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As childcare centers reopen with care, they must follow Safe Mode guidance from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. The reopening guidance includes restrictions on the number of participants and requirements for masks, physical distance between participants, and handwashing-all to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The City's guidelines for childcare providers are available online. Here's what that means for families seeking childcare.

To get updates from the City of Philadelphia about COVID-19, text COVIDPHL to 888-777

The following are ways we can all do our part to help children and staff at childcare and early education centers stay healthy and safe as Philadelphia begins to reopen.

Parents and guardians:

Promote healthy habits:

Wear a mask at pick-up and drop-off.

Use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol or wash your hands for at least 20 seconds during pick-up and drop-off.

Readily share daily family health updates.

Clean bedding and other items that touch your child's skin at least weekly.

Promote social distancing:

Stay at least six feet from others at pick-up and drop-off.

Drop-off and pick-up your child at the scheduled time.

Avoid gathering with people outside of your household.

Keep children home if sick or exposed to COVID-19:

If a child has symptoms of COVID-like illness, do not send your child to the center.

If someone in your child's home has symptoms of COVID, that person will get tested.

If your child was exposed to someone with COVID-19, they must stay home for 14 days.

COVID-like illness is defined as cough, shortness of breath, or any 2 of the following symptoms: fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell.

Maintain an open line of communication with childcare centers:

It is important to learn about your center's new policies. Ask about drop-off, pick-up, and communication policies as these may have changed. For example, drop-off now includes daily family health updates (including your child's temperature). Pick-up your child at the scheduled pick-up time. Drop-off and pick-up times may be different from what you're used to.

As your child returns to childcare, monitor, and communicate your child's evolving needs to your provider including:

How is your child's health?

What is your child learning?

What are the daily routines at your childcare center?

What activities does your child enjoy?

Childcare centers:

Responsibilities for childcare centers include:

Promote healthy habits:

All staff will wear masks.

Staff and children will practice hand hygiene.

Centers will screen staff or instruct them on self-monitoring for symptoms.

Centers will screen families or instruct them on self-monitoring for symptoms.

Frequently clean and disinfect the center.

Promote social distancing:

Increase the space between cribs/rest mats.

Limit classroom size to less than 22 people (teachers plus students).

Restrict nonessential visitors and volunteers.

Restrict gatherings:

Field trips

Public playground use

Children interacting with children outside of their classrooms

Perform daily health screenings:

All childcare facilities should create a daily screening checklist for students, staff, and caregivers including:

The City has published a screening template and other resources that providers can use as part of their safety protocol.

Read the full Childcare guidelines for information on what to expect if someone becomes sick at the childcare center and when they can return.
If a provider believes there was a COVID-19 case at your childcare center (child or staff), they should call the Philadelphia Department of Public Health at 215-685-6741 for further instructions.
Read the guideline and learn more

Want to learn more? The City has published a six-page guide outlining childcare safety practices during Safe Mode. You can read it here.

Additional resources:

Mask-wearing guidance

All caregivers and staff must wear masks.

Masks should not be placed on:

Babies and children younger than 2 years old.

Anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious.

Anyone who is incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cloth face covering
without assistance.

Children during naptime.

Find childcare

Families seeking childcare can call the Early Learning Resource Center at 215-382-4762. PHLpreK is now enrolling pre-K students for the fall; find a center here or call 844-PHL-PREK (844-745-7735).

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What reopening means for childcare in Philadelphia | Department of Public Health

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As childcare centers reopen with care, they must follow Safe Mode guidance from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. The reopening guidance includes restrictions on the number of participants and requirements for masks, physical distance between participants, and handwashing-all to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The City's guidelines for childcare providers are available online.

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COVID-19 Stress: How Uncertainty Affects Our Brains

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COVID-19 Stress: How Uncertainty Affects Our Brains

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COVID-19 Stress: How Uncertainty Affects Our Brains

We are living during a time of great uncertainty with COVID-19. Prolonged uncertainty causes predictable changes in the brain for both adults and children. We can use a foundational understanding of these changes to create greater resilience, new ways of thinking, and increased wellbeing for ourselves and our children.

