August 20, 2019 RADical Days Returns With 25 Days of Free Events Celebrating the Allegheny Regional Asset District’s (RAD) 25th year, RADical Days is returning to Pittsburgh this September and October, featuring 25 days of free activities! About Established by the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), RADical Days describes these events as “an annual thank you to the public,” featuring free admission, tours, performances, and family activities offered by organizations and attractions funded by RAD. RAD’s mission is to support and finance regional assets in the areas of libraries, parks, recreation, cultural, sports, and civic facilities and programs. In 2019, RAD adopted a $108.6 million budget serving 104 regional assets. Some 31% of the funding will go to support libraries; 31% to parks, trails and other green spaces; 13% to sports and civic facilities; 13% to arts and culture organizations; 8% to regional facilities (Zoo, Aviary, Phipps Conservatory); and 3% to transit. Event Overview RADical Days 2019 features many events, including free admission to: the Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Science Center, Children’s Museum & Museum Lab, Frick Pittsburgh Heinz History Center, Hill Dance Academy Theatre, National Aviary, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, Saturday Light Brigade Radio, and more! Schedule To see a full RADical Days 2019 schedule, visit their website or download their PDF! Learn More To learn more about RAD and RADical Days, visit their website! *Information provided by RADical Days
July 16, 2019 Pittsburgh Children Receive First Round of Free Books In July 2019, Pittsburgh preschoolers received their first round of free books from the City of Pittsburgh’s partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. About The free book program – in conjunction with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the Benter Foundation, and the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania – mails all eligible children an age-appropriate book every month up until their fifth birthday. In February, legislation was introduced to Pittsburgh City Council to accept $250,000 from the Benter Foundation to establish the Pittsburgh program. In early July, the first shipment of books was sent out to 1,402 children who were enrolled in the program at the beginning of June. Another 400 children have been added to the program since then and will receive their first books in coming weeks. All children receive “The Little Engine That Could” as their first book, as it is Dolly Parton’s favorite. Eligibility To be eligible for the program, preschoolers must: Be a resident of the City of Pittsburgh Have a parent or guardian fill out an official registration form Notify the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania of any address changes Sign Up To sign up for this program, visit the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library website. More Information For instructions, frequently asked questions, and more, visit the City of Pittsburgh’s website. *Information provided by the City of Pittsburgh
July 15, 2019 KidsPlay at Market Square KidsPlay provides free interactive and educational programming for children in Market Square, with local partners including Science Tots, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, KidsBurgh, the Senator John Heinz History Center, and more. Active Dates Tuesdays, June 4 – August 27, 2019 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. Saturdays, June 8 – August 31, 2019 | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Learn More To see a list of upcoming activities, visit the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership website.
July 3, 2019 Refugee and English Learner Access Day Want to learn more about the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and other local organizations? Join Literacy Pittsburgh and the Library on July 28 for Refugee and English Learner Access Day! About Refugee and English Learner Access Day (R.E.A.D.) is an opportunity to enjoy fun informal activities, tour the Library, chat with people from local community organizations, get a library card, and find out more about local literacy services. Light refreshments will be available. More Information For more information, contact Shayna at newandfeatured@carnegielibrary.org or 412.622.3151.
