The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key, and the Institute of State and Regional Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg extend a thank you to the nearly 69% of child care facilities who participated in the 2022 Pennsylvania Child Care Market Rate Survey. The results will allow OCDEL to evaluate future child care related programming and policy decisions, ​including Child Care Works rate setting. Completion of the survey by Pennsylvania child care providers was a crucial component in this process.

Recently, OCDEL raised the child care base rates to the 60th percentile, as a result of the 2019 Market Rate Survey. This brings Pennsylvania closer towards the benchmark of the 75th percentile of rates recommended per the federal Office of Child Care, and sets child care subsidy payment rates at levels that provide the same access to child care services as families who purchase child care services without child care assistance or any other federal, state, or tribal programs.

The responses represented nearly 69% of child care facilities: 70% of Child care centers provided responses, with 65% of Group Child Care Homes, and nearly 64% of Family Child Care Homes providing responses.

Pennsylvania has been awarded an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funded State Professional Development Grant. The grant, Success for PA Early Learners (SPEL), will bring $8.264 million over five years to help programs with the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the most vulnerable early learners at-risk for or identified with a developmental disability. SPEL will leverage the Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) and Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) systems through a joint partnership between the Office of Child Development and Early Learning's (OCDEL) Bureau of Early Intervention Services and Family Supports (BEISFS) and Pennsylvania's Department of Education's (PDE) Bureau of Special Education (BSE) to ensure the success of every child.

View all of the Work Force Support Grant 2.0 information, requirements and application here. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is announcing opportunities to participate in informational webinars and regional meetings to learn about the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PA PKC) program.

FY 2022-2023 is the last program year for the current five-year grant cycle of the PA PKC program. In the Spring of 2023, PDE will announce a full, competitive rebid. During the rebid, all eligible providers interested in receiving a grant must apply. It is important during the application process that eligible applicants fully understand the program regulations and expectations so that informed decisions can be made regarding whether to apply.

PDE recognizes the need to provide opportunities to learn about the program and to allow time for community needs assessments and regional collaboration, therefore informational webinar sessions will be offered November 2022, through January 2023, and regional opportunities will occur in February 2023 before the official Request for Applications (RFA) is released. Learn more.

The Pennsylvania Key, in support of Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), has announced the Call for Presenters for the annual Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Grantee Meeting, to be held on March 8 - 9, 2023, at the Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in Poconos, PA. Presentations proposals are open that align with the theme for this year’s event, Building Bridges that Support Growth, Development and Connections. Attendees will be able to earn professional development credits including Act 48 and PA ECE Registry hours. If interested in presenting at the event, please complete and submit the online application for consideration. Deadline for application submission is by no later than Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. Presenters will be notified of acceptance by no later than Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. Get more info.

Effective October 31, 2022, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) applicants who register under Identogo for fingerprints will now have the opportunity to receive their results electronically via email.

This opportunity only applies to results with no record. During the registration process applicants will be asked for an email address and will be asked to create a security question and a security answer. It is very important that once the user creates the security question and answer, they retain this information. Three unsuccessful logins will prevent the applicant from retrieving their results electronically. In order to prevent any unauthorized release of information their security information cannot be reset.

Shortly after their fingerprints have been taken and a result can be provided, they will receive an email. They will be advised to click on the link within the email and enter the security question and answer. If they lock themselves out of the security question and answer, the result will be transmitted by US Mail. Current mailing timelines take 7-10 business days to reach the intended destination.

When the applicant does access the results, it is important they download it, save it and print it for future needs. There will be no second access to the electronic result.

Additionally, if they registered for fingerprints on August 30, 2022, or after, and used the purpose type of employee 14 years of age or older and having contact with children, they will receive their result via email notification. An email notification will only be received after September 21, 2022, if they provided an email address and created a security question and answer.

If any result has a record associated with it, those results will not be electronically available and can only be transmitted by US Mail. Current mailing timelines take at least 7-10 business days to reach the intended destination.

All results will still be transmitted by US Mail to all applicants.

