Upcoming Events
Licensed Practical Nursing Open House
June 2 | 5:00PM | Register here
June Positive Parenting Classes
Join the Family Center in a 4-Week Positive Parenting Workshop. Topics discussed will include: single/shared parenting, health and nutrition, adjusting to parenting, self-care, discipline, safety, newborn care, and more!
Wednesdays at 10am on June 2nd, 9th, 16th, & 23rd
Virtual via Zoom
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A Message from the Executive Director
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Greetings,
I hope you are all staying safe and healthy this spring. It is hard to believe another school year is coming to an end. As COVID vaccinations continue, I look forward to the gradual steps the DCIU and Delaware County are taking toward a full reopening. As always, I am thankful for the measures our staff and families are taking to keep our environment safe for all. The path to normalcy is truly a testament to the success of working together. My office will continue to update staff on guidelines as we head into the summer months.
Maria Edelberg, Ed.D.
Executive Director, DCIU
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The Delco Equity Coalition continues its work in building opportunities for Equity and Diversity engagement for students and educators in Delaware County. The second meeting of the Student Equity Forum was held on April 15, with the students digging into deeper discussions after a productive introductory first session.
For the breakout session activity, groups were assigned a topic and had to create a Public Service Announcement based on what they thought was important messaging for their topic. Topics were wide-ranging and included inclusivity and diversity, LGBTQA+, mental health, substance use, racism, and social justice. Students needed to develop their PSA with the goal of providing facts and statistics, opinions, and personal stories. The final PSAs were impressive as students shared their ideas and concepts behind the message. They also tied in with the advocacy component that was discussed in the forum. Many students in the group participate in some form of advocacy and students discussed ways to stay involved and grow their participation.
On May 5, the Delco Equity Committee met and also discussed advocacy efforts and key elements to successful advocacy. Darryl Hawkins led discussions on microaggresions and implicit bias. Participants watched a short video and analyzed how the characters in the video were engaging in microagressions and bias. The group shared ways to be mindful of this behavior in the classroom and how to create a more inclusive environment. As the school years wraps up, the committee looks forward to a final opportunity to bring together the Student Equity Forum before the summer break.
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National Walk at Lunch Day
April 28th was National Walk at Lunch Day and DCIU staff at several locations took the time to enjoy a stroll on what turned out to be a beautiful day.
A short walk during the day has many health benefits including a decreased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. As the weather warms up, make it a priority to take a walk during your lunch break! DCIU staff Rita McGarry and Christina Dickinson, photographed above, enjoyed the sunshine on their walk at Folcroft!
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DCTS Early Childhood Education
Check out the latest video on the Delaware County Technical High School Early Childhood Education program! In this video, DCTS students describe how the ECE program is preparing them for a career in working with young children.
Students learn about children through observation, study family characteristics, parenting and caregiver skills, prenatal development, children with special needs, and recognizing child abuse and neglect. Techniques are taught for guiding children and creating a safe, healthy learning environment.
Learn more about the DCTS Early Childhood Education Program here.
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DCIU Health and Wellness
Nutrition Coaching by CHARGE!
DCIU employees are able to access a nutritionist to help you with your health and fitness goals virtually. Six visits per year are fully covered by our medical insurance. If you do not have coverage through the DCIU, many other carriers work with The Charge Group.
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IBC Wellbeing Profile
The Well-being Profile is an easy-to-use health survey that only takes 15 minutes to complete. It gives you a snapshot of your current health and health history, lifestyle habits, overall well-being, and risk factors.
Learn how to complete your Wellbeing Profile here.
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The Early Intervention Family Survey is now available!
Please continue to share this survey with your families to ensure that their voices are heard!
A link to the survey is provided here:
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Head Start Read Across America Challenge
DCIU Early Head Start, Head Start, and Pre-k Counts challenged families and classrooms to take part in a Read Across America Reading Challenge to see who can read the most books.
Congratulations to CTE Folcroft who read 491 books total!
