June 23, 2025 OCDEL Bureau of Certification Services Podcast Covers Topics for Child Care Providers For those seeking news and information on the state Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s (OCDEL) Bureau of Certification Services, a good place to start would be The Confluence Podcast. Learn More Confluence means “a flowing together,” and can often refer to the coming together of ideas or factors. In The Confluence Podcast, listeners can learn about the complexities of the Bureau of Certification Services’ partnership with stakeholders across the state, especially Early Childhood providers, children, and families. The podcast’s latest episode, “Understanding the Complex Differences Between Certification and Quality Initiatives,” explores confusion around what are general health and safety and certification requirements and what are the standards and processes for quality initiatives, both local and national. In this episode, the Bureau of Certification Services’s director, Ruby Martin, and division chief, Chris Loos, discuss complex issues facing the provider community with Luisa Olivo-Wolf, director of OCDEL’s Bureau of Early Learning Policy. To listen to other episodes, visit The Confluence Podcast’s web page.
February 26, 2025 OCDEL’s New Confluence Podcast on CPSL Requirements Now Available Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has released a new Confluence podcast titled “Clarifying the Child Protective Service Law (CPSL) Requirements for Child Care.” Learn More In the podcast, hosts Ruby Martin, director of the Bureau of Certification Services, and Chris Loos, the bureau’s division chief, discuss and clarify Announcement C-25-01. The announcement involves CPSL requirements for provisional hiring in all child care program types. The podcast hosts also answer some frequently asked questions about the field. The monthly Confluence podcasts enable listeners to understand the complexities of OCDEL’s Bureau of Certification Services. The first two episodes – Introduction & What is Federal Monitoring and Exploring the Revised Health and Safety Training – are also available. The latest episode of the podcast is available on The Pennsylvania Key’s website.
