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All staff at child care programs must complete in-person pediatric first aid and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training within 90 days of hire or renew their certification before expiration. Until they do so, they can’t care for children unsupervised.

About

The reauthorized CCDBG Fund requires all staff in licensed child care programs to be certified in Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR.

The training must be conducted by an approved Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) Instructor using an Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) recognized curriculum for compliance with certification regulations. It may be offered using face-to-face or blended/hybrid (online and face-to-face) models; however, a hands-on instructor led component must always be present for the practicum portions of the training.

Requirements

To be accepted by DHS Certification, all Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR trainings must:

• include hands-on session to be compliant with certification regulations;
• include “Pediatric” in the course title;
• and offer a training card or certificate that lists, at minimum, the participant’s name, full title of the offered course.

The online-only course titled “Adult, Child, and Baby First Aid/CPR” certification will no longer be accepted to meet compliance with certification regulations. Note: Any staff that completed the online-only course prior to September 30, 2021, will not be cited for non-compliance with certification regulations.

Approved Courses

For a list of approved Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR providers and curriculums, view OCDEL’s full announcement and Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR Free Training flyer.

Questions

Child care providers can direct comments and questions regarding this announcement to their Regional Office of Child Development and Early Learning. The Western Region office number is 800-222-2149.