In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation amending Title 55 Pa. Code, which provides for part-day school-age programs, to exempt children entering kindergarten for the purpose of attending summer camp, and other short-term programs.
 
Current childcare regulations under 55 Pa. Code   3270.3a, requires children to have attended at least one day of kindergarten to be eligible for short-term programs, such as summer camps.  This excludes children entering kindergarten in the upcoming school year and creates unnecessary barriers for local families in my district and across the Commonwealth.  In my district, there are quite a few summer camp locations that will have to turn away children this upcoming season and many more across Pennsylvania, leaving 1,000+ kids without a place to go this summer.
 
Consequently, my legislation provides for an allowance to this child-care regulation by exempting part-day school-age programs for children who in the next 90 days are eligible to attend kindergarten in the upcoming school year.  Key components of this important change would provide the following benefits:

• Applies only to programs operating under the 90-day exemption, ensuring no impact on broader childcare ratios or year-round licensing,
• Uniformly applies to all short-term programs, preventing any perception of special treatment,
• Relies on local school district age requirements to maintain consistency and ease of compliance.

This change would address the immediate needs of families while preserving the intent of the existing regulations and ensuring fairness across providers.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. If you have any questions, please contact Christine Zubeck in my office at 717-787-6123 or czubeck@pasen.gov.  Thank you for your consideration

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 823 (May 22, 2025): P.L.31, No.21
Printer's No. 987 (Jun 24, 2025): P.L.31, No.21