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Kid Spark Education and Special Olympics Washington Partner to Launch New Early Childhood STEM and Literacy Curriculum

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WEBB CITY, Mo., Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kid Spark Education and Special Olympics Washington have partnered to develop a new early childhood STEM, literacy, and sports-themed curriculum for Pre-K through 1st grade learners.

The new curriculum is part of Kid Spark Education’s Early Childhood STEM & Literacy Program, which helps young learners build strong foundations in STEM and literacy through hands-on learning, engineering, problem solving, and invention during a critical stage of development.

Designed to support both academic and social-emotional growth, the curriculum integrates literacy, STEM, sport, and inclusion in age-appropriate ways that help children build confidence, communication skills, creativity, and a belief in their ability to learn and solve problems.

Each lesson begins with a sports-themed read-aloud that supports early literacy development. Students then explore how creativity, engineering, and thoughtful design can help make sports more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Lessons conclude with hands-on engineering and invention challenges where students design and build their own solutions using materials from Kid Spark’s Early Inventors STEM Lab.

The lessons build on the foundation of Special Olympics Washington’s Young Readers program, which uses children’s books to promote inclusion and belonging. By extending ideas introduced during the read-aloud into hands-on STEM challenges and design activities, the collaboration helps students connect literacy, engineering, creativity, and inclusive problem solving in meaningful and engaging ways.

“What excites me about this partnership is how intentionally this curriculum brings together STEM, literacy, sport, and inclusion in ways that are meaningful and accessible for young learners.

These lessons encourage students to read, explore, build, communicate, and problem solve while thinking about how creativity, engineering, and thoughtful design can help create more inclusive opportunities for everyone. Early childhood is a critical stage of development, and these are the kinds of learning experiences that help children build confidence, strong foundations in STEM and literacy, and a belief in their ability to learn, create, and solve problems.”

– Ryan Neden, Executive Director, Kid Spark Education

The curriculum is grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and aligned with social-emotional learning practices to help support a wide range of learners and learning environments.

Designed for classrooms, afterschool programs, and community settings, the curriculum is supported by a curated collection of children’s storybooks, hands-on engineering materials, adaptable lesson plans, and educator training and support.

“Our partnership with Kid Spark Education strengthens Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools by bringing inclusive STEM, literacy, in conjunction with sport to early learners by using adaptable tools to support a wide range of skills. It’s another powerful option we can offer schools to create meaningful, accessible, and socially inclusive opportunities for every student.”

– Morgan Larche, Director of Unified Schools, Special Olympics Washington

Learn more about the curriculum and explore the new inclusive STEM & literacy lessons here.

About Kid Spark Education

Kid Spark Education is a national nonprofit whose mission is to help ignite a love of STEM and literacy in all young learners. We design hands-on learning solutions that meet today’s students’ needs and expand access to STEM and literacy learning, especially for underserved communities.

Visit kidsparkeducation.org to learn more about our programs or explore how you can partner with Kid Spark to expand access to STEM and literacy learning for all students.

Media, Partnerships, Program Information, or Funding Inquiries:
Ryan Neden – Executive Director
Kid Spark Education
ryann@kidsparkeducation.org

About Special Olympics Washington

Special Olympics Washington is dedicated to promoting inclusion and respect through sport. By providing year-round training and competition opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics Washington builds communities where everyone belongs.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kid-spark-education-and-special-olympics-washington-partner-to-launch-new-early-childhood-stem-and-literacy-curriculum-302849245.html

SOURCE Kid Spark Education

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Coverdash Partners with Housecall Pro, Bringing Embedded Business Insurance to Home Service Pros

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Home service professionals can compare quotes from 30+ leading commercial carriers, purchase coverage in minutes, and access certificates of insurance without leaving Housecall Pro

NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Coverdash, a leading digital insurtech company transforming embedded insurance, and Housecall Pro, a leading field service management platform trusted by over 200,000 home service professionals, have partnered to change how home service businesses access and manage insurance. By embedding Coverdash’s end-to-end experience directly into the Housecall Pro® platform, plumbers, HVAC technicians, electricians, cleaners, landscapers, and other pros now have seamless access to coverage alongside the tools they already use to run their operations every day.

