Community Services for Children is a regional leader in early childhood education.
CSC operates Early Learning Resource Centers in five regions, which comprise 17 counties, across Pennsylvania. We are also the sole provider of Head Start and Early Head Start in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, and our Head Start program is recognized as a national center of excellence. Our mission is to prepare young children and their families to succeed in learning and in life through innovative, comprehensive, leading-edge services.
Have questions? Choose the office location most convenient for you to get started.
The Child Care Works program is designed to enable low-income families to maintain employment while ensuring children receive high quality child care. The Child Care Works (CCW) program is a non-entitlement benefit made available through Federal and State funds. Eligible families are assessed a family co-payment based on their income and family size.
While many circumstances can affect eligibility, a sample of assessed co-pays is listed below.
Apply for subsidized child care funding through the online application
Search for child care referrals
Forms
At times, additional verification forms will be required to complete your application or redetermination. If the ELRC requests additional forms, you can download copies here:
The Bureau of Certification Services is responsible for the regulation of all child care centers, group day care homes and family day care homes in Pennsylvania.
The certification bureau receives inquiries regarding a variety of topics, including:
The requirements and process for opening a child care facility.
The statutes and regulations for operating a child care facility.
The status and compliance history of specific facilities.
The United Way of Berks County brings together the right mix of people and organizations to identify community needs and support programming to address those needs. Each year, over 150,000 people in Berks County are helped through the work of United Way and their partners. As a partner agency, ELRC-Region 13 works in collaboration with the United Way of Berks County to support families and child care providers through a variety of initiatives.
The PDO is breaking down barriers to accessing higher education for the early childhood practitioner. The PDO can provide no-cost/low-cost tuition and other learning supports. Staff can work with a higher education liaison to support their enrollment in a certificate, CDA or degreed programs.
There are several available options for practitioners to obtain financial assistance when planning their career path. Rising STAR Tuition Assistance is provided through the PA Key and PACCA offers TEACH. See the following links to learn more.
ELRC Region 12 facilitates monthly Directors Network groups. These groups provide the child care owner, director and leadership team an opportunity to network with other child care programs, share resources and address concerns facing the ECE community. Directors Network invitations are found on the monthly Provider Link Newsletter. You can also reach out to your Quality Coach for information on the next meeting.
The actions of our government have an enormous impact on the future of our children and the early childhood community. Every vote matters! Find out who your elected official is and where they stand on the issues, visit Legislative Alert Center.
Pennsylvania 211 If you need to connect with resources in your community, but don’t know where to look, PA 211 is a great place to start. From help with a utilities bill, to housing assistance, and more, you can dial 211 or text your zip code to 898-211 to talk with a resource specialist for free.
The Board of Commissioners of Pike County have established new child care scholarship, mortgage assistance, and landlord incentive programs.
Child Care Scholarships
Child care scholarships are available for families who live in Pike County that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and have income below 80% of the area median – up to $63,100 for a family of four. Eligible participants may receive up to six (6) consecutive months of assistance with child care payments.
Mortgage Assistance
Homeowners who reside in Pike County, are behind in mortgage payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and have income less than 80% of the area median can receive up to three (3) months of assistance with mortgage payments.
The county also has funding available to assist renters who are behind on their rent and utility payments through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
Landlord Incentive
A new incentive is available to help landlords create or maintain affordable housing in Pike County. In exchange for up to $25,000 of assistance with eligible repairs, landlords who participate in the program will agree to rent units to households with income below 80% of the area median and to charge rent at or below the fair market rent – currently $1,368 for a two-bedroom apartment.
For more information, go to https://www.pikeforward.com or contact Robert Ruiz, Executive Director for Human Services at Pike County.
These projects were financed by a grant from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the administration of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.
Each regional ELRC office is a one-stop shop for all your early education needs. Whether you are a parent or guardian, seeking information on enrolling a child in a high-quality pre-K program; need help paying for child care; or are a child care provider seeking support or training, our qualified staff is ready to assist.
Region 12 serves the following counties: Carbon, Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike, Wayne and Susquehanna.
Choose from one of the following services below that fits your needs, or call one of our offices for help.