News, Op-eds, Advisories, and Releases
New Survey: Historic Staffing Shortage Eliminates At Least 30,000 Early Care and Education Slots; Over 38,000 Children Sit on Waiting Lists - Low Wages to Blame
HARRISBURG (March 1, 2023) – Partners of the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA advocacy campaigns released new survey results detailing the historic staffing crisis in the early care and education sector that continues to contract the capacity of child care, Pre-K Counts and Head Start State Supplemental programs. Advocates are calling on Governor Shapiro and the General Assembly to increase investment in early care and education programs using recurring funds as part of the 2023-2024 state budget.
The new survey, conducted between January 31, 2023 and February 12, 2023, details the current staffing crisis in Pennsylvania child care, Pre-K Counts and Head Start State Supplemental programs and its effects on working families' ability to access care.
It’s Unanimous! 98% of PA Voters Believe Early Childhood Education is Important
HARRISBURG, PA (February 21, 2023) — Just weeks before Governor Shapiro’s first state budget address and negotiations begin, partners of the Early Learning PA Coalition held a Capitol Rotunda press conference today releasing new polling data on voter support for early childhood care and education programs.
The poll, commissioned by the Early Learning PA Coalition and conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research from February 1-7, 2023, found that 98% of PA voters believe that early childhood education is important. It also showed strong voter support for increased investment for early care and education programs like pre-k, high-quality child care and home visiting services. Voter’s overall support has grown several percentage points since a June 2022 poll, when 90% of voters said they found early childhood education to be important.
New Survey: Sunsetting Pandemic Relief for Pennsylvania Child Care Sector will Raise Tuition for Working Families
HARRISBURG (December 15, 2022) – According to a new poll from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), 62% of Pennsylvania child care center directors surveyed reported that they will have to raise tuition as one-time federal pandemic relief comes to an end. Additionally, 29% reported they will have to cut staff salaries, as they will be unable to sustain the increases the federal funds allowed them to offer. This is bad news for working families in Pennsylvania who are struggling to find and afford child care.
Working families need more child care, at a cost they can afford
By Kate Rothstein
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
This November we have a choice. We must elect state and federal candidates who prioritize stabilizing child care and the needs of working families and value the work of early childhood educators. By voting for candidates who will invest in child care, we make an important choice for our young children, working families, and the future of our economy.
Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Provider Advisory Board Budget Statement
(August 2022) Members of the Pennsylvania Provider Advisory Board issued the following statement regarding the final 2022-23 Pennsylvania state budget. The Pennsylvania Provider Advisory Board is made up of 40 early childhood professionals from across the state working to identify the needs of the early childhood workforce and using the experiences shared from those in the field to inform the advocacy efforts of the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns.
Delaware County child care facility part of wider discussion of problems in that business in southeast Pa.
By Rachel Ravina
The Delaware County Daily Times
Participants of the “Recovering from the Pandemic: The Role of Child Care” roundtable inside the Willow School, an early childhood education center in Norristown, shared how the COVID-19 pandemic focused a light on the need for services and the struggles that child care centers still face.
2022-23 State Budget: Growth for Pre-k, Child Care and Home Visitation
HARRISBURG, PA (July 8, 2022) – Today, the principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, issued the following statements regarding the final 2022-23 Pennsylvania state budget. ELPA operates four issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins at Home and Thriving PA.
Without state help, Pennsylvania faces a child care crisis
By Marci Lesko
The Morning Call
Working parents rely on affordable and accessible child care to stay in the workforce. Unfortunately, there is a national crisis because child care programs are unable to recruit or retain quality teachers. That staff shortage is forcing classrooms and facilities to close, limiting critical child care access.
Letter to the editor: Solving child care staffing challenges
By Erin Schellenberger and Eva Wood
Triblive.com
The Ligonier Valley Learning Center has never had the staffing challenges it has today in the 38 years it has been in operation. While there are other businesses also struggling to recruit and retain staff, our industry supports the workforce of every other industry. If parents don’t have access to child care, they cannot work. If they aren’t available to work, businesses can’t hire them.