Running a home service business means juggling a constant stream of demands: scheduling jobs, dispatching technicians, invoicing, and growing a team. Insurance sits at the center of it all—protecting the business from on-the-job accidents and property damage, and satisfying the contract requirements that often demand proof of coverage before work can even begin. Yet it has always been one more thing handled separately, sourced through a different vendor, managed elsewhere, and renewed through a different process each year. For busy trades professionals, that friction compounds quickly.

Through this partnership, Coverdash integrates directly into the Housecall Pro platform, allowing pros to access tailored coverage in the same place they schedule jobs, manage customers, and process payments. Through a seamless integration, Housecall Pro has embedded Coverdash’s full experience spanning General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Commercial Auto, Professional Liability, Cyber, Business Owners Policies, and more. Users get instant quotes, compare hundreds of carriers, and purchase coverage in minutes. Once covered, users can download a Certificate of Insurance directly within the Housecall Pro solution, making it effortless to share proof of coverage the moment it’s requested.

The integration also includes Coverdash’s pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation product, which connects premiums directly to real-time workforce data. Users can opt in at the point of payroll, so coverage activates alongside their team from day one. Rather than estimating annual payroll upfront and reconciling at year-end, premiums update automatically with each pay cycle—meaning pros pay only based on what they actually pay their team.

“Home service professionals are running demanding businesses every day,” said Ralph Betesh, CEO of Coverdash. “The last thing they should have to worry about is whether they’re properly covered. By embedding directly into the Housecall Pro platform, we’re meeting pros exactly where they work and making it effortless to get the right coverage in minutes. This is what insurance should look like for the modern small business owner.”

The Housecall Pro platform was built to be the operating system for home service businesses, with features spanning scheduling, dispatching, digital invoicing, payment processing, payroll, accounting AI-powered tools, and marketing automation. Adding embedded insurance through Coverdash makes the platform truly all-in-one, building on Coverdash’s proven track record of doing the same for other industry leaders.

“Our goal is to help home service professionals manage every aspect of their business from a single platform,” said Brooks Pettus, President of Housecall Pro. “Insurance is critical to running and growing a service business, and it’s traditionally been disconnected from the tools pros use every day. By partnering with Coverdash, we’re helping our Pros secure coverage and stay compliant so they can focus on what they do best—delivering great work and taking care of their customers—all without leaving Housecall Pro.”

About Coverdash

Coverdash is a fully digital business insurance agency that specializes in serving the insurance needs of businesses of all shapes and sizes. Coverdash’s embedded technology enables any partner to host its end-to-end insurance experience with a single line of code. Coverdash is headquartered in New York and is a licensed insurance agency across all 50 states.

Interested in partnering with Coverdash? Check out: https://www.coverdash.com/partner

About Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro is a leading AI field service platform trusted by more than 200,000 home service professionals who have served 1 in 4 American homes. With automated workflows including estimating, customer communication, scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, payments, and much more, Housecall Pro helps Pros save time, grow revenue, and earn customers’ trust. Housecall Pro supports the industry through the Champion the Trades® program. Learn more at HousecallPro.com. Learn more at housecallpro.com.

CONTACT: partners@coverdash.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/coverdash-partners-with-housecall-pro-bringing-embedded-business-insurance-to-home-service-pros-302849752.html

SOURCE Coverdash

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ISA Recognizes 2026 Celebrating Excellence Awardees

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DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The International Society of Automation (ISA) — the leading professional society for automation — has announced the 2026 ISA Celebrating Excellence award recipients. With this honors and awards program, ISA has an opportunity to formally showcase and celebrate the remarkable achievements and contributions of its members, partners and other automation professionals.

The Celebrating Excellence awards program was created to stimulate, enhance, encourage, acknowledge and reward outstanding contributions to the Society and the automation profession. It provides an avenue for individuals to compete for recognition within established categories.

Congratulations to our 2026 awardees on their outstanding achievements and this well-deserved recognition.

2026 Celebrating Excellence Honorees

Best-Selling Book

Measurement and Control Basics, Fifth Edition by Thomas A. Hughes

Enduring Society Service

Jagdish Shukla

Excellence in Education

Pappa Natarajan

Excellence in Mentoring

Dr. Swati Prashant Madhe

Excellence in Technical Achievement

Shahida Md Yusof

Excellence in Standards

Graham Nasby, P.Eng.Pete Vande Visse

Section Excellence

MalaysiaPuneSpain

Student Volunteers of the Year

Ana Medrano ValeroÁngela Blanco PérezPaula Francisca Moreno Prieto

Volunteers of the Year

Álvaro Raimúndez MartínezArmando GonzalezH S PansarePhillip Swinson

This year’s award recipients will be honored at the Honors & Awards Gala as part of the ISA Automation Summit & Expo to be held 27-29 September 2026 in Lake Buena Vista, FL. For more information, visit ase.isa.org.

About ISA

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1945 to create a better world through automation. ISA’s mission is to empower the global automation community through standards and knowledge sharing. ISA develops widely used global standards and conformity assessment programs; certifies professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; hosts conferences and exhibits; and provides networking and career development programs for its members and customers around the world. Learn more at www.isa.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/isa-recognizes-2026-celebrating-excellence-awardees-302848385.html

SOURCE The International Society of Automation

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Goldsainte AI, The Social Marketplace for Travel, Launches in More Than 45 Countries and 10 Languages

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) backed development of the proof of concept with an undisclosed investment, validating a marketplace where creators inspire trips, certified specialists design them, and travelers book directly

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Goldsainte AI today announced the launch of the social marketplace for travel, available in more than 45 countries and 10 languages, connecting travelers, travel content creators, and certified travel specialists in one platform.

Travel planning today is fragmented: inspiration on social media, research scattered across saved links, booking somewhere else entirely. Goldsainte AI unifies it through personal storefronts, direct messaging, and a global marketplace of bookable trips — with every payment secured by Stripe.

Travelers describe their dream trip in plain language, and Goldsainte’s AI builds a personalized itinerary matched to certified specialists. Trips can be booked instantly or customized start to finish, with group coordination built in.

Travel content creators turn their profile into a storefront: publishing destination guides with an AI writer that writes in their voice, opening brand collaborations, organizing group trips, and sharing marketplace trips through affiliate links — earning a commission on every booking they inspire.

Certified travel specialists — professionals holding recognized industry credentials such as IATA/IATAN or ARC accreditation, The Travel Institute’s CTA or CTC designations, or ASTA Verified Travel Adviser status — get everything needed to run a travel business in one place: hire requests, a client pipeline, a storefront, and direct Stripe payments as the sellers of record.

AWS backed the platform’s proof of concept with an undisclosed cash investment, helping Goldsainte AI validate its model and scale for global launch.

“Travel is the most social thing we do, but planning it has never reflected that,” said Andre C. Powell, Founder and CEO of Goldsainte AI. “On Goldsainte, creators inspire the trip, certified specialists design it by hand, and travelers book directly.”

Goldsainte AI is available now at goldsainte.ai, where its web app can be downloaded for any device. Joining is free, and creators and specialists can open storefronts and post unlimited trips at no cost.

About Goldsainte AI

Goldsainte AI is the social marketplace for travel — connecting travelers with creators and independent travel specialists through personal storefronts, direct messaging, and a global marketplace of bookable trips. Learn more at goldsainte.ai.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goldsainte-ai-the-social-marketplace-for-travel-launches-in-more-than-45-countries-and-10-languages-302849814.html

SOURCE Goldsainte, Inc

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