Bureau of Certification eNewsletter, Spring 2025

A starting point for news and information from the Bureau of Certification Services.

Episode #3 – Clarifying the Child Protective Service Law (CPSL) Requirements for Child Care.

• In this episode, we discuss and clarify Announcement C-25-01 pertaining to the CPSL requirements for provisional hiring in all child care program types and answer some frequently asked questions from the field.

Episode #4 – Building Comprehensive Networks for Home-Based Providers

• This episode explores the Building of Comprehensive Networks for Home-Based Providers through the Home-Grown grant opportunity. Special guest, Janine Pagano from the Pennsylvania Key, has joined us to discuss the specifics of this opportunity for our much-valued Family Child Care community.

Disclosure statements for Child Care Employment and Child Care Volunteers were recently updated. To ensure you are always using the most up-to-date Disclosure statements for your facility personnel, please access them at Keep Kids Safe – Child Abuse Clearances. Disclosure statements specifically identified for child care are located at the bottom of the page.

Some updates have been made to the staff data worksheet. It’s now one page unless you need Out-of-State Clearances. In the left margin, you’ll find announcement numbers for CPSL and Health and Safety updates, should you need to reference them while completing this document.

When filling out the Staff Data Worksheet before your inspection, make sure to include both the employee’s date of hire and the employee’s first day working with children.

The employee’s date of hire is used to calculate timeliness for required trainings and professional development. The employee’s first day working with children is used to measure compliance with provisional hire requirements, clearance requirements, and staff health assessment requirements.  

In the Health and Safety training section, there are two spaces per employee. You can either document part 1 and part 2 if you’re recording information for a new hire, or you can include the original 10-hour completion date and the update training if you’re recording for a seasoned employee. 

The most up to date Certification Inspection Instrument Worksheets and Related forms can be found on our Child Care Regulations page.

Due to a recent uptick in positive measles cases, OCDEL has issued information for providers, including guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health on April 21, 2025.

55 Pa. Code §3270.115; §3280.115; §3290.115

Water activities bring an added level of supervision to ensure the safety of children. Per the American Academy of Pediatrics, children can drown in as little as one inch of water, and drowning is the number one cause of death for children between the ages of 1-4^[1].  With those facts in mind, now is the time to review your facility’s water safety protocols, keeping in mind the following regulations at 55 Pa. Code §3270.115, §3280.115, and §3290.115.

• A swimming pool must conform to 28 Pa. Code Chapter 18 (related to public swimming and bathing places). This pertains to child care and group homes.
• An in-ground swimming pool accessible to children must be fenced with a locked gate.
• An above-ground swimming pool that is not in use must be made inaccessible to children in accordance with the swimming pool barrier guidelines of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• An indoor swimming pool that is not in use must be made inaccessible to children.
• When children are swimming, supervision shall include one person certified in lifeguard training, as described in 3270.31(e)(4)(iii), §3280.31(e)(4)(ii), or §3290.31(f)(4)(ii) (related to age and training).
• A facility person who is counted in the staff: child swimming ratio shall annually complete water safety instruction.
• Staff persons shall supervise children in care using wading pools. Staff: child ratios used for swimming apply when children are wading.
• A sanitized solution shall be added to water in a wading pool. An acceptable sanitizing solution is ¾ teaspoon of bleach added to fifty (50) gallons of water.
• A wading pool shall be emptied daily.
• A water play table, or a container used for water play that contains unfiltered water shall be emptied daily.
• 3270.115(a)(5) and § 3280.115(a)(5): The following staff:child ratios apply while children are swimming:

• 3290.115(a)(5): Swimming and wading ratios shall be maintained as follows:

[1] Pool Dangers and Drowning Prevention- When It’s Not Swimming Time. (n.d.) American Academy of Pediatrics.  Pool Dangers and Drowning Prevention―When It’s Not Swimming Time – HealthyChildren.org

55 Pa. Code §3270.114, § 3280.114. , § 3290.114

The regulation states that children are to be taken outdoors daily, weather permitting. It is important to be mindful of the weather conditions prior to taking children outdoors.

The Child Care Weather Watch tool provides guidance to help providers determine if conditions are suitable for outdoor activities.

Food allergies continue to rise. Caring for children with food allergies takes knowledge and vigilance to create a plan for preventing food allergy reactions and how to respond to a food allergy emergency. This course describes food allergies and what early care and education professionals need to know to ensure the health and safety of children with food allergies. (2 hours)

Objectives

1. Describe how a child might indicate they are experiencing an allergic reaction.
2. Identify the proper procedures for preventing an allergic reaction at child care or school.
3. Explain the proper procedures for handling a food allergy emergency.

You can access this course through Better Kid Care On-Demand.