Category: State Government Actions

Enhancements to Subsidized Child Care Program to Lower Costs for Families and Incentivize Participation by Providers (October 18, 2021)

On October 18, 2021, the Wolf Administration announced changes to Child Care Works (CCW), Pennsylvania’s subsidized child care program, that will decrease costs to families who qualify for subsidized care and add incentives for child care providers to

Pennsylvania received more than $1 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support the commonwealth’s child care industry, child care providers, and the children and families that rely on this system. Beginning January 1, 2022, $352 million in Child Care Development Fund federal ARPA funding will also support:

–Lower maximum co-payments for families eligible for CCW: $121.9 million will be used to reduce the maximum family co-payment for families participating in subsidized child care through CCW. Current co-payments range from 3-11 percent of a family’s overall income.  This change will lower the co-payment to 3-7 percent, in line with federal recommendations for family obligations for subsidized child care. No family will see an increased co-pay through the adjustment, and providers will still receive the difference as a part of the CCW base rate.

-Increased base rates for providers participating in CCW: $213.7 million will support increasing base rates paid to subsidized child care to the 60th percentile compared to the private pay market rate. This change brings Pennsylvania closer to the federally-recommended 75th percentile.

Nearly two-thirds of children whose families are eligible for CCW are enrolled in a STAR 1 or 2 rated facility. By investing in base rates to providers participating in CCW, Pennsylvania is investing in quality across the child care industry for the children and families served by this program. In March 2021, the Wolf Administration raised base rates from the 25th percentile to the 40th percentile.

-Rate incentives for providers that offer child care during non-traditional hours: $16.8 million will support add-on incentives to CCW base rates for child care providers that offer at least two hours of care during non-traditional hours.

Prior to the pandemic, the Keystone Command Center for Economic Development and Workforce recommended expanding availability of licensed child care before 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m. – what is normally considered “traditional” child care hours – in order to give flexibility and security for working parents. These rate incentives will support providers that offer care outside of traditional hours, giving parents a safe place for their children and the security necessary to help parents return to work.

“For our youngest Pennsylvanians, an early childhood education experience can shape their educational, social, and emotional development throughout their lives,” said DHS Acting Secretary Meg Snead. “Beyond its necessity for a thriving economy today, investments in quality early learning and child care programs carry into PreK-12 education and throughout adulthood. This funding will give our youngest Pennsylvanians a strong start they deserve and supports the dedicated educators and professionals that make this possible.”

For more information on child care providers operating in Pennsylvania, visit www.findchildcare.pa.gov. Providers seeking to apply for Child Care Stabilization Grants can learn more and apply here. 

Gov. Wolf Unveils New “It’s On Us PA” Legislation to Combat Campus Sexual Assaults, Including Grs. 6-12 Components (October 18, 2021)

On Monday, October 18, 2021,  building on his successful It’s On Us PA initiative, Governor Tom Wolf unveiled a four-bill package that will further strengthen protections for students and combat sexual assaults on campuses.

The governor was joined at a capitol news conference by students, legislators and the national leader of It’s On Us, a movement fighting against sexual assault on college campuses for both men and women.

Parts of the governor’s four-bill package would teach middle and high school students to know and prevent dating violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment and stalking. While the Crime Victims Act outlines requirements for expelling a student for an assault on school grounds, this bill requires schools to provide preventative education for students in grades 7-12. This will help students to recognize and stop harmful and dangerous behaviors, relationships and situations, and better prepare young people before they arrive on college campuses. SB 785 is sponsored by Sen. Judith Schwank and HB 1490 is sponsored by Rep. Jessica Benham.

“Pennsylvania has had success working with colleges and universities to establish sexual violence reporting systems that ensure all students feel comfortable coming forward,” said Sen. Judy Schwank. “However, we need to continue this work and start addressing this issue before students reach college campuses. SB 785 would require schools to teach 7th through 12th grade students to identify and prevent dating violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking to help equip young people with these important skills. These measures are proactive and will allow Pennsylvania to continue to make progress on this issue.”

The package would also create a task force to study sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking in grades 6-12 and postsecondary institutions. The Joint State Government Commission would conduct the study to better understand student experiences and improve response efforts. SR 122 is sponsored by Sen. Vince Hughes and HR 108 is sponsored by Rep. Carol Hill-Evans.

 “As a society, we must understand the physical, mental, and emotional toll the trauma of sexual assault has on each individual,” said Rep. Carol Hill-Evans. “That is why in June I introduced HR 108, which directs the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study on the impact of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking on Commonwealth students enrolled in grades 6 through 12 and beyond. We simply must begin having these discussions earlier in our students’ educational experience with the hope of having a positive impact as they transition to postsecondary institutions and through life. Thank you to Governor Wolf for his statewide initiative following the national It’s On Us campaign to involve everyone in preventing sexual assault.”

