LAWRENCE COUNTY First-aid requirement is proposed for publicly-funded day-care providers

NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County officials will decide next week if child-care providers being subsidized by the county must take courses to prepare them for pediatric emergencies.
County Commissioner Brian Burick introduced the measure in December that would make every child-care provider who receives county money take a pediatric first-aid course.
"At least we will know that the kids we are helping to pay for are cared for by people who know basic first aid," Burick said.
The matter has been tabled for the last six months, but commissioners say they expect to vote on it at Tuesday's meeting.
When Burick introduced the idea, he said that the number of those receiving county money for child care has increased in the past five years because of Welfare-To-Work measures instituted by the federal government. The money can go to day-care centers or individuals who watch children of low-income workers.
Burick said he would like to see every child-care provider who receives county money be certified within 120 days of receiving their first check from the county.
Cheryl Pilch, director of Child Care Information Services, the agency that distributes the money, was not available Thursday.