Covid 19 Resources

Dear First Up Community,

As our lives are being changed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we remain committed to all of you – to ensure you have the information and resources you need to take care of yourselves and your communities. In times of uncertainty, it’s easy for our attention to be fractured – and we don’t know where to go information. We are committed to supporting you as you navigate the changes in the ECE community and as you support your own friends and family. In the midst of it all, please remember to find time to look after your own needs as well.

To that end, we have collected some important resources about ECE Updates, fun activities parents can do with children, free meals for families who need them, unemployment compensation and advocacy updates, as well as resources for stress management.

Use the tabs above to navigate the page and please reach out to us if there is something you need that you can’t find here.

You are a valued part of the First Up family. We are in this together. Take good care.

We will be updating the following collection of links as more information, processes, and policies are released. If you want to suggest an essential link/resource not found on this list, please email Drew Martin.

PLEASE NOTE: We have streamlined these COVID-19 resource offerings in order to improve navigation and highlight re-opening information. If you are looking for a link found in our previous postings, please visit this archive page. We will not continue to update the archive page, so please be aware that some information on the archive page may be outdated or contradicted by current policy and recommendations.

Take Action Today!

Early Childhood Education doesn’t stop because we may not be in our early childhood programs or school buildings. We need your support to get services and resources for programs and families. Please click on the Advocacy and Civil Engagement tab for ways to take action!

Guidance from PA Governor Wolf’s Office

• FBI Clearance Extension until December 30, 2020

Certification Guidance from the PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and PA KEYS

• Reminder of New Clearance Needed for Staff by July 1st
• Certification Inspections to Resume
• New Guide for Opening a Child Care Center in PA
• Center-based Providers Self-assessment Checklist for Initial Certification Compliance
• Home-based Providers Self-assessment Checklist for Initial Certification Compliance
• Suspension of Some DHS Certification Regulations during Re-opening
• Updated Inspection Tool and Information

Financial Guidance from OCDEL and PA KEYS

• OCDEL Using Blended Rates for School-age Care during 2020-21 School Year
• New CCW Guidelines Beginning September 1st
• Gov. Wolf Announces $53 Million in Additional Support for Child Care Providers

Operations Guidance from OCDEL and PA KEYS

• OCDEL Guidance on Program Relocation Due to COVID-19 Emergency (through August 30th)
• School Age Child Care (SACC) Update
• New Process to Request Support for a Child with Challenging Behaviors
• Updated Information on Keystone STARS Performance Standards for COVID-19
• Guidance for Pre-K Programs that Operate under the PA Department of Education

Local News and Resources

• PHLpreK Virtual Office Hours from PHMC
• Family Navigator Service Request for PHLpreK
• FY21 Schedule of PHLpreK Provider Meetings
• PHLpreK Enrollment and Waitlist Procedure
• PHLpreK Access to Child Care Health Consultation
• PHLpreK FY21 Enrollment Targets

For more information and resources, please see the other tabs.

Take Action Today!

Early Childhood Education doesn’t stop because we may not be in our early childhood programs or school buildings. We need your support to get services and resources for programs and families. Please click on the Advocacy and Civil Engagement tab for ways to take action!

Surveys

• United Way of PA COVID-19 Impact Survey
• Voices for Children Coalition Survey (for Delaware County providers only)

Financial Resources and Policies

• New Round of Small Business Grants – Applications Open until August 28th
• Preliminary information on a New Grant Opportunity from the Administration for Children and Families Office of Child Care
• Reposted Information on Employer Paid Leave
• The Case for Using Networks for Home-based Child Care (2 PDFs combined)

Operations Resources and Policies

• Back to School Toolkit
• Operational Considerations for Child Care Programs
• 10 Questions to Ask When Hiring Early Childhood Educators
• Updated NAEYC Operational Standards
• Let Your Families Know that Participation in the 2020 Census Is Important to Child Care Resources
• Open Fingerprinting Locations​ in PA
• CHOP FAQ: Reopening Doors to Child Care Safely
• NAEYC New Accreditation Visit Protocols
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Free Coursework for Eligible Businesses
• Database of ECE Experts

Electronic Tools and Forms

• Outline and Suggestions for a Health and Safety Plan from the PA Department of Education
• Virtual Early Education Center (VEEC)
• SharedSourcePA.org Reference Sheet for Home-based Providers
• SharedSourcePA.org Reference Sheet for Center-based Providers

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Health & Safety Guidelines

• Universal Masking Order FAQ
• CDC Guidance on Cleaning
• List of EPA-approved Disinfectants
• PA Information on Where to Obtain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Social-Emotional Health & Safety

• SEL Planning for Re-entry Toolkit
• How Administrators Can Support Children’s Emotional Development

Health & Safety with Families

• Health Risk Disclosure Form

Take Action Today!

