Created in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key implements the work and supports the policies developed and managed by OCDEL. Learn More. >
Created in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key implements the work and supports the policies developed and managed by OCDEL. Learn More. >The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Bureau of Policy and Professional Development, and Bureau of Certification Services, has released Announcement C-25-03: Policy for Transferring Care Between Child Care Facility and School. The purpose of this announcement is to update certified child care providers on the moment when care and supervision is transferred when children are picked up and dropped off for school.
Supervision during pick-up and drop-off times for children must be clearly defined to ensure the safety and accountability of children and child care providers.
The Announcement shares details regarding:
For full details, please see the Announcement C-25-03: Policy for Transferring Care Between Child Care Facility and School.
All certified child care facilities are required to conduct a fire drill at least once every 60 days. The fire drills need to be conducted at different times of the day or night (if applicable) and at different hypothetical locations throughout the facility. A written record must be maintained on file at the facility indicating the specific time of day of the drill, the hypothetical location of the fire, the evacuation time, and the names of the facility persons and the number of children who participate in the fire drill.
The following hyperlink directs you to the Fire Drill and Fire Detection Log.
Pennsylvania’s 2025 Child Care Market Rate Survey is being administered by the Institute of State and Regional Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg, in partnership with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Pennsylvania Key. All licensed child care providers in Pennsylvania that charge private pay tuition rates are encouraged to participate in the Market Rate Survey by December 8, 2025.
Results from the Market Rate Survey will be used by OCDEL to evaluate future child care-related programming and policy decisions. Getting accurate information from Pennsylvania child care providers is crucial in this process!
As a thank you for participating, Market Rate Survey respondents are eligible to enter a raffle for the chance to win one of 100 $100 Amazon electronic gift cards. Triple your chances of winning by completing the survey by Oct. 22, 2025.
Surveys will be collected until Dec. 8, 2025.
The Market Rate Survey should be completed by the program’s director, owner, or another knowledgeable individual familiar with the program’s operations and finances. The survey includes questions about private pay tuition rates, payments and fees, enrollment, staffing, and operations. If multiple facilities are owned by a single organization or entity, a separate Market Rate Survey must be submitted for each program location.
The survey may be completed online or on paper.
survey. Alternatively, scan or take photos of your completed paper survey and submit it to ChildCareResearch@psu.edu. Programs may also request a PDF version of the paper survey by emailing ChildCareResearch@psu.edu.
If you have any additional questions about the Markey Rate Survey promotion or other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Toni at antkop@pakeys.org.
Better Kid Care’s On-Demand system offers professional development online, available anytime you are ready to learn.
On-Demand courses are available at no cost. A nominal fee is charged for a certificate of completion, starting at $5 for 2-hour courses. Better Kid Care courses are CDA- approved and eligible for CEUs.
Sign up for Better Kid Care newsletters!
Having emergency preparedness plans is essential. They protect businesses, staff, children, and families. These plans must have specific required components. Once established, programs must communicate these plans to staff, families, and community partners.
Better Kid Care has recently developed the following two courses. These courses and their resources are available in English and Spanish.
Center and Group Emergency Plans and Preparation
This course uses downloadable tools to guide center and group child care administrators and staff in creating and refining effective plans for their facilities. Learn to conduct and document required safety practices regularly to stay mission-ready for a future moment of crisis
Family Child Care Emergency Plans and Preparation
In a family child care setting, unlike group homes or centers, you are the entire emergency response team. Through this course, owner-operators develop or refine the policies and procedures of their emergency preparedness plan to ensure the safety of all enrolled children, family members, and volunteers. These plans have specific required components. Learn to conduct and document a wide range of safety practices in order to increase confidence and capacity to respond well in a time of crisis.
Available in Spanish
PA Required Health and Safety for Center-Group Child Care Parts 1 and 2, as well as PA Required Health and Safety for Family Child Care Parts 1 and 2, are available in Spanish on Better Kid Care On-Demand.
Food Safety in Child Care
Providing healthy and safe food in child care is a key role for both center and home-based child care providers. Preventing foodborne illness and making sure children are safe from choking risks and other food-related injuries requires awareness and planning. This course outlines guidelines for food safety practices that enable child care providers to ensure the food is safe for the children in their care. (2 hours)
Episode #6: Preventing Child Behaviors that Challenge Us and Resources Available to Providers
In this episode, we explore various prevention strategies for behaviors commonly observed in programs that may pose health and safety concerns. Our special guest, Staci Kenney, Division Chief of the Bureau of Early Intervention and Family Supports, joins to provide insight on when and how to request early intervention.
Episode #7: The Market Rate Survey, Understanding the How, Why, What, and When
Special guest Phil Sirinides from Penn State and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s own Bureau of Policy and Professional Development Director, Luisa Oliva-Wolf, discuss the importance of the Market Rate Survey and how the data benefits child care providers across the Commonwealth.
More information about the Market Rate Survey is available at pakeys.org/market- rate-survey. For assistance with the Market Rate Survey, contact (814) 865-1775 or ChildCareResearch@psu.edu.
To contact the podcast, email RA-pwOCDELCertConPod@pa.gov.
When applying to renew your Certificate of Compliance, you must also submit a Civil Rights Compliance (CRC) Renewal Form (HS 2125). The renewal form must be submitted as part of your renewal licensing application. The CRC Renewal Form must be emailed to the Regional Office of Child Development and Early Learning that issues you your Certification of Compliance.
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Central Region (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York) |
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Central Region – Selinsgrove (Centre, Clinton, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Tioga, and Union) |
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Northeast Region (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Pike, Schuykill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming) |
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Southwest Region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia) |
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Western Region (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren, Washington, and Westmoreland) |
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Western Region – Johnstown (Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset) |
The CRC Renewal Form is not part of the electronic CLS/PELICAN renewal application process. All CRC forms can be found at Application for License | Department of Human Services | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are located in the right column of the web page.
Introducing two new Vodcasts for providers on the following topics:
Water Activity: Swimming, Wading, Water Activity Provider Training (40:39 minutes). In this video, you will review the regulatory requirements surrounding water activity as outlined under 55 Pa. Code §§ 3270.115, 3280.115, and 3290.115. Although, this vodcast does not satisfy the requirements for water safety instruction outlined in 55 Pa. Code §§ 3270.115(a)(8), 3280.115(a)(8), and 3290.115(a)(8), it is beneficial for providers to review each year as they prepare to partake in water activities with their children.
These vodcasts, along with others, provide important information about operating a child care facility and can be found at Early Learning Main | Department of Human Services | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
