OCDEL Announces Funding for Free Pediatric First Aid/CPR Training
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) announced that funding has become available to offer free pediatric First Aid/CPR certification training for the next few months.
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All staff working in state Department of Human Services (DHS) certified child care programs are required to maintain current pediatric First Aid/CPR certification. OCDEL funding is now available to support free training opportunities from March to June.
The organization is partnering with the Early Childhood Education Linkage System (ECELS) program at the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to coordinate the free training offerings as part of the Emergency Response Training (ERT) project.
Child care workers are eligible for free training if they are currently employed by a licensed early childhood education center in Pennsylvania and if they meet at least one of the following criteria:
Their pediatric First Aid/CPR certification has expired or is set to expire within the next year
They are a newly-hired employee who must complete their initial certification within 90 days of their employment start date
Their certification is out of compliance due to a program citation
Priority for class assignments will be based on certification expiration date. Waitlists will be created if requests exceed project capacity.
Classes from approved instructors using the HSI Pediatric First Aid/CPR AED curriculum will be scheduled through mid-June or until funds are exhausted. Training can be requested as either an early childhood education program (minimums apply, classes will take place on-site) or an individual participant (training locations to be determined).
Requests will be approved on a rolling basis and accepted applicants will be contacted directly regarding the next steps. However, follow-up communication may be delayed at the start of the project window.
To request training or to search the FAQs, visit the ERT page on the ECELS website. Additional questions can be sent to ecels@paaap.org.
Additionally, child care providers can continue to access PQAS-approved pediatric First Aid/CPR training outside of the ERT project offerings, but they may have a cost associated with them. OCDEL will not reimburse for any training taken outside of the ERT project.