For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic-related Proclamation of Disaster Emergency, the current policy will be revised to allow for parents/caretakers to provide care for their own children in a child care facility. The revised policy allows a parent/caretaker who is a teacher, assistant teacher or aide in a classroom, at the same child care facility where their children are enrolled, to have their children in their classroom. This allows the parent/caretaker to receive subsidized child care payment for their children as long as there is another paid teacher, assistant teacher or aide present in the classroom for the majority of the day. In addition, there must be at least one other child in the classroom, that is not the child of the parent/caretaker, for which the parent/caretaker is caring for. 

NOTE: This temporary change in policy does not apply to a parent/caretaker that is an owner, operator or director of a child care facility. As specified in § 3041.16 (relating to subsidy limitations), if a parent or caretaker is the operator of a child day care center, group child day care home or family child day care home as specified in Chapter 3270, Chapter 3280 or Chapter 3290 (relating to child day care centers; group child day care homes; and family child day care homes) or is the operator of a home that is exempt from certification or registration under section 1070 of the Public Welfare Code (62 P. S. § 1070), and if space is available to enroll the parent’s or caretaker’s child at the facility operated by the parent or caretaker, that child is not eligible to receive subsidized child care. 

This is a temporary change in policy, so the Provider Agreement will not have to be updated to reflect this change. However, the following statement included in the Provider Agreement is obsolete until further notice. 

“If the provider employs a subsidy parent or caretaker, provider must ensure that the parent or caretaker/employee is not paid to care for their own subsidized child(ren). This means the parent or caretaker/employee may not be assigned to their child’s classroom and they may not be assigned to supervise their child(ren) during evening and/or nighttime hours. If this occurs, the daily rate paid for the employee’s child(ren) while the employee watches their child will be considered an overpayment. This may result in a referral to the OSIG for fraud investigation”