December 13, 2021 Child Care Masking Order Lifted On December 10, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a ruling that ended the Acting Secretary of Health’s order that masks must be worn by children age two and older, educators and staff in child care settings. Learn More Any citations for regulatory violations issued pursuant 55 Pa. Code Chapters 3270, 3280, and 3290 pertaining to compliance with “pertinent laws and regulations” “general health and safety,” and “child and adult health information for failure to comply with the Acting Secretary of Health’s Order will be rescinded. Though masking is no longer a requirement, Acting Human Services Secretary Meg Snead strongly urges all providers to continue requiring mask use for children age 2 and older, and educators and staff. The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) issued an announcement stating that providers can still their own health and safety policies for their staff and children in care in line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC’s guidance for child care facilities at this time still recommends universal masking for children age 2 and older and staff regardless of vaccination status, specifically: “Indoors: CDC recommends universal masking in ECE programs for everyone two years of age and older, regardless of vaccination status. Outdoors: In general, people do not need to wear masks when outdoors. CDC recommends that people age 2 and older who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings or during activities that involve sustained close contact with other people.” More Information For more details, read OCDEL’s full announcement. Stay up-to-date on the most recent CDC Guidance for Operating Child Care. Questions should be directed to the OCDEL Western Region Office at 800-222-2149.
2021 State of Child Welfare Report Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children has released their 2021 State of Child Welfare Report, which raises concerns about the need to strengthen the child welfare system. Data was collected in 2020, highlighting only the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report shows a decrease in child protective services reporting and the number of children placed in foster care statewide. Report Findings In 2020 there were 32,919 CPS reports, which was a 22% decline in reports from 2019, but the substantiation of reports was the highest in the last five years, with 14% of reports being investigated and found to be true. Notably, stay-at-home orders, moving to virtual learning, and less contact with medical professionals created a significant decrease in mandated reporting trends during the year for which the most recent data is available. While substantiation rates did increase, data from 2021 will be significant to see how trends shift as schools resumed in-person instruction. There was subsequently more interaction between mandated reporters, such as teachers, with children and families. We anticipate the 2021 data will show an increase in referrals and a potential decrease in substantiation as the system struggles to respond to the needs of children experiencing abuse and neglect during an unprecedented time of crisis. In 2020, 21,689 children were served in the Pennsylvania foster care system, a 12% decrease in the total population from the prior year. Fewer referrals being made by mandated reporters means fewer occasions to identify abuse leading to placement. Additional Information The full 2021 State of Child Welfare report, as well as a snapshot for each county, can be viewed on the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children website.
December 10, 2021 Apply for a Children’s Trust Fund Grant The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is accepting applications for Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) grants. About the Children’s Trust Fund Grants The purpose of the CTF grants is to promote community-based primary and secondary child abuse and neglect prevention programs throughout the Commonwealth. Any organization located and operating in Pennsylvania that provides direct services and meets the criteria is eligible to apply for a CTF grant. CTF funds are available for up to a three-year grant cycle that will begin on the effective date of the grant agreement and end on June 30, 2025. The focus is to support community-based child abuse and neglect prevention projects. Selected Applicants must use Evidence-Based or Evidence-Informed programs that focus on the parent or primary caregiver, and their child, or the whole family. The program can’t focus solely on the child. The maximum CTF grant award is $50,000 per year, and applicants must provide a minimum local match of 25 percent of the requested CTF grant award for the first year and a minimum local match of 50 percent of the requested grant award for the second and third grant years. The continuation of CTF grants each year of the three-year cycle is contingent upon the availability of funds and successful program evaluation of the project. How to Apply Application details and forms are available at the eMarketPlace website. Each Applicant must submit one complete copy of the Submittal via email to RAPWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV. The subject line of the email must indicate “RFA 17-21 Application”. Applications are due by 12 p.m. on January 13, 2022. The CTF Board will vote to approve the number of awards at their meeting on March 31. 2022. Questions Questions must be submitted via email only, with the subject line “RFA # 17-21 Question,” to Eric McCoy at RAPWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV. Applicants must submit questions as they arise, but no later than 12 p.m. December 14, 2021. Written answers to the questions submitted will be posted on December 22, 2021 on the Department of General Services’ (DGS) website at the eMarketPlace website.
