COVID-19 Resources

As we progress through this extraordinary time, we are here to serve as a resource for PennAEYC members and the early care and education community. Please know we are trying to share anything coming out of the government that could be helpful, recognizing each program or concept may not help everyone.

Advocating for Early Education Providers

NAEYC statement on how essential child care is in these unprecedented times and their resource page Coping with COVID-19

NAEYC’s data from child care surveys

As a result of the stop-gap budget that passed in May 2020 a second budget bill was needed to fund many appropriations for the remainder of the year, including child care. On Friday, the House and Senate passed SB 1350 which funded the Child Care Services and Child Care Assistance appropriations at FY 19-20 levels for the remainder of the fiscal year. The twelve months of level-funding for Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program which were provided in May were maintained. Evidence-based home visiting services were also level-funded. Gov. Wolf signed SB 1350 into law as Act 17A of 2020. Please read the statement from Early Learning PA regarding the FY 20-21 state budget. PennAEYC will continue to work with its advocacy partners in Early Learning PA and its individual advocacy campaigns to fight for you.

Previously in 2020…

You did it! We did it! $125 Million Allocated to Save Early Learning. On May 28 the Senate and House voted unanimously to pass the stimulus bill authorizing the spending of the majority of the $3.9 billion in federal CARES Act funding and the Governor signed it! The bill includes:

  • $116 million to stabilize child care providers
  • $9 million for to help stabilize Pre-K and Head Start providers, including offering summer programs if it is safe to do so

In addition the Wolf Administration announced  the plan to release $51 million in federal CARES Act child care (CCDBG) funding. This is another step forward for programs serving subsidized and private pay children in recovering a portion of lost revenue from subsidy parent co-pays and private tuition.

Get current advocacy efforts details by joining both the Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA issue campaigns. We urge you to take action today to help #SaveChildCare by clicking this link.

Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) Announcements and Information

COVID-19 Relief Funding for Early Learning Programs

Early Childhood Education CARES Act Funding Child care providers should complete the Provider Attestation Form: Attestation Form (PDF). The completed Provider Attestation Form must be sent to your ELRC using your preferred form of correspondence. Contact information can be found at ELRC Contact Information (PDF). OCDEL determined eligibility and amount of award based on provider type, Child Care Works (CCW) subsidy enrollment, and regional capacity. Full details can be found here.

What Department of Human Services (DHS) Certified Child Care Providers Need to know about the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Funding

Phased-in Reopening Resources

Additional Announcements, FAQs and Waiver details

OCDEL, Bureau of Certification, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Key, has recorded webinars on the CDC guidance for child care providers including:   

*OCDEL has noted that documents will be updated and re-released on a recurring basis as new information becomes available. 

General Resources

We encourage you to continue to consult these resources for updates on COVID-19, information on staying healthy, and updates on the situation in Pennsylvania.

We also encourage you to visit www.sharedsourcepa.org for helpful resources that you can use with families and staff to reduce the level of anxiety, communicate what is known to be most appropriate health, hygiene and safety practices, as well as interim guidance for child care businesses.

Professional Development for Providers 

PennAEYC has a list of upcoming online sessions on our Upcoming Events page. We also want to share other resources from partners across the state:

Resources for Providers and Parents

upgradedpoints.com/best-virtual-museum-tours/(opens in a new tab)

Our partners at NAEYC host a a site for families, NAEYC for Families. Our partners in Southeast PA at First Up: Champions for Early Education has a list of parent resources. Also, our partners in Southwest PA at Trying Together host a parent page. 

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