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In an effort to expand child care access when children are attending classes remotely, the state Department of Human Services issued a 7 page document spelling out how some rules have been relaxed to allow for more non-licensed day care services, but also explaining the rules that must still be followed.
				DHS Secretary Teresa Miller tried to simplify the document&rsquo;s jargon in an online media conference Wednesday.
				&ldquo;For non-licensed school age child care, we&rsquo;ve loosened restrictions,&rdquo; she said, citing examples like a week-long basketball camp, in which current rules say the &ldquo;coordinator doen&rsquo;t have to be licensed.&rdquo; But that exception came with a time limit, no more than 90 days. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve waived the 90-day limit on these programs so they can help families through the school year.&rdquo;
				An in home provider bust be a relative &mdash; grandparent, great grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling over the age of 18. It involves only children who live in that home, with a maximum of six children at any one time, or five infants and toddlers related to the provider.
				For larger groups of children, the state has two types of non-licensed child care that can now go beyond the 90-day limit: the Part-Day School Age Child Care Program (SACC) and Learning Pods. The part-day SACC program cares for more than six school-age children who attend kindergarten or older but are under 16. Pods are a group of no more than 12 children of the same school age brought together to share parental oversight.
				A Pod may move between various parent&rsquo;s homes and oversight during remote-learning days. The objective is to provide non-instructional support to the children in the pods.The difference between a part-day SACC and a learning pod is parental supervision. While multiple parents can join to create a pod and take turns hosting one, a parent must be responsible for the oversight. If no parent is responsible, the group is deemed a SACC.
				Both types of care can be implemented without a license, but Miller note they must still follow other state rules. For starters, they must notify DHS about the new care system before beginning it.
				They must also &ldquo;develop a COVID-19 health and safety plan aligned with the Pa. Department of Health guidelines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Post the plan in a conspicuous location. Notify local emergency management agencies so they can respond appropriately in an emergency.&rdquo;
				She urged those who set up such care systems to check local municipal rules. Some municipalities may not allow such settings. Its also important to follow local fire protection rules. And caregivers must still &ldquo;be in compliance with child protection laws.
				&ldquo;Anyone working with them must undergo background checks,&rdquo; Miller said. Make sure every adult supervising a Pod knows they are a mandated reporter,&rdquo; meaning if they suspect child abuse they must report it to appropriate authorities.
				More information and links to the guidance document can be found at the DHS website, <a href="https://www.dhs.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dhs.pa.gov</a>, under &ldquo;<a href="https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/DHS_details.aspx?newsid=596" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">news</a>&rdquo;. Miller also noted the state child care finding website www.findchildcare.pa.gov or <a href="https://www.compass.state.pa.us/Compass.Web/ProviderSearch/Home#/BasicSearch" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.compass.state.pa.us. </a>
				Additional help can be found at your local Early Learning Resource Center, which can be found through the website, <a href="https://raiseyourstar.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raiseyourstar.org.</a>
				The changes meant to increase child care access are working, Miller said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve moved hundreds of families off the waiting lists for child care. Many parts of the Commonwealth have no waiting lists.&rdquo;

State lays out guidelines for expanding child care among parents and families