Increase to Child Care Works (CCW) Base Payment Rates

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Bureau of Policy and Professional Development has released the Announcement ELRC #24-04, Increase to Child Care Works (CCW) Base Payment Rates for Department of Human Services (DHS) Certified Providers. This Announcement provides information regarding an increase to base rates paid by DHS to certified child care providers participating in CCW. Base payment rates are also known as the Maximum Child Care Allowance (MCCA). This Announcement replaces ELRC Announcement 23 #01- Increase to Child Care Works Base Payment Rates. Effective January 1, 2025, OCDEL is implementing increases to the MCCA rates.

Updates to Health and Safety Pre-Service Training and Professional Development Requirements

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) Bureau of Early Learning Policy and Professional Development and Bureau of Certification Services have released Announcement C-24-03 Updated Health and Safety Training Part 1 and Part 2. This Announcement provides a new two-part Health and Safety Training that all child care providers hired on or after January 1, 2025, who have not previously completed an acceptable Health and Safety training, must complete. This announcement replaces Announcements C-22-02, relating to Updates to Health and Safety Training and Professional Development Requirements, and C-22-06, relating to Updated Health and Safety Pre-Service and One-Hour Training. The Health and Safety Training Part 1 and Part 2 will be available in Spanish.

Provider Spotlight

Congratulations to the following providers who moved in or redesignated their Keystone STARS! Contact your Quality Coach for more information about your Keystone STARS rating.

Move Ins

Light of Mine LLC – STAR 1

Carmel Weekday Nursery School – STAR 1

Reporting Enrollment Changes

The ELRC strives to keep accurate records, update our system quickly, and operate as efficiently as possible for our providers and families. We need your help! Please encourage Child Care Works (CCW) families to report changes to the ELRC in a timely manner. Providers and families should contact the ELRC (email or phone call) to report when care begins at a new location, when enrollment in a child care program ends, and when a child transfers from one location to another. The monthly CCW Attendance Invoice should not be used as the primary method of communicating such changes.

Appendix A of the 2024 Certified Provider Agreement states:

The ELRC will pay the provider for a maximum of five consecutive days of absence. On the sixth consecutive day of absence the provider must report the absences to the ELRC. The ELRC will notify the parent/caretaker that the enrollment for subsidized child care will be suspended until the child returns to care. The provider must report to the ELRC when the child returns to care after a suspension.

The monthly attendance invoice should not be used to regularly report changes in attendance, consecutive absences, or that a child is no longer attending. These circumstances should be reported to our office as they occur and should not wait until the end of the month, when possible. Following these policies ensures that ELRC records are accurate and provider payments are processed as quickly as possible without any delays in payment. Please contact our office with questions.

Reporting Unplanned Closures

Please review the process for reporting unplanned closures as explained in Appendix A of the Certified Provider Agreement and contact our office with questions. The subsidy program will pay for a maximum of 15 closed days per year from the period July 1 through June 30 for which the provider also charges private-pay families. The provider must indicate those closed days before July 1 of each year at a time that the ELRC specifies. Providers who use Provider Self Service (PSS) may change or add closed days throughout the year. Emergency closures can be added to the prior month up until the 5th day of the current month. To sign-up for PSS, access the following website: pelican.state.pa.us/provider. Providers who do not use PSS will follow the rules below:

• Once the provider identifies the closed days, those days cannot be changed. Since the provider cannot change closed days once submitted, the provider may want to limit the number of closed days declared at the beginning of the year. This will allow a couple of days that could be added in case of an emergency or unplanned closure later in the year.

If the provider lists fewer than 15 days, additional days may be added as follows:

• The provider must notify the ELRC at least two weeks prior to adding a closed day.
• The provider must notify the ELRC within three days of reopening the facility following an emergency or unplanned closure such as a snow day.

Early Learning Materials

PA’s Promise has available several early learning materials you can view online, or print for you own use. These materials contain activities to do with children to help them learn. All of the activities align with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. Check out these fun resources!

Learning Is Everywhere (English)

Learning Is Everywhere (Spanish)

Help children (birth to Kindergarten) learn with everyday activities to do with your child using everyday items.

When I Play, I Learn

Fun activities using everyday items. See what activities children (birth to Kindergarten) can do and what skills they are learning.

Building Blocks for Babies

Designed around the key learning areas in Pennsylvania’s learning standards for early childhood, it helps build skills in the areas of social, emotional, physical and academic development for babies.

Every Day I Learn Through Play (English)

Every Day I Learn Through Play (Spanish)

Dozens of activities that can engage children during daily routines for infants and toddlers.

Recipes for Readiness (English and Spanish)

Activities to help develop skills that kindergarten teachers look for as children enter their classrooms.

Kindergarten, Here I Come (English)

Kindergarten, Here I Come (Spanish)

An activity guide that helps prepare children for Kindergarten.

Kindergarten, Here I Am (English)

Kindergarten, Here I Am (Spanish)

An activity guide to inspire skill building and engagement at home, building on what children are learning in kindergarten.

Mindfulness in the Classroom

Can kids practice mindfulness? You bet! Get staff involved with these great resources:

Getting Started with Mindfulness: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Organizations: Learn more about the case for implementing mindfulness techniques into your daily work and organizational culture, try hands-on strategies for doing so, and learn more from organizations that have begun this journey.

Promoting Staff Well-Being: Early learning programs can play a key role in helping children, families, and staff commit to finding ways to reduce stress in their lives. Programs can also create wellness strategies that promote both physical and mental well-being. Learn ways to promote a culture of wellness for young children and the adults who care for them.

Nurturing Staff Wellness Toolkit: Education employees shape the lives of our children and future generations. Therefore, recognizing the importance of their wellness is vital to improving overall child health and development.

Healthy Minds Program App: With a combination of podcast-style lessons and both seated and active meditations, you’ll learn what the science says about the brain while developing skills to tap into these learnings for a healthier, happier you.

Calm Schools App: Discover what’s possible if every school day began with a few moments of mindfulness. Together let’s equip students with tools for resilience, self-care, and stress management.

Why Early Childhood Educators Should Turn to Mindfulness and Compassion, Now and Always

Rocking and Rolling. Being Present: Mindfulness in Infant and Toddler Settings

Using Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Support Self-regulation in Young Children: A Review of the Literature