Are you a child care provider looking for an easy way to share documents and information with your Quality Coach or STAR Designator? The new Keystone STARS Document Uploader is a resource developed specifically for you and is designed to do just that: provide an efficient, convenient method to transmit documentation to a Quality Coach as you...Read More

Pennsylvania’s Early Care and Education Professional Development Organizations Request for Application (RFA) #17-18 Released Applications due March 19, 2019 The PA Department of Human Services has posted the following Solicitation RFA 17-18 . The objective of this RFA is to identify Early Care and Education Professional Development Organizations (“ECE PDOs”)to: Coordinate and facilitate access to credit-bearing, stackable, portable coursework...Read More

Pennsylvania’s Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) Request for Application (RFA) #24-18 Released Applications due March 6, 2019 The PA Department of Human Services has posted the following Solicitation RFA 24-18. The purpose of the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) grants, which operate under the administration of the CTF Board and the Department of Human Services (DHS), is to...Read More

Babies don’t come with instruction manuals, and sometimes it can be hard to make decisions when it comes to their care.  A new baby can be stressful if families don’t have help. In Pennsylvania, Home Visiting services can be a great answer for families who are looking for help. Visits are based on the needs...Read More

As a leader, do you walk the talk? This recent article by Dr. Marnie Aylesworth highlights what many leaders with good intentions might miss–A step that involves actively taking care of ourselves and one that can positively strengthen the area of the brain responsible for the executive functioning skills leaders need in order to really...Read More

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is deeply committed to investing in the early care and education workforce’s educational attainment.  OCDEL’s tuition assistance funds both the T.E.A.C.H. (administered by PACCA) and Rising STARS (administered by the PA Key) programs. Although OCDEL expanded funding for T.E.A.C.H. and Rising Stars this fiscal year, the demand for...Read More

The PA Department of Human Services Secretary, Teresa Miller, released the RFI Comprehensive Services and Information Resources to explore existing individual or family needs assessments, methods of connecting individuals and families to community resources, and models for providing whole-person or whole-family case management. Response deadline is January 18, 2019. https://conta.cc/2EridDhRead More

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is making some changes to the Rising STAR Tuition Assistance program. Rising STARS helps cover a portion of tuition costs for early learning professionals. Funding has been secured through June 30, 2019. Beginning immediately, degree waivers for programs outside of the approved degree list (PDF) will no...Read More

Spanking a child may increase aggression in a child, and may actually do long term harm to a child, says a new study by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP recently released an updated policy statement about the harmful effects spanking can have on children. The use of spanking is also ineffective in...Read More

In response to traumas within communities, the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) would like to highlight resources for early learning programs, schools, community partners and families. Click here to view the page.Read More