December 9, 2021 Child Care Certification Regulation Requirements to be Reinstated To maintain compliance with the Office of Child Care (OCC) federal requirements, certain child care regulations extended under Act 73 of 2021 will be reinstated effective January 6, 2022. There will be some child care regulations that will continue to be suspended until further notice. About To assist child care providers with the transition of the reinstatement of certain regulatory requirements (relating to § 98.41 health and safety requirements and § 98.42 Enforcement of licensing and health and safety requirements), and continued suspension of other regulatory requirements, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has provided a Regulation Reinstatement or Suspension End Dates: OCDEL Guidance Chart. The chart outlines the regulation sections that were reinstated or suspended, and when child care certification staff will begin measuring compliance for the regulations that were reinstated. Some of the compliance dates will vary. More Information Details about the regulations that have been reinstated and those that remain suspended are outlined in the full announcement online. Questions should be directed to the OCDEL Western Region Office at 800-222-2149.
December 8, 2021 New Pittsburgh Public Schools Board Members and President On December 7, 2021, after new school board members Jamie Piotrowski, Tracey Reed, and Eugene Walker were sworn in, Sala Udin (School Board District 3) was elected President of the Board. Devon Taliaferro (District 2) was named 1st Vice-President and Pam Harbin (District 4) was named 2nd Vice-President. One of the first major actions the board will need to take will be to approve the 2022 budget of $690.3 million. Since 2017, spending in Pittsburgh Public Schools (district and charter) has grown by $99.3 million while revenues have grown by $45.6 million. The board will also need to approve a plan to spend $100 million in American Rescue Plan dollars by the end of the year as well (which called for money for tutors, out of school partnerships, operational excellence, and more). The biggest challenge facing this board is that overall K-12 enrollment in Pittsburgh’s public schools has declined by 2,916 students since 2017 (District: -4,041; Charter: +1,125). A+ Schools will host a lunch and learn conversation on Wednesday, December 15 at noon to discuss the budget proposals. Registration for this virtual event may be completed online.
Report Highlights Home-Based Child Care as Key to Economic Recovery Trying Together, Allegheny County child care providers, business leaders, and advocates joined representatives of state legislative offices and members of the community on December 7, 2021 to release a new report from the nonprofit ReadyNation on the importance of protecting and strengthening home-based child care – calling such actions essential to supporting our state’s working parents and to bolstering our economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19. About The report, “Home-Based Child Care: A Key to Keeping the Pennsylvania Workforce and Economy Strong,” documents that the number of family child care homes has dropped 32 percent across Pennsylvania in recent years. In fact, almost half of the 1,000+ child care providers that have closed permanently since the onset of the pandemic have been home-based providers. The report cautions that given the current overall shortage of child care, particularly for infants, this decrease in home-based child care availability is especially problematic. The panel discussion focused on the need to include home-based child care as part of state and federal efforts to stabilize and strengthen the overall child care system. Noting that home-based child care is frequently overlooked when discussing solutions to the present child care crisis, the report identifies reforms focused on quality caregiving and sustainability. Specifically, the report recommends: Enhanced mentorship opportunities for home-based providers; Revising the Keystone STARS Program to recognize key differences among home-based providers and ensure that high-quality home-based providers can more readily become rated as high-quality; Increasing compensation to cover the actual cost of high-quality care through subsidy rates and reform the reimbursement rates for home-based high-quality care; Stabilizing the budgets of home-based child care providers through participation in programs like Infant Toddler Contracted Slots; and, Engaging in public education and promotion efforts statewide on the importance of high-quality child care across all settings. More Information To learn more about the panel discussion, read this news release or view the recording.
