Although the 5:00 pm March 19, 2021, deadline is fast approaching, there is still time for early childhood education (ECE) professionals to participate in the ECE Special Initiative for Janssen, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 Vaccine. ECE program directors should complete the Survey for Immunization Needs by 5:00 pm Friday, March 19, 2021, to provide a count of...Read More

Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals who did not submit their information during the initial phase of the Special Initiative for Janssen, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 Vaccine will have the opportunity to register during a second survey collection phase that will be open until 5:00 pm on Friday, March 19, 2021. Information from providers who submitted their registration...Read More

Governor Wolf will announce a free program that will help schools and child care facilities identify and address potentially harmful lead exposure to children. With federal funding from the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, the Office of Governor Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) launched the Pennsylvania Voluntary Lead...Read More

Deadline for Exclusive Enrollment Period—March 9, 2021, 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) To reach small businesses, such as family- and center-based child care providers, President Biden announced an exclusive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application period for loans to businesses with fewer than 20 employees and to sole proprietors. Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at 5:00 p.m....Read More

Thank you for submitting your response to the OCDEL Survey of Immunization Needs. Please forward the Initiative ECE Registration Request Form to all eligible and interested staff link: Click here to access the Special Initiative ECE Registration Request Form. Staff must complete and submit the online form by 12:00 noon, Friday, March 12, 2021, in order...Read More

March 3, 2021: Today, Governor Tom Wolf and the Legislative COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force announced a special initiative to prioritize vaccinating Pennsylvania’s education professionals, including early childhood educators and child care providers. Last week the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized the one-dose Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine...Read More

A two-part webinar series from the Children’s Environmental Health Network and Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units will be held in March. Both webinars will cover the latest science-based recommendations and best practices for keeping child care settings healthy and safe during the pandemic. The first webinar will cover how to safely clean, sanitize and disinfect...Read More

CDC has a resource on ventilation in schools and child care facilities, which pulls information from across various CDC webpages to a centralized location. The resource covers five key strategies schools and child care programs can use to improve ventilation in their programs. Key strategies described in more detail include: 1) Bring in as much...Read More

The March 2021 edition of the PA Early Ed News is now available! Click here to read.Read More

Reading aloud is not only the single most important thing a parent or caregiver can do to help prepare a child for reading and learning; it’s also a magical connection through the interaction between you, your child, and the book! Join the 21-day read aloud challenge during the month of March and discover the benefits...Read More