Early Childhood Education doesn’t stop because we may not be in our early childhood programs or school buildings. We need your support to get services and resources for programs and families. Please click on the Advocacy and Civil Engagement tab for ways to take action!

Books and Resources to Support Conversations

• Wednesday, October 21st: Teaching Social Justice: Navigating the Deep Waters of Equity in Early Childhood Programs
  2:00pm
• Recommended Book with Parent Discussion Guide
• Catalog of Books and Virtual Read-alouds Compiled by Black Lives Matter
• Tips for Choosing High-quality, Diverse Children’s Books
• An Age-by-age Guide to Help Determine the Content of the Conversation to Have with Your Child
• Understanding the Protests Social Story
• Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners
• Podcast on the Journey Towards Anti-Racist Organizing, Educating, and Child Rearing
• Parenting and Educating through a Critical Race Lens with the Conscious Kid
• The “Therapy for Black Girls” Group on Facebook Holds Free Group Support Sessions

Conversation Starters

• Is Social Bias Learned from Parents?
• How to Start the Conversation about Racism
• Tips for Talking with Children About Racism and Social Justice
• Having ‘The Talk’: Expert Guidance on Preparing Kids for Police Interactions
• Talking to Your Children about Race from the American Academy of Pediatrics
• Watch the Sesame Street Town Hall, “Racism has no place on our Street”
• “How to talk to your children about protests and racism” – CNN
• Talking to Children About Racial Bias
• Talking with Children about Black History Month
• How to Help Children Handle the News
• Talking about Race, from the National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Watch First Up’s Jillian Best Adler Talk with Her Son, Daniel (Age 5), about Racism and Current Events
• How to Talk with Children about Difficult News
• Explaining the News to Our Children

Teacher Webinars

• Recorded Webinar: Don’t Look Away – Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms
• Recorded Webinar Series (with new webinars to come): SEL as a Lever for Equity
• Recorded Webinar: Equity Matters: Developing Empathy
• Podcast: A Lesson In Humility: Diving into Anti-Racist Early Education Practices and Policies
• Recorded Webinar: “I [STILL] can’t breathe”: Supporting Kids of Color Amid Racialized Violence
• Recorded Webinar: Disproportionality, Bias, & Racial Equity in Pre-K Expulsions with Megan Pamela Ruth Madison
• Recorded Webinar: Racial Justice, Equity and the Role of Child Care

Teacher Articles

• Teaching Children to Understand and Value Diversity
• Preparing Children for a Multicultural World
• Early Childhood FAQs on Anti-Bias Education from the Anti-Defamation League
• Leading for Equity and Access amid COVID-19
• Special Report: Access to High-Quality Early Education and Racial Equity
• The Way Forward: Responding to Racism in ECE Programs and Schools
• Principal: I Spoke Out Against Racism Too Late. I Won’t Make That Mistake Again
• Anti-Racist Work in Schools: Are You in it for the Long Haul?
• Addressing Exclusionary Discipline Reform
• Lies My Bookshelf Told Me: Slavery in Children’s Literature
• Equity in Education: Key Questions to Consider
• Children Are Not Colorblind: How Young Children Learn Race
• Delivering on the Promise of Effective Early Childhood Education
• Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body (How adversity affects brain development)
• Study on Implicit Bias in Early Childhood Education
• Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education Framework (principles applicable to all ages)
• Our Children, Our Workforce: Why We Must Talk About Race and Racism in Early Childhood Education
• Talking to Young Children about Bias and Prejudice