2023

The LIHEAP application period for both cash and crisis grants opened on November 1, 2022, and will remain open until April 28, 2023. Pennsylvanians can apply for LIHEAP and other public assistance programs online at www.compass.state.pa.us or by phone at 1-866-550-4355. On-site County Assistance Office (CAO) services are available if clients cannot access online services or need assistance that cannot be accessed through the COMPASS website, the myCOMPASS PA mobile app, or by calling the Customer Service Centers at 215-560-7226 for Philadelphia clients or 1-877-395-8930 for clients in all other counties. 

For additional information, please visit the PA Department of Human Services website.

Please share with families this exciting opportunity to serve on the Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE). CAFE is currently recruiting family leaders for the Interstate Family Engagement Leadership Collaborative. This NEW initiative at CAFE ensures that family leaders will help shape the direction of the advisory councils in each state. As a critical partner in the field, families are invited to serve in a leadership capacity on CAFE’s Advisory Board to share their expertise to implement high-impact school, family, and community engagement strategies in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Over the past two years, CAFE has facilitated a State Advisory Council composed of up to 40 members including early childhood, middle, and high school students, school-, local-, and state-level organizations. Families/family members make up at least 51% of its members. Family Leaders will commit to an estimated two hours a month for meetings, and compensation/reimbursement is provided for a stipend and mileage. Learn more and access the application.

Since 1982, the Youth Garden Grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for youth and their communities. In early 2023, fifty organizations will be awarded $500 in funding and a collection of gardening supplies for their youth garden program. Any organization in the United States or US Territories planning a new or improving an existing garden program that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 0 and 18 is eligible to apply. Application available in English and Spanish. Deadline to apply is Dec. 2, 2022.

Your vote counts, so make sure you cast your vote on Nov. 8, 2022. Polls are open on election day from 7 A.M. - 8 P.M. Nov. 8, 2022, is also the last day for County Boards of Elections to receive voted mail-in and civilian absentee ballots (must be received by 8:00 P.M.) Learn about General Elections.

The Building Early Links for Learning (BELL) program released its 2022 infographic comparing rates of early childhood program participation for young children staying in Philadelphia emergency and transitional shelters covering periods before and during the pandemic. The key learning is that families with young children in shelter continue to face considerable challenges finding support and enrolling in early childhood programs, especially high-quality programs.

During the pandemic, caregivers were less likely to discuss early childhood programs with shelter staff, and less likely to be enrolled in an early childhood program, especially high-quality ones. The findings document rates from the 12 months immediately before and 12 recent months (April 2021 through March 2022) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BELL is a program that aims to promote resilience of young children in emergency and transitional housing by improving the developmental appropriateness of shelter while also connecting young children to early childhood programs. BELL works with shelter and early care and education systems across Philadelphia to build connections and support families. A longer report will be published soon.

The Administration for Children and Families recently released new data showing that child care stabilization funds provided in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) have served more than 200,000 child care providers, impacting as many as 9.5 million children. The new state-by-state profiles include the total number of child care providers assisted in each state and territory as of June 30, 2022. In Pennsylvania, 6,845 child care programs have already received American Rescue Plan Stabilization support, impacting up to 919,500 children. 

Child Care Aware of America’s newly released report, Price of Care: 2021 Child Care Affordability, second in the series Catalyzing Growth: Using Data to Change Child Care, outlines the continuing increases in the price of child care across the United States and highlights the ongoing struggle many families face. Notable points within the report include:

The report shares in Pennsylvania, the average price of child care is $8,960 per year for an infant in family child care ($12,152 per year in center-based child care), and $8,499 per year for a toddler in family child care ($11.557 per year in center-based child care). In addition, in Pennsylvania:

Dual language learners (DLLs) are less likely to participate in early childhood programs. Yet, many programs fail to require data collection or to adopt accountability measures for meaningful and equitable access to services for DLLs. A policy brief, Overlooked but Essential: Language Access in Early Childhood Programs from the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy sheds light on federal and state efforts to implement language access policies in early childhood programs including state pre-K and the Child Care Development Block Grant. In Pennsylvania, there are approximately 252,000 DLL children, age birth to 8 years.

