Advocates say that it’s not a cliff awaiting Pennsylvania’s child care providers when a federal financial relief program expires on Saturday.

Rather, they say, what lies ahead is the continued erosion of an industry already beset by low pay, an unstable labor pool and an inability to meet public demand.

“In the last two weeks, I know about five programs that are closing. It’s all about staffing. They can’t find staff,” said Diane Barber, executive director of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association. “It’s more about attrition than it is about sudden closure.”