
To review an up-to-date list of approved Pediatric First Aid & Pediatric CPR providers and curriculum, visit pakeys.org/firstaid-cpr.
To:
From:
Tracey Campanini,
Deputy Secretary, Office of Child Development & Early Learning
Issue Date: January 11, 2022
Effective Date: January 11, 2022
End Date: N/A
To clarify updated guidance on the federal requirements for Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), health and safety training requirements that all child care providers must complete pediatric first aid and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. To clarify that pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR training must be completed before child care staff can care for children unsupervised. To inform child care providers the Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organizations (ECE PDOs) role for providing access to free, Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) approved, Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training.
The following documents are included in this announcement:
The reauthorized Child Care Development Block Grant Fund requires all staff in licensed child care programs to be certified in Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR. Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR is a required health and safety training topic that must be completed before a child care staff can care for children unsupervised, which means a child care staff must be supervised at all times by a qualified child care staff. As such, changes have been made to the following DHS child care regulations: 55 Pa.Code §3270, §3280, and §3290 which now require all staff persons to complete professional development in Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR within 90 days of hire and renew their certification in Pediatric First Aid and CPR on/or before the expiration of the most current certification (55 Pa.§ 3270.31, §3280.31, §3290.31). In addition, the Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training must be conducted by an approved Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS) Instructor using an OCDEL recognized curriculum (see Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR Courses table below) for compliance with certification regulations. Once the PQAS curriculum is approved, then PQAS trainers and/or organizations will be a “Specialty Discipline” in the PD Registry, which means they can only train on that PQAS curriculum in Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR. Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR certification must be renewed according to the timing of the approved Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR model.
To address the need for child care providers to comply with health and safety training certification regulations (55 Pa. Code §3270.31, §3280.31 and §3290.31), ECE PDOs will provide access to free Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training based on the expiration of the program’s current Certificate of Compliance. ECE PDOs are contracted to support credentialing and Career Pathway advancement. Obtaining Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR certification is a required first step in an early childhood education professional’s Career Pathway and is required to maintain employability.
Child Care Providers: