In an effort to prioritize limited funds, The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) will be revising eligibility requirements for the Rising STARS Tuition Assistance program. Rising STARS (administered by The Pennsylvania Key) helps cover a portion of tuition costs for early learning professionals. Beginning July 1, 2019, master level degrees will no [...]
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is deeply committed to investing in the early care and education workforce's educational attainment. OCDEL's tuition assistance funds both the T.E.A.C.H. (administered by PACCA) and Rising STARS (administered by the PA Key) programs. Although OCDEL expanded funding for T.E.A.C.H. and Rising Stars this fiscal year, the demand for [...]
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is making some changes to the Rising STAR Tuition Assistance program. Rising STARS helps cover a portion of tuition costs for early learning professionals. Funding has been secured through June 30, 2019. Beginning immediately, degree waivers for programs outside of the approved degree list (PDF) will no [...]
Harrisburg, PA – Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller today announced increased funding for evidence-based home visiting programs in communities affected by the opioid epidemic included in Governor Tom Wolf’s 2018-2019 budget. The Department of Human Services currently supports four evidence based home visiting programs: Early Head Start, Healthy Families America, Nurse Family [...]
Beginning immediately, an exemption has been added to the CDA Voucher Guidelines. Students currently enrolled in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program may submit documentation on school letterhead indicating you are enrolled and currently working in a STARS facility. Meeting the 20 hours weekly will be waived. The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential is [...]
Beginning August 2018, the Program Quality Assessment blog Let's Talk Quality! Program Quality Assessment in PA will have a new URL! Let's Talk Quality (www.letstalkqualitypa.com) is a shorter and easier URL to use. Please be sure to change bookmarks or clear any history in your browser using the old URL. What is Let's Talk Quality? [...]
All users in the system who have fully completed their Professional Development (PD) Registry profile will be automatically entered into a random drawing to win a new Apple iPad! Two winners will be notified by November 15, 2018. Contest ends on October 31, 2018. How to enter: 1. If you have already completed your profile, [...]
Pennsylvania's Quality Rating and Improvement System, Keystone STARS, is one of the most mature systems in the country to improve quality in child care and early learning programs. In 2017, The Keystone STARS Think Tank Team, in partnership with thousands of stakeholders, developed principles to guide the STARS revision process. During the 2017-18 program year, [...]
Human Services has posted the following Solicitation RFP 07-18 for Pennsylvania receives funding through the Child Care and Development and Block Grant (“CCDBG”) to support low-income working families’ access to high-quality child care. The work to support the CCDBG grant is currently performed in Region 18 (Philadelphia) by two types of OCDEL business partners, the [...]
OCDEL Budget Overview Listen to the June 29, 2018 call with OCDEL Deputy Secretary, Suzann Morris. Click here to view the 2017-18 and 2018-19 comparison. On Friday, June 22, 2018, Governor Wolf signed the 2018-19 budget into law. The 2018-19 budget continues to build on the governor’s commitment to high-quality early learning services. Thank you to all [...]