Each student in the winning classrooms will receive a book that was donated to the DCIU Head Start Program by the Kara Barnard Fund for Youth Literacy. Congratulations to all our readers and everyone who participated in the challenge to help support early literacy development and a love of reading.
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DCIU OPTIONS Students Hard at Work
The DCIU is excited to report that within the past two months, 15 adult clients achieved new jobs at the following local businesses: Acme, Cheyney University, First Watch, Giant, Herr's, Marshall's, Panera, ShopRite, Taylor Hospital, Villanova University, and Wawa!
Staff recently visited the New Way Air Bearings site in Aston where several OPTIONS students are working on the latest technology in frictionless motion, an air bearing solution used in iPhones and other modern devices. OPTIONS students work on several parts of the manufacturing process, including state-of-the-art machines used to produce and distribute to clients worldwide.
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Donna DiBartolomeo, Kevin Melough, and IT department, nominated by Suzanne Mallaghan-Rasco
I would like to nominate Kevin Melough and Donna Di Bartolomeo from IT , as well as the rest of the IT staff. They are always pleasant and provide quick and stand out assistance, despite the fact that I am located off site.
This is especially true during this crazy time of the Pandemic, when I am sure they have much more to do. They have been flexible, pivoted and been able to offer assistance even when I was working from home in the spring 2020. Donna was in touch and quickly assisted me with technical issues I had in connecting my printer so I could continue to print out permissions and reports to send to parents on time. This enabled me to continue to be in compliance with state regulations. Kevin has always been very kind, helpful and patient in assisting with technical issues and explaining things to a non-techie person in a way that makes sense. I recently had a problem in November that he quickly helped me resolve. Although the IT department is very busy, they never sound frazzled and take the time to respond in a personable, responsive and caring manner.
So glad to work at DCIU with them!
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Luciana Mayo and Stacey Ciarrocchi, nominated by Esther Bubb
Luciana and Stacey are Board Certified Behavior Analysts who support DCIU's Student Services and Early Intervention Programs through the Comprehensive Applied Behavior Analysis (CABA) project. Despite the complexities of COVID-19that have decreased timelines and increased assignments and expectations, they have partnered with DCIU stakeholders to complete assessments, consultation, and training that align with DCIU's mission.
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Tasha Jones nominated by Tricia Bell
Tasha took the lead in expanding our Early Learning Group offerings to accommodate a greater number of students this year. She created a new classroom, mentored teachers, provided guidance and support to administrators and met the challenge with grace, expertise, and constant cheerfulness. Tasha is a unifying force among our Marple EI itinerant teachers and has emerged as a leader. Tasha's work in Early Intervention is truly exceptional!
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Aston Custodians: Tom Carpenter, Mark Berry, Rocehella Moore, Shanida Lukis, Ed Schartner, Alina Colon, Val Gibson, and Maria Quezada
The administrators and staff in the Aston building wish to thank the entire Aston facilities staff for all of your extra work, attention to detail, quick response, and overall kindness you displayed during the closures and as we have welcomed our staff and students back to the building. From cleaning on a consistent routine, to cleaning on demand, to moving furniture, to hanging signs, to building new work spaces, to redesigning common areas, and maintaining all of your other duties at the same time, we are so grateful for all of you and your dedication to DCIU. This past year has indeed been challenging for all of us. We truly appreciate the Aston Facilities staff for being flexible and resilient throughout this difficult time. We acknowledge that, and we know we would not be able to serve our students, families and districts in the way that we do without your hard work and positive attitudes.
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Will Lochetto, nominated by Ed Cardow
Will Lochetto, is being recognized for his recent achievements as a chef and proud DCTS alum. A graduate of the DCTS Culinary Arts program, he recently accepted a role on the culinary team of star chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa in Hawaii. Will’s interest in cooking began when he worked at Azie in Media while attending Penncrest High School. He eventually enrolled in the DCTS Culinary Arts program and expanded on his intertests. Since finishing the Culinary Arts program in 2015, Will has worked in several restaurants in the region, including Jean Georges at the new Four Seasons in Philadelphia.
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