October 4, 2019 Changes to Fire Safety Inspections & Standards for Child Care Facilities Following the fire at a child care facility that claimed the lives of five children, Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller announced efforts to enhance fire safety at all Pennsylvania child care facilities and strengthen DHS’s regulatory authority and further protect children. Updated Standards Effective Sept. 16, 2019, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) requires its licensing staff to include fire safety checks in every initial inspection, renewal inspection, unannounced inspection, and complaint inspection. Licensing staff will require each facility operator to demonstrate an operable fire detection and prevention system, which includes the presence of operable smoke detectors on each floor of the facility and fire extinguishers in the kitchen or other cooking areas at minimum. If an operator is unable to demonstrate such a system, DHS licensing staff will complete a complaint and deliver it to the Department of Labor & Industry or local officials. These officials have the authority to act against the facility. DHS also recommends that licensed child care facilities work with their local fire safety officials to meet compliance with fire safety codes. DHS will also cite the provider for a health and safety violation. These changes will also be codified in DHS’ child care regulations moving forward. In September, DHS conducted a fire safety initiative call campaign to collect information from family child care providers and alert them to the department’s fire prevention efforts. This campaign surveyed family child care providers about their fire prevention systems and emergency plans, including evacuation plans for children in overnight care. DHS will use the information gathered to inform ongoing efforts to enhance fire safety at Pennsylvania child care facilities. More Information For more information, read the full PA Key newsletter. To learn more about child care in Pennsylvania and view inspection history for licensed providers, visit the COMPASS website. *Information provided via The Pennsylvania Key
September 19, 2019 Ensuring the Safety of All PA Children in Care | Webinar Join the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) on October 9 for “Meeting the Requirements of CPSL: Ensuring the Safety of All Children in Care throughout PA” to learn more about how to meet the updated Child Protective Service Law requirements. About This free webinar will focus on the changes to the Child Protective Service Law. This includes the National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) requirements, requirements for facility persons who have resided outside of Pennsylvania in the last five years, requirements for volunteers to obtain all clearances/verifications, and the ending of provisional hires. Registration To register, visit the event webpage. More Information For more information, contact PACCA at 717.657.9000.
August 20, 2019 Infant/Toddler Contracted Slots Program Accepting Applicants Child care providers across the Commonwealth are encouraged to apply for 980 expansion infant/toddler contract slots to better serve eligible children. About The Infant Toddler Contracted Slots Program builds on the established infrastructure of the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Program (PA PKC) model. PA PKC has been in existence since 2007 and provides high-quality pre-kindergarten services to eligible children. Building an infant/toddler focused program with established PA PKC programs will allow continued focus on quality programming while building strong transitions from infant/toddler to pre-kindergarten classrooms. Eligibility Eligible providers must: currently serve PA Pre-K Counts funded children have an established infant/toddler program Upcoming Dates Pre-Application Webinar – Friday, August 23 | 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Last Day to Submit Questions – Friday, August 30 | 3 p.m. Application Submission Deadline – Monday, September 9 | 3 p.m. Anticipated Applicant Award Notifications – October 2019 Application To begin the application process and learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. See the Application Guidance document. More Information Questions about the application process must be submitted via email to RA-PAPreKCounts@pa.gov by August 30. Responses will be released on September 2, 2019. *Information provided by the Pennsylvania Key
August 19, 2019 First Up: Champions for Young Children Join First Up on September 24 as they celebrate the 2019 Champion of Young Children and raise funds for a worthy cause! About For 25 years, First Up has honored individuals and companies from outside the field of early childhood education for their dedication and commitment to young learners at the Champions for Young Children event. Past Champions have included elected officials, authors, industry leaders, foundations, and corporations that have made a significant investment to benefit all children in Southeastern Pennsylvania. At this event, participants will eat, dance, and play, with ticket purchases including open access to a selection of beer and wine, a chef-curated menu, and opportunities to release their inner-child through quality early education experiences with a grown-up twist. Registration Registration for this event is now open and can be completed on the First Up website. NAEYC Members NAEYC members receive a $50 discount by registering with Drew Martin at drew.martin@firstup.org. More Information For more information, contact First Up at info@firstup.org or 215.893.0130.
