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The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development  and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the state Department of Health have issued new guidance due to an uptick in positive measles cases in the state.

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Those operating a child care facility in the state who knows of a student having an illness that may be of public concern, regardless of whether it is known to be communicable, should report it promptly to the Department of Health or a local department that handles health issues.

As indicated in the Child Care Works (CCW) Provider Agreement, an early learning resource center (ELRC) will pay providers for a maximum of five consecutive days of absence due to an illness. 

On the sixth consecutive day, the absence must be reported to the ELRC, which will notify the parent or caretaker that the enrollment for the subsidized child care will be suspended until the child returns to care. The provider must report to the ELRC when the child returns after a CCW suspension period.

If a child is enrolled in CCW and needs to be excluded as outlined, a provider must contact the ELRC immediately so they can promptly suspend CCW to prevent enrolled families from accruing absences related to the medical exclusion. Once a CCW case is in suspended status, payment is not remitted to the provider.

The ELRC will pay for a maximum of 40 days of absence during the state’s fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) for each child. This is a cumulative number per child, regardless of provider transfers during the fiscal year. If absences exceed 40 days, the parent or caretaker is responsible to pay the provider for all additional absences. Suspended days and provider closed days are not considered days of absence.

Children funded through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are not subject to the 40 days absence limit. 

For more information, visit The Pennsylvania Key’s measles information and guidance page.