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 In

Treasures of Joy Childcare Center - STAR 1

Right At School Blair Mill Elementary - STAR 1

Right At School Crooked Billet Elementary - STAR 1

Right at School Simmons Elementary - STAR 1

Right at School Hallowell Elementary - STAR 1

Kaiserman JCC Early Learning Center at Temple Brith Achim - STAR 1

The Lightbridge Academy of Fort Washington - STAR 1

Our Honeybee Academy - STAR 1

Provider Self-Service (PSS)

Child care providers can use Provider Self-Service (PSS) to apply for or renew child care licensing, submit online attendance invoices, update provider profiles, and much more. The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) uses email targeted to child care operators for important communications. It is critical child care locations maintain an up-to-date email address for the primary point of contact at their program. For help with PSS, certified child care providers should contact the PELICAN Provider Help Desk at (877) 491-3818 (select option #2 twice), email ra-eln@pa.gov, and review the following resources.

Provider Self-Service Reference Guide

Provider Self-Service (PSS) and You

Child Care and Early Learning Provider Self-Service brochure

The Benefits of Online Attendance Tracking brochure

Update Contact Information in PELICAN

ELRC Region 17 would like all subsidy providers to review their contact information in PELICAN. Only active employees authorized to speak with our office regarding subsidy clients or payments should be listed. Our office may request verification before issuing information to an individual not listed as an approved contact. Updates may be made by using the Provider Self-Service (PSS) portal or by contacting our office. Please help us protect your information by keeping contacts updated and notify our office immediately about concerns related to potential fraud.

Child Care Works 40 Day Absence Policy

As we near the end of the Fiscal Year, some Child Care Works (CCW) subsidy families are approaching their limit of 40 paid absences per fiscal year, July 2024 - June 2025. If a family reaches 40 absences, additional absences will be unpaid until the beginning of the new Fiscal Year, July 1, 2025. It will be important to remind current CCW families, as well as any new families that may start attending, that they may be responsible to pay privately for absences 41 and over if they are getting close to exceeding their limit for the year. Please contact our office with questions.

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.

Kindergarten Registration

We are excited to share that Kindergarten registration has begun for many school districts throughout Montgomery County. Parents should review the School District Contacts for Kindergarten Registration, here in English and here in Spanish, and contact their local school district to register their child for Kindergarten. Feel free to share this information with the families in your program and friends who may also have children needing to be registered for Kindergarten. We wish the Little Learners much success as they approach this special milestone!

The March releases of the PA Promise family-friendly newsletters for families and providers of children, ages birth to Kindergarten are also available. These resources feature fun early learning activities that align with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards and information to help families as their child's first and most important teacher.

Learning is Everywhere

Kindergarten Here I Come

Kindergarten Here I Am

March Calendar of Activities for Early Learning Professionals

Staying Healthy During the Spring Season

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.

Color Me Healthy

Color Me Healthy is a program developed to reach children ages four and five with fun, interactive learning opportunities on physical activity and healthy eating. It is designed to stimulate all of the senses of young children: touch, smell, sight, sound, and, of course, taste. Through the use of color, music, and exploration of the senses, Color Me Healthy teaches children that healthy food and physical activity are fun. Check out their monthly newsletters and nutritious recipes!