News

July 7, 2023

PA DHS Accepting Applications for Children’s Trust Fund Grants

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is accepting applications for the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) grants to promote primary and secondary child abuse and neglect prevention programs in community-based settings in order to address child and family well-being and prevent abuse and neglect of children in the Commonwealth. The maximum CTF grant award is $50,000 per year.

About the Children’s Trust Fund Grants

The mission of the Pennsylvania Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) is to prevent child abuse and neglect in Pennsylvania. To do this, the CTF Board of Directors funds community-based primary and secondary prevention programs that support families.

The CTF was established in December 1988 by Act 1988-151. It operates under the administration of the CTF Board and is supported by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), a dual deputate of the Department of Human Services (DHS) the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

Funds for the CTF are generated from a $10 surcharge on all applications for marriage licenses and divorce complaints. These surcharges are paid into a special non-lapsing fund. Interest, donations and federal funds also contribute to the CTF.

The CTF is dedicated to funding community-based programs to prevent child abuse and neglect. Since its inception, the CTF has invested more than $37 million through 295 grants. See the list of current grantees.

The CTF also supports the work of the Pennsylvania Strengthening Families Leadership Team.

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 ra-pwrfaquestions@pa.gov. The subject line of the email must indicate “RFA 13-23 Application”. Applications are due by 10 a.m. on July 31, 2023. Please refer to the eMarketplace listing for any changes regarding the deadline.

Organizations can view the bid online. Awarded contracts are posted to eMarketplace after they become fully executed.

Questions?

If you have a question, send an email to Robin Lease at RAPWRFAQUESTIONS@PA.GOV. All emails should include the subject line “RFA #13-23 Question” and must be submitted by July 14, 2023 at 10 a.m. Written answers will be posted on the eMarketPlace website on July 21, 2023.

News

June 13, 2023

Air Quality Tips and Training Available for Families and Educators

To better protect adults and children during air quality alerts, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and Environmental Health Capacity (EHC) Program are offering tips and training to help families and children stay healthy.

About Air Quality Dangers & Alerts

Current weather patterns are pushing smoke from wildfires in eastern Canada into communities across the Commonwealth, increasing the average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the air.

Air quality can affect your health, especially people who may be at greater risk, including:

people with heart disease
people with lung disease (including asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD])
older adults
children and teenagers (because their lungs are still developing, and they breathe more air relative to their size)
people who are pregnant
people who work outdoors

If you experience symptoms like trouble breathing or dizziness, you should seek medical attention. If you know a family member or neighbor who has one of the above conditions, remember to check in on them.

Tips from DHS

During air quality alerts, all Pennsylvanians should:

avoid strenuous outdoor activities
keep outdoor activities short
consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them

Additionally, to help keep particle pollution lower indoors during air quality alerts:

don’t use candles or smoke indoors
keep windows and doors closed
use an air filter in your home, if you have one
- clean or replace filters according to manufacturer recommendations
- make your own portable air cleaner, if you don’t have one (the EPA offers DIY information on how to do so)

Training from the EHC Program

The EHC Program invites child care professionals to participate in a short nano learning course on air quality.

About the EHC Program

The EHC Program is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded program under the Division of Environmental Health Epidemiology (DEHE) with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. EHC seeks to provide outreach and education on topics related to children’s environmental health.

About the Learning Course on Air Quality

The nano learning course should take a few minutes minutes to complete and provides an overview of what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) is, why it is important, and how it can be included in your classroom plans and activities.

After completing the training, please complete a survey to inform future outreach efforts to childcare providers. The survey is a total of four questions. If you have comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact the EHC Program at dehe@pa.gov.

Access the Learning Course on Air Quality

Interested ECE educators can access the EHC Program learning course on air quality on YouTube.

Resources to Support the Course

Resources to support the learning course include:

Learn More

Visit www.airnow.gov to find the latest air quality levels and recommendations for your location.

To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Key Tips or Pennsylvania Key Training webpages.

News

June 5, 2023

Allegheny County Shares Summer Safety Guidance

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (ACDHS) and Department of Health (ACDOH) have published a Summer Safety Guide and Video to help families implement protective practices in the coming months.

About the Summer Safety Guide and Video

Warmer, sunny days encourage adults and children to get out and enjoy their surroundings. The Summer Safety Guide and Video offer some simple tips that make summer more fun and safe.

These resources include information on:

basic safety
car safety
sun safety
bug bites and stings
safety on wheels (bikes, skateboards, in-line skates, motorcycles, etc.)
play safety
campfires, grills, and fireworks
fire safety
water safety
open windows/doors
chemical/poison safety

Access the Summer Safety Guide and Video

Access the Summer Safety Guide

Access the Summer Safety Video

Learn More

To learn more, visit the ACDHS website.

News

April 21, 2022

Technology Access Award for Child Care Providers

Department of Human Services (DHS) certified child care centers can now apply for funding to purchase technology items such as laptops, wireless routers, tablets, and more to expand centers’ technological capacity and enrich the educational experience providers offer to young children and families.

About the Child Care Technology Access Awards

The Child Care Technology Access Awards are one-time grants available through federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act (CRRSA) funding. The award amount ranges from $2,500 to $5,500 and is based on the eligible DHS certified child care program’s provider type and licensed capacity. This funding opportunity will be awarded in the form of a voucher eligible recipients will use to order approved materials from the Kaplan Learning Company.

The following is a list of technology tools that eligible DHS certified child care programs can order through the award:

Accounting software
Headsets and Headphones
Laptop Computers
Office software
Portable Scanners
Printer/Scanners
Smaller items including printer ink and batteries
Tablets
Walkie-talkies
Web Cams
Wi-fi Access Point
Wi-fi Extenders
Wireless Routers

Eligibility

All eligible DHS certified child care providers, regardless of Keystone STAR Level, can apply. To be eligible, programs must meet the following requirements at the time of application submission and final approval:

be open and available to provide child care or temporarily closed no more than 14 consecutive business days due to COVID-19 exposure;
be in good standing with the Bureau of Certification Services and have a regular or provisional Certificate of Compliance (CoC);
have a Certificate of Compliance that is not in a Revocation or Refuse to Renew status with the Bureau of Certification Services; and,
not be under investigation by the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) for fraud or previously convicted of fraud.

Apply

DHS certified child care programs who want to apply will be required to designate an authorized representative to complete and electronically sign an online Attestation Form.

Kaplan Learning Center began sending emails to eligible DHS certified child care programs on April 20, 2022. DHS certified child care programs who believe they are eligible but have not received an email from info@kaplanco.com, should first check their spam/junk email inboxes to make sure the email did not get sent there. Programs that didn’t receive an email should contact Kaplan at 1-800-334-2014. To inquire about eligibility status, email OCDEL at RA-ocdelsubchildcare@pa.gov.

More Information

For additional information about the Award, please see the Announcement ELRC 22-02 Child Care Technology Access Award.

News

January 24, 2022

Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program Available

The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is available to help Pennsylvania families who have overdue water bills or at risk of losing water service for their home.

About

LIHWAP is a new, temporary program established through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Water assistance is provided as a grant paid directly to service providers and does not need to be repaid.

LIHWAP can help households that are in emergency situations maintain essential water access. Crisis situations include:

Past-due water bills;
Termination of water service; or,
Threat of termination of water service in the next 60 days.

Apply

Applicants can be renters or home owners and they do not need to be on public assistance; however, they do need to have an unpaid water bill to qualify.

Eligibility and income requirements are available on the PA Department of Human Services website. The application is available online on the COMPASS website.

News

January 10, 2022

Share Your ECE Story with DHS

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is asking early childhood education professionals and child care providers for stories about their work in the field.

About

DHS is collecting stories from providers and caring professionals about why their work is essential and why they chose their careers. The goal is to highlight the stories of the broader human services system and how the child care industry makes an impact in all parts of the community.

To Submit a Story

Stories can be emailed to the DHS Press Office at ra-pwdhspressoffice@pa.gov. DHS is looking for:

Why you chose an early childhood career
How your career lets you help others
A story about when you felt like you’ve made an impact
A time you’ve felt proud in your work helping others
Or any other story you’re willing to share

Please include names, county/place of residence, and a picture (if possible). Stories might be used on social media, the DHS blog, or the DHS central human services job recruitment page.

News

November 29, 2021

CCW Non-Traditional Care Add-On Rates Beginning January 2022

Beginning January 1, 2022, PA Department of Human Services certified child care providers who provide care to children receiving Child Care Works (CCW) during non-traditional hours will be eligible for a non-traditional care add-on rate.

About

DHS certified child care providers that provide care to children receiving CCW for at least two hours between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays or any amount of time on weekends will receive a non-traditional care add-on rate.