Early care and education (ECE) professionals 2-3 months into the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were found to have elevated rates of depression, stress, and moderate to severe asthma, according to researchers at the Yale Children and Adults Research In Early Education Study Team. The report, Prevalence of Chronic Diseases, Depression, and Stress Among US Childcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic, shares that among 81,682 ECE professionals who responded to a survey in May-June of 2020, 46% had potentially diagnosable levels of depression, 67% had moderate to high stress. There was a 20% higher asthma rate among these ECE professionals than among the general public. The reported rates of stress amongst ECE professionals were higher than estimates before the pandemic and more elevated than rates of other U.S. adults during the pandemic.

Traumatic experiences can upend kids’ lives. But what exactly is trauma? How does it affect children and teenagers in particular? And what can we do to lessen the impact of trauma on their mental health? The 2022 Child Mind Institute Children’s Mental Health Report shows that promising interventions can foster kids’ resilience and give them and their families the support they need to thrive.

The 2022 Children’s Mental Health Report, looks at the effects of psychological trauma on kids and reviews the evidence for treatments aimed at helping them recover. In a special supplement, find the results of a new national survey of 3,200 parents that provides deeper insight into the ways that trauma affects American families. The report and the supplement on parent perspectives are available in English and Spanish.

A new data snapshot from The National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families highlights the supportive role that co-residing grandparents often play in Latino families. Data shows that one in seven Latino children—or 2.7 million—lived with a grandparent in 2019. Most Latino children who lived with a grandparent also lived with their parents. This snapshot explains that the likelihood of a child’s co-residence with a grandparent generally increases when they live with one or no parent. Among other benefits, grandparent co-residence can serve as a vital source of care and emotional support to grandchildren.

Did you know PA's Promise for Children has monthly book recommendations and early learning activities that align with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards? The books and activities focus around a monthly theme--November's theme is in the bathroom--and follow the popular Learning is Everywhere calendar. Early childhood educators, families, and friends of children birth to kindergarten can even sign up to receive a free monthly enews, filled with activities, resources and more.

Farm to early care and education enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by enhancing food purchasing and education practices in early care and education settings like family child care homes. Learn how to purchase from farmers' markets, grocery stores, food co-ops, CSAs and more with this resource from the National Farm to School Network.

Small Bites Adventure Club teamed up with Georgia Grown to produce 12 videos featuring crop farmers. This new video series features farmers growing fruits and vegetables, STEAM and agriculture education themes. Although the videos are from Georgia, the information within is helpful for other states. The free videos and resources were created for third graders, but children of all ages will love them.

Investigate the fall season with Detective Readatron-15! Read Aloud 15 has developed resources, filled with various ways children can investigate the fall season with Detective Readatron-15. These resources encourage children to explore the world around them while increasing their vocabulary and language skills. Find matching games, sensory hunts, and more printable resources using these links:

If you’re looking for new books to share with or explore with children of various ages, check out the book selections webpage. Use these resources and share them with others to help promote reading aloud every day!

Ever run short on time for lesson planning for your school-age students? If so, take a look at the FREE lessons designed by teachers for teachers through December 2022. These easy-to-use, standards-aligned plans are available at NO COST and offer a turnkey solution for school-age programs for after school hours and days when children are off from school. Six full-day Kids’ Day Out plans are built around high-interest themes. They include a daily schedule and lots of hands-on activities using many items teachers already have in their supply closets. Ten free after school lesson plans are also available.

To access the free plans, register here. Each themed unit features high-interest topics, engaging hands-on activities, and opportunities for children to practice concepts in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). All lessons are aligned with PA Learning Standards and can be adapted to meet the needs and interests of individuals students.

For more information about The Learning Lamp and its Best Day Ever! Fall 2022 Free Trial, call Christy at 814-262-0732 ext. 227 or click here.

The October resources from Camille Catlett are now available. The October release of Natural Resources contains information on Celebrating Children’s Identities to Advance Equity and Inclusion, Using Stories to Nurture Identity, and more. The October release of Baby Talk contains information on How to Support Your Child’s Social-Emotional Health: 8 Tips for Families, What Babies Hear When You Sing to Them . . . And What Parents Gain, and more.