Community
Commitment to early childhood intervention is clear locally
Extension Today
Pennsylvania made a promise to our children and we are keeping it. The promise is to work together so all children can be safe, healthy, eager to learn, and ready to succeed in school.
Nearly ten thousand Pennsylvanians have signed the PA Promise declaration stating this belief. Through the recent state budget impasse thousands of parents, early learning professionals and community members told their story about how publicly funded early learning programs benefit children. Then legislators and the governor responded by allocating sufficient funds to maintain these programs without cuts. For our children, our future…thank you.
Locally Our Children, Our Future, an early childhood community engagement initiative coordinates efforts to keep the promise. On Oct. 17 it sponsored a child care leadership brunch, Building Connections for Children.
Thirty two child care center directors and owners/operators of home-based child care gathered at Grace Chapel Community Church to learn about community resources that can help them improve their service to children and families. Child care sites were recognized for their voluntary participation in the Keystone STARS quality initiative.
A featured speaker was Robert G. Kochems, District Attorney of Mercer County. Kochems discussed how investment in quality early learning experiences results in fewer children becoming violent or delinquent teens and adult criminals. He shared research that shows every dollar invested in quality early education can return up to $17 in reduced special education, crime, and welfare costs.
Jodi Askins, Executive Director or the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children also addressed the audience. Ms. Askins brought a state and national perspective when she discusses the progress Pennsylvania has made in building an early childhood education system. She encouraged child care leaders to continue building professional relationships as that is how to construct a coordinated early care and learning system that responds to the needs of young children.
On Oct. 19 Mercer County gained representation on Gov. Ed Rendell’s Early Learning Investment Commission when Joseph George, President of the Joy Cone Company of Hermitage was sworn in as a member. Commission members act as ambassadors for early education, speaking at local events, sharing information on quality early education with their employees, and lending their voice in support of public investment for early education.
One of George’s first official duties was to host the Mercer County Economic Summit on Early Childhood Investments on Friday at the Avalon at Buhl Park, Sharon.
You can learn all about Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children at www.papromiseforchildren.com. I invite you to join us in celebrating the first PA Promise for Children Week, Nov. 8 – 14, 2009. Learn more about the early education programs in your community, get involved in our community engagement initiative, and tell your story. You can do it all on the PA Promise website.
Frasier B. Zahniser is family living/4-H youth development agent with Mercer County Cooperative Extension.
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Teaching with technology
Technology in the classroom is always changing and one Greenville teacher has spent the last three summers learning new skills through a program limited to a select few.
Jan Abernethy, a fifth-grade teacher at East Elementary School, was one of 75 teachers nationwide chosen to attend the Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute, which is held at a different location each year.
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Actors visit Camelot
The magic and mysticism that abounds in the King Arthur legend has been just as prevalent in the life of a woman who has written a three-part play chronicling the history of Camelot’s famed ruler.
Youngstown native Carol Weakland said she’s been working for 12 years on the play that premiered last weekend: “The Arthurian Trilogy Part One, Arthur and Merlin: The Making of a King.” She was never able to assemble a cast to play the demanding roles or “whittle down” the lengthy script into a compact but complete show. But this year, everything came together.
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Annual senior fair is Friday in Sharon
State Rep. Mark Longietti will hold his fourth annual free Senior and Health Education Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Sharon American Legion, 1395 E. State St., Sharon.
The fair will feature farmers market coupons, free health screenings, about 50 vendors, door prizes and free information and services.
For more information, call 724-981-4655. -
Dolata carves time for local fest
Walter Dolata shows and sells his wood carvings at arts festivals — sometimes large ones — in New York, Maryland and Ohio.
But he always makes time for the arts festival in his back yard: the Hermitage Arts Festival, which runs this weekend at Rodney White Olympic Park.
“I like it,” said Dolata, who lives in Hermitage. “It’s a local festival. It’s a nice little festival.”
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Farmers market vouchers for seniors available
Mercer County Area Agency on Aging Inc. is again offering the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program to eligible Mercer County Seniors.
This program is made possible through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Distribution.
The purpose of this program is to encourage older adults to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables produced by local growers.
Eligible seniors can pick up vouchers at locations in Greenville, Grove City, Mercer, Sandy Lake/Stoneboro and the Shenango Valley . -
Victorian Weekend begins Friday evening
Step back into a gentler era during the 22nd annual Victorian Weekend Festival, planned for Friday through Sunday on the historic Mercer County Courthouse Square.
The weekend begins with “A Victorian Concert” by the Mercer Community Band at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the bandstand on the east side of the county courthouse; the warmup concert starts at 6.
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Girl Scouting gold goes to RHS grad
Lorrie Lehman, daughter of Dave and Rosemary Lehman of Reynolds and sister of Tommy, was recently awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award from Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania.
The Gold Award recognizes leadership, hard work and service to the community and for exemplifying the ideals of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Only five percent of Girl Scouts nationwide earn this recognition annually.
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Public invited to annual Farm Safety Day
Our annual Mercer County Farm Safety Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Leslie N. Firth Learning Center, home of Mercer County Cooperative Extension, and the adjacent 4-H Park, 483 N. Perry Highway, 1 1/2 miles north of Mercer in Coolspring Township.
Our staff, along with event sponsor, the Agricultural Health and Rural Safety Advisory Committee, invite you and your family to attend and actively participate in a full day of safety demonstrations and open dialog on an issue which affects us all. Our goals are to make rural residents more conscience of common hazards, risky behaviors, and cultural traditions which often contribute to farm and rural accidents.
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Urban League offers outdoor movie series
It’s been decades since movies have been shown on a big screen in Farrell.
The Shenango Valley Urban League is changing that this summer, with its “Films in the Square” series, to be held Friday nights at Veterans Square.
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Fourth of July activities
There's no lack of Independence Day celebrations planned in the area.
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Teaching with technology
