The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has launched a live hotline to assist families with the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program.

About

Pennsylvanians who have not received their child’s P-EBT benefits or have an issue with P-EBT can dial 484-363-2137 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

P-EBT is designed to help eligible families cover the cost of breakfasts and lunches their children would have been eligible to receive for free or at reduced price through the National School Lunch Program in child care or school settings that closed temporarily or permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Families can use their P-EBT benefits to purchase almost any food item in a typical grocery store, and the program follows the same rules as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

P-EBT in PA

According to an announcement by the DHS, more than one million children in Pennsylvania are eligible for P-EBT and more than 757,000 cards have now been activated by families who choose to use the benefit. DHS has received approximately 30,000 requests to reissue lost cards or cards that were never delivered.

Staff are monitoring the phone line and webform, and they are responding to inquiries and mailing replacement cards when they are requested. While parents may experience long wait times on the hotline initially, DHS is continuing to hire and train additional staff to help families resolve outstanding inquiries as quickly as possible.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has announced that an Impact Project with the National State Capacity Building Center will focus on rewriting Pennsylvania’s child care regulations with a lens toward equity, quality, and decreasing provider burden.

About

This rewrite will be an opportunity for the early childhood and school-age community in Pennsylvania to co-create regulations in a way that builds stakeholder confidence in the process and:

• Increases alignment with quality improvement

• Promotes greater equity; and

• Decreases burden experienced by child care providers

OCDEL is seeking providers to participate in an Early Learning Council (ELC) Subcommittee that will provide feedback on the draft regulations. Learn how to apply – applications must be submitted by November 19.

Timeline

OCDEL anticipates beginning the work of the ELC subcommittee in the winter of 2021-2022. The earliest that regulations could be finalized for publication is fall of 2024.

More Information

Visit the Certification Rewrite Page on the Pennsylvania Key’s website to view a video from Deputy Secretary Tracey Campanini, and learn more about the process, timeline, and how to participate.

The Start Strong PA campaign has created a new video featuring Pennsylvania child care providers and parents as they talk about how the staffing crisis is impacting their business and ability to work.

Stories From the Field

Child care is crucial to many parents’ ability to work. However, child care providers are struggling to recruit and retain staff, leaving families across Pennsylvania unable to find and afford the care options they need.

Last month, the Start Strong PA Campaign partners issued results of a new survey detailing the current child care staffing crisis in 1,163 child care programs across Pennsylvania. Those results showed:

• Nearly 26,000 children currently sit on waiting lists.
• More than 34,000 additional children could be served at respondents’ sites if they were fully staffed.
• 92% of respondents reported staffing shortages.
• 51% of respondents have closed at least one classroom.

Now you can hear directly from those PA child care providers and parents in this newly released video about how the staffing crisis is impacting their business and ability to work.

The Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PKC) and Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP) Operations Report for FY 2020-2021 from the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is now available.

About the Report

The Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts pre-kindergarten program makes quality pre-kindergarten opportunities available to children and families across the commonwealth. Head Start programs provide comprehensive services for income eligible children from birth to entry into kindergarten, and are designed to address developmental goals for children, employment and self-sufficiency goals for adults, and support for parents in their work and child-caring roles.

The operations report is provided to the Pennsylvania General Assembly annually and shares information about program operations in FY 2020-2021.

Highlights include:

• In the 2020-21fiscal year (FY), Pennsylvania PKC assisted 20,038 students from families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level.

• HSSAP served 5,487 children from families earning up to 100% of the federal poverty level.

• FY 2020-21 was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Pennsylvania PKC and HSSAP were allowed flexibility in how instruction during FY 2020-21 occurred. All providers used a blend of in-person, hybrid, and remote learning options throughout the school year, with models varying based on local and county-level COVID-19 levels, family needs, and staffing shortages.

More Information

For details, read the full report. Questions about the report can be directed to Deborah C. Wise at dewise@pa.gov.