The deadline for early childhood education (ECE) professionals to participate in the ECE Special Initiative for Janssen, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 Vaccine is Friday, March 12, 2021. March 12, 2021, is the date all ECE individuals indicating interest will be shared with Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and the pharmacy partners for this special initiative.
ECE program directors should:
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Complete the Survey for Immunization Needs by Friday, March 12, 2021, to provide a count of their program's eligible and interested staff.
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Share the link to the ECE Registration Request Form with eligible and interested staff and support them in registering by Friday, March 12, 2021.
ECE staff who are directly employed by PreK-12 public and non-public schools or Intermediate Units (IUs) will receive additional information from their employers. DOH, the Department of Education (PDE) and PEMA are working with the IUs to set up dedicated vaccination sites for PreK-12 staff across the state. Interest in this portion of the special initiative is being facilitated through a separate survey distributed by PDE to public and private schools and IUs.
For all other ECE professionals, child care providers, and staff of community-based ECE providers, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is coordinating access to the J&J vaccine with retail pharmacy partners.
In the event ECE staff interest is submitted on either survey, it should not be submitted on the other if the opportunity presents itself. This will tie up resources and scheduling time due to duplication.
As a reminder, educators, child care and Head Start staff were prioritized by the federal administration and can independently reach out to schedule their own vaccination. OCDEL encourages all ECE and pre-K-12th grade educators to become vaccinated.