Teacher Classroom Materials

• The Storytelling Project Curriculum: Learning about Race and Racism through Storytelling and the Arts (created for Middle School, but contains adaptable ideas)
• What is a Peaceful Protest? – Social Story
• Teaching Tolerance Website
• Follow Ijumaa Jordanon, Education Consultant on Anti-bias Education, on Facebook
• Conscious Education Consulting, Featuring Culturally Responsive Education
• Understanding the Protests – Social Story

The State of ECE

• “America’s child care problem is an economic problem” – Vox
• Maternal and Child Health Inequities Emerge Even Before Birth
• Child and Family Demographic Information for PA with Access to Other State Information
• The Impact of the Pandemic on ECE Higher Education Programs, from NAEYC
• A Case for Child Support Payment Reform
• Supporting the Child Care is Essential Act
• “Should the Child Care Industry Get a Bailout?” – The New York Times
• “Coronavirus child care crisis tops concerns as nation pushes to reopen. Parents ask: Who will watch our children?” – USA Today
• Childcare on the Brink Town Hall
  • PCCY Slide Deck from Childcare on the Brink Town Hall
  • Start Strong PA Slide Deck from Childcare on the Brink Town Hall
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Presents a Model for Re-opening the Country Safely for Children
• “Will the virus kill American child care? Centers across America need help desperately” – New York Daily News

Southeast Pennsylvania Advocacy

• Contact Your Legislator to Prevent School Budget Cuts
• Share Your COVID-19 Child Care Story
  Most parents don’t have access to child care due to COVID-19 mandated closures and we need to hear from you! Are you working from home with children present? Are you working essential jobs without childcare? Have you come to a new appreciation of your child care program? Are your children missing their teachers or friends? To help policy makers understand the importance of childcare, we need to hear from you! Click here to share your story.
• Recording of 8/18/20 SEPECC Meeting
• Slides from 8/18/20 SEPECC Meeting

Statewide Advocacy

You did it, we did it, 125 million dollars allocated to save early learning!

• Help End PA Lead Poisoning for Children
• Ways to Take Action to Support Babies in PA
• Early Childhood Workforce Qualifications Calculator
• Thank Your State Legislators for Their Support in Funding Childcare
• Leadership in Action
  Help the Early Learning Community and receive incentives to support your program.
• Start Strong PA Policy Recommendations
• Contact Your Legislator Today!
  Tell your State Legislator about the impact the COVID-19 closures have had on you.
• TAKE ACTION! COVID-19 Child Care Crisis
  Pennsylvania’s economy depends on working families and working families depend on child care. Tell the Governor and General Assembly to include child care in PA stimulus package! Child care programs will not survive if stimulus funds are not available to them. Take action today to help ensure the sustainability of the child care sector and protect the health and well-being of children.

National Advocacy

• Tuesday, September 15th: National Prenatal-to-3 Research to Policy Summit
  12:00pm
• Federal Recommendations on Policies to Support Home-based Child Care
• 2020 National Women of Color Agenda Survey
• Urge Congress to Prioritize SEL
• Head Start Providers: Reaching Out to Press on CARES Act Funding
• Support Funding for Healthy Foods for Children in Childcare Programs
• Signs that Your State Is Equitably Serving Students with Disabilities during the Pandemic
• Urge the US Senate for Further Funding for Child Care
• Support the Babies of Our Nation by Taking Action
  Companion source that outlines why babies’ development deserves our attention
• High School Students Speak Out Against Racism
• Call Your Legislator to Speak Out for Child Care
• ECE Leadership in the COVID-19 Crisis PowerPoint
• Ways to Support Family Providers during COVID-19
• Proposal of Essential Elements for Families to Return to Work
• Quick Signature: Urge The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to Collect Racial Data to Prevent Inequities during COVID-19!
• Updated Legislative Recommendations for Infants and Toddlers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 2020 Census is now open!
  This is all the more important right now as government resources will be allocated based on the census. Complete this online from home!
• Child Care Aware of America – State by State Resource Map

PLEASE NOTE: We have streamlined these COVID-19 resource offerings in order to improve navigation and highlight re-opening information. If you are looking for a link found in our previous postings, please visit this archive page. We will not continue to update the archive page, so please be aware that some information on the archive page may be outdated or contradicted by current policy and recommendations.