COVID-19 is creating global changes to the way we behave and perceive our world. Learn how to harness your brain's innate functioning to use these changes for the betterment of all.

Any crisis or stressor will impact the functioning of the brain. The stress from COVID-19 is unique because the virus is an unseen threat, the information about it is constantly changing, the scale is worldwide and there is no concrete endpoint to its impact.

Enjoy a little humor with Dr. Becky Bailey, the originator of Conscious Discipline, and then learn about how your brain is responding to the unique stressors of COVID-19 by shifting from a predictability model to a fluid change model. Understand the possible benefits of the jittery or anxious feelings you may be experiencing. Discover how you can use this global experience to improve resilience, expand your mind into new ways to thinking and increase your long-term sense of wellbeing. Then learn specific strategies to help yourself and your children during this era of COVID-19 stress.

Webinar Outline

00:09 Introduction of Dr. Becky Bailey and Conscious Discipline

00:32 Resiliency and neuroplasticity

02:26 What we need most right now

03:13 Humor is a useful skill that changes our state

06:25 Living in a time of uncertainty

07:05 What happens in our brain when it is faced with uncertainty?

11:56 Trauma happens when we feel immobilized

15:20 Allow the "jitters"

16:42 Where is the upside?

21:57 Behavior is communication

22:58 Shift from fear to faith

24:50 What can we do to help our children?

25:44 Create a new schedule/new normal

26:27 Wish Well

27:15 Be honest with your children

27:37 Ways to be helpful

28:30 Focus on managing feelings instead of making predictions

29:48 Story of Becky's granddaughter/Conclusion

Resource Mentions

Helpful Next Steps

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COVID-19 Stress: How Uncertainty Affects Our Brains

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Enjoy a little humor with Dr. Becky Bailey, the originator of Conscious Discipline, and then learn about how your brain is responding to the unique stressors of COVID-19 by shifting from a predictability model to a fluid change model. Understand the possible benefits of the jittery or anxious feelings you may be experiencing.

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CHOP Policy Lab FAQ

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Opening Checklist

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Health and Safety checklist

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ERS Data System Q & A

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Tuesday, June 2:The Mayor has extended a mandatory citywide curfew for the fourth night. Effective at 8:30 p.m. through tomorrow at 6 a.m. Only people with essential duties will be permitted outdoors.
In effect: 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2 to 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3

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Resources for child care and summer camp operators during COVID-19 | Department of Public Health

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Tuesday, June 2:The Mayor has extended a mandatory citywide curfew for the fourth night. Effective at 8:30 p.m. through tomorrow at 6 a.m. Only people with essential duties will be permitted outdoors. In effect: 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2 to 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3

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NASP: School Reentry
Considerations
Supporting Student Social
and Emotional Learning
and Mental and Behavioral
Health Amidst COVID-19

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FAQ Families may

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Summer Recreation Camps and Pools

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As communities open up for outdoor exercise, open parks like ours did recently, and the late spring weather forces more of us outside, more and more children will be in public places. Whether it is when a parent is forced to take a child to a grocery store for essential goods because there is no available childcare or a chance run-in with another family at a park or running trail, we need to equip our children and students with the tools to remain safe when they are in shared spaces inside and out. Here are some of my ideas for how to teach children to stay 6 feet apart from others in public.

These tools are about maintaining proper social distancing, for more about how to explain COVID-19 / Coronavirus to young children check out this PBSParents article. It's the most appropriate advice I have found for preschoolers.

How To Teach Young Children To Stay 6 Feet Apart

Explain why we need to stay 6 feet apart.

There is no perfect way to do this because every child processes information differently. Some are very sensitive and will turn a little information into a dire warning, others will need constant reminders, and it still won't sink in. The general information all children should have is that there are germs going around, and if we stay 6 feet apart, we make it harder for the germs to spread. If your family is wearing masks, this is also when you would explain those are added protection to keep germs from spreading.

Use Play

Measure It
Get out the measuring tape and show your child how far 6 feet is. Make it fun. Go to different areas of your home and have your child make estimations about what is 6 feet from where they are standing. Is the wall? Measure it. Is the bathtub 6 feet from the toilet? How about the fridge to the kitchen table? If you have a yard take it outside. This is all part of learning about staying 6 feet apart.

Throw it.
Can you throw a pillow 6 feet? What about a ball? Find whatever is safe to throw and try. Again, this is all part of giving your child the tools to understand how to keep themselves safe. Part of that is a firm understanding of what 6 feet is essential for when you remind them, " Sally, 6 feet back.".

Red Light, Green Light
This game is an essential tool for parents of very young children that do not yet have a firm grasp on what 6 feet looks like. Yelling "Stop" can scare kids and should only be used in an emergency. Yelling it as they are getting too close to a neighbor could be very upsetting to a young child, and we don't want to instill fear of people they shouldn't fear into our children. Instead, play the game Red Light Green Light Often, especially if and when you are in public. If you aren't familiar with the game, it's simple; Children line up in front of a caller (you). When you say green light, they go. When you say yellow light, they slow down, and red light means stop. We play it all the time at preschool, so we too can use this tactic if we need children to stop abruptly but do not what them to be scared. By practicing this often and making it fun, you can use it if your child is getting too close.

Bubble Up
This is not my idea, but it's genius. In my area, much like other parts of the world, we do a lot of outdoor activities. Running, biking, walking on forest trails, and visits to the beach, I live on an island, so there are lots of that. This pandemic has shifted how we explore these places, but most of us are still getting outdoors safely. This will help you do that, especially if you have a few kids. While walking together in a park or forest trail, it's okay for children to spread out, but when there is another person, the family needs to quickly get together to make enough space for other people to pass safely. This is when a parent or observant kiddo yells, "Bubble up!" the family scoots together, clearing the way for the other party to pass. This can also work if your child is getting too far from you at the park, or you need to pick them up to provide proper social distancing for others or your family. "Bubble up!" is a light-hearted way to get to you fast without using fear. This is a scary enough time for kids. We need them to know they are safe, but that simple measures like this are how they stay safe.

Practice Often

These tools will help, but they can only help if you practice. Social distancing is a new skill we all need to learn. Play bubble up at funny times, like when you have a family movie night and pile up on the couch, you can play red light green light as your kiddos are running upstairs for bathtime. Get in on the fun and have your children be the one calling out red light green light too. Mine used to love to yell red light just as I was heading to the bathroom. Stinkers!

We have no choice that, for now, this is our norm, but we do have an opportunity to empower our kids through play. Answering their questions about not giving their buddy a high five when they see them in the neighborhood with "Because I said so." might stop the questions, but it won't stop them from wondering why and jumping to their own conclusions. Talk to your children, answer their questions, and use play to practice these new skills.
Please note social distancing rules are different based on your local community, and you may not be in a position to leave your home. I am not advocating for anyone to break those rules and take a child out when it's not safe. Your local rules rea set up by your local officials based on the situation in your area. Please follow them to the best of your ability.

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How to Teach Children To Stay 6 feet Apart

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As more communities start to open after COVID-19 lockdowns parents need tools to teach their children how to stay 6 feet apart in public and shared spaces.

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This tool will be updated on the First Ups website

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This tool will be updated on the First Ups website

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RECORDED WEBINARS

Recorded Wednesday, May 6
OCDEL
Child Care During COVID-19 and Reopening Child Care
Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) Deputy Secretary, Tracey Campanini, and Director of Child Care Certification, Tanya Vasquez, share what child care programs who are considering reopening should know and how to keep themselves, their staff and the children they serve safe and healthy.

CLICK HERE to watch.

Recorded Wednesday, April 29
OCDEL, PA Key
Guidance for Child Care Programs that Remain Open
The webinars will be facilitated by Amy Requa, MSN, CRNP (Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner) and Senior Health Manager at the Pennsylvania Key and will:

Clarify the practices described in the CDC Guidance

Emphasize how the guidance offers practices for keeping people healthy and safe

Answer questions that are submitted by providers

CLICK HERE to watch.

Recorded on Monday, April 27
Reinvestment Fund
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) informational Webinar

Reinvestment Fund is accepting PPP applications in this new round of funding. This is an informational webinar on how to apply.
CLICK HERE to watch.

Recorded on Thursday, April 23 NEWMBST Solutions, Tom Copeland, Early Learning Policy Group
COVID-19: Tips to Navigate Federal Relief Options for Family Child Care Providers

An informational webinar to help family child care providers understand options and access federal supports.
CLICK HERE to watch
Webinar slides

Recorded on Wednesday, April 15
Reinvestment Fund
Philadelphia Emergency Fund for Stabilization of Early Education (PEFSEE) Application Webinar

Tiered grant awards of up to $20,000 will be made available to provide immediate relief to eligible organizations with operations located in the city of Philadelphia.
CLICK HERE to watch.

Recorded on Monday, April 6
ECE Fiscal Hub
Philadelphia COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund

A How to Guide Presenters will review and clarify financial terminology, explain documents needed for the Philadelphia COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund loan process, as well as review other local and federal funding resources available.
CLICK HERE to watch.
Webinar slides
Handouts: 3 Year w/Projections; 4506 Form; ACH Transfer Agreement Deposit PIDC; Business Debt Schedule; Credit Authorization PIDC; Form 413; Sample Profit/Loss Statement; PPP Borrower Application Form
Webinar FAQ

Recorded on Wednesday, April 1
Your Part Time Controller (YPTC)
Staying Afloat: Financial Relief Options for
Nonprofit Organizations during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Covers important steps to take NOW to help keep your nonprofit afloat during this time of uncertainty. Learn more about the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and $10k Emergency Grant, through the SBA, and the Paycheck Protection Program Loan (PPPL)
CLICK HERE to watch the webinar and learn about other YPTC resources.

DOCUMENTS, TOOLS, AND LINKS Governor Wolf's phased reopening plan for PA COVID-19 Reopening Assessment CDC Reopening Decision Tools for Child Care, Youth Programs, Camp, and Schools CDC Guidance for Child Care Programs that Remain Open

COVID-19 Loan and Grant Comparison 4.29.20Comparison of local, state, and federal opportunities
Common Financial Terms COVID-19 FAQ 4.27.20 Where can I save money?
Contingency Assessment Surveys to help determine the return status of staff and families:
COVID-19 Staff Survey
COVID-19 Current Family Survey
COVID-19 Wait List Family Survey
SBA Loan application helpPCCY is offering early learning and child care program operators 45-minute sessions of free technical assistance in completing federal loan applications (SBA). CLICK HERE or HERE to schedule an appointment. Please choose only ONE appointment. If you need additional time, every effort will be made to assign you another slot.
Covid-Related Employment LawsPCCY is also offering early learning and child care program operators free technical assistance to help providers better understand federal and state law regarding COVID-19 related paid time off, family and medical leave and layoffs. To sign up for a free 30 minute session, please register HERE.

To prepare for your session they recommend you read this helpful resource guide created by Jeffrey Campolongo, one of our region's premier employment lawyers and one of five lawyers working with PCCY to support child care providers during the pandemic.

Resources on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) for ECE programs and professionals. This includes all OCDEL announcements and instructions to apply for a waiver to remain open to serve life-sustaining populations.

FIRST UP COVID-19 Resources
A collection of resources about ECE Updates, fun activities parents can do with children, free meals for families who need them, unemployment compensation and advocacy updates, as well as resources for stress management.

PA Child Care Association (PACCA)
Also, please check PACCA's Facebook page for the most current and newsworthy updates

Your Part Time Controller (YPTC) COVID Resources
Up-to-date information regarding the COVID crisis and new legislation that will affect nonprofits including applying for Paycheck Protection Program Loans (PPP).

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Guide to SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loans
Guidelines and loan parameters.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce CORONAVIRUS
EMERGENCY LOANS Small Business Guide and Checklist
A downloadable guide to help answer your questions-Am I eligible? What will lenders be looking for? How much can I borrow?
GRANT AND LOAN APPLICATIONS
Reinvestment Fund processing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications Reinvestment Fund is no longer taking new applications to their PPP program so they can focus on processing the applications currently in their program.

