The PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has announced that effective August 1, 2018, the Child Care Works (CCW) program will both lift the base rate freeze for STAR 1 and STAR 2 providers, as well as, apply a general Maximum Child Care Allowance (MCCA) base rate increase of 2.5% across all counties, provider types, STAR levels, and care levels. 

Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) will contact providers in July or August to both gather their program’s current private pay rates and to sign updated provider agreements. If a program serves children in Philadelphia or Allegheny County, they will receive this information through their Child Care Information Service Office. OCDEL is requesting that early learning providers be responsive to the ELRCs when they outreach around the provider agreements.

Get more information about Early Learning Resource Centers.

Beginning September 2018, OCDEL will use $2 million of the increased Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funding to pilot contracting for slots for infants and toddlers participating in Child Care Works (CCW). 

OCDEL will leverage the PA Pre-K Counts model to pilot contracting with STAR 3 and STAR 4 programs to serve infants and toddlers in high-quality settings. 

This pilot will improve access to, and continued enrollment of, children 0-36 months in high-quality early care and education programs and is supported by the results of Pennsylvania’s Infant/Toddler policy scan (a tool developed by Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Child Care).

Expanding access to high-quality, early childhood education is a proven investment and priority for the Wolf administration. Governor Tom Wolf recently announced more Pennsylvania families will have access to high-quality early learning programs, with approximately 2,125 new slots in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and 490 new slots in the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP) being made available. In 2018-19, more than 29,250 children will receive services through PA Pre-K Counts or HSSAP.

A listing of the PA Pre-K Counts and HSSAP competitive grant awardees for 2018-19 is available on the PA Department of Education website. 

Families may contact the programs directly to apply. Contact information for PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start and other early learning programs can be found by visiting www.findchildcare.pa.gov and clicking on Early Learning and Development Programs--> Find a Provider--> Preschool, then PA Pre-K Counts or Head Start.