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Governor Tom Wolf today announced an initial distribution of $51 million of funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to support child care providers around Pennsylvania. Distributed in partnership with the General Assembly, this initial funding will reach nearly 7,000 child care centers.

“Child care providers are the backbone of our economy in many ways,” Gov. Wolf said. “Without their work, children would miss out on an introduction to education that helps them throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and parents and guardians may have to stay home or not pursue education themselves. I cannot understate how valuable this work is to local communities and the commonwealth as a whole, and as Pennsylvania reopens, we need a robust and healthy child care system.”

Pennsylvania received $106 million in funding to support child care providers through the CARES Act that will be distributed to providers in two waves. The first wave of $51 million will be distributed to all eligible, licensed child care providers and is designed to help providers preparing to reopen as counties move to the yellow phase. The remaining funding will be allocated following the completion of a study by the Department of Human Resources (DHS) Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and Penn State Harrisburg’s Institute of State and Regional Affairs assessing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pennsylvania’s child care providers.

“Child care providers allow parents and guardians to go to work knowing their children are being cared for a in a safe, nurturing, and educational environment. Without their service, we cannot have a fully functional economy, and we are committed to helping them weather this tumultuous period,” said DHS Secretary Teresa Miller. “This CARES Act funding allows us to support child care providers who are undoubtedly feeling the current strain on their businesses so they can continue to be a resource for families around Pennsylvania.”

Funds will be distributed to eligible, certified child care providers through regional Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs). OCDEL determined eligibility for funding and amount of award based on the type and size of provider, number of active enrollments in Child Care Works (CCW) subsidized child care, child care capacity, and licensure status. A base payment is set by licensure type and capacity and providers can receive additional funding for CCW enrollments and if they operate in a county determined to have moderate or acute capacity issues. Twenty-seven counties in Pennsylvania can be considered moderate or acute child care deserts based on capacity of licensed child care providers compared to projections from census data on the number of children needing care. Providers suspended for a tax lien, welfare fraud or providers whose licenses have been revoked or not renewed were disqualified from receiving CARES funding.

Funding award ranges for the first round of funding are:

Provider Type Range Median Average
School Age Only $2,700 – $16,900 $3,000 $3,306
Family Child Care Homes $1,700 – $4,300 $2,100 $2,235
Group Child Care Homes $2,000 – $7,700 $2,800 $3,064
Category 1 Child Care Centers (licensed capacity 8 -38) $2,300 – $12,800 $3,500 $4,020
Category 2 Child Care Centers (licensed capacity 39-61) $4,100 – $20,800 $5,650 $6,594
Category 3 Child Care Centers (licensed capacity 62-92) $6,500-$36,700 $8,000 $9,767
Category 4 Child Care Centers (licensed capacity 93-137) $9,700 – $42,800 $11,600 $13,906
Category 5 Child Care Centers (licensed capacity 138-596) $16,500 – $51,600 $18,500 $20,693
Distribution by county:

Distribution by County

Philadelphia $11,146,700
Centre $502,800
Clarion $194,300
Allegheny $4,222,400
Butler $478,600
Clinton $187,600
Montgomery $3,587,200
Northumberland $461,200
Elk $179,300
Delaware $2,603,800
Beaver $450,100
Bradford $167,900
Bucks $2,359,600
Adams $436,200
Union $166,600
Lehigh $1,876,500
Lycoming $421,500
Venango $163,200
Chester $1,866,700
Cambria $369,200
Columbia $162,000
Lancaster $1,503,500
Blair $351,700
Somerset $156,600
York $1,448,500
Indiana $322,300
Greene $154,000
Dauphin $1,379,500
Armstrong $310,300
Snyder $143,300
Berks $1,216,500
Schuylkill $307,400
Susquehanna $139,000
Northampton $1,098,400
Clearfield $304,000
Tioga $137,900
Erie $1,011,700
Mercer $253,900
Carbon $88,200
Luzerne $924,400
Perry $244,700
Wyoming $81,000
Cumberland $856,200
Wayne $227,000
Pike $72,500
Westmoreland $842,500
Mifflin $224,200
Montour $71,000
Franklin $813,900
Jefferson $220,700
Warren $68,700
Lebanon $791,400
Crawford $220,500
Juniata $47,500
Lackawanna $697,800
Bedford $206,200
Fulton $38,700
Fayette $613,000
Lawrence $205,200
Potter $33,900
Monroe $560,600
Huntingdon $203,600
Cameron $22,400
Washington $519,300
McKean $200,700
Sullivan $8,600
Grand Total $51,346,300

OCDEL has continued to pay child care providers with CCW, Pre-K Counts, and Head Start State Supplemental Assistance Program enrollments during the closure period. OCDEL recognizes that providers have or will experience increased costs associated with additional staffing, cleaning and sanitation to ensure a safe environment for children. This funding is being provided to support the continuum of child care business operations that are so very necessary to Pennsylvania’s parents.

The attestation form and process for the CARES Act funds for child care providers can be found here.

Visit the PA Department of Health’s dedicated Coronavirus webpage for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19.

Additional resources for citizens and DHS providers related to COVID-19 are available here.