office of child development & early learning tom corbett, governor | ronald tomalis, secretary...

Office of Child Development & Early Learning

Tom Corbett, Governor | Ronald Tomalis, Secretary of Education | Gary D. Alexander, Secretary of Public Welfare www.education.state.pa.us | www.dpw.state.pa.us

Office of Child Developmentand Early Learning

Because every child is Pennsylvania’s future



OCDEL Programs

Certification Services:• Licensing and Inspection of child care • Information source on DPW regulations for child care

Subsidy Services:• Child Care Works• Child Care Information Services (CCIS) with Parent Counseling and Referral Services

Early Intervention Services:• Infant/Toddler Early Intervention• Preschool Early Intervention• Early Intervention Technical Assistance

Early Learning Services:• Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts• Keystone STARS• Keystone Babies• PA Early Learning Keys to Quality• Head Start State Supplemental• Early Head Start• Family Support Programs



Subsidy Services



Why Subsidy Services?

Eligible families obtain the financial assistance to supplement the high cost of child care.

Families can receive counseling and information on early childhood education options and finding high quality child care.

Families gain the assistance needed to become self-sufficient and the knowledge of the full range of quality early learning choices for their child.



Subsidy Services at a Glance

Child Care Works provides financial assistance to income eligible families so they can afford quality child care.

Child Care Information Services (CCIS) enroll families in Child Care Works and provide family counseling services to all families wanting to learn about the full range of their early care and education opportunities for their child.



Child Care Works Distributes subsidy reimbursements to child care providers enrolling children

eligible for subsidy.

Working families must meet income and work eligibility guidelines and pay a co-payment to the child care provider based on family size and income.

Child Care Works reimburses the provider for the child eligible for subsidy, up to the rate ceiling, minus the family’s co-pay.

Subsidy payment rates are based on Market Rate Surveys up to the Maximum Child Care Allowance (MCCA).

As of June 2010, nearly 134,000 children were provided subsidies on a monthly basis.



Who’s eligible to receive Child Care Works

The annual income for a family to be eligible to receive subsidy is 200 percent or less of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines:

Family Size

Maximum Yearly Family Income (May 2011)

2 $29,420

3 $37,060

4 $44,700

5 $52,340

6 $59,980

7 $67,620

8 $75,260



How to apply for Child Care Works Visit your county Child Care Information Services (CCIS) agency to

apply.

Find agencies online at www.dpw.state.pa.us.

Parents can apply online through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Access to Social Services (COMPASS).

Apply at: https://www.humanservices.state.pa.us/compass/CMHOM.aspx



Child Care Information Services (CCIS)

Acts as the hub of early care and education information for all families, assisting and counseling parents on quality child care and early learning options that best meet their needs.

Determines eligibility and signs up income eligible families for Child Care Works.

Enrolls program participating children with child care providers.

Distributes subsidy payments to child care providers.



How to use your CCIS

Learn about quality child care, Keystone STARS, PA Pre-K Counts, Early Intervention, Head Start, and more.

Request listing of child care programs in your area, based on wide variety of criteria to meet your family’s needs.

Request information on other family services such as: Nurse-Family Partnership; Women, Infants and Children (WIC); Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); and more.

Apply for subsidy services.



Results: Child Care Works

Keeps working families working, while making it possible for child care programs to serve children whose families could not otherwise afford care. Serving more than 136,000 families each month.

Those families served are up to 15% more likely to be employed, stay off welfare, and have higher earnings.

77% of subsidized children receiving child care assistance in regulated child care programs.

53% of children receiving Child Care Works are enrolled in Keystone STARS programs.



Child Care Works: Achievements in 2009-2010 Child Care programs participating in Keystone STARS at STAR 2 level or higher received an

increase on the “subsidy add-on” to the Child Care Works subsidy they receive for serving a Child Care Works child.

The subsidy add-on is another incentive for continuous quality improvement through the Keystone STARS program and helps to more appropriately reimburse child care programs offering higher quality early learning opportunities through Keystone STARS.

Approximately 77% of all children enrolled in Child Care Works are using regulated child care, and approximately 53% of Child Care works children in regulated child care are enrolled with Keystone STARS providers.

