Butler County Childrens Center Inc

PROVIDES HEAD START/EHS AND CHILD CARE THROUGHOUT BUTLER COUNTY AND IS AN ELRC

HEADSTART - THE 20-21 FISCAL YEAR WAS A CHALLENGING YEAR. DUE TO COVID, WE HAD TO MOVE FROM IN PERSON CLASSROOMS TO VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS. WE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLIED WITH THE CDC GUIDELINES AND THE GUIDELINES FROM THE OFFICE OF HEAD START. ALL STAFF BECAME FULLY VACCINATED AND WE IMPLEMENTED A VACCINATION PLAN/POLICY. WE HAVE RESUMED IN PERSON CLASSROOMS FOR OUR CHILDREN. WE RECEIVED COVID/CARE FUNDS FROM THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS. WE CONTINUE TO PURCHASE PPE AND PERFORM DEEP CLEANING AND SANITATION TO ENSURE A HEALTHY AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR CHILDREN. ALSO, WITH THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING, WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE INCENTIVE PAY TO OUR EMPLOYEES AND IMPROVE OUR BUILDINGS. SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS: BUILDING SAFETY: NEW ENTRANCE DOORS AT MOUNT CHESTNUT AND BON AIRE DOOR ACCESS SYSTEM WITH CAMERAS AT FORD CITY UPDATE SECURITY SYSTEM AT BON AIRE BUILDING UPDATES: REPLACE ROOF AT MOUNT CHESTNUT INSTALL RUBBER SAFETY SURFACE AT BON AIRE PLAYGROUND NEW FLOORING AT BON AIRE HALLWAY AND ENTRY ROOF REPAIR AT BON AIRE NEW FLOORING IN GYM AT MOUNT CHESTNUT REPLACE WINDOWS AT BON AIRE AND MOUNT CHESTNUTWE WERE ABLE TO HAVE SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR OUR CHILDREN IN BOTH ARMSTRONG COUNTY AND BUTLER COUNTY.A PRE-K COUNTS CLASSROOM WAS MOVED TO THE BON AIRE LOCATION FOR THE 2020-21 PROGRAM YEAR TO ALLOW FORA SMOOTH TRANSITION FOR CHILDREN TRANSITIONING FROM INFANT TODDLER PROGRAMS.

ELRC - THE ELRC 3 PERFORMANCE REVIEW BY PA OCDEL INDICATED THAT WE WOULD MEET ALL 2020-21 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES. ELRC 3 EXPENDED OVER $13.5 MILLION DOLLARS TO CHILD CARE PROVIDERS ON BEHALF OF OUR SUBSIDY CHILD CARE WORKS (CCW) PROGRAM. WE SUCCESSFULLY ADMINISTERED AND AWARDED AN ADDITIONAL $11.5 MILLION DOLLARS IN VARIOUS GRANTS, AWARDS, AND STIMULUS FUNDING TO ELIGIBLE CHILD CARE PROVIDERS IN OUR REGION. THESE GRANTS AND AWARDS WERE VITAL IN HELPING FACILITIES MAINTAIN QUALITY CARE AND SUSTAIN OPERATIONS THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN MOVING 17 CHILD CARE FACILITIES UP IN THEIR QUALITY STAR RATING LEVEL. THE ELRC ADMINISTERED THE INFANT TODDLER CONTRACTED SLOTS (ITCS) PROGRAM FOR 20-21. WE AWARDED $600,000 IN ITCS FUNDS TO THREE CHILD CARE ENTITIES IN OUR REGION FOR ITCS CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION. ELRC CONTINUES TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN THE NUMBER OF PROVIDERS UTILIZING DIRECT DEPOSIT, THE PDREGISTRY, AND THE PROVIDER SELF-SERVICE (PSS) ON-LINE OPTION. WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH PASSHE AND THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (PDO) TO SUPPORT CHILD CARE STAFF TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION IN THE ECE FIELD. ELRC HAS PROVIDED COACHING SUPPORTS AND TECHNOLOGY KITS TO THOSE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE PDO PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, ELRC HAS IMPLEMENTED A SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL CHILDREN'S YOGA/MINDFULNESS PROGRAM FOR OUR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS AND THEIR CHILDREN TO PARTICIPATE IN SEVERAL MONTHLY LESSONS. WE ALSO COLLABORATED WITH INFANT EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATION (IECMHC) TO OFFER A MONTHLY "HOLDING SPACE" SESSION FOR OUR ECE PROVIDERS. ELRC MAINTAINS A FIVE-COUNTY DATABASE OF RESOURCES AND SERVICES TO ASSIST OUR REGION WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS. THE EARLY LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER PROVIDES FAMILIES, EARLY LEARNING SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND COMMUNITIES ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND SERVICES THAT SUPPORT HIGH-QUALITY CHILDCARE AND EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS. WE ARE THE REGIONAL HUB FOR EARLY LEARNING RESOURCES IN OUR FIVE-COUNTY GEOGRAPHICAL AREA.

CHILD CARE - DUE TO ONGOING COVID RELATED RESTRICTIONS, WE HAD TO CONTINUE WITH REDUCED ENROLLMENT CRITERIA TO INCLUDE CHILDREN UP TO 3RD GRADE ONLY, AND TEMPORARILY ELIMINATED THE BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMMING. THESE DECISIONS WERE MADE CAREFULLY, AND BASED ON CDC GUIDELINES, SOCIAL DISTANCING MANDATES AND THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN THAT WE COULD SAFELY MAINTAIN IN THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS.