Pennsylvania Department of Education

04/22/2021

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” - Jane Goodall

#EarthDay2021

04/21/2021

COVID-19 Case(s) in a School Setting

What do you do if a case of #COVID19 is identified in a school?

Read our recently updated recommendations + associated charts and answers to FAQs 👇

Recommendations and tools for Pre-K to 12 schools following the identification of a COVID-19 case(s).

04/21/2021

Noe Ortega: Investing in students is good for Pa.'s economy

The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program would make a lifelong impact on thousands of students across Pennsylvania.

When we invest in our students, we're investing in the future of our commonwealth.

Nellie Bly was one of the most influential American journalists. As an intrepid young reporter who wanted to make a difference in the world, Bly inspired changes to the nation’s mental health care system. In 1887, Bly went undercover to investigate the conditions at Blackwell’s Island As...

04/21/2021

What’s New?

Reminder: stay up to date on #COVID19 info + resources we share with school communities via our What’s New webpage 👇

A summary of information added to PDE’s COVID-19 website, updated weekly with date stamps, brief descriptions, and links.

04/20/2021

Your community may be exhibiting a range of emotions right now. These emotions are important to acknowledge + support in safe and trusted spaces.

We offer sentence starters ⤵️ to engage your community + support the very important and brave conversations that are/will take place.

Your community may be exhibiting a range of emotions right now. These emotions are important to acknowledge + support in safe and trusted spaces.

We offer sentence starters ⤵️ to engage your community + support the very important and brave conversations that are/will take place.

04/20/2021

Timeline Photos

The trial of Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd has generated strong feelings for millions of people across the country. The verdict will come in the context of many other instances of lethal police force against BIPOC individuals. As parents, caregivers, and educators, we have a critical responsibility to ensure our children feel safe and secure and to help them learn how to process events like this, express their feelings and concerns in a respectful manner, and identify positive coping strategies.

We have a number of resources to help educators and other adults support children and youth in the days ahead, key points of which are summarized in our latest statement: https://bit.ly/3x5VNzL

04/20/2021

A Look at Muncy's Peer Tutoring Program

A Look at Muncy's Peer Tutoring Program

Education is one of the most important tools a reentrant has for success following incarceration. Fortunately, for Pennsylvania inmates...

04/20/2021

Wolf administration encourages college students to get vaccinated by semester’s end

College students: get your #COVID19 vaccination before the semester ends! Remember, you do not have to be a resident of Pennsylvania to receive the vaccine here.

Institutions of higher education: please work with local providers to ensure vaccination opportunities are available. https://www.yourerie.com/news/wolf-administration-encourages-college-students-to-get-vaccinated-by-semesters-end/

HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) — The Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Education is encouraging students at all universities and colleges in the commonwealth to get vac…

04/20/2021

#EarthDay is this Thursday!

Join us, First Lady Frances Wolf, and Pennsylvania state agencies for the annual Governor’s Residence Earth Day celebration.

Learn more about this year’s event, which will be held virtually and features lots of activities for students: https://www.residence.pa.gov/earth-day/Pages/default.aspxJoin

#EarthDay is this Thursday!

Join us, First Lady Frances Wolf, and Pennsylvania state agencies for the annual Governor’s Residence Earth Day celebration.

Learn more about this year’s event, which will be held virtually and features lots of activities for students: https://www.residence.pa.gov/earth-day/Pages/default.aspxJoin

04/20/2021

We believe no one should go hungry and college students are no exception! Temporary changes enacted by the federal government have expanded access to SNAP for low-income college students.

Learn more and apply today! bit.ly/2Pny7FR

04/19/2021

PAsmart Grant Recipients

ICYMI: last week, Governor Tom Wolf announced $10.8 million in #PAsmart Advancing Grants would be distributed to multiple partnerships across Pennsylvania!

These funds will support quality #CSinPA + #STEMinPA learning opportunities and experiences for students.

Meet the recipients + read grant program descriptions 👇

PAsmart Targeted and Advancing Grants provide up to $20 million to support high-quality CS and STEM education.

04/19/2021

It’s #NationalVolunteerWeek!

Join us in celebrating service as we thank the hardworking volunteers who give their time + talent to school communities across the commonwealth. 💕

Thank you, volunteers, this week and every week! 🙌

It’s #NationalVolunteerWeek!

Join us in celebrating service as we thank the hardworking volunteers who give their time + talent to school communities across the commonwealth. 💕

Thank you, volunteers, this week and every week! 🙌

04/16/2021

🎙️ The next episode of PDE Presents, our podcast series, is now live!

🗣️ Acting Secretary Noe Ortega is the host – and our guest is Jeremy Branch, the Senior Assistant Director of Enrollment Management at Penn State!

🎧 Listen to the episode: https://youtu.be/9izRs4KtsYc

🎙️ The next episode of PDE Presents, our podcast series, is now live!

🗣️ Acting Secretary Noe Ortega is the host – and our guest is Jeremy Branch, the Senior Assistant Director of Enrollment Management at Penn State!

🎧 Listen to the episode: https://youtu.be/9izRs4KtsYc

04/16/2021

$10.8 Million to Expand STEM and Computer Science in Pennsylvania Schools - MyChesCo

#PAsmart Advancement Grant projects include:

🤖 STEM and Computer Science after-school programs in robotics and artificial intelligence

🎓 innovative STEM partnerships between schools and higher education partners to provide college credits and industry credentials in STEM and Computer Science

🎮 support for diversity and inclusion on eSports teams in high-need areas

🤝 creation of innovation hubs through collaborations with community colleges, city parks, and libraries to help underserved learners build STEM and Computer Science skills

👥 mentorships to expose underrepresented learners to STEM careers

📱 opportunities for rural, urban, and suburban students to gain hands-on experience in coding and robotics

#STEMinPA #CSinPA

HARRISBURG, PA — Governor Tom Wolf this week announced $10.8 million in PAsmart Advancing Grants to expand access to computer science and STEM education for Pennsylvania learners. Combined with PAsmart Targeted …

04/16/2021

📢 We need your help!

🥪 We’re asking organizations across the state to consider providing nutritious meals to kids over the summer (June – September) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program.

💻 Learn more + get involved: education.pa.gov/SFSP

📢 We need your help!

🥪 We’re asking organizations across the state to consider providing nutritious meals to kids over the summer (June – September) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program.

💻 Learn more + get involved: education.pa.gov/SFSP

04/15/2021

Educator Certification

Interested in being a community leader + change maker + idea guide + ultimate innovator + champion for children?

Become a #PAProudEducator!

💻 Find teacher certification info + resources on our website: education.pa.gov/certification

A collection of resources and tools to help you become a certified educator in Pennsylvania.

04/15/2021

#ThursdayThoughts 💕

#ThursdayThoughts 💕

04/15/2021

Beaver Area School District Using Safe2Say Something App To Tackle Bullying And Violence

#Safe2SaySomething is a youth violence prevention program that helps people recognize warning signs and signals from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others + say something before it’s too late.

Learn more: http://safe2saypa.org https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/04/08/beaver-area-school-district-using-safe2say-something-app/

Beaver Area School District is using the Safe2Say Something app to tackle bullying and violence.

04/15/2021

#TBT: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Pennsylvania Student Leadership Council helped develop legislation, signed by Governor Tom Wolf in 2019, that designates the Eastern Hellbender as our first official state amphibian! 🦎

04/14/2021

Create & Sustain a Program- Starting a School Garden Program: Overview

School gardens are environmental education tools that offer:
🌱 hands-on learning opportunities
♻️ models of sustainable practices
🍴 opportunities for students to eat what they grow

Here’s how to start a garden at your school ⤵️

#NationalGardeningDay

School gardens promote healthy eating habits and connect students to the natural world. Learn how to build a successful school garden program with these goals and steps.

04/14/2021

Today DOH and the Pennsylvania Department of Education encouraged all students at Pennsylvania colleges and universities to receive a COVID-19 vaccination before the semester ends. Read more: https://bit.ly/3sd2jko
#vaccinatepa

04/14/2021

We're here to help!

Search for child care programs by address, name, or age of your child + get info about the program (location, fees, and inspection reports) via: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/compass.web/providersearch/Home#/BasicSearch

We're here to help!

Search for child care programs by address, name, or age of your child + get info about the program (location, fees, and inspection reports) via: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/compass.web/providersearch/Home#/BasicSearch

04/14/2021

Work Together Wednesday

Work Together Wednesday

Week of the Young Child 2021Acting Education Secretary, Noe Ortega and Human Services Secretary, Teresa Miller discuss how working together helps OCDEL suppo...