June 3, 2019 Carnegie Library Serving Summer Meals for Children Beginning June 17, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will offer free summer meals/snacks to Pittsburgh youth on weekdays through August 23. About In summer 2019, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will continue its participation in the Summer Food Service Program in order to ensure even more Pittsburgh youth have access to free food during summer vacation. Meals and activities will be provided during times listed below while supplies last and are for youth ages 18 and younger, and for persons with disabilities up to age 21. Meals are being offered locally in collaboration with Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Pittsburgh CitiParks as part of the federally funded Summer Food Service Program. Program Schedule This program is available Monday – Friday at the following locations (unless otherwise specified): CLP – Allegheny: 12:30 p.m. hot lunch CLP – Beechview: 3 p.m. snack CLP – Brookline: 3 p.m. snack (Mon-Thurs) CLP – Carrick: 11:30 a.m. hot lunch; 3 p.m. snack CLP – Downtown & Business: 2:30 p.m. snack CLP – East Liberty: 12 p.m. hot lunch; 3:30 p.m. snack CLP – Hazelwood: 12:45 p.m. hot lunch; 3:45 p.m. snack (Tues-Thurs beginning July 1) CLP – Hill District: 3 p.m. snack CLP – Homewood: 12 p.m. hot lunch CLP – Knoxville: 12 p.m. hot lunch; 3 p.m. snack CLP – Main, Children’s Department: 11 a.m. snack; 2 p.m. snack CLP – Main, Teenspace: 2 p.m. snack CLP – Sheraden: 10 a.m. breakfast; 3 p.m. snack CLP – West End: 2 p.m. snack CLP – Woods Run: 11:30 a.m. hot lunch; 3 p.m. snack More Information For questions, contact the Library of Pittsburgh via phone at 412.622.3114. *Information provided by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
May 29, 2019 HundrED Announces Pittsburgh Spotlight Selections In March of 2019, HundrED released their full list of Pittsburgh Spotlight innovation submissions. Now, after two months of careful deliberation and assessment, HundrED has announced their 12 featured innovative solutions. About the Spotlight In partnership with the Grable Foundation and Remake Learning, HundrED’s Pittsburgh Spotlight shines a light on the educators and innovators doing extraordinary things to help students in southwestern Pennsylvania succeed. Receiving 82 individual submissions from southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia schools, museums, libraries, nonprofits, government agencies, and more, the Pittsburgh Spotlight is a great opportunity for changemakers to highlight, celebrate, and learn more about the work happening in local communities. While HundrED Spotlights are designed to identify 10 of the most inspiring innovations that focus on a location or theme, Lasse Leponiemi, Executive Director and Co-Founder of HundrED said, “Pittsburgh broke that mold. The response was so robust that we chose to expand our selection to 12 innovations.” Selected Innovations Simple Interactions: This research project of the Fred Rogers Center creates free tools and resources to give educators a language for noticing and affirming their interactions with young children. These simple interactions support relationships between children and adults. Fabricating Change in Mental Wellness: Students diagnosed with mental health conditions work side by side with social workers, therapists, and teachers in this digital Fab Lab at Intermediate Unit 1. The results: increased participation, improved engagement, and fewer disruptions. The Finch: Borne out of research about what engages and excites students in learning computer science, this robot developed by BirdBrain Technologies can be programmed to do physical actions in 9 different coding languages. A free loan program makes it widely available to schools. Global Minds Initiative: Founded, designed, and run by students, this after-school program combats intolerance by fostering intercultural friendships and global understanding. Immigrant and refugee students come together with their peers in safe, inclusive spaces. Hillman Academy: At this 8-week full-time summer program at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, high school students perform cancer research under the mentorship of world-renowned scientists in a rigorous, supportive, real-world STEM environment. JAM: Two first-grade girls’ interest in making things to help their community has blossomed into an after-school maker learning program at Avonworth School District that is a catalyst for kindness in school and an engine for raising funds for community causes. MAKESHOP: The first museum makerspace, this permanent exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is a research-based learning environment where children and families make, play, and design using “real stuff.” And they offer professional development, maker learning resources, and more. Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild: This neighborhood-based community center is focused on educating and inspiring youth through the arts, with STEAM-based learning in four art-making studios. 