Labor Relations in Child Care (LBCS 94C)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 2:37PM | Admin 
The October 2009 edition of Child Care Providers United of Pennsylvania's news bulletin is now available.
Please feel free to download the bulletin if you haven't received it in the mail already.
Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 3:19PM | Admin Provider Agreements
Please make sure to complete your attestation as to whether or not you accepted payment from subsidized parents during the budget crisis.
You MUST complete this form.
If you do not, your provider agreement will be terminated. If you have not received this form, please call CCIS for a replacement immediately or download it immediately by clicking here.
If you have any questions, please call CCPUnited at 1-866-647-3330
CCIS
Providers will receive payments from Pennsylvania Child Care Information Services (CCIS) as long as they have completed their paperwork and are entitled to the money.
Please make sure you are saving copies of your attendance sheets and turning your paperwork in on time.
Food Program
All food programs should be reimbursing providers, because no food programs were impacted by the budget impasse.
If you have not received your payment, please make sure your paperwork was submitted on time. Then call your individual food program.
If you have further concerns, please call the Pennsylvania Department of Education at 1-800-331-0129.
Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 11:37AM | Admin After years of debate, CCPUnited recently persuaded Pennsylvania Child Care Information Services (CCIS) to offer direct deposit to family providers.
Providers across the state are thrilled.
“Direct deposit is very reliable, because you don’t have to worry about your money or your check getting lost in the mail,” said child care provider Diane Matthews from Pittsburgh. “You can call your bank and find out if your money has been deposited and then start spending!”
Direct deposit is a widely accepted payment option allowing workers to receive their subsidy reimbursements directly in their bank account.
Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 11:22AM | Admin 
The Pennsylvania Keystone STARS Program is in the process of rewriting standards for family providers.
Child Care Providers United (CCPUnited) members are on the standards committee, and CCPUnited will be holding forums across the state to solicit input on the new regulations before they are finalized. If you are interested in hosting or attending a forum, please contact our office.
The Pennsylvania Keystone Standards, Training/Professional Development, Assistance, Resources and Support (STARS) Program is sponsored by the Department of Public Welfare’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and is the state’s quality ratings system for registered and licensed child care providers. The program is designed to provide professional development support for early childhood education.
Registered family providers are eligible to enroll in STARS and to move up through various STARS program levels by participating in both on-line and classroom training. Currently, relative neighbor providers are eligible only for on-line and classroom training but not for enrollment in STARS.
There are four STAR levels, and each STAR designation has its own research-based performance standard, which provides the foundation for the program. Family child care providers participating at a STAR 2 level or above receive additional subsidy money for every child they serve who is also enrolled in Child Care Works through the local Child Care Information Services (CCIS) office. There is grant money available at each STAR level including the entry level, Start with STARS, and the amount of subsidy payments increases at each level.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 11:51AM | Admin 
A team of child care providers, staff, and advocates delivered budget petitions and childrens’ artwork to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and the staff of caucus leaders in the state senate and house on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.
We expressed appreciation for their efforts in moving closer to a budget deal, and members shared their stories of how the budget impasse has affected their businesses and the families that rely on them.
During these visits, our primary goal was to let legislators know that our members need to be reimbursed as quickly as possible after the budget is signed.
In addition, we shared our experiences with the payment process and the various channels that the funding goes through before providers can receive their subsidy reimbursements, which can lead to major slow-downs.
As a result of these meetings House Democratic leadership and Senate Democratic leadership sent letters to the governor strongly recommending that a procedure be put in place to reimburse providers in a timely manner.
Through the work of CCPUnited, home-based child care providers will receive subsidy payments faster than initially expected.
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 3:05PM | Admin Over the weekend, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) and Democratic and Republican legislative leaders announced that they had reached agreement on a deal to bridge the Keystone State's $3 billion budget deficit.
Although details of the new budget are sketchy, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) has managed to piece together the broad outlines of the plan based on various media reports.
The governor and legislature were successful in establishing new revenues through an expanded tobacco tax that incorporates cigarillos and by extending the sales tax to admission tickets for performing art events, museums, historical sites, zoos, and parks.
However, one glaring mistake stands out.
Democrats agreed to an array of tax cuts for multi-national corporations and other big businesses including a tax freeze on the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax for the next three years in exchange for the new taxes above as well as fees for the introduction of table games in casinos.
It's obvious that this was the price for Republican support of the budget deal.
Unfortunately, anybody using common sense would realize the short-sightedness of this approach, which means permanently depriving the commonwealth of an unspecified amount of future revenues in exchange for tax increases like the table games that are largely temporary.
According to the PBPC:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 4:27PM | Admin The city of Philadelphia has announced plans to close its entire public library system on October 2 if the state legislature does not act on the city’s budget request.
The city is also considering implementing a doomsday budget plan if the state legislature fails to approve the city’s request for a temporary sales tax hike and a two-year deferral of payments into the pension fund.
Under the plan, the city would eliminate court system funding, shut down all recreation centers, and lay off up to 3,000 workers, including police and firefighters.
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 4:30PM | Admin The latest news concerning negotiations over Pennsylvania's state budget has the Republicans in the state senate continuing to insist that the budget be balanced by spending cuts alone.
This tactic appears to be an attempt to force a budget deal that will ultimately harm the Keystone State by costing taxpayers billions down the road.
Raise your voice! Contact your legislators or get in touch with Child Care Providers United at 1-866-647-3330.
Our Executive Director Bonnie Caldwell can be reached at 814-761-7277.
Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 12:52PM | Admin 
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center has identified an array of options for raising new revenues to maintain essential public services in Pennsylvania and to make the tax system more fair. These funding options should be at the center of the state budget debate in the Keystone State. Click here to learn more.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 4:51PM | Admin Our sources have confirmed that the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has consented to recognize Child Care Providers United (CCPUnited) of Pennsylvania as a union that represents child care providers and to convene a joint meeting with CCPUnited once a year but precious little else.
OCDEL has effectively rejected all of the substantive proposals that CCPUnited has presented in the following areas: rights for exempt providers (i.e., relative and neighbor providers), dues, dispute resolution, provider rates, billing and subsidy payments, professional development, and the creation of a state-provider cooperation committee.
This, despite $60 million worth of federal stimulus money from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to subsidize provider payments and nearly $9 million in ARRA funds for education and training.
In fact, OCDEL is planning to increase payment rates for child care providers working in centers while reducing payments for family child care providers supplying care during non-traditional hours.
In addition, OCDEL is planning to execute a new rule that establishes a requirement of 12 hours of training for exempt providers (i.e., relative and neighbor providers) without providing the necessary resources.
OCDEL failed to notify CCPUnited of these changes during negotiations, nor have they provided substantive counter-proposals to CCPUnited's ARRA-specific proposals that would address these changes in payment rates and regulations.
Despite these setbacks, CCPUnited is committed to forging an agreement that meets the needs of our members. Please keep checking this space for updates.