Expanded efforts to provide enhanced parent counseling and resource and referral information to increase the public’s knowledge of all OCDEL programs and providers, especially through on line provider search.

The wait list was eliminated with the use of ARRA stimulus dollars in early May 2010.



Child Care Works: What’s ahead

Continue to deepen parent counseling and resource and referral information and have CCISs be the “hub” of family information for early care and education programs.

Increase the use of public access to OCDEL early care and education services through COMPASS Provider Search.

Implement in April 2011, On Line Provider Attendance/Invoice Initiative so providers who serve Child Care Works subsidized children can do attendance and invoicing on-line rather than through a paper invoice.

Implement use of Keystone STARS as the child care provider for county Children & Youth (CYS) funded child care programming so these at-risk children benefit from quality early childhood education.



Children served by programProgram FY 09-10 FY 10-11 1 FY 11-12 1 Program FY 09-10 FY 10-11 1 FY 11-12 1

Child Care Works Head StartTANF 34,845 38,612 37,623 Total Head Start in PA 36,602 36,561 36,561

Former TANF 33,807 31,854 32,611

Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program 5,632 5,500 5,500

Low Income 61,085 64,615 64,615 Keystone STARS 168,530 172,520 172,520

TOTAL (monthly average) 129,737 135,081 134,849 Nurse-Family Partnership 4,635 4,635 4,635

Early Intervention PA Pre-K Counts 11,863 11,500 11,500

Birth to 3 Program 33,288 34,385 35,300

3 to 5 Program 45,442 47,300 48,800

1 Fiscal Year End Goal or Projection



2011-2012 Highlights: State and Federal

Investment (in thousands)

FY 2010-11 FY 2011-2012 Change

Keystone STARS/Keys to Quality

Child Care Services - State Funds $28,762 $28,762 $0

Child Care Services - Federal Funds $38,967 $38,967 $0

Total Funds $67,729 $67,729 $0

Child Care Works

Child Care Services - State Funds $142,959 $142,959 $0

Child Care Services - Federal Funds $203,225 $201,286 ($1,939)

Child Care Assistance - State Funds $189,582 $190,335 $753

Child Care Assistance - Federal Funds $197,197 $197,197 $0

Total State $361,303 $362,056 $753

Total Federal $439,389 $437,450 ($1,939)

Total ALL funds $800,692 $799,506 ($1,186)

Early Intervention

Early Intervention Birth - 3

State Funds $103,700 $117,800 $14,100

Federal Funds $84,376 $73,838 ($10,538)

Total Funds $188,076 $191,638 $3,562

Early Intervention 3-5

State Funds $182,142 $198,116 $15,974

Federal Funds $70,072 $60,611 ($9,461)

Total Funds $252,214 $258,727 $6,513

Total Birth -5 EI Funds $440,290 $450,365 $10,075

State only Funded Programs

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts $83,620 $83,620 $0

Head Start Supplemental $37,655 $37,655 $0

Parent Child Home Program $2,084 $0 ($2,084)

Nurse Family Partnership (Includes Health Care Reform Home Visiting)

State Funds $11,978 $11,978 $0

Federal Funds $4,644 $7,740 $3,096

Total Funds $16,622 $19,718 $3,096

Funding amounts for FY 2010-2011 reflect post budgetary freeze amounts and/or actual available amounts.

References in Governor’s proposed budgetListed below are the appropriations by Department and the page number on which you can find these appropriations in the Governor’s budget proposal. The full document is available online at www.budget.state.pa.us

DPW programs Early Intervention – E35.9Child Care Works/ Keystone STARS - Child Care Services – E35.9 - Child Care Assistance - E35.9Nurse Family Partnership – E35.9

PDE programs PA Pre-K Counts - E14.6Head Start Supplemental - E14.6Early Intervention - E14.6



Useful links Pennsylvania Department of Education –

www.education.state.pa.us

Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare – www.dpw.state.pa.us

Pennsylvania Key – www.pakeys.org

Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children – www.papromiseforchildren.com



Resources

OCDEL Annual Report: http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=EarlyLearning_Tools

Program Reach & Risk Assessment: http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=EarlyLearning_Reach

BUILD ECE News: http://paprom.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=Build_home_page

office of child development & early learning tom corbett, governor | ronald tomalis, secretary...

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