Programs: Child care development and servicesearly learning services provides comprehensive services to stakeholdersin the child care community via two programs: child care information services of allegheny county (ccis),pa early learning keys to quality - southwest regional key ccis provided subsidy to 11,178 children within 6,514 families. Over $55 million in subsidies was distributed. Through child care information services of allegheny county parents can: obtain information on child development and early education; learn more about pennsylvania keystone stars & pre-k counts programs; obtain a list of child care providers and summer camps based on their needs; obtain information on community agencies that assist with housing, employment, low cost health insurance, family counseling, immunization information, nutrition information, domestic abuse hotlines, child protective services, mental health/mental retardation services, and early intervention services; apply for subsidy to help pay for the cost of child care while they work or attend school. By providing resources, guidance, professional development, technical assistance and financial awards to early learning programs, the southwest regional key for pennsylvania's early learning keys to quality strives to ensure that "all sw pennsylvania families have access to high-quality early care and education and school age child care opportunities for their children that foster success in school and in life. " statistics: the southwest regional key has over 521 providers participating in keystone stars. In those keystone stars facilities there are an estimated 22,900 children receiving quality early learning opportunities; in 2014/2015 the southwest regional key in collaboration with 6 colleges and universities and 4 professional development partner organizations has provided professional development to over 10,000 individuals.
equitable housingthrough its housing programs, the ywca greater pittsburgh provides homeless and low-income women and families with safe, affordable places to live and the supportive services that will help them move toward slef-sufficiency and more permanent housing. The bridge housing and the wish (women in supportive housing) programs are transitional and permanent housing programs, respectively, that together serve 173 adult women and families. Both programs serve homeless women; wish serves women who are also dually diagnosed with mental illness and drug and alcohol addiction. Our scattered sites - apartments and homes around allegheny county - allow women to live independently while working or finding employment, attending school, taking care of their families, developing life skills, participating in mental health and/or drug and alcohol treatment, or pursuing whatever other goals they have chosen for themselves.
teen techgyrls is a hallmark program of the ywca usa developed in 1997 inresponse to the widening gender gap in exposure to and interest in technology for girls. Ywca techgyrls goal is to broaden girls' knowledge and interests and to help them develop the confidence to use science, technology, engineering, and math (stem) tools in whatever professions they pursue. The techgyrls stem-focused curriculum gives underserved girls an opportunity to invent, design, and showcase their own work in the context of developing important life skills. Robotics, multimedia, science, and engineering projects focus on hands-on problem solving and offer ongoing opportunities for; the mastery of hands-on stem challenges, communication, critical thinking, time management, and presentation skills while exploring racial justice, gender equity, and community action issues. Techgyrls incorporates evidence-based practices that promote equitable learning environments for girls and have positive impacts on their involvement in quantitative disciplines. On practical applications and teaching math in a more holistic and social context. Cmu robotics academy, university of pittsburgh learning research and development center (lrdc), and penn state greater allegheny (psga)campus are partners in development of curriculum. University partners have been instrumental in program design and evaluation as well as staff development and training, and provision of hardware and software. Accomplishments include: 2014/2015 united way impact fund awardee; established official partnership with pittsburgh public schools for curriculum alignment for stem; provided 1,186 girls with hands-on science, engineering, robotics, and computer science activities; connected 50 families with pre-college and stem career resources; increased math and science scores for students; increased math and science attitudes for students; assisted in the development of events and programs that support girls; advocate for a community that values and supports all girls; developed and implemented social change projects. Developed direct partnership with carnegie science center.
