The current order requiring Pennsylvanians to wear masks will be lifted when 70% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated. Face coverings are required to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are away from your home. In accordance with the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians are not required to wear a mask during certain activities. Read the press release for additional details.

Early childhood education programs should continue to follow the C-20-12 Revised, Interim Guidance for Certified Child Care Facilities Operating During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, Updated Order of the Secretary for Universal Face Covering, ​as well as C-20-08 COVID-19 Operations for Licensed Child Care while working in their ECE setting.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) welcomes Meg Snead who was nominated to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Human Services (DHS). Most recently, she served as Gov. Wolf’s Secretary of Policy and Planning overseeing the administration’s development and implementation of policy priorities, including the COVID-19 pandemic response, ensuring access to health care, and breaking barriers to critical human services. Prior to joining the governor’s office, Meg was an executive policy specialist at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, focusing on Medicaid, mental health, and substance use policy. Meg comes to the position with a background in affordable housing, homelessness, and health care policy, having spent 10 years working in the nonprofit industry in the Denver, Colorado area. Meg has a bachelor’s in government from the University of South Carolina and a master’s in political science from the University of Colorado. Read the April 29, 2021 message from Ms. Snead via the PA Department of Human Services enews, The Impact.

Congratulations to Toni Miguel, Consultant for Pennsylvania's Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA), for being selected as one of 13 the 2021 cohort of 'aRPy Ambassadors' from across the country to help implement official recommended practices for the care and education of young children with disabilities in the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Through a cooperative agreement with the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education, the ECTA Center developed a suite of free resources and videos—starring the animated spokesperson 'aRPy' for whom the project is named—to help practitioners and families apply these recommended practices to developmental interventions in everyday routines and settings involving children and families.

The aRPy Ambassador initiative represents a unique partnership between the ECTA Center, the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children, and the Region B Parent Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at Parent to Parent of Georgia. Ambassadors reach out to and cultivate relationships with partners committed to improving systems, services, and outcomes for young children with or at risk for disabilities and their families. They collaborate with local, regional, and state entities to promote the awareness and use of the DEC Recommended Practices. Their audiences may include providers of early intervention, early care and education, early childhood special education, parent centers, parents and family members, and students in higher education.

Ms. Miguel (tmiguel@pattan.net) has a doctorate in Teacher Education and Curriculum and serves the Pennsylvania southeast region. Her expertise is in teacher education focused on providing inclusive and equitable practices for young children.

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program provides resources to state, territory, and tribal grantees that enable low-income parents to work or pursue education and training so they can better support their families, while at the same time promoting the learning and development of their children. The CCDF program also provides funding to enhance the quality of child care for all children.

Pennsylvania's CCDF Plan is how Pennsylvania applies for CCDF funding and is the primary mechanism that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) uses to determine Pennsylvania's compliance with the requirements of the law and rule. Learn more, including how you can provide input for Pennsylvania's next plan, at the PA Department of Human Services website.

The Pennsylvania Key Infant-Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Program is offering a new service: IECMHC Virtual Office Hours. IECMHC Virtual Office Hours is currently being piloted in ELRCs 11-19, with plans underway to make the service more widely available to ELRCs in the future. IECMH Consultants are available by appointment to provide IECMH Virtual Office Hours consultation via telephone or video conference. IECMHC Virtual Office Hours is a short-term, collaborative, problem-solving conversation to help you find next steps for: Child Social-Emotional Concerns, Child Behavioral or Developmental Concerns, Emotional Well-being of Teachers and Caregivers, and Partnering with Families. Get more info on IECMHC Program and how to access IECMHC Virtual Office Hours.

The work of the early childhood education (ECE) Professional Development Organization (PDOs) of Pennsylvania is to ensure every early educator working in the child care industry can access a pathway to lead teacher status. Knowing it is critical families and children have strong connections to early educators serving their communities, PDOs prioritize recruitment and retention of educators from across multiple dimensions, including language. To reach this goal, ECE PDOs target and fund the build out of career pathways that nurture a sense of belonging and value the rich, diverse experience that early educators bring to the table. This includes addressing issues of equity and access related to early educators who are not yet comfortable with English, or work in settings that serve families in languages other than English.

