The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Bureau of Certification, has released the Announcement C-20-12, Interim Guidance for Certified Child Care Facilities Operating During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic. This guidance covers policies and procedures providers should implement during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also provides certified child care facilities with guidance on how to handle a positive COVID-19 case or exposure to a positive COVID-19 case in child care facilities. This announcement replaces C-20-06R and includes updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Topics addressed in this guidance include:

For full details, please see the Announcement C-20-12, Interim Guidance for Certified Child Care Facilities Operating During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic.

Please complete the survey by Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Thank you for taking time to provide OCDEL with such critical information.

In October, registered users of regulated child care providers will be able to enter additional information about their location--including vacancies--using the PELICAN Provider Self-Service (PSS). The Operational Capacity, Vacancy, and Waitlist Summary page will allows providers to view and update Operational Capacity, Vacancy, and Waitlist information for the care levels served, and indicate whether they are accepting enrollments. This information will be used to share enrollment availability on www.findchildcare.pa.gov. Additionally, providers will be able to indicate if they wish to be contacted by parents/caretakers through a new email feature via www.findchildcare.pa.gov. 

Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Health released the COVID Alert PA exposure notification application. It is now live in the Google and Apple stores, and you can download it for free at:

COVID Alert PA is a free mobile app using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology and the Exposure Notification System developed by Apple and Google. The app offers:

COVID Alert PA protects both privacy and personal information. The app does not use GPS, location services, or any movement or geographical information. It will never collect, transmit, or store personal information. It is completely anonymous.

Existing traditional contact tracing processes rely on a positive individual to remember and name who they have been in contact with recently, and for how long. In many cases, positive COVID-19 individuals may not even know the people they were in close contact with, like if the contact happened on a bus or train, at a check-out line in a grocery store, a restaurant or some other public venue.

The app supplements traditional contact tracing processes by being able to identify strangers a positive app user came in contact with and help stop the rapid spread of COVID-19. If the app detects you have been in close contact with another user who has tested positive for COVID-19, you will receive a push notification on your phone. This is called an exposure alert and will be followed by what you should do to monitor your own health. You can learn more about the app and how it works here.

The Department of Human Services is committed to supporting this effort and helping protect the people served by encouraging use of COVID Alert PA. This technology only works if others have downloaded the app, which is why the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Human Services are asking all Pennsylvanians to unite against COVID and download the app. Will you download the app and join the fight against COVID-19?

The Department of Health also has an extensive catalog of marketing materials including posters, social media posts, press releases, and other customizable content if you are interested in helping get the word out. 

Thank you in advance for helping to get the word out to your colleagues, clients, family, friends, and neighbors. Thank you for your support!