According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 418,000 victims of sexual violence under age 18 in Pennsylvania. Nationwide, one in three female victims experience rape between the ages of 11 and 17 and one in four male victims experiencing rape before the age of 10.

“I am proud to stand here today with Governor Wolf, Pennsylvanian Students, and the legislators who will carry these bills in the Pennsylvania Legislature,” said Tracey Vitchers, executive director, It’s On Us. “These bills would strengthen the rights of students, and require colleges and universities, as well as K-12 schools across the commonwealth to do better by our youth and young adults. By passing these critical pieces of legislation we will make strides to prevent sexual assault and protect the rights of student survivors across the commonwealth.”

Protecting students from violence and shifting to prevention strategies has been a priority for Gov. Wolf. After taking office the governor launched It’s On Us PA, the nation’s first statewide campaign to prevent assaults on campus.

Governor Wolf invites everyone to take the It’s On Us PA pledge and play a role in ending sexual assault.

To access photos and video from the event, please visit PACast.

Wolf Administration Announces $3.3 Million Available to Connect Businesses and Schools, Boost Job Training Opportunities (October 9, 2021)

On October 7, 2021, the PA Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier today urged eligible local workforce development boards (LWBDs) to apply for $3.3 million in new Business-Education Partnership (BEP) grants that will connect businesses and school districts and expand career opportunities throughout Pennsylvania. 

“One of Governor Tom Wolf’s key workforce development objectives is to provide students with the technical training they need to secure good-paying jobs when they enter the workforce,” Secretary Berrier said. “These business and education partnerships provide Pennsylvania employers with a pipeline of highly-skilled workers, while also helping students gain the skills they need to be successful in today’s workforce.” 

A total of $3.3 million in funding is available through L&I to LWDBs to implement Business-Education Partnership programs. These programs help increase awareness of in-demand technical careers for students, parents, guardians, and school faculty.

“Last year the commonwealth funded Business-Education Partnership grant activities to serve more than 35,000 individuals across Pennsylvania,” Berrier added. “These partnerships benefit employers by educating tomorrow’s workforce about the career and technical education job opportunities that exist and provide students with a solid first-work experience that puts them squarely on the path to future success.”

The partnerships connect schools, employers, LWDB’s and students to provide career-related experiences and opportunities through soft-skills development, internships, workplace shadowing, and career mentoring, all with the goal of informing more students about high-priority occupations and career paths available in the commonwealth. 

The Business-Education Partnership grants from L&I are funded at 100 percent through federal money made available from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act. 

Additional details and the grant application can be found on L&I’s website. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. EST, Thursday, November 18, 2021. 

Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov.

Wolf Administration Announces Federal Funding to Strengthen Family Supports in Child Welfare System (October 9, 2021)

The Wolf Administration announced Pennsylvania’s full implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act, prioritizing providing services to children and families in the least restrictive manner and with their families as much as safely possible.

“The Family First Prevention Services Act dovetails with longtime goals of both the Wolf Administration and our county-level partners across Pennsylvania. The implementation of our plan will enhance the impact of work we were already doing to strengthen families and keep children safe with their families, in their homes, whenever and however possible,” said DHS Acting Secretary Meg Snead.

The Family First Prevention Services Act gives states the option of using federal funds to administer their child welfare systems differently – and for the first time to utilize federal funding that supports certain evidence-based mental health prevention and treatment, substance use prevention and treatment, and in-home parenting skill-based programs that are delivered to eligible children, youth, and families to help prevent the placement of a child into out-of-home care. In the event placement outside the home occurs, the law directs federal funding toward family-like settings or other specialized settings that are best suited to a child’s individual needs.

Considerable progress has been made in recent years to improve outcomes for children in foster care and their families. For example, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of children in foster care who are placed in kinship care with family. As of April 2021, 44 percent of children in foster care were placed with relatives – compared to 31.5 percent in 2015.

Pennsylvania has also steadily decreased its use of congregate settings – such as institutions or group homes – in Pennsylvania’s foster care system. In 2015, 17.1 percent of Pennsylvania children in foster care were in congregate settings. By 2019, that dropped to 12.7 percent. The overall number of children entering foster care is also on the decline. Between 2019 and 2020, 2,797 fewer children entered foster care. Currently, there are about 14,000 children in foster care in Pennsylvania.

2020 Child Abuse Report

In strengthening the child welfare system through a greater focus on prevention and use of evidence-based programs and services, Pennsylvania aims to reduce instances of child abuse and neglect. This week, DHS released the 2020 annual Child Protective Services Report, which includes statewide and county-level data relevant to the child welfare system in the previous year.

The total number of Child Protective Services (CPS) reports received dropped about 22 percent between 2019 and 2020. CPS reports are reports of incidents that meet the definition of child abuse contained in the Child Protective Services Law. While the total number of CPS reports fell significantly, the total number of substantiated reports fell slightly — from 4,865 in 2019 to 4,593 in 2020. These are the CPS reports that – after investigation – indicated that child abuse had in fact occurred. 

