OCDEL Issues Guidance for Afterschool and Out-of-School Time Programs
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has provided guidance to non-licensed community based entities and individuals planning to care for groups of school-age children during the 2020-2021 school year.
Learn More
OCDEL has released information regarding the implementation of non-licensed part-day school-age child care (SACC) programs and “Learning Pods” for longer than 90 days for the 2020-21 school year.
A non-licensed part-day SACC program is a program that cares for more than six school-age children who attend kindergarten to younger than 16 years of age.
In order to assist parents supporting each other during COVID-19, DHS will not require licensing for Learning Pods, which consist of a group of no more than 12 of the same school-age children brought together for purposes of sharing parental oversight. The pod may move between various parents’ oversight and homes throughout the remote learning days. If parents are not responsible for oversight and leave the children in the group under the supervision of a non-parent, then this grouping, when serving more than six children, is considered a non-licensed part-day SACC program.
Note that Child Care Works subsidy funds don’t support these types of child care.
To ensure support through the entire school year, DHS has temporarily suspended the 90-day limitation on non-licensed part-day SACC program operations for the 2020-2021 school year. Unlicensed part-day SACC programs and Pods will be permitted to operate more than 90 consecutive days per calendar year without obtaining a license from DHS if they implement required elements and agree to allow DHS to enter and inspect without notice.
The following requirements are applicable to all non-licensed part-day SACC programs and Pods unless otherwise noted:
Notification of Intent to Operate
All programs and Pods should notify DHS and OCDEL of plans to care for school-age children by completing a Notification of Operation form.
Information provided on the Notification of Operation form will be used to help DHS identify the number of programs available to children and families across the Commonwealth, enable DHS to communicate with the programs any critical health updates relating to COVID-19, and provide parents and caregivers with contact information for potential enrollment
Health and Safety Plan
Programs must develop a COVID-19 Health and Safety plan aligned with Department of Health (DOH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. The plan must be posted in a location that is accessible to parents. OCDEL has a sample plan template for programs.
Emergency Plan
Programs must develop an emergency plan to address response, evacuation, and family notification in the event of an emergency. Sample plans and toolkits for developing an Emergency Plan are available on the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) website.
It is critical that local emergency management agencies are aware of children's location in the event of a crisis and have an opportunity to plan an appropriate level of response.
Building Use and Safety
Non-licensed, part-day SACC programs operating outside of a home should obtain an occupancy permit.
Pods should not operate in local zoning ordinances that prohibit child care to take place in residences. SACC programs and Pods must also operate in a space with a functioning fire detection system on all levels of the facility or residence.
Child Protective Services Laws
As a person having direct contact with children, every adult working or supervising children at a non-licensed SACC program or Pod is a mandated reporter who is required to report suspected child abuse. The Keep Kids Safe website has information and training about identifying suspected child abuse and the legal requirements of reporting incidents of suspected child abuse. All program adults must comply with the requirement to report suspected child abuse if they have a reasonable cause to believe abuse has occurred.
Communication with Families
SACC programs and Pods must explain program expectations, services provided by the program, ability to support a child’s educational work, and cost (if applicable) to families.
Staff/Student Ratio
Operation ratios are:
1 staff member for every 12 young school-age children (kindergarten through fourth grade)
1 staff member for every 15 older school-age children (fourth grade through age 15)
For more information and details, read OCDEL’s full announcement.