Subject: Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Training Requirements and Access to Free Training through Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organizations (ECE PDOs)

To:

• Certified Child Care Facilities
• Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) Staff

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

View full announcement as a PDF. >

Purpose

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:

• Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR Free Training Flyer

Background

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.

Discussion

The Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training will be provided by approved instructors who are also approved PQAS trainers for this content. The Regional ECE PDOs are responsible for confirming each instructor is approved in the PD Registry, offers an approved curriculum for Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR, and offer a training card or certificate that lists, at minimum, the participant’s name, full title of the offered course, and issued and expiration date. This will be distributed to the participant at the conclusion of all required training components. OCDEL Certification staff can accept the PD Registry report or the individual cards to ensure all the necessary information is included for compliance purposes. If doing the approved provisional course (see below), the issued card must clearly state the “provisional” status. It may be offered using face-to-face or blended/hybrid (online and face-to-face) models, however a hands-on instructor led component must always be present for the practicum portions of the training.

The “online-only” course titled “Adult, Child, and Baby First Aid/CPR” certification, that does not include a hands-on component, will no longer be accepted to meet compliance with certification regulations (55 Pa. §3270.31, §3280.31 and §3290.31). Any staff that has completed the “online-only” course titled “Adult, Child, and Baby First Aid/CPR” prior to September 30, 2021, will not be cited for non-compliance with certification regulations (55 PA Codes 3270.31, 3280.31 and 3290.31).

All Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR trainings must include hands-on session to be compliant with certification regulations. “Pediatric” needs to be in the title and offer a training card or certificate that lists, at minimum, the participant’s name, full title of the offered course for it to be accepted by DHS Certification.

The American Red Cross is offering a one-year provisional Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR certification course to support the training needs during these challenging times. The online course can be purchased and upon successful completion, receive a one-year provisional Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR certification. The staff then has up to one year to complete the in-person skill session, to receive a two-year Red Cross Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR certificate which satisfies OSHA requirements. This option will be accepted by OCDEL.

The American Heart Association (AHA) offers a blended learning model, which is a combination of eLearning where a student completes part of the course in a self-directed manner online and followed by a hands-on session. The hands-on session is completed in person with an AHA Instructor or using Voice Assisted Manikin (VAM), where available.2 This option will be accepted by OCDEL.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers an onsite and hybrid course, Pediatric First Aid for Caregivers and Teachers (PedFACTs), which includes
Pediatric First Aid/CPR, emergency medical services (EMS) and automated external defibrillator (AED). The onsite course requires an online pretest, 4-hour classroom, and a final examination. The hybrid course requires an online pretest, self-directed online modules (about 2 hours), online final examination, and attend a 2-hour hands-on skills practice with instructor interaction3.

The instructors who are PQAS approved to offer Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR were notified that they need to instruct on pediatric focused curriculum and that “pediatric” needs to be in the and offer a training card or certificate that lists, at minimum, the participant’s name, full title of the offered course for it to be accepted by DHS Certification. Curriculum will continue to be reviewed for approval by the Pennsylvania Key and if others are approved, an updated listing will be provided.

Below is a list of the currently approved Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR providers and curriculum:

NOTE: Child Care providers may continue to access PQAS approved Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR trainings outside of ECE PDO offerings, but they may have a cost associated to them. OCDEL will not reimburse for any Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR trainings taken outside of what the Regional ECE PDO is offering.

Communication to Child Care Providers About Available Trainings

To assure communication to providers regarding access to the free and approved trainings, OCDEL will employ a two-pronged approach to outreach. The “Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR Free Training Flyer” will be used to remind child care providers of the certification requirements and their responsibilities.

Outreach from OCDEL Bureau of Certification Services will occur as part of the renewal packet by the certification representative. OCDEL certification regional offices will include the “Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR Free Training Flyer” when child care providers are notified of their licensing renewal which occurs approximately 130 days prior to the expiration of their Certificate of Compliance (CoC). In addition to the outreach through the renewal packet, the ECE PDOs will outreach to child care programs who are three months (90 days) from the program’s DHS Certificate of Compliance expiration date. The ECE PDO outreach will consist of generating and mailing or emailing the “Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR Free Training Flyer” to the identified child care program and conduct any follow up with child care programs who responded to the flyer.

Prioritization of DHS Child Care Staff to Receive Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR Training

OCDEL, in collaboration with the ECE PDOs, sets the priorities for scheduling DHS child care staff to receive free and approved Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training. The priorities help direct the ECE PDO’s work, including scheduling Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR trainings. The following identifies current OCDEL scheduling priorities for Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training:

• The facility has received a citation for non-compliance because child care staff do not have Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training.
• Child care staff Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR certificate has expired.
• Child care staff newly hired and within their first 90 days of employment have not yet received Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR.
• Child care staff Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR certificate isn’t expired but will expire within 1 year of their facility’s certificate of compliance
  expiration date.
• Child care staff that will need Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training for compliance within 1 year of their facility’s certificate of compliance expiration date.

NOTE: If individual child care staff do not fall within one of the prioritizations, and a provider wants all their child care staff to be trained at the same time, the provider would be responsible for covering the costs of those child care staff not falling within the prioritizations.

Next Steps

Child Care Providers:

1. Read this announcement and share with staff.
2. Use the regional contact provided on the information flyer (attached) if you or your staff have an expired Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR certificate or a
   certificate that will expire within the next 90 days.
3. Contact your Regional Child Care Certification Office if you have any questions.

Read the full announcement. >