Resources for Policymakers
June 2024 Fix Child Care Parent Petition
We are urging the General Assembly and Shapiro Administration to invest $284 million in new and recurring state funding to implement a child care teacher recruitment and retention initiative to fix this child care crisis.
September 2024 Child Care Survey Fact Sheets
A September 2024 survey conducted by The Start Strong PA Campaign demonstrates Pennsylvania’s ongoing child care crisis continues to threaten parents’ ability to work and the overall economy.
71% of PA Voters Agree on Increasing State Funding for Child Care Teachers
According to a poll commissioned by the Early Learning PA Coalition and conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research from September 16-September 22, 2024, 91% of PA voters believe that early childhood education is important.
Start Strong PA Fact Sheet
Start Strong PA is guided by brain research that demonstrates the critical development children experience before age three. Our fact sheet contains an overview of the actions we must take to support all young children reaching their full potential.
Tax Credit Programs Impacting Child Care Costs
Supply-side solutions provide child care providers with tools necessary to address “supply” issues such as underpaid staff leading to workforce shortages waiting lists and other issues that cause classroom closures and wait lists, impacting working families.
Demand-side solutions assist families/consumers with the affordability and accessibility of child care, but do not address supply-side issues such as workforce shortages (such as tax credits).
Military Child Care System Offers Solutions for Pennsylvania’s Child Care Crisis
The Military Child Care System is often referred to as a model for the nation in terms of affordable access to high quality child care for military families. This system wasn't always highly regarded.
In this June 21, 2023 letter to the General Assembly, Retired Generals and Admirals of Mission: Readiness explain how key investments in public subsidies and livable wages for child care teachers stabilized and strengthened the Military Child Care System
Retired Generals and Admirals June 2023 Letter to General Assembly (PDF)
Child Care Crisis Provider & Parent Videos
Hear directly from PA child care providers and parents in these videos about how the staffing crisis is impacting their business and ability to work.
Raise Child Care Petition
A Start Strong PA petition containing 3,7610 signatures was delivered to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly June 15, 2023 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 raising child care wages to ($15/hr. for HS diploma or GED), ($19/hr. for Associate Degree), and ($21/hr. for Bachelor’s Degree or higher) which would help this sector compete for new teachers and retain existing ones.