August 2, 2019 2019-20 PA NAP SACC Mini-Grant The Pennsylvania Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (PA NAP SACC) program is seeking licensed child care providers for their 2019-20 Mini-Grant Project! About the Program PA NAP SACC is a continuous quality improvement process focused on nutrition and physical activity practices and policies within early care and education settings. The program utilizes Go NAP SACC, an online, evidence-based tool to guide providers through self-assessment action planning, implementation, policy development, re-self-assessment, and reflection. The process empowers program leadership and includes individualized technical assistance to increase knowledge and improve the quality of practice and policy. With this, a limited number of programs will receive onsite, targeted technical assistance from a Child Care Health Consultant (CCHS) at no cost to the site. The CCHC reviews current practices and policies, assisting with developing sustainable policies and offering guidance for continuous quality improvement. Program Participation Beyond the reward of making a difference in the health of children in your care, those who participate and complete project requirements will receive a $500 mini-grant to support their action steps and enhance their nutrition and physical activity practices and policies. For STAR 3 and 4 programs, and STAR 2 programs moving to STAR 3, participation in all components of the program satisfies the performance standards and/or bonus point requirements related to utilizing a health care consultant to establish and maintain health policies above those required by certification. In addition to this, the program ensures participation in an organized effort to promote nutritional health for children. Technical support and policy consultation will be available to all participating programs. Timeline The PA NAP SACC Mini-Grant Project will follow the following timeline: Applications Due: August 27, 2019 Notification of Acceptance: September 12, 2019 Orientation & Kick-Off: October 2019 Implementation: Period of 8 to 9 months Reflection & Wrap Up: June 2020 How to Apply If you’re interested in participating, complete and submit the electronic application. All applications must be submitted by August 27, 2019. More Information For questions or more information, contact Lori McMonigal at 717.248.4942, x 112 or lmcmonigal@tiu11.org. *Information provided by PA NAP SACC
PA DHS Announces KinConnector Helpline On August 1, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (PA DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller and Aging Secretary Robert Torres announced a helpline for families in kinship care situations, including grandparents raising their grandchildren because of the opioid crisis. About The KinConnector helpline was created by Act 89 of 2018, which established a kinship navigator program for Pennsylvania. KinConnector will act as a bridge that helps families identify resources, including gaining access to local, state, and federal resources. The KinConnector helpline is staffed by Kinship Navigators–compassionate, knowledgeable social service professionals prepared to help families locate, understand, and access resources that may be able to help them. This helpline, however, is just the beginning. A website of resources is set to launch in late 2019. KinConnector Helpline KinConnector can be reached by calling 1.866.KIN.2111 (1.866.546.2111). Assistance is available Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Services Examples of provided services include: connecting caregivers to health, financial, and legal services, connecting caregivers to training and parenting advice, identifying local physical or behavioral services, identifying support groups, helping caregivers enroll a child in school, helping caregivers apply for federal, state, and local benefits such as CHIP and Social Security, and other services designed to support caregivers. Why Kinship Matters Kinship care is becoming more common in Pennsylvania, with grandparents, aunts, uncles, or siblings often stepping in to fill the role of parents who are seeking treatment or, in the most tragic cases, have died from the disease of addiction. Kinship care guardians often make a selfless choice to care for a young relative and ensure they receive care and support from a family member they know and trust, even when processing their own emotions around their family’s situation. Children being cared for by relatives are less likely to end up in foster care and will experience better outcomes when they are living with a relative or someone they know. KinConnector will help ease the burden on these families and give them the tools and resources they need to be successful. More Information For more information on resources available for kinship families and grandparents raising grandchildren, visit dhs.pa.gov. Information provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
July 29, 2019 New Services Available on Pennsylvania’s PD Registry In July, Pennsylvania’s PD Registry received new enhancements that will help support early childhood professionals. New Services Available Through the PD Registry website, early childhood professionals can now apply for or access: Rising STARS Tuition Assistance CDA Voucher Director Credential Early Childhood Education Career Pathway Early Childhood Career Pathway The Early Childhood Education Career Pathway is a tool to support the ECE profession in entering the field prepared for success while growing the existing professional’s capacity to advance in their intended field. This tool is now available on PD Registry. To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. Note The Career Lattice will still be used for Keystone STARS designation and Education and Retention Awards (ERA) until further notice. Additionally, early childhood educators that currently meet the expectation of particular career lattice level will be honored at that level by being grandfathered into the Career Pathway level that is equivalent if verified within the determined timeline. Many individuals have already uploaded transcripts before the new enhancements went live on July 1. You will still need to complete your profile to be placed on the career pathway. If transcripts were already uploaded, this step will not be needed again. To view tip sheets on completing the profile and uploading transcripts, please view them at the PA Keys website. More Information For more information on these enhancements, watch the recorded webinar, visit the FAQ document, and view tipsheets and more on the PD Registry. Questions? Call 1.800.284.6031 or email registry@pakeys.org. *Information provided by The Pennsylvania Key