Women's Way Rapid Response General Operating Fund-COVID-19
Application and full eligibility criteria. Must be nonprofit organization serving women, girls, and/or the trans/gender nonconforming community.

Philadelphia Emergency Fund for Stabilization of Early Education (PEFSEE)
Information on the Reinvestment Fund's website. For questions, email PEFSEE@reinvestment.com.
Philadelphia COVID-19 Small Business Relief Fund
APPLICATION DEADLINE WAS APRIL 15
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and Paycheck Protection Program
The SBA will resume accepting Paycheck Protection Program applications from participating lenders on Monday, April 27, 2020 at 10:30 am EDT. If you have already applied, contact your lender to determine where your application is in process.

SBA is unable to accept new applications at this time for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)-COVID-19 related assistance program (including EIDL Advances) based on available appropriations funding.

Applicants who have already submitted their applications will continue to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

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COVID-19 Business Support: Ask a Question

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RECORDED WEBINARS Recorded Wednesday, May 6 OCDEL Child Care During COVID-19 and Reopening Child Care Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) Deputy Secretary, Tracey Campanini, and Director of Child Care Certification, Tanya Vasquez, share what child care programs who are considering reopening should know and how to keep themselves, their staff and the children they serve safe and healthy.

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With LearnERS: CQI Coaching Framework, early childhood coaches, educators and program admins guide change and CQI using the Environment Rating Scales.

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Climate of Healthy Interactions for Learning and Development (CHILD)

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The ABCDEs of Family Climate and COVID-19

Connecting in a time of physical distance

COVID-19 has taken over our normal routines and occupies our minds day and night. As we respond with physical distancing, the pandemic has also highlighted our need for connectedness. Human connections help us all manage stress and anxiety in uncertain times. For young children, connections with caring and supportive adults are also essential building blocks for resilience, cognitive development, and learning. This website offers simple strategies we can use daily to help children connect, learn, and grow. These strategies are derived from the CHILD® Tool. Though the CHILD was originally intended to support early childhood care and education professionals, we've adapted the principles for parents and caregivers to use at home.
Read more about the ABCDEs

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Climate of Healthy Interactions for Learning and Development (CHILD) Climate of Healthy Interactions for Learning & Development Special COVID-19 Young Children

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The ABCDEs of Family Climate and COVID-19 Connecting in a time of physical distance COVID-19 has taken over our normal routines and occupies our minds day and night. As we respond with physical distancing, the pandemic has also highlighted our need for connectedness. Human connections help us all manage stress and anxiety in uncertain times.

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Infant Early Childhood Mental Health

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First Up - Pennsylvania early childhood education advocacy group

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Dear First Up Community,

As our lives are being changed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we remain committed to all of you - to ensure you have the information and resources you need to take care of yourselves and your communities. In times of uncertainty, it's easy for our attention to be fractured - and we don't know where to go information. We are committed to supporting you as you navigate the changes in the ECE community and as you support your own friends and family. In the midst of it all, please remember to find time to look after your own needs as well.

To that end, we have collected some important resources about ECE Updates, fun activities parents can do with children, free meals for families who need them, unemployment compensation and advocacy updates, as well as resources for stress management.

Use the tabs above to navigate the page and please reach out to us if there is something you need that you can't find here.

You are a valued part of the First Up family. We are in this together. Take good care.

We will be updating the following collection of links as more information, processes, and policies are released. If you want to suggest an essential link/resource not found on this list, please email Mindi Leiber.

PLEASE NOTE: We have streamlined these COVID-19 resource offerings in order to improve navigation and highlight re-opening information. If you are looking for a link found in our previous postings, please visit this archive page. We will not continue to update the archive page, so please be aware that some information on the archive page may be outdated or contradicted by current policy and recommendations.

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COVID-19 Resources - First Up - Pennsylvania early childhood education advocacy group

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Dear First Up Community, As our lives are being changed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we remain committed to all of you - to ensure you have the information and resources you need to take care of yourselves and your communities.

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Staff Check - In

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PHMC created a document to help providers in their reopening process