HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has announced $250,000 in grant funding to support master’s level Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) graduate students during their school-based placements. This initiative aims to attract more SLP students to schools and strengthen the educator pipeline.
The funding is available to local education agencies (LEAs) that establish or expand school-based SLP placements. LEAs can apply for a $5,000 stipend per master’s-level SLP, with a total of $250,000 available statewide.
“Speech-language pathologists support our students every day, helping them to communicate and learn valuable techniques and skills,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “These professionals are vital to our school communities, and the work they do helps strengthen students’ abilities and confidence in and out of the classroom.”
Eligible LEAs include school districts, approved private schools, career and technical education centers (CTCs), charter schools, cyber charter schools, and intermediate units. The goal is to support LEAs facing challenges in securing SLP externs and to increase the number of SLP students pursuing instructional I certification or educational specialist certification.
An overview webinar for interested LEAs is scheduled for Monday, August 5th, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. The session will be recorded for future access.
PDE is committed to addressing the shortage of speech-language therapists in schools. Offering a stipend aims to attract and retain qualified individuals for these critical positions. This initiative is part of a broader effort to support special educators, school psychologists, paraprofessionals, and related services.
Recently, PDE also announced more than $1.4 million to grow Pennsylvania’s special educator workforce. Last year, it provided funding to help paraeducators earn special education teaching credentials and awarded $1.5 million to universities to bolster the special education teacher workforce.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.