The PA Early Ed News kicks off a new year, and a new decade, with reminders about clearances for employees having contact with children, a CDA renewal amnesty program, and several opportunities for early childhood education (ECE) professionals.

Jan. 1, 2020 marked the deadline criminal background checks and the Pennsylvania child abuse clearance prior to employment for all employees having contact with children. Read below for additional information related to the 90-day provisional hire period and how to obtain the needed clearances.

Has your Child Development Associate (CDA) credential lapsed or expired? If this is the case, you have until March 31, 2020, to reinstate your CDA credential. See below for the eligibility requirements and how to take advantage of this program. 

There has been a tremendous amount of progress made around quality early learning in Pennsylvania in the past decade. The below infographic, A Decade of Early Childhood Impact, highlights some key accomplishments that benefit families, children, ECE professionals, as well as building quality of ECE in Pennsylvania. 

Finally, by April 1, 2020, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. Once the invitation arrives, you should respond for your household in one of three ways: online, by phone, or by mail. Check out the blurb below for more information.

In July, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order strengthening protections for vulnerable populations such as children receiving care outside their homes. Enhanced requirements for employers who operate programs, activities, or services that primarily serve children represent the administration’s continued commitment to keeping children safe. 

Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services law formerly allowed a 90-day provisional hire period for individuals who had applied for but were still waiting for clearance results. This period was eliminated in Act 47 of 2019, to ensure all having contact with children are legally able to do so. DHS is required to process Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearances within 14 days from the day the request is received and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal history background checks within 30 days from the date of receipt. Generally, clearances are processed more quickly than required.

Based on Act 47, child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes can request a waiver to hire an employee on a provisional basis for no longer than 45 days. This new employee is not permitted to work alone with children and must be in the immediate vicinity of a permanent employee until all required clearances are received. The waiver and instructions are posted on the Keep Kids Safe website.

In addition to Act 47 of 2019, the federal Family First Prevention Services Act also requires all adults who work in child care settings that receive Title IV-E funding to obtain child abuse clearances even if they are not working directly with children.

For more information on obtaining clearances, visit www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov.  

Early childhood education (ECE) professionals whose Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential lapsed or expired can take advantage of a limited time CDA renewal Amnesty program, through March 31, 2020. This means if an ECE professional completed their CDA any time after Jan, 1, 2010 and did not submit a renewal to keep the CDA current, they can take advantage of this opportunity to reinstate their CDA credential. The renewal program is eligible through Rising Stars Tuition Assistance (RSTA). To apply for Financial assistance, ECE professionals need to complete their profile in the Professional Development (PD) Registry to see the Financial Assistance tab.

To qualify for the CDA renewal Amnesty program, the following eligibility requirements must be met:

The program will run from Jan. 1, 2020, to March 31, 2020. All applications and payments ($125) must be submitted online by March 31, 2020. For more information about RSTA, visit the Pennsylvania Key website. For more information on CDA Renewal, visit the Pennsylvania Key website.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL)’s Rising STARS Tuition Assistance (RSTA) program (administered by The Pennsylvania Key) helps cover a portion of tuition costs for Pennsylvania's early childhood educators.

A change has been made for FY 2019-2020. The maximum benefit of this program has been increased to $8,000. Tuition costs net of other funding sources such as scholarships, stipends, discounts or grants (except the Pell Grant) are used to determine the amount of assistance. It is recommended completed applications be submitted at least four weeks prior to the start of the course, or prior to the tuition due date, whichever is first.

For eligibility requirements, the application process, and more, visit the PA Key website.

Since inception, the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has built the capacity to serve nearly 111,500 in Child Care Works is one fact in the new infographic from OCDEL, A Decade of Early Childhood Impact, which takes a look at what's been accomplished through OCDEL in Pennsylvania relating to quality early learning since 2010. Learn about some of the highlights around quality advancement, the investment in Pennsylvania's ECE system, and key resources and supports for families and professionals. 

Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is implementing statewide Professional Development Organizations (PDOs). PDOs will specialize in access to credit-bearing coursework and credentials for the early childhood education (ECE) workforce. Shippensburg University and Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) were selected as the PDOs in Pennsylvania. See a regional map.

While PDOs begin their work, the Pennsylvania Key contracted with several organizations and institutes of higher education to offer community-based cohorts so that individuals attempting to obtain a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential can complete the 120 hours of coursework and receive additional support. This opportunity is only available for 2019-20 and space in these cohorts is limited.

Use the contact information here to determine the best program for you. If you are unable to find a program that fits your needs, contact your PDO. PDOs will begin work on more CDA programs statewide beginning in early 2020. Click here to locate PDO Contact information.

