On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, the PA State Board of Education met at PDE in Harrisburg and via Zoom. The Board heard reports from the Academic Standards (Chapter 4) Committee and the Teacher and School Leader Committee. The Chapter 4 committee directed PDE to assign external advisors to both the Career Ed. and Work  Committee and the Family and Consumer Science and Economics Committee. The Teacher and Leader Committee’s PA Education Workforce Committee has focused on Act 55 issues with regard to the retention and attraction of instructors to the field of education. Of particular note is work in developing an extensive plan of action to address the decline educators in the commonwealth. Specifically mentioned was the Grow Your Own initiative and efforts towards encouraging paraprofessionals and others in the education setting to pursue teacher certification.

Excitement was also expressed with regard to the newly created CTE Pathway for opportunities in the field of education, which will be rolled out in 2023.

Acting secretary Eric Hagarty reported that Dr. Khalid Mumin has been appointed by incoming Governor Josh Shapiro to be the state’s new Secretary of Education.

Action items included approving the Board’s Annual Report to the Governor and General Assembly and a Resolution Honoring Acting Secretary Hagarty, who will be stepping down on January 17th. Both items were unanimously approved.

On December 29, 2022, Bureau of Special Education Director Carole L. Clancy  released a PennLink titled Annual Deaf-Blind Child Count for Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Students. According to the message, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), has an annual requirement that for the Pennsylvania Deaf-Blind Project to conduct the National Deaf-Blind Child Count, formerly called the National Deaf-Blind Census. The Deaf-Blind Child Count records the number of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and students who have dual sensory impairments or who are at risk of developing dual sensory impairments, and who are enrolled in early intervention or special education as of the December 1, 2022 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) child count.

The count will be conducted beginning with Approved Private School programs in January 2023 followed by LEAs in February 2023. You must verify and submit your information no later than February 28, 2023. It is important for Pennsylvania to have an accurate Deaf-Blind Child Count as this information is tied to funding research, training, and technical assistance for this population of children.

Please be aware that for the Deaf-Blind Child Count, the federal definition of deaf-blindness is more inclusive and extensive than the one used for the IDEA child count. Children ages birth to 21 should be reported in the count if they meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and students who have a diagnosis of deaf-blindness and/or receive both vision and hearing support services;
2. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and students who have a mild to profound hearing loss and vision loss with correction that still requires adaptations or modifications;
3. Infants and toddlers (ages birth-to-three; i.e. Part C) who have a diagnosis that places them at-risk for an intellectual disability with inconsistent responses to light and sound. (At-risk means a diagnosis that does not guarantee hearing/vision loss); or
4. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and students with multiple disabilities who may demonstrate inconsistent responses to light and sound.

It is important for each Early Intervention Program and Local Educational Agency (LEA) to participate in the Deaf-Blind Child Count.

1. If you do not have any infants, toddlers, preschoolers, or students with deaf-blindness, you will still need to log in and identify that you are not educating anyone with deaf-blindness at the present time.
2. If you are educating an infant, toddler, preschooler, or student with dual sensory impairments, you will need to either enter a new record or verify information about a child who already exists in the system.
3. School-age and preschool programs are encouraged to work closely with contracted providers (e.g., Approved Private Schools, Charter Schools for the Deaf or Blind) to ensure an accurate count of children.

Connecting families of children who are deaf-blind with supporting networks and information is vital. A feature of the Deaf-Blind Child Count is a letter which you will be asked to send to the family of each child listed in your count. The letter provides information which will link them to support and information for their family.

Deaf-Blind Child Count – Approved Private School Entries
All Approved Private Schools (APS) entered their student data prior to the Deaf-Blind Child Count being opened for Early Intervention programs, school districts, charter schools, and service providers.  While there are few infants and toddlers served in an APS, you may see a child in the Deaf-Blind Child Count which has been entered by an APS. For those programs with many students who qualify, this will save them valuable time. This was done by all APSs even if there are no students who qualify for the Deaf-Blind Child Count enrolled in their school. As the Early Intervention Program or LEA for these respective children, you must either confirm that the child is your responsibility or reject them if the child is not within your catchment area or in the age range of children you serve. After you confirm that you are the Early Intervention Program or LEA for the child, you can update other data as necessary.

Deaf-Blind Child Count – Early Intervention Programs
If you are the Early Intervention Program responsible for providing early intervention services to the entered child, you should confirm that the child is your responsibility. If the child is not the responsibility of your program (i.e., the child is not within your county/county joinder or in the age range of children you serve), please email [email protected].

Log In Information
The Deaf-Blind Child Count website is: https://www.leaderservices.com/_DBcensus.
The process for entering information is as follows:
How to log in and submit your count. 
1.     Log in with your username and password at https://www.leaderservices.com/_DBcensus.
2.     If you do not know or cannot remember your username or password for the Deaf-Blind Child Count, use the “Forget your Login Info” link on the Deaf-Blind Child Count website to have the information emailed to you or email [email protected] for support.

If you have any questions regarding the data collection system or your responsibilities for entering child data into the Deaf-Blind Child Count, please email [email protected].

​On December 21, 2022 the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) recognized the work of students participating in the Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS) Program. KEYS provides educational and social supports for students who participate in certain public assistance programs to help them succeed in community college and pursue educational and work goals.

KEYS is a collaborative program between DHS and 14 community colleges across Pennsylvania. The program helps people who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) pursue a community college education and succeed in higher education by providing academic and peer support, financial assistance, career counseling, and much more. KEYS is one of several DHS programs that assist those receiving public benefits access the education and training they need to pursue their goals, succeed in the workforce, and find family-sustaining careers.

The KEYS Program helps Pennsylvanians with low incomes and potential barriers to enrolling in college access a community college education in a way that helps overcome the unique challenges students face. The KEYS program pairs TANF and SNAP recipients with a dedicated “student facilitator” to provide supports necessary for students to complete education activities, and graduate with a career-specific, credit-bearing certification or an associate’s degree. Students participating in the KEYS Program may be eligible for supportive services like assistance with school supplies, transportation, and child care.

During the 2021-22 academic year, 83% of HACC students who participated in the KEYS Program completed the courses in which they were enrolled. In the spring 2022 semester, 65% of students who participated in the program maintained a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. All students in the program are at the poverty threshold defined by the U.S. government, 50% of students work while taking HACC courses, and 80% of students are parents.  

In Fall 2021, DHS leveraged federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to pilot “Grants to Relieve Inflation and Pandemic Pressures” (GRIPPs), which fully funded a semester’s tuition for 452 low-income students after financial aid packages were factored in. KEYS partners acted quickly to distribute these funds to students in need, and DHS is evaluating additional resources to provide GRIPPs on an ongoing basis.

The KEYS Program launched in 2005 to increase the number of TANF and SNAP recipients with in-demand degrees in fields such as nursing, accounting, occupational therapy, and business management, and thereby improve access to high quality employment opportunities. Last year, KEYS served nearly 1,500 students.

Potential students are referred to KEYS by a County Assistance Office caseworker when they qualify for TANF or SNAP and express interest in pursuing education and training available through community colleges or by working with the KEYS coordinator at their community college. If the individual is not already enrolled at the community college, KEYS facilitators can help academically eligible individuals with the enrollment process, applying for financial aid, placement tests, orientation, and course selection.

To learn more about or apply for benefits like SNAP and TANF, visit DHS’s website at dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS.