The Helping Children Learn Podcast

CLIU21
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  • Updated Monthly

Welcome to the Helping Children Learn Podcast! Pennsylvania's education system is supported by an Intermediate Unit in their region. Quite frankly, it seems the general public is largely unaware of what an IU does. This podcast is aiming to educate people about the role IUs play in the everyday life of students. Ranging from special needs to gifted, we help students all over the commonwealth achieve their goals. This podcast comes to you from CLIU21 out of Carbon and Lehigh counties (Eastern PA). We will be talking about programs and services we provide to students and teachers in the 14 public school districts including private and charter schools.

  1. Apr 9

    S4E2 Changing Lives in PA Between IUs and Variety, The Children's Charity

    Today’s episode of the Helping Children Learn Podcast is about the power of partnership, specifically when supplying special needs students with equipment they need to live better, more inclusive lives. Equipment that makes it easier to go to the park, the grocery store, communicate with one another, things we take for granted every single day. CLIU21 works with a non-profit organization from western Pennsylvania called Variety the Children’s Charity. They provide those pieces of equipment all over the state. Although there are 40 chapters across 11 countries sharing the same name and doing much of the same work, Pittsburgh is where this foundation began. We chat with them about the work they do, how they do it, and the meaning it brings them.

    S4E2 Changing Lives in PA Between IUs and Variety, The Children's Charity

  2. Feb 5

    S4E2 Working Together in the Classroom with Transdisciplinary Modeling

    On this episode of the Helping Children Learn Podcast, we're talking about Transdisciplinary Modeling in the classroom. That sounds like complicated term, but really it just means everyone working together knows how to do each others' job at least in some part. We sit down with MDSB teacher Kelly Ehritz and Occupational therapist Amy Pidgeon to see how classroom educators and rotating related services itinerants help each other by learning from one another first. This podcast can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more! Just type in the search bar “Helping Children Learn” and you will find it. You can also find this video podcast with closed captioning on our Facebook and YouTube page.

    S4E2 Working Together in the Classroom with Transdisciplinary Modeling

  3. 10/08/2025

    S4E1 Chatting with our Annie Sullivan Award Winner, MDSB Teacher Heather Szoke

    Welcome to a new season of the Helping Children Learn Podcast! We start off with our Annie Sullivan Award Winner from the 2024-2025 school year, MDSB teacher Heather Szoke! We sit down with her and talk about the moment she won the award at our Opening Day ceremony, what drives her to be an awesome teacher, and how the IU shaped her future in special education from the very start of her career! This podcast can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more! Just type in the search bar “Helping Children Learn” and you will find it. You can also find this video podcast with closed captioning on our Facebook and YouTube page. #helpingchildrenlearn #specialeducation #anniesullivan #autism

    S4E1 Chatting with our Annie Sullivan Award Winner, MDSB Teacher Heather Szoke

  4. 05/06/2025

    S3E8 Caring for Caregivers

    Working in special education, or any education for that matter, is exhausting. It's rewarding work, of course, but some days you leave your classroom feeling like you gave it everything you had. Over time, this can lead to burnout if you don't take care or yourself. On this episode of the Helping Children Learn Podcast, we talk about Caring for Caregivers. We go over wellness, self-care, and overall preservation of your mind, body and spirit. We even held a professional development session about it for our people! This podcast can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more! Just type in the search bar “Helping Children Learn” and you will find it. You can also find this video podcast with closed captioning on our Facebook and YouTube page. #helpingchildrenlearn #caringforcaregivers #education #selfcare #wellness #teacher #pennsylvania

    S3E8 Caring for Caregivers

  5. 04/01/2025

    S3E7 Sensory Strategies for Taking Children Out in Public

    Now that the weather is getting warmer, we are going to start taking our family and our children out more often! But parents of special needs children know it's not always that easy. Children with sensory perception issues can have a difficult time in places most people find routine; grocery stores, birthday parties, etc. In the April episode of the Helping Children Learn Podcast, we sit down with two of our Occupational Therapists to talk strategy! This episode is all about helping parents better prepare their special needs children to stay calm and have a positive sensory experience out in the community! This podcast can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more! Just type in the search bar “Helping Children Learn” and you will find it. You can also find this video podcast with closed captioning on our Facebook and YouTube page.

    S3E7 Sensory Strategies for Taking Children Out in Public

  6. 03/04/2025

    S3E6 Transitioning Our Children to Kindergarten

    When a student starts their K-12 education all the way from the beginning, it's a huge step for that child and their family. For IU21 early intervention students, we give them a helping hand when they leave one of our Early Learning Centers to move on to five days a week at a district's elementary school. In this episode of the Helping Children Learn Podcast, we talk to our Transition to Kindergarten team, Kristen Onder and Katie Titano, about what they do to make sure it's a warm handoff from IU to school district. We talk about what parents and students can expect, what's involved, and some success stories that keep them inspired. This podcast can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more! Just type in the search bar “Helping Children Learn” and you will find it. You can also find this video podcast with closed captioning on our Facebook and YouTube page.

    S3E6 Transitioning Our Children to Kindergarten

  7. 02/04/2025

    S3E5 The Intricacies of IU21's Transportation Department

    In this episode of the Helping Children Learn Podcast, we dive into the world of our Transportation Department! We learn that intermediate unit transportation is not as easy as it looks. There's lots of hard work that goes into the pickup and drop-off of our special needs students every single day. So what does that look like? Each bussing route is customized and designed for that specific day, and that plan will likely change for the next day. We sit in with our Transportation Director and our Transportation Manager/Safety Coordinator to talk about what makes IU transportation so unique and unlike traditional school bus routing. This podcast can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more! Just type in the search bar “Helping Children Learn” and you will find it. You can also find this video podcast with closed captioning on our Facebook and YouTube page.

    S3E5 The Intricacies of IU21's Transportation Department

  8. 12/02/2024

    S3E4 The Work Life of an Itinerant Teacher

    The life of an itinerant teacher is not typical in the world of education. Where most people stay in one classroom or one building, these people travel from school to school to educate children across their region. In this episode of the HCL Podcast, we talk to two itinerant teachers in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program about the challenges, the benefits, and expectations of their position. This podcast can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more! Just type in the search bar “Helping Children Learn” and you will find it. You can also find this video podcast with closed captioning on our Facebook and YouTube page.

    S3E4 The Work Life of an Itinerant Teacher
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About

Welcome to the Helping Children Learn Podcast! Pennsylvania's education system is supported by an Intermediate Unit in their region. Quite frankly, it seems the general public is largely unaware of what an IU does. This podcast is aiming to educate people about the role IUs play in the everyday life of students. Ranging from special needs to gifted, we help students all over the commonwealth achieve their goals. This podcast comes to you from CLIU21 out of Carbon and Lehigh counties (Eastern PA). We will be talking about programs and services we provide to students and teachers in the 14 public school districts including private and charter schools.

Information

  • Creator
    CLIU21
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © 2023. Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21. HCL Podcast. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Helping Children Learn Podcast