To learn more information on the CDA, visit the PA Key website.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) tracks Pennsylvania’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce data through completed Professional Development (PD) Registry ( papdregistry.org ) profiles from ECE educators. A completed PD Registry profile includes:

This data is shared with partners, funders and policymakers to increase funding so the number of high-quality ECE programs rise and a knowledgeable, skilled and better compensated ECE workforce develops. For example, compensation (wage/salary) information may be averaged to report the median wage of ECE educators across Pennsylvania or in a specific geographic region. This information may also be averaged nationally.

OCDEL and the PD Registry recognize privacy is important and any identifying personal information, including individual compensation data, is not shared . A full PD Registry Privacy Statement is available at bit.ly/PDRprivacy .

ECE educators can update their profiles or create an account at papdregistry.org . Once verified by the PD Registry, a completed profile grants full access to the PD Registry, which provides placement on Pennsylvania's ECE Career Pathway, professional development opportunities, professional development planning tools and applications for important programs like Rising STARS Tuition Assistance, the CDA Voucher, and the Director Credential.

Additional information about the PD Registry, step-by-step tip sheets for profile completion and more resources are available at  bit.ly/pakeyregistry . Questions? The PD Registry team is here to help! Email [email protected] or call 1-800-284-6031.

Child Care Directors and Administrators are invited to a webinar about Pennsylvania’s early childhood education (ECE) Career Pathway. This webinar seeks to provide a full overview of the Career Pathway. We will detail different levels of the career pathway, professional development alignment within the career pathway, resources to share with teachers planning to move up in the career pathway and examples of programs focused on career pathways advancement. More information on Pennsylvania's Quality Initiatives for the Early Childhood Education workforce will also be provided.

The webinar will be held Jan. 23, 2020, at 1:00 PM. Click here to register. Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with information on how to join the webinar. The webinar will be recorded and posted to the Pennsylvania Key website for those unable to attend.

Questions? Call 1-800-284-6031 or email [email protected] . To learn more about Pennsylvania’s ECE Career Pathway, visit the Pennsylvania Key website.

Did you know that T.E.A.C.H. has scholarship models specifically available for family child care providers? If you are a family provider who is considering pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education – T.E.A.C.H. can help you get started and graduate debt free!

Join PACCA for a T.E.A.C.H. Webinar for Family Child Care Providers

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

Join this webinar to learn more about the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood ^® PENNSYLVANIA Scholarship program and how it works for family child care providers. This webinar will provide an overview of T.E.A.C.H., the scholarship requirements and how to apply. The webinar will also touch on other types of financial aid and how to get enrolled in college for the upcoming semester(s). Time for Q& A will help attendees to better understand the details of T.E.A.C.H. and next steps in pursuing a degree in early childhood education.

Presenter: Laurie Litz, T.E.A.C.H. Director. FREE online registration is available now! Click HERE to register.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood ^®  PENNSYLVANIA is administered by the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA). T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood ^® PENNSYLVANIA is a licensed program of Child Care Services Association.  

The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC), the affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, has announced the appointment of Jen DeBell as Executive Director. Jen comes to the position with almost 20 years of experience in public policy and government relations advocating for children and families through roles in Pennsylvania state government and non-profit organizations. For the past two years Jen has served as the PennAEYC Associate Executive Director leading the organization’s advocacy and policy initiatives at the state and federal levels. For additional information, please visit the PennAEYC website.

The Pre-Apprentice and Apprenticeship Grant Program helps cover expenses for technical or academic instruction that complements on-the-job training in registered apprenticeship programs.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development ( DCED) is currently accepting grant applications from sponsors of registered apprenticeships. Sponsors may request up to $3,000 per apprentice annually for a maximum of three years.

Who Can Apply

Applications will be accepted and evaluated on an ongoing basis with awards to be made to eligible applications for as long as funds are available. For full program guidelines and to apply, visit the DCED website .

The One Book, Every Young Child Program in Pennsylvania will celebrate its fifteenth year in 2020. Over the years it has shared many wonderful books, authors, illustrators and activity ideas and will continue to do so. This year will be the second year that there will be two titles, one for the very young— Freight Train by Donald Crews, and one for preschoolers— Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner. Both authors are also the illustrators and have created a number of books. You will find links to their webpages on the One Book website.

If you already participate in Scholastic’s Literacy Partnerships Program, just print the order form and follow the directions on the form. If your organization does not already participate just complete this form. You may order as many copies as you need any time during 2020. The One Book website ( www.paonebook.org) has a fun guide for each title to share with families. There is also an educators’ guide for each, too.