In terms of overall sources of the reports from 2019 to 2020, Pennsylvania saw a predictable drop in reports from school employees — from 12,990 in 2019 to 5,780 in 2020. However, reports from permissive reporters – those who, by law, do not have to report suspected child abuse — remained at almost the exact same level as 2019.

Sadly, Pennsylvania saw significant increases in both child fatalities and child near fatalities substantiated as the result of child abuse between 2019 and 2020. In 2019, 51 children died and 93 children nearly died as the result of child abuse. In 2020, 73 children died and 115 children nearly died as a result of child abuse.

“Pennsylvania’s child welfare system did not stop or slow down at any time during 2020. ChildLine remained fully operational. County and DHS caseworkers continued investigating reports. Families continued receiving services they needed,” Acting Secretary Snead said. “In all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, child welfare workers as well as mandated and permissive reporters adapted to a changed world so families could continue to receive support and children can grow up safely and cared for. The value of their work is immeasurable, and I want to say thank you on behalf of the Wolf Administration and the commonwealth.”

To learn more about Family First and how to report potential child abuse or neglect, visit www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov.

COVID-19 Vaccines Continue Saving Lives, Keeping More Pennsylvanians Out of Hospital (October 8, 2021)

On October 8, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) released a report on COVID-19 post-vaccination events, commonly known as “breakthrough,” showing that the vaccines continue to save lives and keep more people out of the hospital.

“What we continue to see is that the vaccines that are widely available to everyone 12 and older are highly effective for preventing hospitalizations and deaths, even as more post-vaccination cases occur in the context of more transmissible variants,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in releasing the latest Pennsylvania data as further evidence of the vaccines’ effectiveness.

Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson explained, “From a clinical perspective, we expect to see the number of breakthrough cases go up as more people get vaccinated. It is like what we saw with seat belt use years ago. As the number of people wearing seatbelts increased, the number of car accidents involving people wearing seatbelts went up. However, the overall fatality rate from car accidents dropped. Your chances of dying in a car accident drop dramatically if you wear a seatbelt. So too, your chances of dying from COVID-19 drop substantially if you are fully vaccinated.”

This month’s data shows that Pennsylvanians who are fully vaccinated fared much better than the unvaccinated even as the more infectious COVID-19 variant continues to dominate the nation.

In the past month, 74 percent of the 4,989 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 were among unvaccinated Pennsylvanians.

“That means that fully vaccinated people have a greater than three times better chance of staying out of the hospital due to COVID-19,” Dr. Johnson said. “Another way to look at it, if you are playing the lottery and there is something you could do to triple your odds of hitting the jackpot, would you do it?”

“This is why doctors across the state want all of their eligible patients to get vaccinated,” she said. “Vaccination substantially increases their odds of avoiding COVID-19 and staying out of the hospital where our healthcare workers are already overwhelmed.”

Looking at the number of COVID-19 cases over the past 30 days shows that 74 percent of the 135,098 people who tested positive were unvaccinated. Data on the number of post-vaccination deaths in the past 30 days is not yet available due to a 60-day lag in the reporting and verification process. Year-to-date data is provided below.

When reviewing longer-term data, between Jan. 1, and Oct. 4, 2021:  

  • 91 percent of reported COVID-19 cases were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 771,734 cases, 69,822, or nine percent, have been identified as post-vaccination cases. Cumulative case incidence among the unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated was 5.6 times higher than the case incidence among the fully vaccinated.  
  • 93 percent of reported hospitalizations with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis/cause of admission were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 44,095 hospitalizations with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis/cause of admission reported in Pennsylvania, 3,247, or 7 percent, were reported to have occurred in fully vaccinated people. These figures were obtained from summary data reported by 62 percent of all hospitals and 78 percent of acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania, representing approximately 80 percent of acute care beds in the state. 
  • 93 percent of COVID-19-related deaths were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 7,625 COVID-19-related deaths occurring among 2021 COVID-19 cases, the latest data shows 518, or seven percent, were identified as deaths among post-vaccination cases. Cumulative death incidence among the unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated was 6.0 times higher than the death incidence among the fully vaccinated.  

“Reviewing this data over time helps inform our understanding of factors such as potential waning immunity,” Dr. Johnson said. “This data is consistent with national trends and similar to data reviewed by the FDA and CDC resulting in a recommendation for a booster dose for vulnerable populations several months following the completion of the primary vaccination series.

“What is completely clear to me is that vaccines are working as intended to help keep more people out of the hospital and alive after COVID-19,” Dr. Johnson said. “Because I know it can save their lives, I have encouraged all of my family, friends and others to get vaccinated and, when they are eligible, to get a booster dose.”

Post-vaccination data is now posted online at: PA Post-Vaccination Data.