PDOs fund or offer services to bilingual early educators as they connect to Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or courses that lead to Associate or bachelor’s degree. For example, to maximize engagement and success, CDA cohorts have been offered with both Spanish and Russian Instructors. Depending upon need and how the colleges or the community has responded, sometimes courses are offered in a preferred language, while at other times, there are specialized language or academic supports for put in place. PDOs can fund and support the unique needs of each community and educator, so how educators are supported is decided on a case by case basis.

Recently, courses or CDAs designed specifically for English Language Learners, have been heaviest in Northeast and Philadelphia regions. As PDOs develop a deeper understanding of community needs, this work will continue to evolve. If you are an early childhood educator, employer, college, or community partner, you are encouraged to reach out to your PDO or work with your local Institute of Higher Education (IHE) if you see a gap in what your college is currently offering and the needs of early childhood educators in their community.

Click here for more information and the PDO serving your region.

The Pennsylvania Key’s Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Program has partnered with ZERO TO THREE to bring several no-cost webinar series to Pennsylvania early childhood education, Early Intervention, and Home Visiting professionals to support their learning and growth.

Each 90-minute session requires pre-registration and space is limited. Visit the Pennsylvania Key website for additional information and links to register.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), in partnership with the Pennsylvania Key, has been developing enhancements to Keystone STARS Designation System by adding functionality within the Professional Development (PD) Registry. These enhancements will ensure Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals and programs have a more streamlined process and consolidated system for a single point of access. Read more.

More than two million Pennsylvanians are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and the vaccine supply increases each week — getting more and more shots into arms.

All Pennsylvanians, age 16 or older, are eligible to be vaccinated. Use this guide from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to find out how to get a vaccine.

If you have questions about the vaccination process in Pennsylvania, please call the Pennsylvania Department of Health hotline at 1-877-724-3258.

As the Administration works to get even more people vaccinated, President Biden called on employers across America to do everything they can to help their employees – and their communities – get vaccinated. As part of that effort, President Biden is calling on every employer in America to offer full pay to their employees for any time off needed to get vaccinated and for any time it takes to recover from the after-effects of vaccination. He announced a paid leave tax credit that will offset the cost for employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide full pay for any time their employees need to get a COVID-19 vaccination or recover from that vaccination. Read more.

Under the American Rescue Plan, employers are entitled to tax credits for providing paid leave to employees who take time off related to COVID-19 vaccinations. Eligible employers may claim tax credits for sick and family leave paid to employees, including leave taken to receive or recover from COVID-19 vaccinations, for leave from April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021. For more information, view the IRS Fact Sheet.

The Afterschool Alliance has made available the webinar recording and slides for the presentation, American Rescue Plan: How to Access Funds for Afterschool & Summer, which shares information on the biggest opportunity since 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) expansion. The American Rescue Plan has potential support for afterschool & summer in the amount of $30 billion, including nearly $9 million in state set-asides to serve 9 million children, doubling the amount of children now in programs. The recording provides information on how to access the funds for afterschool and summer programs, what to do, asking for support, potential partners, and tools and resources. School age child care (SACC) networks are encouraged to widely share this information with their partners.

If you have further questions or need further assistance connecting with your school district, please contact your STARS Quality Coach. Pennsylvania's afterschool networks PSAYDN and PENNSACCA are also available to provide assistance.

Summer hasn’t arrived yet, but now is the time to start planning to enroll in college for the Fall. Join the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) for the May 11, 2021, webinar, 1:00-2:30 pm, to learn more about the higher education options available, from a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential, Associate or bachelor’s degrees and Graduate level Teacher Certification Programs. These programs are offered in various formats including online and hybrid models. Figuring out which option is best for you can be daunting. This session will help participants to understand the important considerations for selecting a credential or degree program, next steps to enrolling and how to access financial supports to pay for college, including the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Program. Time for Q&A will help attendees to develop a personalized plan for next steps to pursuing a credential or degree in Early Childhood Education.

Presenter: Laurie Litz, T.E.A.C.H. Director

Audience: Early Childhood Professionals

FREE online registration is available now, so click HERE to register.

The PA Treasury is offering free webinars for parents, employees, grandparents, etc. on its savings programs. The next one is upcoming on May 18 and Treasury has shared information to make sure that all families and those who work in the child care and education fields can also attend. Please share the information below on Treasury’s upcoming May 18 webinar with families and community partners.

Keystone Scholars provides Pennsylvania babies with a $100 investment that can help jump start families` savings for future higher education.

