Education

Ewing Township, N.J. – October 07, 2026 -- Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is holding its third annual Baking Soda Rocket Day on October 8, a nationwide hands-on STEAM event that has reached more than 200,000 students since launching in 2024.

The program combines classroom resources, baking soda rocket launches and in-person events designed to connect science lessons to real career paths for young learners.

Flagship events land in Chicago and Houston with aerospace guests

In Chicago, aerospace engineer and Emmy-nominated TV host Emily Calandrelli will lead students at Shoop Academy of Math, Science and Technology through an interactive rocket experiment for her third consecutive year with the program.

In Houston, Arm & Hammer is partnering with Space Center Houston, where retired astronaut Michael Baker, who flew four space missions, will share firsthand stories about careers in the space industry.

Erie, Pa. – October 06, 2026 -- The Institute of Medical and Business Careers (IMBC) is enrolling students in a 12-month Welding Technology diploma program at its Erie, Pennsylvania campus, offering a shorter path into a skilled trade than a traditional college schedule.

The program trains students across 35 welding bays on multiple techniques.

Located at 5739 West 26th Street in Erie, the campus provides hands-on instruction in MIG, TIG, pipe, and structural metal welding. Students also learn destructive and non-destructive testing, quality control, and safety procedures. The program does not require an internship.

Greenville, S.C. – October 06, 2026 -- South Carolina's Kindergarten Readiness Assessment measures children across four areas: Social Foundations, Language/Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Well-Being, placing social and physical development alongside early academic skills.

Independence matters as much as letters and numbers

At Archway Academy, a Greenville-based early childhood education provider, President Tami Nix says preparing children for kindergarten means building independence alongside academics. "We're doing the academic piece, but we're also working on the whole child," Nix said. "Reading is important. It is the foundation for learning, but children need to have all those pieces together as we prepare them for kindergarten."

Berlin – October 05, 2026 -- Four U.S. college students arrived in Berlin last week as the first recipients of the Knowledge Without Borders: Democracy and Memory Fellowship, a program funded through a $55,000 gift from Karen Collias, Ph.D., founder of Knowledge Without Borders (KWB).

The scholarship, administered by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), covers four first-generation, Pell-eligible undergraduates participating in CIEE's Berlin Open Campus program for the semester.

Students will study Germany's reckoning with Nazi history

Through coursework, site visits, and conversations with historians and civic leaders, the Fellows will examine Germany's history, including the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust, and how the country has shaped its collective memory since 1945.

Georgetown, Texas – October 05, 2026 -- Veterans and active-duty service members can get a free haircut at participating Sport Clips locations on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, as the haircare chain launches its 13th annual Help A Hero fundraising campaign.

The campaign runs Oct. 5 through Nov. 14, 2026, with donations collected at participating Sport Clips stores nationwide to benefit the VFW's Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship program.

The program has funded more than 3,600 scholarships since it began

Sport Clips, its clients, franchisees, team members and product partners have raised nearly $17 million through the campaign, funding over 3,600 scholarships via the VFW Foundation for veterans and service members pursuing civilian education and training.

Allston – October 05, 2026 -- First Chapters Preschool has opened an 8,000-square-foot flagship location at the new Enterprise Research Campus in Allston, Massachusetts, offering eight age-based classrooms for children from infancy through Pre-K. The center is already serving families living and working in the surrounding area.

First Chapters is part of Babilou Family, which has run early education programs for more than 20 years and operates over 40 centers across New England under brands including Little Sprouts, Heartworks and Building Blocks.

Atlanta – October 05, 2026 -- GoNoodle, the movement platform used in 88% of U.S. public and private elementary schools, has launched a new video and nationwide contest tied to Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's The Cat in the Hat, which hits theaters November 6.

A new video teaches kids the movie's invented movement language

The video, titled Let's Speak Thinglish!, teaches children the wordless body-percussion language used by the Things in the film. Created with the movie's choreographer, Christopher Scott, the lesson walks kids through Thinglish terms for "hello," "goodbye," "yes," and "no," then has them invent their own Thinglish names. The video is available on the Dr. Seuss channel on GoNoodle.com alongside the platform's existing library of Dr. Seuss content.

Wheeling, W.Va. – October 02, 2026 -- Hospitals, clinics, and community health centers across northern West Virginia are ramping up hiring for registered nurses, medical assistants, and radiologic technologists, according to a new HelloNation article featuring insights from Chelsea Gianni of West Virginia Junior College.

The piece identifies these three roles as the region's fastest-growing healthcare careers, each supported by training that blends online coursework with hands-on clinical experience.

Registered nurses handle direct patient care and medication administration

Registered nurse positions remain among the most sought-after roles in the region. RNs provide direct patient care, administer medications, and support treatment plans across multiple medical settings. Training typically follows a hybrid model combining online coursework, supervised clinical training, and preparation for licensing exams.

San José, Costa Rica – October 02, 2026 -- Costa Rica has launched a free digital platform called "Discover Costa Rica," an interactive map letting students, teachers, researchers, and tourists explore the country's geography, oceans, and culture online.

The platform maps national parks, volcanoes, and ocean territory

Developed by the Country Brand essential COSTA RICA with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, the University of Costa Rica's Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (CIMAR-UCR), and the UCR School of Geography, the tool covers national parks, islands, waterfalls, and volcanoes alongside ecosystems, protected areas, and biodiversity data. It is available in both Spanish and English.

Midland, Texas – October 02, 2026 -- A new HelloNation feature breaks down exactly what it takes to land steady, well-paying work as a mechanic, CDL driver, or oil and gas support technician, outlining the training, certifications, and hands-on experience employers expect.