The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) was awarded funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSA). This funding will further support child care providers across Pennsylvania. Child Care Providers are authorized to use CRRSA funds to sustain business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of uses to support child care providers include, but are not limited to:
- Fiscal supports to child care operations who experienced decreased enrollment;
- Purchasing of cleaning supplies and/or services and personal protective equipment;
- Staff supports; and
- Payments of other necessary costs incurred to sustain business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs), on behalf of OCDEL will issue CRRSA payments to open certified child care providers who are operating and serving children as of January 31, 2021.
Eligible child care providers must complete and submit the following attestation form to the ELRC in their region by April 21, 2021. Electronic signatures are acceptable and electronic submissions to the ELRCs are preferred.
All eligible providers can claim CRRSA funds by submitting the Attestation Form. For providers who have not yet completed the Round 3/CARES Act reporting, CRRSA funds will not be distributed until reporting is completed, or issues reconciled. If you need support completing this process, contact your ELRC.
- CRRSA Attestation Form (PDF)
[Updated 03/09/2021] - ELRC Contact Information (PDF)
[Updated 03/10/2021]
Payments will take place according to the ELRCs internal payment processes. The ELRCs anticipate payments will begin going to providers in May 2021.
The funds for this round of payments come from the CRRSA, signed into law in December 2020. These funds will continue to support child care providers during the continued COVID-19 pandemic.
$212 million will be made available to directly support child care providers who are open and operating in good standing as of January 31, 2021. Payments are intended to help providers sustain business operations during the pandemic. Provider level payment amounts were calculated considering the impact of reduced enrollments and the need for additional supplies or personnel to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.
Providers may be experiencing a slower return to child care due to parents working remotely or not currently working and apprehensions related to the virus. Funding was allocated based on provider category. A 32% reduction was applied to the lower limit of licensed capacity to calculate the impact of reduced enrollments. That impact was multiplied by a per child per week amount of $155.50 for 10 weeks. An efficiency factor was then applied to account for the efficiencies larger operations could implement to reduce costs.
Providers are facing increased operational costs related to safety and sanitization procedures necessary to keep staff, children in care, and their families safe from COVID-19. Funding was again allocated based on provider category. Payments were calculated as the lower limit of capacity (capped at 100) multiplied by $22 for 10 weeks.
More information on past distributions of funding as well as Governor Tom Wolf’s announcement on the CRRSA funds can be found here:
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Wolf Administration Announces Plans For $303 Million To Support Child Care Providers Across Pennsylvania – 03/02/2021
-
Gov. Wolf: State to Distribute $51 million in CARES Funding to Support Child Care Providers – 05/20/2020
- Gov. Wolf Announces $53 Million in Additional Support for Child Care Providers – 07/07/2020
