August 6, 2020 Information about Unreceived Stimulus Checks Are you an individual who did not receive a stimulus check? If you didn’t file federal taxes in 2018 or 2019, you may need to sign up to receive your check using the IRS’s free online tool. About As a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economy Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act), the United States Department of Treasury issued funds known as Economic Impact Payments (EIP), or stimulus payments, to most Americans beginning April 10, 2020. Stimulus checks were automatically deposited to the accounts of individuals who filed federal taxes in 2018 or 2019. Those who did not file federal taxes will need to sign up to receive their check. Participants may be eligible for a payment of up to $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples filing jointly, in addition to $500 per qualifying child. Who Is Eligible? U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and qualifying resident aliens who: have a valid Social Security number, could not be claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer, and had adjusted gross income under certain limits. Sign Up to Receive Your Check Individuals who have not received their check must sign up by October 15 to get their payment this year. To sign up to receive your check, use the IRS’s free online tool. The following information will be collected: your full name, mailing address, email address, date of birth, and Social Security number. The Non-Filers: Enter Payment tool is intended for individuals who were not required to file a federal tax return for 2019. Individuals may not need to file a federal tax return for several reasons, including the following: the individual earned an income of less than $12,200; a married couple filed jointly and together their income was less than $24,400; or the individual did not earn an income. More Information For more information, visit the IRS website. Share this flyer with your network.
April 3, 2019 PAsmart Announces Grant Awardees In February 2019, Governor Tom Wolf announced funding for PAsmart Apprenticeship and Next Generation Industry Partnerships grants which will connect Pennsylvanians with the information needed to succeed in our evolving economy. About PAsmart PAsmart is focused on ensuring Pennsylvania students and workers have the skills and abilities to meet the economic needs of the 21st century. This initiative aims to do this by expanding access to STEM education in Pennsylvania schools, embracing the Next Generation Industry Partnership model, and creating the Apprenticeship and Training Office to increase apprenticeship opportunities within a variety of industries. OCDEL’s Role The Office of Child Development and Early Learning supports the efforts of PA’s Department of Labor and Industry and is working with them to professionalize the early education field. Efforts include increasing access to a career pathway that results in stackable, portable credentials, and providing relevant, developmentally and culturally appropriate content to support educators working with young children to advance their individual career and education progression. Organization Grantees The following organizations will be supported through PAsmart funds: 1100c Training and Upgrading Fund: Will expand their apprenticeship model in Southeastern Pennsylvania Partner4Work: Will establish a regional hub for Early Childhood Education registered apprenticeships in the Pittsburgh Metro Area Keystone University: Will partner with Lackawanna Trail High School, Luzerne County Community College, and Wilkes University to build an Early Childhood Education (ECE) pipeline through a competency-based apprenticeship that leads to an entry-level ECE credential Shippensburg University: Will design curriculum and develop advanced competencies to expand the Philadelphia ECE apprenticeship to four-year programs Arcadia University: Will expand their RA program for ECE First Up and its partners: Will expand upon apprenticeship supports and program to provide career paths in ECE Learn More For more information, visit pasmart.gov. * Information provided by OCDEL’s PA Early Ed Newsletter
March 13, 2019 Child Care Becoming More Unaffordable for Low-Income Parents Overview A recent research brief, Child Care Affordability for Working Parents, from the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, finds that many U.S. parents who are highly attached to the labor force would have a difficult time purchasing full-time center-based care. Spending This finding is especially true for low-income, Hispanic and black parents. Overall, parents working full time and year-round would spend 10 percent of family income to send their children to full-time center-based child care; low-income parents working full time and year-round would spend 28 percent. Almost all low-income parents working full time and year round would have to spend more than the federal affordability benchmark of 7 percent to send their children to full-time center-based child care. Ranking According to the brief, Pennsylvania ranks fifth highest nationally in child care price to income ratios for low-income parents, and in fourth highest for Hispanic parents. Analysis Even for families with a parent working a full-time year-round job, full-time center-based child care for young children and care during the school year for school-age children is largely unaffordable. Importantly, the parents included in this analysis are those with a clear need for child care. This analysis has three key findings about the affordability of center-based care for working parents. First, market-price full-time center-based care would be difficult to afford for a majority of U.S. working parents. Second, center-based child care presents an even greater financial burden for low-income working parents – virtually all (95%) low-income full-time year-round working parents face unaffordable child care costs. Finally, because larger proportions of working black and Hispanic parents earn low incomes than working white and Asian/Pacific Islander parents, child care affordability issues disproportionately affect black and Hispanic working families. This disproportionate burden has the potential to exacerbate racial/ethnic disparities in both family economic security and child wellbeing. Read the full research brief here.
