OCDEL Archives

News

November 6, 2026

Application Deadlines Approaching for CCSRR and CQI Grants

Deadlines are approaching for child care providers to submit applications for several grants that provide funding for everything from recruitment and retention to professional development and early childhood education.

Holly Cessna, director of coach development at Trying Together, provided some details about the grants during a recent ELRC Region 5 director roundtable meeting.

Recruitment and Retention Grant

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced in October that it would continue to implement the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention (CCSRR) program and would issue up to $30 million to qualified early childhood education providers to support staff retention and recruitment efforts.

Cessna told attendees of the ELRC Region 5 director roundtable that the grant application for the 2026-2027 fiscal year was due by Monday, November 30. She also noted that:

Those applying must be a licensed child care provider; relative providers are not eligible.
Provider’s programs must be open and currently serving children at the time of the application and payment.
Programs must hold a current Child Care Works-certified provider agreement with the ELRC.
Providers must have completed any previous reporting on grants that were previously received.

More information on eligibility, requirements, and how to apply can be found on The Pennsylvania Key.

CQI Grant and CCSRR Monitoring Sites

Cessna also mentioned during the roundtable that there are now monitoring sites for the previous fiscal year’s CCSRR grant. Providers who have received the grant must make sure that they have signed applications, made attestations, agreed that the grant can be monitored, and checked the eligibility terms were being followed.

The application for another OCDEL grant – the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI-4) Awards – for providers at STAR 2 or above is due by Friday, November 6. Providers must return a signed eligibility and acceptance letter by that day.

News

October 26, 2026

OCDEL Provides Safety Tips to Consider When Choosing Child’s Before- or After-School Program

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provided tips in its latest PA Promise for Children newsletter on what to look for regarding safety when choosing a before- or after-school program for a child.

Child care programs in Pennsylvania must meet state health and safety regulations. These cover such areas as safety standards for the building and classrooms; staff requirements, such as age and education level; staff-to-child ratios; classroom and playground equipment; supervision of children; and nutrition and adult and child health.

As caregivers are looking for a before- or after-school program, OCDEL notes, they should visit potential programs and look for the following safety signs:

A state Department of Human Services Child Care Certificate is posted.
Check child care programs’ inspection and violation history before visiting on the COMPASS Find Child Care website.
Look around to see if the facility looks orderly and clean.
Check to make sure hazardous materials are locked away.
See if the program has an emergency plan – and whether it is posted – and make sure that security measures are in place.
Find out if there is a policy for sick children and other circumstances.

For more information on how to find a safe and secure location for children to learn, visit PA Promise for Children’s website.

News

October 19, 2026

Confluence Podcast Episode Focuses on How OCDEL Can Help Providers to Stay on Track

A new episode of the Confluence podcast discusses how Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) can support child care providers amid leadership transitions and ongoing teacher shortages.

The podcast – Support Before Sanctions: Helping Child Care Providers Stay on Track – features Shante Brown, OCDEL’s deputy secretary, and Ruby Martin, director of OCDEL’s Bureau of Certification Services.

The episode focuses on where child care providers can turn for help when challenges begin to build. Brown and Martin discuss early warning signs, when to reach out for assistance, what happens when a provider asks Certification for help, and resources available through OCDEL and its partners.

“We want providers to know that OCDEL really wants programs to be successful,” Brown said. “Our work isn’t only identifying when something is wrong. It’s to help them to connect with resources and support that can strengthen their programs. At the end of the day, we all share the same goal – children being cared for in healthy, safe environments and strong quality programs that can continue serving Pennsylvania’s children and families.”

It also features discussion on how OCDEL balances its responsibility to protect children’s health and safety with its commitment to helping providers understand requirements, strengthen their programs, and maintain compliance.

Martin said programs’ most common compliance-related issues involve the Child Protective Services Law, health and safety concerns, and severe supervision issues.

“There are usually some signs that a program is beginning to struggle, and it’s often not one issue by itself,” she said. “It’s often several pressures starting to build at the same time – a change in leadership, staff turnover, or making sure that new staff is trained appropriately.”

The Confluence podcast episode is available on The Pennsylvania Key.

News

October 16, 2026

OCDEL Announces Reduction in Document Requirements for PA Director Credential

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced a reduction in the documentation requirements for the Pennsylvania Director Credential starting in the new year.