The Bright Future Booster provides an additional one-time $50 deposit to Keystone Scholars babies whose parent(s) are WIC participants and who give birth between January 1 and June 30, 2021.

The PA Savings Pledge offers Pennsylvania residents incentives to save for a child aged 0-18. Take the pledge to save and you`ll be entered in monthly drawings with more than $5,000 in prizes up for grabs.

The PA 529 College and Career Savings Program helps thousands of Pennsylvania families save for a child`s future education while providing great tax benefits. PA 529 plans may be used at most colleges and universities, many technical, career and vocational schools and even for K-12 tuition.

Click here to register to join a free Treasury webinar on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM to learn how to participate and benefit from these programs.

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children will be offering a limited number of Family Scholarships in the amount of $500 to support families to attend the September 21-24, 2021, Division for Early Childhood's 37th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families conference in New Orleans. Sessions offered will focus on the latest research, evidence based practices, and advice for working with young children with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who serve them. Family scholarship applications are due May 21, 2021. Awardees will be notified by June 11, 2021.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently announced a set of nationwide waivers for School Year 2021-2022 to allow school meal programs and child care institutions across the country to return to serving healthy meals in Fall 2021, as part of the Administration’s commitment to reopen schools safely. USDA is offering a set of targeted flexibilities through June 30, 2022 for school meals programs and child care institutions. For a complete list of the waiver actions, visit FNS’s COVID Response page.

On May 18, 2021, all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, will be able to vote on four ballot questions – including three proposed constitutional amendments. 

Pennsylvania's State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC) Annual Report 2019-2020 is now available. The report includes data required by state and federal law and summarizes Early Intervention data on the number of children served in each county in Early Intervention, the settings where children receive services and supports, and the state and federal funding utilized for Early Intervention.

The third edition of the Index from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment continues to track state policies and conditions affecting the early care and education workforce, like workforce qualifications, work environments, and compensation. It includes policy recommendations and spotlights state responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has released The State of Preschool 2020 Annual Report. With preschool on the national political agenda, the 2020 Yearbook addresses three key questions:

The Yearbook explains how the COVID-19 pandemic threatens state-funded preschool programs and worsens inequality in access to high-quality preschool, and how the federal and state governments can work together to ensure every 3- and 4-year-old receives a high-quality, full-day preschool education. Read the full report and view Pennsylvania's profile.

Access to high-quality early childhood education (ECE) is important for families. However, the reasons why parents search for care may differ and some families have difficulty finding the care they need. This snapshot, Parents’ Reasons for Searching for Early Care and Education and Results of Search: An Analysis Using the Access Framework, from the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE) presents nationally representative data on why parents search for care for their young children and the reasons for not enrolling with a new provider after such a search.

In Pennsylvania, Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRC) can help families find child care, as well as the search feature on the Department of Human Services' Find Child Care website.

Paying for child care can place a burden on households, especially those with low incomes. Currently, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding whether households obtain higher-quality child care when they pay higher prices for that care. To that end, this research brief, Prices Reported by Center-Based Early Care and Education Providers: Associations with Indicators of Quality, from the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE) uses data from center-based providers to examine whether centers that report higher prices for child care provide higher-quality care, as measured with a variety of indicators.

A resource from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), List N Tool: COVID-19 Disinfectants, share information about products which meet EPA's criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Browse by EPA Registration Number, Active Ingredient, Surface Type, Contact Time or Keyword Search.

The Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center has available printable posters to remind staff and families about basic COVID-19 prevention strategies These posters promote vaccination, masks, and simple strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Although they contain the Head Start logo, they are appropriate for all early childhood education programs.

In March 2020, The Brain Architects podcast from Center on the Developing Child explored the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. Discussed was the importance of self-care for caregivers and of physical distancing, not social distancing. These conversations and discussions will continue as to what was learned, what needs to change, and where to go from here.

New resources are available from Camille Catlett. The April edition of Natural Resources features content which explore key ideas about Inclusion. The April edition of Baby Talk shares information that highlights if COVID-19 is making children anxious, what can parents do; exploring key ideas about inclusion; bilingual baby brains and more.

The Social Security Administration has released a toolkit for organizations that work with families of children with disabilities to inform them about SSI. The SSI Kids Toolkit.pdf (ssa.gov) includes a letter, articles, social media posts, and images to share with families.