ELRC News

ELRC Updates & Opportunities

Policy for Transferring Care Between Child Care Facility and School

OCDEL has released Announcement C-25-03: Policy for Transferring Care Between Child Care Facility and School to update certified child care providers on the moment when care and supervision is transferred when children are picked up and dropped off for school.

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2025 Child Care Market Rate Survey

The Market Rate Survey assists OCDEL in setting child care subsidy payment rates that are reflective of the private pay market. Even if your program does not accept subsidies, your information is still important, providing a more accurate picture of child care tuition rates across the state.

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Learning Opportunities

Ages & Stages - October & November

Free Ages & Stages trainings are being offered to programs in ELRCs 8, 9, & 10.

Monday, October 13 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm | English
Wednesday, November 12 | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Spanish

Additional Opportunities

Wellness Grant Application 2025-2026

Licensed childcare providers are encouraged to apply for PA NAPSACC's Wellness Grant. The grant provides an opportunity to engage in a continuous quality improvement process focused on obesity prevention practices and policies within an early care and education setting, utilizing Go NAPSACC, an online, evidence-based tool, to guide self-assessment, action planning, implementation, policy development, re-self-assessment, and reflection. Applications are due by October 3, 2025.

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RULER Training Program for Home-Based Providers

RULER is an evidence-based approach designed to integrate social and emotional learning into schools and organizations and create a supportive and emotionally intelligent home-based child care culture.

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Meet Our Team

Jennie Brown

Technical Assistance Coach

From Middleburg, PA, Jennie comes to Community Connections for Children with 32 years of experience in ECE and Early Intervention. Jennie received her B.S. in Elementary Education, along with her Early Childhood Certification. As a TA Coach, Jennie will be working with ECE programs to provide coaching and support to classroom teams. Outside of work, Jennie enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

Jo-Ann Orcutt

STARS Grant Specialist

Jo-Ann has spent the majority of her career working in or supporting educational efforts for college and high school students. She has had the opportunity to work with first-generation, emotionally distressed, and adult students. In her personal life, she has been lucky enough to support people in recovery and sit on boards such as Habitat for Humanity and a Veterans Coalition Committee. The work is not a job to her; it is the service to others. It is especially important as she has many times in her life been the one who required assistance. She is also fortunate to enjoy art, books, and music.

Katelyn Grim

STARS Outreach Coach

Katelyn joins Community Connections for Children having worked in ECE classrooms for the last 16 years as a classroom teacher. She received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Shippensburg University in 2010, and her Master's degree in Early Childhood from PennWest Edinboro in 2019. Outside of work, she and her husband have two daughters that keep them very busy on the weekends and a 10-year-old Cavachon who thinks he is still a puppy!