04/14/2021

Self-Care Resources

Self-care involves any action during the day that helps maintain a feeling of calm, balance, and wellness.

Explore our self-care resources for individuals and school communities. 👇

When high levels of stress are present, it’s important to find ways to engage in self-care at individual and systems levels.

04/14/2021

Despite all the challenges COVID-19 presented last year, DOC education staff found ways to overcome every obstacle and continue educating their inmate students—and we’re proud to celebrate all the academic achievements by inmates in 2020.

Great work to all the students and teachers!

04/13/2021

Equitable Practices Hub

🆕 resources added to our Equity Hub!

Explore everything this growing collection has to offer: education.pa.gov/EquityHub

A coherent collection of resources that an educational community may use in promoting intentional equity in their communities.

04/13/2021

P-EBT Guide

ICYMI: $1 billion in federally-funded Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Program benefits will soon be distributed to families of nearly 1 million children.

Learn more about P-EBT + access resources and answers to FAQs via the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services 👇

P-EBT helps families cover the cost of food for school-age children

04/13/2021

Today DOH notified all COVID-19 vaccine providers to pause administering doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine until at least April 20 following the recommendation out of an abundance of caution in a joint release from the CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
ℹ️: https://bit.ly/3291fnd

04/13/2021

PAsmart Grant Recipients

Governor Tom Wolf just announced $10.8 million in #PAsmart advancing grants will be distributed across the state to support quality educational opportunities and experiences for students!

Info on grant recipients + programs 👇

PAsmart Targeted and Advancing Grants provide up to $20 million to support high-quality CS and STEM education.

04/13/2021

In Philadelphia, education secretary says schools can open safely

ICYMI: Acting PDE Secretary Ortega joined U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on his School Reopening Tour visits to the School District of Philadelphia and Upper Darby School District last week.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Philadelphia and Upper Darby Tuesday, declaring that schools can safely reopen for in-person schooling and offering the help of the federal...

04/12/2021

Mental Health and Well-Being

Remember, mental health is just as important as physical health.

It's important to take care of yourself and cope with emotions in a healthy way.

Explore our collection of mental health and well-being resources and tools 👇

Tools, information, and resources to support individual, family, and school community mental health and well-being.

04/12/2021

In addition to preparing children for their futures, our educators also serve another very important role – that of mandated reporters.

As mandated reporters, educators are obligated to immediately report suspected child abuse and neglect.

Whether interacting with children in-person or virtually, it’s critical to continue to pay attention to visual clues or other hints that something may be wrong. If abuse or neglect is suspected in any way, it must be reported immediately.

Thank you for being champions against child abuse!

#ChildAbusePreventionMonth

With more Pennsylvanians getting vaccinated against COVID-19 everyday, we are headed towards the light at the end of the tunnel. However, continued social distancing can leave some children and families isolated and this can increase the risk of child abuse and neglect. Be watchful and aware of the children in your community. If you suspect any form of child abuse, call ChildLine. A simple phone call could save a life.
☎️ Report child abuse 24/7 to Childline: 1-800-932-0313
💻 Mandated Reporters can report electronically: bit.ly/2JHAjBr
📍 Find Resources for struggling families from United Way: uwp.org/211gethelp/

04/12/2021

Effective tomorrow (4/13), all Pennsylvania adults will be eligible to schedule an appointment for the COVID vaccine.

Here’s how to find an appointment near you: pa.gov/get-vaccinated

04/12/2021

April is Families and Reading Month! 📚

The Keystone State Literacy Association offers resources for parents and caregivers that support reading aloud to children, recommended reading lists for youth, and more:https://ksla.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/KSLA%202021%20GRADE%206-8.pdf

April is Families and Reading Month! 📚

The Keystone State Literacy Association offers resources for parents and caregivers that support reading aloud to children, recommended reading lists for youth, and more:https://ksla.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/KSLA%202021%20GRADE%206-8.pdf

04/12/2021

📢 PHASE 1C IS OPEN!

Residents in Phase 1C are eligible to start scheduling vaccination appointments now. Use the Vaccine Provider Map to find a vaccine provider close to you: https://bit.ly/COVID19VaccinePA

People without internet access can call 1-877-PA-HEALTH for assistance.