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).
Pennsylvania Department of Health: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Fully Approved for Use in 12- to 15-Year-Olds
Beginning May 12, 2021, the Department of Health encourages all COVID-19 vaccine providers to start vaccinating anyone age 12 and over with the Pfizer vaccine as recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reviewed the data and made an official recommendation to use the vaccine for this age group. The CDC also said that the Pfizer vaccine could be co-administered with other routine vaccinations. Read more.
Response to CDC updated guidance, May 7, 2021
On May 7, 2021, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) updated its Guidance for Operating Child Care Programs during COVID-19. A careful review of this update did not suggest any significant changes to child care operations. The current guidance continues to reinforce the practices outlined in Announcement C-20-12 Revised, Interim Guidance for Certified Child Care Facilities Operating During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic. Child care programs are encouraged to contact their certification representative if they have any questions about implementing these mitigation strategies in their program. Support is also available through your Regional Health and Safety Task Force.
June 10 Deadline for 2021-22 Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Request for Application LOI
June 10, 2021, is the deadline for the Letter of Intent (LOI) for the competitive Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Request for Applications (RFA) Guidance. This RFA is intended to support providers in preparing to serve and enroll children by September 2021. The RFA has been released in May 2021 to give providers time to conduct outreach to families; recruit, hire and train staff; and plan for implementing the program pending grant approval. Read more.
Pennsylvania Voluntary Lead in Child Care and School Drinking Water Testing Program
A free program, the Pennsylvania Voluntary Lead in Child Care and School Drinking Water Testing Program, is available to help schools and child care facilities identify and address potentially harmful lead exposure to children. Eligible schools and child care facilities can receive free water lead testing and related training and technical support through this program. This program is more than just a free test kit; it provides training, guidance and expert support at every phase of the sampling process to help support the health of the children in a school or child care facility.
New Website Helps Pennsylvanians Find Vaccination Sites
The Department of Health recently transitioned to using Vaccines.gov to help Pennsylvanians find a COVID-19 vaccine location. The new map allows users to search for providers by the type of COVID-19 vaccines they offer. Vaccines.gov, also known as Vaccine Finder, is a free, online service that provides the latest vaccine availability at providers and pharmacies across the United States. This trusted website has been used previously for various other types of vaccines, such as the flu vaccine.
FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit Program Now Open
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. Learn more.