The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has opened the application period for Keystone STARS Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) awards.
The awards are a one-time grant for eligible child-care programs in good licensing standing with a Keystone STARS 2, 3, or 4 quality designation.
“Child-care providers and early childhood education professionals help nurture and educate our youngest Pennsylvanians and this grant will support their efforts to continue to provide quality care and education to our children,” Dr. Val Arkoosh, Department of Human Services secretary,
said. “The Keystone STARS CQI Award is an exciting new opportunity for providers, and I encourage all who are eligible to apply. We understand that our child-care providers are still navigating operating and workforce challenges right now so, our goal is to provide as much support as we can to help cover the costs of additional professional and program development.”
Awardees can use funding for eligible expenses related to accreditation costs, early childhood education programs, leadership and management, partnerships with families and communities, and staff qualifications and professional development.
The application deadline is Feb. 15.
The federal Child Care Development Fund provided $12 million for the grants.
Keystone STARS is OCDEL’s quality measurement for certified child-care providers.