July 28, 2019 Response: Pennsylvania Fiscal Year 2019-20 Budget Recently, the state finalized the budget for fiscal year 2019-20, running now through June 30, 2020. About Alongside monumental increased investments for pre-k and home visiting, child care line items expanded, but only due to increases in funds from the federal government that are appropriated (or allowed to be spent) in the new state budget. Meanwhile, state child care dollars were cut by $36 million and replaced with federal funds. While Trying Together is excited by the growth of pre-k and home visiting, this budget was a missed opportunity to support greater access to and affordability of high-quality child care. It is critical that our state policymakers know that the early childhood community is paying attention to their actions. Detailed Budget Overview Governor Wolf’s enacted budget includes the following: Child Care $6 million cut from the Child Care Services line item (replaced by federal funds). $30 million cut from the Child Care Assistance line item (replaced by federal funds). $27 million of federal dollars allocated to serve 970 additional infants and toddlers eligible for Child Care Works in high-quality programs; raise tiered reimbursement rates for STAR 2, 3, and 4 providers caring for infants and toddlers; and support apprenticeships for infant and toddler teachers. Pre-K $25 million increase for Pre-K Counts. This funding will also provide a rate increase of 2.95%, meaning approximately $250 more per child served over the prior rate. $5 million increase for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program to serve more children. Evidence-Based Home Visiting $5 million increase for evidence-based home visiting programs to serve an additional 800 eligible families. Why It’s Important Today, only one-third of children on child care subsidy are accessing high-quality STAR 3 or 4 care. On average, families wait 88 days to access subsidies they need to join or remain in the workforce, with 4,300 children on the subsidy waiting list. However, child care subsidy reimbursements do not cover the cost of quality care. With this, child care staff are often paid low wages, with 50 percent of child care staff receiving public assistance. We are pleased to see a waiting list initiative to serve more infants and toddlers in high-quality care and an increase in tiered reimbursement that will provide further program stability and consistency in teacher:child relationships. These are initiatives we and partners advocated for and strongly align with our Start Strong PA campaign goals. Trying Together appreciates Governor Wolf’s continued commitment to early care and education programs in the commonwealth. With this, we recognize that countless families still lack access to high-quality early learning programs that they can afford. Trying Together will be doubling down on our advocacy for greater state and federal funding for child care. Take Action To support the work of early childhood and caregivers of young children, we participate in multiple campaigns, including Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, and Childhood Begins at Home. However, the success of these advocacy efforts is only possible when the early childhood community is visible and heard by our elected officials. Visit our Take Action page and take action on the campaigns that matter to you. By doing so, you can thank lawmakers for greater investments in pre-k and home visiting and let them know that you expect to see them restore and grow investments in high-quality child care. To stay up-to-date on how to advocate for these issues, sign-up to receive public policy updates. See the full budget history here.
July 25, 2019 Changes Made to Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program For Fiscal Year 2019-20, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s Rising STARS Tuition Assistance (RSTA) program has undergone several important changes. Administered by The Pennsylvania Key, RSTA helps cover a portion of tuition costs for early childhood professionals. Fiscal Year 2019-20 Changes The following changes have been implemented for FY 2019-20: “Grandfathered” applicants seeking an AA, BA, or PreK-4 Teacher Certification will continue to receive 95% of tuition costs with a maximum benefit of $6,000 per individual. These applicants will need to transition to T.E.A.C.H. or another financial aid resource by Fiscal Year 2020-2021. For new applicants for approved CDA or Credential Coursework, individuals will receive 95% of tuition costs and fees net of other funding sources for approved credential or CDA coursework up to eighteen (18) credits. Additionally, new applicants for approved CDA or Credential Coursework can submit a request form (including receipt) for reimbursement for books after purchase. More Information To learn more about the RSTA program, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. For questions, call 1.800.284.6031 or email pakeyvoucherprogram@pakeys.org. *Information provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning
July 9, 2019 DHS Licensed Providers: Plan of Correction Notice The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is offering training for all DHS licensed providers on completing a Plan of Correction (POC). About This free, live webinar training will focus on the elements needed for the foundation of an acceptable POC. It is strongly recommended that all facility staff involved in completing POCs attend one webinar session. Each scheduled webinar will last approximately one hour. Only one webinar should be attended, as the material covered will be the same in each session. Webinar Dates The dates for the webinars are as follows: Tuesday, July 16, 9:30 – 10: 30 a.m. Tuesday, July 16, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, 10:30 – 11: 30 a.m. Wednesday, July 17, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, 10:30 – 11: 30 a.m. Wednesday, July 24, 1:30 – 2: 30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, 9:30 – 10: 30 a.m. Registration To register for a training session, visit the registration web page. Space is limited and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. After registering, you will receive a link to connect you to the webinar training. Unable to Attend? If you are unable to attend one of these webinar sessions, DHS will be offering a similar training in a self-paced format in late July 2019. Additional information will be shared on how to access the self-paced training in the future. *Information provided by the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning
