The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc. (PIC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing employment, education, training, and early childhood education services, has named Holly Peton as Chief Financial Officer. Holly brings more than 30 years of...
Families enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start of Fayette County for the 2026-2027 program year were invited to the “Stars, Stripes, & Healthy Smiles” event held on July 23, 2026, July 29, 2026, and August 13, 2026. These health fairs are to maximize our...
Family Service Workers play a vital role in building strong relationships with the families we serve. They connect families to valuable resources throughout Beaver County, helping ensure children and families receive the support they need to succeed. (FSW Staff...
The first Grow Parenting Program cohort wrapped up on August 12, 2026, and we are excited to welcome our second cohort beginning September 2, 2026. The Soft Launch of Cohort 1 gave PIC an opportunity to introduce Grow to parents and caregivers while also learning what...
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The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc. (PIC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing employment, education, training, and early childhood education services, has named Holly Peton as Chief Financial Officer. Holly brings more than 30 years of...
My original intent for this article was to provide parents with information on how to prepare their preschool children for school. You know, practices like establish routines, talk with your children about what the day will look like, and validate their feelings and provide reassurance and the importance of teaching children how to be a good person.
As a native of Pittsburgh, I grew up hearing the wise Mr. Rogers impart his wisdom on how children learn, how to be a good neighbor and how to be a good person. So naturally I visited the Fred Rogers Institute website (formerly the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media). The first thing that caught my attention was Fred Roger’s Six Basic Necessities of Learning. These six necessities are quite simple but extremely important. They are:
Immediately I began to reflect on my own experiencing raising a child and began to ask myself if I, as my child’s first and primary teacher, promote and provide these basic necessities of learning with my young son. Did I make him feel valued and protected? Did I listen intently to his stories and ask questions? Did I ensure there were caring adults around him he could count on for support and encouragement? Did I foster his curiosity and encourage him to explore new things while keeping him safe? Did I slow down when we were in a hurry to allow him to appreciate new things and ask questions? Did I provide opportunities to play, create, find solutions? Did I allow quite time? Did I provide him opportunities to help?
Although I feel confident I did many of the things above, I can’t help but wonder if I could have or should have done more to promote school readiness and success not only when he started pre-school or kindergarten, but throughout his entire school career.
For more information on Mr. Roger’s Six Basic Necessities of Learning go to https://www.fredrogersinstitute.org.
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