December 7, 2021 Research Opportunity for Parents of Toddlers and Preschoolers Are you the parent of a two- to five-year old child? You may be able to participate in an online research study to help develop a new questionnaire for measuring emotion management in children. About Many toddlers and preschoolers experience strong emotions, but currently available questionnaires are not always reliable when used to assess emotions in very young children. The purpose of this University of Pittsburgh study is to create a new questionnaire for measuring emotion management in toddlers and preschoolers. Researchers hope their findings lead to better ways to support healthy emotional development in young children in the future. Participation involves one online session during which parents will complete online questionnaires for about 30 minutes to one hour. Participants will be compensated $50. For more information, visit the study’s website.
December 5, 2021 Happening Now: Pennie Open Enrollment The 2022 Open Enrollment Period for Pennie — Pennsylvania’s official health and dental insurance marketplace — is happening through January 15, 2022. About Pennie Pennie is the official health insurance marketplace in PA established under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The exchange enables eligible individuals to purchase private health insurance coverage at federally subsidized rates. Pennie’s plan comparison tool allows individuals to answer questions about their health status, preferred providers, and even prescription drug needs. The tool will then display coverage options with total costs for care, including premium, deductible, and total out-of-pocket costs. Webinar PennAEYC will host the team at Pennie to present information about affordable, individual health care options in the open insurance market place for the commonwealth on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 from 3 to 4 p.m. Join the webinar at this link. The webinar will be recorded for those who are unable to attend. It will be available on the PennAEYC website after the event. More Information For more information, view this flyer in English or Spanish or visit pennie.com.
December 2, 2021 Child Care Career Openings in the Pittsburgh Area Are you looking for open child care positions? Early learning programs in the Greater Pittsburgh Area are hiring! See this week’s featured jobs. Child Care Positions in Pittsburgh Part-Time Assistant Group Supervisor Fifth Avenue Family Child Care is seeking a Part-Time Assistant Group Supervisor to start in January 2022. This candidate should be available from 7:30 to 4:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 12:30-4:45 on Fridays from January 2022 – June 10th, 2022. Summer hours may be available. Apply: To apply, please email a resume and brief cover letter to Leah Thompson at fifthavenuefamilychildcare@gmail.com Submit a Job Each week, Trying Together highlights employer-submitted jobs on our website, social media, and in our newsletter. Submit a Job: To make it into next week’s post, submit the Child Care Provider Job Post Submission Form. All jobs submitted after Tuesday each week will be published in the following week’s news post. Publication dates may vary due to state and federal holidays. Unrelated jobs will not be included. For questions, contact Kara Bayer at kara@tryingtogether.org. Other Jobs in Early Childhood ECE Hire Visit the ECE Hire website to view early childhood education job listings and helpful tips on interviewing, resumes, and more. Submit a Job to PACCA Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) offers a Job Board for its members to post jobs for free and sends out submitted jobs via their Facebook page and e-newsletter. PACCA members can submit jobs online after signing into their membership account. For questions, contact Maureen Murphy at maureen.murphy@pacca.org. Receive Jobs in Your Inbox To receive the latest job opportunities, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook.
Trying Together ECE Lending Library to Open December 6 The Trying Together Early Childhood Education (ECE) Lending Library will open on Monday, December 6, and be available for early learning providers to borrow an array of materials for their programs. There will be an open house for providers from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on opening night. (Note: Edited on 3/8/22 to reflect updated operating hours) About The ECE Lending Library items support and recognize learning abilities, cultural diversity, and health and safety. Materials include: Books for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers Infant social-emotional support kits Toddler dress up trunks Puppet sets STEM and coding kits Active play kits Storytelling kits Sensory items and kits Musical instruments Leadership resources Resources related to early childhood education and interactions with children Die cut machines Inspire Interactive Panels Location Trying Together offices 5604 Solway Street (Second Floor), Room 204 Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Hours Tuesday – Thursday | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. First Saturday of each month | 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. More Information For details about how to access the library, how to check out items, and to view a full list of available items, visit the ECE Lending Library website or view this flyer.
