The Keystone STARS Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Awards are paid to eligible child care programs with a Department of Human Services (DHS) regular Certificate of Compliance (CoC) and designated as a Keystone STAR 2, 3, or 4. The intent of the Awards is to improve, support, and recognize the quality of Pennsylvania’s early learning and school-age programs.
To be eligible for an Award, a provider must meet all the following requirements both as of August 1, 2024, and at the time the Award payment is issued by an ELRC:
Policy Eligibility Exception for STAR 1 Programs
OCDEL is providing a policy exception for STAR 1 programs who successfully move up to a STAR 2, 3, or 4 designation. Programs must be successful in moving up to a STAR 2, 3, or 4 as evidenced by a completed designation case in the PD Registry System and a confirmed designation in PELICAN Keys to Quality on or before October 31, 2024. In addition, these programs must meet all other eligibility criteria at time of payment by the ELRC.
Special Consideration for STAR 2 and 3 Programs
OCDEL is also providing a special consideration for STAR 2 and STAR 3 programs that meet all eligibility criteria on August 1, 2024, and move to a higher STAR designation. To receive a higher CQI Award amount, STAR 2 and 3 programs must be successful in moving up in STARS as evidenced by a completed designation case in the PD Registry System and a confirmed designation in PELICAN Keys to Quality on or before October 31, 2024. In addition, these programs must meet all other eligibility criteria at time of payment by the ELRC.
Eligible programs can use the Keystone STARS CQI Award funds for eligible expenses in the following categories:
These categories align with the Keystone STARS Performance Standards and represent the most closely associated areas with quality activity expenses for ECE programs. Award funds can be applied to eligible expenses incurred from July 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025. Providers should refer to the Keystone CQI Award FAQ for Providers for additional information on allowable expenses.
A child care provider application for the Award is not required. Rather, eligible child care providers will receive an Eligibility and Acceptance Letter from their regional ELRC. The Eligibility and Acceptance Letter will include the maximum award amount an eligible child care provider can receive.
After spending the award on eligible expenses, the child care provider will be responsible for submitting a Final Expense Report (FER). The FER will be made available in Microsoft Excel and PDF versions by the ELRCs.
The following timeline reflects important dates for eligible providers to consider.
Beginning on September 3, 2024, eligible providers will:
Beginning on September 3, 2024, but no later than December 13, 2024, eligible providers must:
Beginning on October 7, 2024, but no later than February 28, 2025, eligible provider must:
Beginning February 10, 2025, but no later than March 28, 2025, eligible provider’s that receive an Award must: