Welcome to the ECE Recap where you can find the
most recent and important information from the
Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).
Compliance with Acting Secretary of Health’s Face Covering Order

On Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, a Commonwealth Court issued a ruling voiding Acting Secretary Beam’s Face Covering order. This decision does not have any impact on current procedures, as an appeal has been filed and will trigger the issuance of a stay.  

Until further notice, child care and other school entities are required to continue to comply with the Secretary's Order. OCDEL Announcement C-21-08 will continue to be in effect until further notice.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Office of the Governor provided the following statement to school entities, which includes child care and other early learning settings:

The Secretary of Health's authority is clearly outlined in existing law. The Department of Health has directed counsel to file an appeal today. Filing of the appeal will immediately stay the Commonwealth Court’s decision. 

Masking is a necessary public health measure to keep children safe and provide them with as much in-person learning in school as possible. Medical experts agree -- hospitals and healthcare professionals across the state support the masking requirement. Requiring masks in schools is helping to keep students in classrooms and the virus out and is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Week of Action - Early Childhood Workforce

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Week of Action — The Administration for Children and Families is partnering with CMS to help the early childhood workforce access health coverage during the Open Enrollment period for Marketplace coverage, which started on Nov.1. Happening now, the Week of Action raises awareness among the early childhood workforce about how to access health coverage and connect with navigators and assisters. Read more.
Nov. 15-19: Pennsylvania’s Education for Student’s Experiencing Homelessness Week

All students have the right to a free, public and appropriate education. Being homeless can create barriers. The Pennsylvania’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) program works hard to eliminate those barriers. Get more information here and here on how you can support and bring awareness about families and children experiencing homelessness.
Friday is Last Day to Apply to be on the Regulation Rewrite Subcommittee

Friday, Nov. 19, is the final day to apply to serve on the Early Learning Council (ELC) Subcommittees for the Child Care Certification Regulation Rewrite Project. Serving on the Early Learning Council (ELC) Subcommittee means you can provide feedback to internal workgroups charged with rewriting Pennsylvania's child care regulations. Work will be conducted virtually during the winter and spring of 2022. Visit the Certification Rewrite Page on the Pennsylvania Key’s website to learn more about the project, or view an informational session from the Virtual ECE Summit. Questions? Contact Karen Grimm-Thomas at [email protected].
Delay in Go-Live Date of New Keystone STARS Designation System

In an effort to further support programs and allow for continued enhancements to the ARPA grant platform within the PD Registry, OCDEL is delaying the go-live date of the new streamlined Keystone STARS Designation System until July 1, 2022 and the start of the new fiscal year. As a reminder, programs will continue to have access to their Document Vault within the PD Registry and can begin using this centralized storage feature for important documents related to Keystone STARS. Programs can reach out to their ELRCs with any questions related to the delay in rollout.  
Vaccinations in Child Care Settings

Best practices and additional resources to help ECE providers ensure proper vaccination and prevention strategies during COVID-19 has been added to the COVID-19 Best Practices for ECE page. 
Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) PAHAN Updates 
 
  • CDC guidance [COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens | CDC] released on Nov. 2, 2021, recommends all children aged 5 to <12 years old get pediatric formulation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to help protect against COVID-19.
  • A recent vaccine study showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective for 5 to <12 year old children with vaccine effectiveness of 90.9% in preventing symptomatic COVID.
  • This is a 2-dose (10 µg/ 0.2 ml) primary series administered at least 21 days apart.
  • A recent vaccine study showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective for 5 to <12 years old children with vaccine effectiveness of 90.9% in preventing symptomatic COVID. Adverse events were more common after dose 2 and included pain at the injection sites, fatigue, and headache.
  • Be sure to contact your own healthcare provider for more guidance. 
Collaborative Opportunity for ECE Providers to Promote Breastfeeding

Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs play an important role in supporting breastfeeding families and their infants by welcoming them and making sure staff members are trained to handle breast milk and follow mothers’ feeding plans. Increasing access to ECE programs that support breastfeeding families will help women start and continue breastfeeding. Learn how you can participate in an exciting new collaborative opportunity to promote breastfeeding.
Did You Know...ARPA Stabilization Grant

Did you know an eligible program converting to a different provider type, like Family Child Care Home (FCCH) to a Child Care Center (CCC) should consider several factors when deciding when to apply for a grant. A program can apply immediately for a grant under their current provider type designation (i.e. FCCH); however, if they convert to a new provider type, their monthly installments will still be based on their provider type when they submitted their application. Check out the FAQ document for scenarios that may meet your situation, as well as other questions you may have when applying for the ARPA Stabilization Grant.
Reminder: Regulatory Suspension Update

Pursuant to Act 73 of 2021 (HB 1861), the suspension of various regulatory provisions under the state disaster emergency declaration that were set to expire on Sept. 30, 2021, were extended until further notice.  
 
OCDEL strongly advises licensed child care providers implement plans and strategies to meet the currently suspended regulations while OCDEL works through the process to reinstate some of its regulations to comply with federal funding requirements.  
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