Pennsylvania child care workers push for more state funding
By Madison Montag
abc27 WHTM
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — On June 21, members of the child care industry made their case at the Pennsylvania capitol for more state funding. A statewide survey showed that nine out of ten child care programs are facing staffing shortages; This is caused approximately 1,600 child care programs to close during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Danville child care workers advocate higher pay
By Marshall Keely
abc16 WNEP
DANVILLE, Pa. — A child's early years are critical when it comes to long-term academic and social success, but a severe shortage of child development professionals is putting kids in jeopardy. It's happening all over the country.
Citing workforce crisis, advocates ask state to help raise child care wages
By Kate Giammarise
90.5 WSEA
The people who care for Pennsylvania’s youngest kids are paid so little, advocates say it’s creating an industry crisis – one with reverberations across the economy.
A coalition of Pennsylvania child care and family advocacy organizations is asking state lawmakers to do something about it. They argue that low wages – and public attitudes that undervalue child care work – harm educators, families and the overall economy, which depends on accessible and affordable child care options.
Thousands of Advocates Call on PA General Assembly to Raise Child Care Wages
HARRISBURG (May 19, 2022) – Today, Start Strong PA, delivered a petition containing 4,565 signatures to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly urging them to “Raise Child Care” by allocating sustainable state and/or federal funds as part of the final state budget to help solve the child care sector’s current workforce crisis. The petition calls for a $2 per hour wage supplement for child care teachers and staff.
Advocates Applaud Wolf Administration’s Release of One-Time Federal Funds to Boost Pay in Child Care Sector
HARRISBURG (May 17, 2022) – The principal partners of Start Strong PA, applaud the Wolf Administration’s release of $98 million in one-time federal child care funding to provide support to providers seeking to recognize staff dedication through retention bonuses and assist with personnel development and recruitment. The Administration expects to release these funds in one lump sum to approved providers beginning July 1 until September 30.
Gov. Wolf Announces $98M Grant Opportunity Investing in Child Care Workforce Recruitment and Retention
Human Services Press Release
HARRISBURG (May 16, 2022) Governor Tom Wolf today announced a $98 million grant opportunity for certified child care providers to support workforce recruitment and retention. Funded by American Rescue Plan Act funding received specifically for child care providers and their critical workforce, this funding can support providers seeking to recognize staff dedication through retention bonuses and can assist with personnel development and recruitment.
More than 20 Philly child-care centers go on strike, pushing for better wages and more affordable care
By Ximena Conde
The Philadelphia Inquirer
As someone who works in the child-care industry herself, Brooks is familiar with what providers are calling a crisis decades in the making. With tight profit margins, workers are making too little and centers are struggling to recruit and keep hires. Meanwhile, families describe spending a significant portion of their income on care for their children.
Guest column: Mother’s Day wish list
By Mai Miksic
Daily Local News
This Mother’s Day, while I am appreciating the gifts my children and husband get me, I am also longing for a society that supports motherhood and honors mothers’ valuable contributions. Here’s my shortlist of things I want for Mother’s Day, not just for myself, but for all moms.
Poconos | High-Quality, Affordable Childcare Needed For Working Families
By Michael Tukeva
Stroudsburg Herald
The COVID-19 Pandemic Report Survey from the Early Learning Investment Commission and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry that surveyed businesses about their workforce found that 54% of employers lost employees due to a lack of childcare.
Wyomissing child care center says help is needed to address staffing shortages
By David Mekeel
Reading Eagle
Learning Ladder is serving 111 kids but could be serving many more, manager Steven Goodhart told [Senator] Schwank. The center is licensed for up to 179 kids. But because of staffing shortages, families find themselves faced with waitlists when trying to sign up for care.
Editorial: Issues with child care matter to us all
Lancaster Online Editorial Board
We entrust child care workers to care for our precious children, but we do not pay them a decent wage; workers in manufacturing can earn significantly more. Even child care workers who have education degrees are seriously underpaid. And the benefits often range from meager to nonexistent.
So it’s no wonder, really, that child care facilities are struggling to fill job vacancies.