March 29, 2019 Pittsburgh Spotlight Receives 82 Innovation Submissions After receiving a total of 82 submissions from southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia schools, museums, libraries, nonprofits, government agencies, and more, HundrED released a full list of the innovative submissions they received. Submissions included: Innovative approaches from 27 schools and school districts in the Pittsburgh region 9 technology tools to facilitate learning developed by local companies and research projects 8 projects of local colleges and universities, including innovations from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Penn State University 31 programs and approaches from local museums, nonprofits, and community centers Our Highlight Listed as a submission, Message from Me (MfM) is an early childhood communications tool developed through the collaborative efforts of the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) CREATE Lab and Trying Together. MfM was designed with the intention to involve families in the education experience and bridge the home-school connection while enhancing a child’s communication skills, independence, and opportunities for interaction. Using the MfM app, a child can record and share daily thoughts and experiences, impacting his or her feelings of individuality, self-confidence, and well-being. To learn more about MfM’s purpose, design, and impact, visit the HundrEd page. See the full list of submissions. What’s Next? HundrEd’s global research team will be running a rigorous review of all eligible applications, in addition to a review by a local committee consisting of educators, parents, students, researchers, and community stakeholders who will score each innovation to help decide which ones will be featured in the Spotlight collection. Following this review period, the 10 selected innovations will be announced in May as a part of Remake Learning Days, a regional celebration of the future of learning. About the Pittsburgh Spotlight 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. *Information provided by HundrED
October 18, 2018 Comment On Proposed Changes To Child Care Regulations The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced that the proposed changes to the Child Care Regulations at 55 Pa. Code, Chapters 3270, 3280 and 3290 are now available for review. The proposed changes can be viewed in the PA Bulletin. All public comments must be submitted in writing by the closing date of the public comment period on November 13, 2018. All comments, suggestions or objections must reference the Regulation Chapter, Number, Section, and Subsection. Submit Via email: RA-PWCCRegChanges@pa.gov Via fax: 717-787-1529 Via mail: Tamula Ferguson Bureau of Certification Services Office of Development and Early Learning Department of Human Services 333 Market Street, 6th Floor Harrisburg, PA 17105 Persons with a disability who require an auxiliary aid or service may submit comments using the AT&T Relay Service at 1-800-654-5984 (TDD users) or 1-800-654-5988 (voice users). A public hearing will be held in Harrisburg at PaTTAN Harrisburg (6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112) on November 2, 2018. The hearing begins at 10:00 AM. Registration is required and can be completed on the PA Department of Human Services site. Current regulations can be viewed on the PA Department of Human Services site. View this announcement on the PA Keys website. View a flyer of this announcement. (PDF)