and type of service provided.  Each ERS scale is divided into criteria that assess health, safety, building positive relationships with children and with parents, and providing opportunities for learning and development.  Each of these criteria impacts the program’s environment, curriculum, policies, schedule, supervision and parent involvement.

Providers participating in Keystone STARS may access Keystone STARS ERS Professional Development Workshops. The workshop includes an overview of the indicators of child care quality and prepares providers with the skills necessary to use the rating scale as a self-assessment tool. To learn more about this professional development program and when it is offered in your area, view the PA Key Professional Development Calendar, or contact your STARS Manager. For more information about ERS, visit the PA Key website at http://www.pakeys.org/stars/ERS.aspx

• Early Childhood Education Linkage System (ECELS) – The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics provides the ECELS program. ECELS assists caregivers with immediate needs as well as short- and long-term change to improve overall health and safety within a child care facility. The following resources are available through the ECELS system:
• Technical Assistance - Health Professionals are available 9:00-5:00, Monday through Friday, to discuss your health and safety needs and concerns by calling toll free 1-800-243-2357.
• ECELS-STARS Resource Kits - The STARS self-study packet contains a request form for pre-packaged ECELS-STARS Resource Kits. These kits contain self-learning modules, educational materials, and references that the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) and ECELS selected to help you meet the health and safety requirements for each STAR level. 
• Self-Learning Modules - ECELS has over 20 self-learning modules to train providers in health and safety topic areas. Each self-learning module has assignments that providers return to ECELS for review. Upon satisfactory completion of the assignments, ECELS issues DPW training credit. A complete list of self-learning modules is on the ECELS web site and is distributed as a pamphlet with each copy of the newsletter, Health Link. 
• Health Link Newsletter - Health Link and Health Link Online are publications of ECELS that address new developments in best practice, seasonal issues, and current events in health and safety. Health Link and Health Link Online contain many helpful articles and are on the ECELS website. 
• Workshop Training - ECELS will arrange training workshops on a variety of health and safety topics. The list of on-site workshops ECELS can arrange is on the ECELS web site. There is a registration fee for this training. 
• Preventive Health Services - ECELS helps providers meet the requirements for documentation of up-to-date preventive health services, including assisting providers in working with parents and health professionals to obtain needed information. ECELS has many tools like WellCare Tracker, an internet-based software program to ease the burden of keeping children up-to-date with preventive health care. 
• Audio-Visual Lending Library - ECELS has an extensive lending library of videos and other educational resources on a wealth of topics. A list of these resources is on the ECELS website. These resources are not designated for DPW training credit. 

For additional information on the resources described above, please visit the ECELS website at http://www.ecels-healthychildcarepa.org/

• T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) - The T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program provides funding to assist child care staff who work in a regulated early education setting to attain a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, an Associates Degree or, in some cases, a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood. For more information, see our Career Information page.
• Early Education Resources in Pennsylvania – Review this helpful listing of resources available for parents and providers or visit our Links page.

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Donna Bell and Laura Westberg of the National Center for Family Literacy have recently completed What Works: An Introductory Guide for Early Language and Emergent Literacy Instruction. Based on the work reported in Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, this guide describes ways teachers can use the research effectively for early childhood instruction, assessment, choosing curriculum, and helping parents better support their young children’s language and literacy learning.

To download a copy please click here.