The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is announcing opportunities to participate in informational webinars and regional meetings to learn about the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PA PKC) program.
FY 2022-2023 is the last program year for the current five-year grant cycle of the PA PKC program. In the Spring of 2023, PDE will announce a full, competitive rebid. During the rebid, all eligible providers interested in receiving a grant must apply. It is important during the application process that eligible applicants fully understand the program regulations and expectations so that informed decisions can be made regarding whether to apply.
PDE recognizes the need to provide opportunities to learn about the program and to allow time for community needs assessments and regional collaboration, therefore informational webinar sessions will be offered November 2022, through January 2023, and regional opportunities will occur in February 2023 before the official Request for Applications (RFA) is released.
Eligible Applicants
Pennsylvania is committed to a mixed delivery system. As such, eligible applicants include existing Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts grantees and new applicants from these five eligible entity categories:
- School districts;
- PDE licensed nursery schools;
- Head Start grantees;
- Child care centers and group child care homes designated at Keystone STAR 3 or STAR 4; and
- A third-party entity applying for Pennsylvania Pre‐K Counts funding to administer the lead agency responsibilities for entities that are eligible to provide the classroom services under the categories listed above.
Eligible applicants must provide assurance that they operate in full compliance with the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Statute, Regulations, and Guidance (PDF).
Regional Meetings
Opportunities for regional networking have been scheduled and are a means to coordinate and collaborate on required Requests for Application (RFA) items, such as community needs assessments and partnerships, which will be highly prioritized during the RFA process. Participation in at least one regional meeting is highly encouraged for any eligible applicant applying for a grant.
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Philadelphia, PA at Settlement Music School
Friday, January 20, 2023
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Malvern, PA at PaTTAN East
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Edinboro, PA at Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit
Thursday, January 26, 2023
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Greensburg, PA at Westmoreland Intermediate Unit
Friday, January 27, 2023
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Allentown, PA at Community Services for Children
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
State College, PA at Central Intermediate Unit
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Taylor, PA at Taylor Community Center
Thursday, February 2, 2023
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Doylestown, PA at Bucks County Intermediate Unit
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Johnstown, PA at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Wilkes Barre, PA at Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region #11 Office
Thursday, February 9, 2023
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Blossburg, PA at Blossburg Elementary School
Friday, February 10, 2023
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Reading, PA at Riverview Christian Early Learning Center
Monday, February 13, 2023
9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Milton, PA at Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Harrisburg, PA at Harrisburg PaTTAN
Thursday, February 16, 2023
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Lititz, PA at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Pittsburgh, PA at Pittsburgh PaTTAN
Recordings & More
To view recordings of past webinars and to learn more, visit pakeys.org/getting-started/ocdel-programs/pre-k-counts/how-to-apply.