March 8, 2023 Child Care Providers to Invited to Join Family and Group Child Care Home Committee Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is inviting child care providers throughout Pennsylvania to participate in the Family Child Home (FCCH) and Group Child Care Home (GCCH) Committee. Pennsylvania child care providers interested in participating with the committee will have to sign-up by Monday, March 20, 2023. About the Family Child Care Home (FCCH) and Group Child Care Home (GCCH) Committee The goal of the FCCH and GCCH Committee is to form a culturally relevant and diverse group of child care providers and educators that is representative of the state of Pennsylvania. This group will connect to celebrate and share their strengths, struggles, and uniqueness with each other, as well as collaborate to identify effective early childhood strategies, enhance leadership skills, enhance quality-of-care provided to children and families that are served in Pennsylvania. Discussions will also include updates on state and federal initiatives centered around child care, sharing of resources, opportunities, and concerns specific to child care providers, and thoughts on general workplace well-being for child care educators and professionals. Meetings will be held virtually by Zoom in the evening, on a quarterly basis, with the opportunity to meet with the FCCH Coordinator during monthly office hours. The date and time of first meeting has not been announced yet. See the flyer for more details. Interested child care providers in the state of Pennsylvania can express their interest in joining the Committee directly with OCDEL.
May 6, 2022 CDA Scholarship Available for Family and Group Child Care Home Providers Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the PA Key invite Family Child Care Home and Group Child Care Home providers to apply for a scholarship to complete a Child Development Associate (CDA) through Better Kid Care. About Better Kid Care’s CDA coursework is independent, self-paced and exclusively online. This scholarship opportunity cannot be used for CDA renewals. Once awarded, recipients will receive a payment code to access the online coursework through Better Kid Care. This program also requires the purchase of a CDA textbook package and this cost can be reimbursed through the Rising STARS Tuition Assistance program. The Pennsylvania Key will provide instructions for all of this and offer ongoing logistical support. All coursework must be completed on or before Nov. 30, 2022. Apply Family Child Care Home or Group Child Care Home providers interested in this opportunity must submit a completed application via Microsoft Forms for consideration by Sunday, May 15, 2022. Questions? For more information or questions, contact Amy Barrett at amybar@pakeys.org.
