Strong foundations

DePelchin Adoption Program Closed - Get Post-Adoption Help

DePelchin Children's Center has closed their Private Infant Adoption Program as of October 1, 2025. If you placed a child for adoption through DePelchin before, you can still get help after adoption. They offer services to help families who adopted children through their program. To learn more about these services, you can fill out a form on their Post-Adoption Services webpage. This announcement lets families know where to find ongoing support even though the main adoption program is no longer available.

Center of Life Builds Community Hub to Fight Poverty in Pittsburgh

Center of Life is a community organization in Pittsburgh's Hazelwood neighborhood that helps families and youth through free programs. Founded in 2002 by Pastor Tim Smith after the steel industry collapsed, it serves over 500 people each year with education, arts, and family support programs. The organization runs after-school programs, teen leadership training, summer camps, hip-hop and jazz groups, and helps parents with job skills and resources. Now Center of Life is building a new community center at Hazelwood Green development to prevent families from being pushed out as the area grows. They work with universities and healthcare centers to create jobs and services for local residents. Their approach focuses on four main areas: education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and community building. The goal is to help every child and family succeed regardless of their background or income. This model could be copied in other low-income neighborhoods facing similar challenges with unemployment, poor housing, and limited opportunities.

Pittsburgh Community Center Plans New Hub for Families

Center of Life, a community organization in Pittsburgh's Hazelwood neighborhood, is building a new community hub at Hazelwood Green. The project will break ground in 2026 and take 18 months to complete. The new building will focus on four main areas: education, healthcare, resources, and music and arts. The hub will serve families across nearly 40 zip codes with after-school programs, youth services, and community events. The ground floor will be open to the public, with spaces for performances, meetings, and programs. The building will be fully accessible and include outdoor amenities like a playground and performance space. Community members can reserve spaces through an application process. Major partners include Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, and the Heinz Endowments. The center already provides services to kids and families but this new facility will greatly expand their ability to serve the community with education, health, job training, and arts programs.

MIT Challenge: Tech Solutions for Better Learning for Everyone

MIT Solve runs challenges to find technology solutions that make education better and more fair for all learners. They focus on helping students who need the most support get quality education. The program brings together innovators who create tools using artificial intelligence, games, and other technology to help students learn better. Some examples include tools that adapt books for different learners, AI tutors that help with math, and games that help kids with disabilities do physical therapy. MIT Solve offers funding, mentorship, and connections to help these education solutions grow. They run different challenges throughout the year, focusing on areas like STEAM education, civic learning, and making sure girls and women succeed in science and technology. The goal is to use technology to make learning more personal, engaging, and accessible for everyone, especially those who have been left out of good education opportunities. Teams can apply to participate in challenges and get support to develop their ideas into real solutions that help students around the world.

Which Colleges Lead to High-Paying Jobs? New Research Shows Top Schools

The Burning Glass Institute worked with the Wall Street Journal to study which colleges give graduates the best chance of earning high salaries. They looked at over 3 million workers and tracked how much money people made in their first 10 years after college. The research shows which undergraduate schools have graduates who earn the most money in different career fields. You can use their online tool to see the top 20 public and private colleges for different types of jobs. This information can help students and families choose colleges that might lead to better-paying careers. The study is based on real data about people's education and work history, making it a useful resource for college planning.