Learn More

Beginning on Monday, January 4, applicants for the credential will see a reduction in the required number of documents throughout the application process.

OCDEL initiated the changes based on provider feedback and the collection of data to better understand the challenges early childhood education (ECE) professionals face when applying for the credential.

The credential is designed as a standard for measuring and validating the abilities and competencies of directors and administrators to manage high-quality early childhood and school-age programs. However, feedback reflected common challenges across providers as they shared their experiences in applying for the credential.

The change to the application process will not affect those who hold a current Pennsylvania Director Credential, but will apply only to those who are in the process of submitting initial and renewal applications.

Those currently applying for the credential will be notified that they may complete their application by Tuesday, December 1 or cancel it and begin a new one on January 4.

The changes to the process will be available in the Pennsylvania Professional Development (PD) Registry and on the Pennsylvania Key website.

News

October 14, 2026

OCDEL Makes Recruitment and Retention Award Announcement, Asks Providers to Update Staff Registry

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced this week that it will continue to implement the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention (CCSRR) program and will issue up to $30 million to qualified early childhood education providers to support staff retention and recruitment efforts.

As of October 13, eligible providers should submit a CCSRR application to their regional ELRC. The expiration date is September 17, 2027. More information can be found on OCDEL’s website.

OCDEL also recently requested that qualified providers planning to apply for the 2026-27 Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Award update their staff registry information as soon as possible.

The award is set to be released in mid-October and, as part of the application process, providers must submit an updated staff registry report to their local ELRC.

The recruitment program is a funding opportunity for certified child care programs that maintains a Child Care Works (CCW) Certified Provider Agreement. The intent of the program is to support existing child care staff and recruitment within the field. It was first included in the 2025-26 Pennsylvania state budget.

Providers are not required to change their employees’ start dates or position titles and can start updating their staff registry information on The Pennsylvania Key.

Any questions about the process can be emailed to registry@pakeys.org.

News

October 13, 2026

OCDEL Asks Families, Providers to Share Meaningful Family Engagement Stories by October 23

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is asking for families and early childhood educators to share a short story or video about meaningful family engagement by Friday, October 23 for the chance to have it featured by OCDEL during National Family Engagement Month.

According to OCDEL, family engagement refers to an ongoing partnership between families and professionals in which families’ strengths, knowledge, experience, and voices are valued to support their children and families and to strengthen programs, communities, and the broader early childhood system.

To celebrate National Family Engagement Month in November, families and early childhood educators are invited to share stories about meaningful family engagement. These can be submitted by a family, professional or provider, or jointly by a family and a provider.

What Stories Should Focus On

Stories should highlight:

Partnerships in the home as families and professionals work together to support children and family goals
Partnerships in early childhood programs and services, where families and professionals partner in planning, learning, and decision-making
Partnerships in communities and systems, where family voices and leadership help to shape programs, services, policies, and practices
Family voice and leadership, family-professional partnerships, systems change and impact, or innovation and success
Initiatives such as workshops, trainings, parent cafes, advisory groups, peer support opportunities, and other activities that help families to build leadership skills, connect with other families, and contribute to positive change in their communities and systems

Selected stories may be featured throughout November to celebrate families and professionals working together, elevate varied family experiences, and inspire meaningful family engagement and leadership in Pennsylvania.

Submissions can be:

A written story or article of up to 300 words
A three- to five-minute video sharing an experience and the impact of the partnership

Professionals and providers should obtain consent before sharing stories on behalf of families. If any photos or videos submitted include images or identifiable information of a child or family, make sure you have permission to share those materials.

Questions should be directed to Sadia Batool, OCDEL’s family engagement and leadership coordinator, at c-sabatool@pa.gov.

News

October 7, 2026

OCDEL to Award Funds for Implementation or Continuation of Family Support Programs

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s (OCDEL) Bureau of Early Intervention Services and Family Supports has announced a request for applications to award funds to qualified applicants for the implementation or continuation of Family Support Programs.

The programs consist of community-based, high-quality evidence-based home visiting (EBHV) services as well as three categories of enhancements to these services:

Evidence-informed programs
EBHV model enhancements
Program enhancements

Family Support Programs help families to access a variety of supports and services, including formal supports (EBHV and parenting classes), informal supports (providing resources and connecting families to services in the communities), and a community system of services that promote the well-being of families and their children.

