To:
From:
Tracey Campanini
Deputy Secretary, Office of Child Development & Early Learning
Issue Date: Jan. 13, 2021
Effective Date: Jan. 13, 2021
End Date: Feb. 12, 2021
To announce the Child Care COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Award, a one-time award of $600 paid to eligible child care employees and child care support staff of Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) certified child care providers. This award is paid through Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRC) on behalf of Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) directly to eligible certified child care providers. DHS certified child care provider’s owner/operator/director will apply on behalf of their eligible child care employees and child care support employees currently working directly with children as of Jan. 1, 2021, and working a minimum of 20 paid hours a week. The child care eligible employees will be paid directly by the DHS certified child care provider’s owner/operator/director.
In order to provide assistance to child care employees within the child care industry, OCDEL approved a one-time Child Care COVID-19 pandemic award using federal Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) quality dollars and remaining CARES Act round one and two funding. This award process will replace the quality Keystone STARS Education and Retention Award (ERA), Merit and Rising STAR previously funded quality grants and awards for FY 2020. This award will positively impact a greater number of child care employees and child care support staff. Child care providers of all STAR levels may apply on behalf of their child care employees. Awards are not based on the provider’s STAR level. The Child Care COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Award will provide $600 to approximately 33,000 child care employees and child care support staff across the commonwealth. Past quality grants and awards benefited a much smaller complement of child care employees. For example, the ERA annually only provided payments to approximately 9,000 child care employees. All awarded funds are contingent upon the availability of state and federal funds.