This year there is a new twist. Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner is also available on BookFlix as a video. BookFlix is provided for free to the residents of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries POWER Library program ( www.powerlibrary.org). All you need is a public library card and Internet access to enjoy over 140 picture book videos. Each video is paired with a non-fiction book title that connects with the story. Children may listen, read along with or read the book independently. BookFlix also provides activities, games and more information on the book and often the author. The easiest way to learn more is to stop in your local library and ask for a demonstration.

Pennsylvania's efforts with a pilot program with schools around the use and application of the Pennsylvania Career Ready Skills (PA CRS) continuum and related tools are highlighted in the December 2019 edition of Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) CSI Connections. The PA Department of Education's pilot requires participating schools to use the PA Career Ready Skills Toolkit as a guide for integration of the skills into classroom practices and the school environment. Read more. 

The 2020 Gro More Good Grassroots Grant presented by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening is designed to bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens to communities across the United States. Awards provide funding for the development of new and expansion of existing youth garden programs and greenspaces serving 15 or more youth. Winners will be selected based on their commitment to the maintenance and sustainability of their garden program including plans for growth and future fiscal stability. Read more.

In the 2010 Census, nearly one million children (4.6% of children under the age of five) were not counted, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In fact, children under age five are one of the largest groups of undercounted people in the United States.

Counting young children will be vitally important in the 2020 Census because population statistics are used by local, state, and federal lawmakers to determine how to spend billions of dollars in federal and state funds annually over the next 10 years. Much of that money funds programs that directly affect children. They include nutrition assistance, Head Start, special education, foster care, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program and housing assistance to help a child’s family.

Knowing how many children live in a community is the foundation of many important municipal decisions. For example, should a community build a new library? A new school? A new hospital? Should Head Start for pre-K children be expanded? These local decisions are driven by changes in population, and often by the growth in the number of children. A new school may be needed because of increased births in one area but the school might not be built if all newborns and toddlers – future schoolchildren – are not counted. Read more.

A new report, The Connection between Head Start and State or Territory Early Care and Education Systems: A Scan of Existing Data, from the Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis, summarizes data on the relationships between Head Start programs and early care and education systems in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. While the coordination of Head Start with other aspects of early care and education systems varies widely across states and territories, the data summarized in the report highlight Head Start’s connections with pre-K, quality rating and improvement systems, and the Child Care and Development Fund. 

The report demonstrates that Pennsylvania is one of seven states which links federally funded Head Start child-level data, and one of four states with multiple state pre-K programs, in which state administered Head Start meet the criteria to be considered a state pre-K program. Pennsylvania is also one of eight state or territory agencies which received Early Head Start-Child Care Partners (EHS-CCP) grants, and one of only a few other states which also serves as an EHS grantee outside of the EHS-CCP grants. 

A new brief , Incorporating Spatial Analyses into Early Care and Education Research , from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation and Child Trends outlines how the early care and education field can use spatial analysis. The brief describes three common uses of spatial analysis to answer questions about early care and education: categorizing geographical areas, creating variables using spatial information, and analyzing spatial patterns and associations.

Two studies from Learning Policy Institute, designed for policymakers and administrators create a through line from young children to practitioners to policy, describe the essential skills required for children to be successful in kindergarten and beyond, the skills educators need to teach their students, and effective policies and practices for preparing these educators drawn from exemplary California programs and New Jersey's statewide policies.

Early Childhood Essentials provides a framework for understanding essential child skills and the competencies educators need to support them. Promising Models for Preparing a Diverse, High-Quality Early Childhood Workforce describes innovative and affordable approaches state policymakers and practitioners can use to make higher education affordable and accessible for diverse educators. These models deliver high-quality preparation using research-base knowledge in child development and sustained, mentored field experience.

What is Social Emotional Development? In this video from the National Institute for Children's Health Quality, four experts define and explore social emotional development, and the impact of children's earliest relationships and experiences. 

Changes to the Early Years Toolbox have made the tool easier for measuring young children’s emerging cognitive, self-regulatory, language, numeracy and social development. Developed by the University of Wollongong, the Early Years Toolbox provides brief, engaging, game-like assessments for the iPad.

The  Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) produces a  podcast  series for anyone interested in learning more about the agency, hearing about innovation in the field of emergency management and/or listening to stories about communities and individuals recovering after disasters. This  episode  of the FEMA Podcast features a roundtable discussion with members of the FEMA team, who discuss the important role children can play in building a culture of preparedness.  Listen   here  or on   Apple iTunes  and   Google Play . 

The December edition of Natural Resources from Camille Catlett is now available. It features information about equity, culturally responsive strategies, supporting school readiness, and more.