Such services can take many forms, depending on the family’s strengths and needs, but the goal is to help caregivers to enhance their skills and resolve problems to promote optimal child development.

Applicants must apply to implement at least one EBHV model, and may apply to implement one or more enhancements. For more information, visit the eMarketplace website.

News

September 22, 2026

TEACH Scholarship Application Process Open for Spring Semester with Updated Income Criteria

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has updated income criteria for the TEACH scholarship as the application process for the spring semester has opened.

Learn More

Applications for the scholarships – which supports staff retention and program quality by helping early learning professionals to advance their education while continuing to work – are accepted on a rolling basis, but priority consideration is given to complete applications submitted by Friday, November 13. The spring semester begins in mid-January.

OCDEL recently announced that it had updated TEACH income criteria for the scholarship. Early childhood professionals can now earn up to $25 per hour, while directors can earn up to $30 per hour.

Eligible applicants must:

Work directly with children in a state Department of Human Services-certified child care program for a minimum of 25 hours per week year-round
Be a Pennsylvania resident
Be employed with a sponsoring program for at least six months before enrolling in a course through the scholarship program
Make $25 or less per hour (or $30 or less per hour for directors)
Be interested in pursuing coursework at a partnering college or university toward a degree or teacher certification in PreK-4/Early Childhood Education

Those interested in applying can learn how to do so on the PACCA website, where applicants can also find an enrollment checklist.

News

September 21, 2026

Confluence Podcast Episode Discusses How Providers Can Protect Programs from Falsified Documents

The latest Confluence podcast episode on The Pennsylvania Key’s website discusses how early childhood education providers can protect their programs from falsified documents.

The episode, How to Protect Yourself from Falsified Documents in Your Child Care Program, is a conversation between podcast host Ruby Martin, director of Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s (OCDEL) Bureau of Certification Services, and Brad Hamm, the regional manager of the bureau’s Central Region.

Tips for Preventing Falsified Documents

In the podcast, Martin and Hamm discuss what falsified documents might look like, how to prevent receiving them, and the repercussions of submitting them.

“The deceit that occurs through falsified statements can be devastating to your program if health and safety are compromised,” Martin said. “Taking the extra step to make sure this is not occurring is important.”

Hamm listed a variety of documents that could be falsified by existing or incoming staff members:

Trainings that staff claimed to have – but didn’t – attend
Degrees or diplomas
Health assessments
First Aid or CPR certificates
Fire and emergency drill documentation
Zoning and occupancy permits
Deleted camera footage that might have been useful for an investigation

“Case law makes it clear that altering documents constitutes deceit,” Hamm said. “Whoever is responsible for submitting documents has an obligation to vet them to make sure there is no falsification there. If a document doesn’t look right, question it.”

The background check process can be arduous, Martin said, but employers should be sure to give materials they receive a close look.

“If someone hands you a form or a background check, you’re usually thankful to have it – and it’s one more thing to check off,” she said. “But it’s important to review the information that staff hands to you.”

The Confluence’s monthly podcast helps listeners to understand the complexities of OCDEL’s Bureau of Certification Services. To listen to podcast episodes, visit The Pennsylvania Key’s website.

News

September 10, 2026

OCDEL to Award Funds for Implementation or Continuation of Family Support Programs

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is seeking to award funds to qualified applicants for the implementation or continuation of Family Support Programs.

OCDEL’s Bureau of Early Intervention Services and Family Supports would award funds for the programs, which consist of community-based, high-quality evidence-based home visiting (EBHV) services, as well as three categories of enhancements to evidence-informed programs, EBHV model enhancements, and program enhancements.

About Family Support Programs

Family Support Programs help families to access a broad array of supports and services, including formal supports (such as EBHV and parenting classes), informal supports (such as providing resources and connecting families to services in the community), and a community system of services that promote the well-being of families and their children.

Such services can take many different forms, depending on the strengths and needs of the family, but the overarching goal is to help caregivers enhance skills and resolve problems to promote optimal child development

Applicants must apply to implement as least one EBHV model, and may apply to implement one or more enhancements.

Applications must be received no later than Tuesday, October 13, while questions must be submitted by Tuesday, September 15 and answers to potential applicant questions will be posted by Tuesday, September 22.

For more information, visit the eMarketplace website.