Updated: CCW Payment Modifications Due to COVID-19 Impact

The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has released the Announcement: ELRC-20 #08: Child Care Works Payment Modifications Due to Impacts related to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) to provide further flexibility for Child Care Works (CCW) Subsidized Program payments for child care services.

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The Announcement provides additional information to child care programs participating in CCW and the Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRC) in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This is an updated policy, providing additional information and replaces ELRC Announcement 20 #07.

During this emergency period, child care providers are encountering complex challenges that exceed the scope of normal operations, including mandated closures for significant periods of time. In order to continue supporting child care providers through facility closures resulting from COVID-19, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is updating its previously issued guidance, which addressed CCW payments through May 31, 2020.

Effective June 1, 2020, CCW payment will continue to providers, with the exception of providers who have been closed by Certification due to a negative sanction or who have reported permanent closure. Providers will continue to be paid based on enrollment, as of March 13, 2020, for those children who remain eligible for CCW through normal invoicing and payment methods.

In most cases, the ELRC is not terminating CCW eligibility for families during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, there are some instances where eligibility must end, including the following circumstances: 

• over income; 

• voluntary withdrawal; 

• loss of appeal; 

• child turns 13; 

• family moves out of Pennsylvania; 

• family assets over $1 million; 

• intentional fraud; and/or 

• TANF cases determined ineligible by the County Assistance Office.  

Providers will no longer be paid for children for whom an adverse action was issued. This policy will be in effect through June 30, 2020.  

Child care providers that are closed will not collect co-payments from families for CCW for the period of the closure. If a provider continues to operate under a waiver or as a group or family child care home in a residential setting, the provider may collect co-payments from families whose children are actually in care. A provider that remains open can’t collect co-payments from families whose children are not currently receiving care.

 The status of this policy will be reviewed and updated before the end of June 2020 to provide guidance to ELRC and inform the child care community of the policy beginning July 1, 2020.

For more information, view the announcement in its entirety.