98% of students who attend the program graduate high school on time. Summer Dreamers Academy: By combining the academic benefits of summer school with the fun of camp, this free summer program run by Pittsburgh Public Schools reduces summer learning loss while giving Pittsburgh students fun, enriching summer experiences. The Labs @ CLP Summer Skills Intensives: Part of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh‘s commitment to providing teen-driven programs and access to technology, these week-long summer programs offer teens a chance to explore topics like photojournalism, beat-making, filmmaking, and more. transformED: Allegheny Intermediate Unit is rethinking teacher professional development and support for school districts implementing innovative practices. At transformED, educators explore, discover, invent, and learn. Youth Express: Students use the tools of radio to create and distribute original programming through Saturday Light Brigade‘s 24/7 radio station. Programming is based on the idea that when youth realize that their voice matters, they realize that they matter. To learn more, visit the HundrED website. See HundrED’s official release. About HundrED HundrED is a not-for-profit organization that researches, highlights, and propels K-12 education innovations in an effort to improve education and inspire a grassroots movement by encouraging pedagogically sound, ambitious inventions to spread across the world. The Pittsburgh Spotlight is one of 6 individual spotlight categories, all centered around specific regions or topics. Through this spotlight, HundrED seeks to highlight educators and innovators in our area that are doing extraordinary things to help students. Interested in highlighting your innovative solution? Submit your innovation for HundrED’s 2020 Global Collection by June 30, 2019. *Information provided by HundrED
May 28, 2019 Cast Your Vote: 2019 WQED Reader’s Choice Award Community members are invited to take part in selecting the 2019 WQED Reader’s Choice Award Winner by casting their votes by Friday, May 31. About For the past 10 years, WQED has partnered with The EQT Corporation to present the Writers Contest to children throughout their viewing area. Through the support of EQT, WQED has been able to reach out directly to schools, libraries, and families throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia to encourage children to submit their original stories and illustrations. In the 10 years of sponsorship from EQT, WQED has received over 12,000 story entries, communicated with hundreds of teachers and librarians to provide them with resources, impacted thousands of WQED viewers with messages about the contest, and provided a website full of information that encourages students and arms adults with relevant literacy information. Cast Your Vote Voting is now open and will end on Friday, May 31st at 12:00 p.m. The Reader’s Choice Award Winner will be announced on Monday, June 3. To learn more and cast your vote, visit the WQED website. *Information provided by WQED
Carnegie Library Summer Reading Extravaganza Join the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh on Sunday, June 9 from Noon – 5 p.m. in Oakland for its annual Summer Reading Extravaganza to kick things off. Families can enroll in the Summer Reading program and enjoy music, crafts, games, storytelling, food trucks, and more. Activities Library activities include: Family PlayShop, Global Library, Bouncy House, Inflatable Games, Chess Club, DataBurgh, Creative Tech and Super Science, Historical Tours of Main Library (offered in English and in Chinese), and more! Learn More To learn more about the Summer Reading Extravaganza, visit the event website.
May 14, 2019 Imagination Library Online Registration Now Open On April 27, 2019, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced that a new program will offer free monthly books to Pittsburgh children from birth to age five. The program is currently accepting applications from parents and guardians. About the Program The free book program – in conjunction with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the Benter Foundation, and the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania – will mail all eligible children an age-appropriate book every month up until their fifth birthday. Participating children will receive their first book through the U.S. Postal Services six to eight weeks after the registration form has been received. Eligibility To be eligible for the program, preschoolers must: be a resident of the City of Pittsburgh, have a parent or guardian fill out an official registration form, and notify the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania of any address changes. Registration To sign up for this program, register your children online via the Imagination Library website! Interested in mailing in or submitting your registration in person? See their webpage for more details. More Information For any questions, please contact Tiffini Simoneaux via email (tiffini.simoneaux@pittsburghpa.gov) or phone (412.255.2505).
May 1, 2019 STEM All Hands on Tech: Robot Playground Join the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Carrick branch for a day of experimentation, play, and learning by exploring interactive technology and a variety of robots. STEM All Hands On Tech programs support learning and literacy by introducing children to technology. This event is intended for children in grades pre-k to 5. Questions For questions, contact Jon Antoszewski at 412.381.6543 or antoszewskijo@carnegielibrary.org. This location is handicap accessible. See the event page.