These rate incentives will support providers that offer care outside of traditional hours, giving parents a safe place for their children and the security necessary to help parents return to work.

The non-traditional care add-on only applies to the days that the non-traditional care takes place and not to any days the child only receives care during typical hours. The add-on rate will be 25% above the established subsidy base rate for each CCW child served during non-traditional hours. Keystone STAR designation does not impact this add-on.

For details, read the full announcement by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).

News

April 28, 2021

Format Change for FBI Clearance Result Letter

As of April 17, 2021, ChildLine has changed the format of the FBI Clearance Result letter.

The major change observed in the new format is the consolidation of result boxes. Instead of the four checkboxes previously used on the letter, all result letters now display only two boxes and either “ELIGIBLE” or “INELIGIBLE” will be checked.

Any agency that receives these result letters and wishes to verify the validity may contact ChildLine at 717-783-6211 or 1-877-371-5422. Childline cannot discuss the specific outcome for the applicant(s) with third parties, but can verify receipt of the new letter template.

Information regarding clearances and fingerprinting can be found on the Department of Human Services website.

News

August 6, 2020

School-Age Funding Opportunity in Allegheny County

If your Out-of-School-Time program needs funding support, check out this new school-age funding opportunity in Allegheny County.

About

With many Allegheny County schools starting the year full or partially remote, families with school-age children will face several challenges this fall. The critical work of Out-of-School-Time programs in supporting children and families is more important now than ever.

The Allegheny Department of Human Services (DHS), Trying Together, and United Way’s Allegheny County Partners for Out-of-School-Time (APOST) joined forces to support your work. Funding is available for both in-person Community Learning Hubs, as well as Virtual Pods and Programming. Interested applicants should review the information below and apply by Friday, August 14.

Funding Details

- Funding can be requested from Community Hub programming through December 31, 2020 for staffing, learning materials, personal protective equipment (masks), cleaning supplies, technology for staff only, building upgrades (wifi), transportation, and additional partners to provide enrichment activities and/or tutoring support.
- For Virtual Pods and Programming, funding will not exceed $50,000 per program for programming through December 31, 2020. This funding may be used for staffing, learning materials, online learning platforms, technology for staff and/or students, and additional partners to provide enrichment activities and/or tutoring support.

Eligibility

To receive funding, programs must meet a list of requirements, including requirements related to, but not limited to, staffing, enrollment, health, safety, and reporting. Before submitting an application, please review the full list of requirements carefully.

Only apply if this is something you are committed to pursuing. If this is not the right fit for your program, there are many other ways to support children and families this year.

Apply for Funding

If your program is interested in providing this expanded service, please complete this online application form and submit a budget by Friday, August 14. Submit your budget to Amy Malen via email at amy.malen@alleghenycounty.us.

Please note that there is no guarantee that funding will be available for all agencies that are interested in providing this service. DHS, Trying Together, and the United Way will review all applications submitted and assess how to best match interested agencies with specific needs and available funds. Funding will be available for both in-person and virtual offerings, however, priority will be given to in-person requests given child care needs.

More Information

For more information, please review this document.

News

December 7, 2019

PA DHS Releases 2019-2022 Strategic Plan

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) released its 2019-2022 Strategic Plan outlining methods to assist Pennsylvanians in achieving “safe, healthy, and productive lives while being an accountable steward of commonwealth resources.”

About

In an opening message from PA DHS Secretary Teresa Miller, Miller highlights the core values and mission of PA DHS, stating:

“We strive every day to make sure…that every Pennsylvanian can be secure in the knowledge that they have somewhere to turn on that nearly inevitable day when they find themselves or a friend or family member struggling, perhaps with a physical or intellectual disability, addiction, cancer, abuse, mental illness, or any number of circumstances. DHS exists to protect and advocate for some of our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and we are steadfastly committed to that work.”

With this, the plan highlights DHS’ Strategic Priorities to continue improving and streamlining its programs to fulfill its mission to “assist Pennsylvanians in achieving safe, healthy, and productive lives” and protect Pennsylvanians under the care of licensed providers.

DHS Strategic Priorities

The PA DHS Strategic Plan priorities include:

- providing every child with a strong foundation for physical and behavioral well-being;
- bending the health cost curve;
- enhancing access to health care and services that help Pennsylvanians lead healthy, productive lives;
- promoting accountable and transparent government.

More Information

For more information on DHS’ 2019-2022 Priorities, read the full Strategic Plan. To learn more about Trying Together, visit our Home page.