The 2025-2026 Pennsylvania ECYEH Learning Series: Guidance for Successful Educational Journeys offers a comprehensive professional development opportunity for homeless liaisons and educators committed to supporting students experiencing homelessness. This series provides critical skills, strategies, and resources to enhance the educational experience for these students and equip educators with the tools to navigate challenges effectively. Through a blend of interactive webinars, real-world case studies, and expert insights, this series will deepen your understanding and enhance your advocacy efforts to ensure positive educational outcomes.
There is no fee to attend. Act 48 credits are available.
Communicating with Communicators: Learn How to Reach More People More Often to Raise Awareness and Understanding of Your Students and Your Work
September 10, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
It can be difficult to be “seen” amid the many messages a district must communicate and manage. Improving your content and timing and building relationships with your communications staff can help to significantly amplify your messaging and get your content “into the mix” more often.
Dig into the details of how school district communications professionals work and learn how to forge new connections with them to increase your impact during ECYEH Awareness Week and throughout the year.
In this interactive session, McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons, foster care POCs, and advocates will learn about building clear, consistent, concise communications and identifying the best champions and channels for deploying them.
- Learn how to “speak communications.”
- Learn some techniques for writing copy and taking usable photos.
- Learn how to create your own content calendar to stay organized and vigilant.
- Use outcomes reporting to illustrate the effectiveness of your efforts to district leaders and influencers.
- Set a new pathway to increase community awareness and understanding of your roles and the students you serve.
This 60-minute session will be followed by a 30-minute window for Q&A. Leave with a worksheet defining your individual goals for implementing what you have learned.
Meet Our Presenter
Karen Black, Senior Director of Communications, Charles R. Drew Charter School
With three decades of experience helping organizations identify and amplify their most compelling content, Karen’s nuanced understanding of the challenges in education communications is firmly rooted in her extensive work with institutions such as Boston University, Harvard University, Emerson College, Antioch University Los Angeles, and the College of Charleston, in addition to Charleston County School District and Atlanta Public Schools.
As the recent Marketing and Communications Consultant for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY), Karen played a pivotal role in revitalizing the organization’s core communications and propelling its new strategic direction. This work provided her with a deep, firsthand understanding of the critical contributions of McKinney-Vento liaisons and school social workers, alongside the complexities of support systems for vulnerable youth.
Karen is currently Senior Director of Communications at Charles R. Drew Charter School in Atlanta, Georgia. She also consults with K-12 districts, postsecondary institutions, and education nonprofits, guiding them in leveraging communications to enhance student success.
Educator Essentials: Screening and Responding to Youth Human Trafficking with CSC’s New Toolkit
September 14, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Join us for an essential training designed to equip educators and school-based professionals with the tools they need to recognize and respond to youth who may be at risk of human trafficking. Gain an overview of Center for Schools and Communities’ (CSC) Youth Human Trafficking Screening Toolkit, a resource developed specifically for school-based mental health professionals, nurses, McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons, social workers, and counselors.
More than just a disclosure tool, this trauma-informed screening questionnaire helps evaluate risk levels and identify the support and safety needs of students. Learn practical strategies for identifying red flags, understanding risk factors, and implementing a school-based response protocol that prioritizes student safety and support.
Empower your team to move from awareness to action in identifying and supporting potential survivors.
Meet Our Presenter
Zozan Küçükaydın, Anti-Human Trafficking Services Coordinator, PCAR
Zozan Küçükaydın is the Anti-Human Trafficking Services Coordinator at PCAR, where she develops anti-trafficking awareness material and best practice information for professionals working with survivors of human trafficking. Through technical assistance and training, Zozan works to bridge gaps and support rape crisis centers, anti-trafficking task forces, and other service providers across the Commonwealth.
Before her role, Zozan provided counseling and case management to trafficking survivors and is a graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Psychology minor. Through her studies and experience, Zozan is dedicated to promoting service equity and the use of anti-oppressive frameworks in the anti-trafficking field.
Purposeful Healing: Addressing and Preventing Vicarious Trauma
December 10, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Educators and youth service professionals often experience secondary trauma, particularly when working to support students and families experiencing trauma. Discover strategies for recognizing and preventing vicarious trauma and prioritizing well-being.
Poverty, Homelessness, and Endurance: Recognizing and Avoiding Burnout
January 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Address the unique challenges of working with low-income students and families, including students experiencing homelessness. Learn how to recognize signs of burnout and explore methods to build personal and professional endurance to support sustained and equitable engagement with diverse students, families, and communities.
Refuel: Addressing and Preventing Compassion Fatigue
February 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Dive into the causes of compassion fatigue, a common challenge for those working in youth services. Gain practical tips for self-care, boundary setting, and finding support networks to help prevent burnout and maintain compassion in their work.
Meet Our Presenter
Rajni Shankar-Brown, Ph.D., MBA, M-MA, M.A., Professor, Stetson University
Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown is a distinguished Professor and Chair of Social Justice Education at Stetson University, where she advocates for intersectional equity and housing justice. As the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Catalyzing Equity, Justice, and Social Change, she has earned numerous accolades, including Stetsonʼs Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievement. A prolific author and community-engaged scholar, Dr. Shankar-Brown specializes in transformative systems change and sustainable educational practices that advance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
With over three decades of advocacy, Dr. Shankar-Brown has held leadership roles across nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions. She has partnered with the United Nations, served as equity co-lead for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and was the first woman of color to serve as president of the National Coalition for the Homeless Board. Her work has impacted communities globally, with a focus on ending poverty, homelessness, and creating a more inclusive world. She has published extensively, presented worldwide, and is known for her commitment to trauma-informed social change and community healing.