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  • What is the Pediatric First Aid/CPR training required of early child care providers?

    On January 11, 2022, the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) issued an announcement that impacts certified child care facilities and early learning staff. Specifically, the announcement indicates that all child care providers and staff must complete Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training before they can care for children unsupervised.

  • Can early care providers and staff still take courses exclusively online?

    In a word – NO. The “online-only” course, “Adult, Child, and Baby First Aid/CPR” certification that does not include a hands-on component will no longer be accepted to meet compliance with certification regulations. Any staff that has completed this “online-only” course prior to September 30, 2021, will not be cited for non-compliance with certification regulations. At this time, all Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR trainings must include hands-on sessions to be considered compliant with certification regulations.

  • For whom will training be prioritized?

    OCDEL has issued a prioritization plan for Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR training as follows:

    • PRIORITY 1: Facilities that have received a citation for non-compliance because child care staff do not have Pediatric First Aid/Pediatric CPR training.
    • PRIORITY 2: Child care staff’s Pediatric First Aid/Pediatric CPR certificate has expired.
    • PRIORITY 3: Child care staff who are newly hired and are in their first 90 days of employment but have not yet received this required training.
    • PRIORITY 4: Child care staff’s Pediatric First Aid/Pediatric CPR certificate has not yet expired, but will expire within 1 year of their facility’s certificate of compliance expiration date.
    • PRIORITY 5: Child care staff who will need Pediatric First Aid/Pediatric CPR training for compliance within 1 year of their facility’s certificate of compliance expiration date. Priority 5 staff will get the training, but not as quickly as someone who has been cited for non-compliance or who is in higher priority categories.

    Note: If an individual child care staff member does not fall in one of these prioritizations, and a provider wants all their child care staff to be trained at the same time, the provider is responsible for covering the costs of those child care staff not falling in the prioritizations.

  • Must a child care provider/program use the PDO to complete these training requirements?

    Early care providers/programs DO NOT need to use the PDO to complete Pediatric First Aid/CPR training. They are able to use any approved Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS)-approved instructor who uses an OCDEL-recognized curriculum. PQAS-approved providers can be found by doing a search on the PD registry.

    Note: The ECEPDO@PASSHE is not responsible for locating, certifying, or approving PQAS trainers. This must be done through the PD Registry.

  • Can early care programs/providers get one certificate to cover its entire staff?

    NO. Each individual who needs the training must complete it for themselves and claim their certificate. It cannot be completed by a program director on behalf of staff, even if the director must provide supports to staff. Each employee is responsible for completing their own training.

  • Will the ECEPDO@PASSHE reimburse our site for all required Pediatric First Aid/CPR trainings for certification?

    It depends. Training will be provided to ECE providers based on the prioritization plan prescribed by OCDEL (see above). Any provider who needs Pediatric First Aid/CPR training for their staff, and would like to request PDO funding should email: [email protected] to better understand what training costs will be covered by the PDO.

    Note: The PDO will not reimburse for training taken outside of our organization. Child care providers have the option to take CPR training via any entity they prefer, as long as the training meets OCDEL requirements. The PDO will only pay for approved training taken through our organization/partner organizations.

  • What is the process for an early care director/owner to request PDO funding for Pediatric First Aid/CPR training for themselves and their staff?
    1. A director/owner (or individual) requests Pediatric First Aid/CPR training funded through the PDO by emailing [email protected].
    2. A form will be sent to you for completion.
    3. Once the form is completed and submitted to [email protected], a PDO representative will provide further instructions.
  • ‘Wondering where to sign up for training?

    Email [email protected]