Stabilize. Strengthen. Secure. #Solvechildcare.
Pennsylvania children, families, providers, communities and our economy need Congress to support significant funding now to #solvechildcare!
In Pennsylvania 70% of children under the age of five had all adults in their household in the labor force prior to the pandemic. Unfortunately, nearly 700 child care programs are now permanently closed and over 350 temporarily closed. That workforce must be able to return to work for Pennsylvania to recover from the pandemic’s economic devastation, but families are struggling to find child care.
The child care providers who have managed to stay open are still incurring additional pandemic-related costs while operating significantly under capacity and are struggling to attract and retain teachers.
In Their Own Words
“As it stands currently, we, like many of our colleagues in the field, are in jeopardy of losing our business. This investment would provide the needed support for us to remain viable and give us the ability to pay our staff fair and adequate wages.”
Lesely Crawford
Pittsburgh, PA
“Given the recent state of events, it has come to light that high quality ECE is needed now more than ever. It would be my hope that these issues would warrant a dialogue between policymakers to advance the ECE sector and enable more children to successfully access excellent care during their early developmental years.”
Donna Shriver
Washington, PA
“We are deemed essential; but we aren’t compensated our true worth! Some ECE Professionals live pay check to pay check, face food insecurities, financial burdens, have no health insurance, and no retirement accounts, and the list goes on!”
Talona Coleman
Philadelphia, PA
“Acclaim Academy Early Learning Center would benefit from funding to be able to provide our staff and our families education/training, professional assistance and immediate professional services pertaining to the exposure and impact of trauma on the learning ability of children from birth.”
Joe Martin
Philadelphia, PA
“ICU Academy would benefit from funding by having a family support worker assisting English Language Learner families with community supports for access housing, food, medical care, and employment while their child receives a high quality education.”
Dr. Essence Allen Pressley
Delaware County, PA
“Having early childhood educators earn a livable wage would allow more individuals to enter our field. We would be able to hire and retain quality instructors more easily. Consistent quality educators in early education are critical. Additionally, with the current wages offered in early childhood education, teachers often need two jobs.”
Tom Lytle
Edinboro, PA
“I had two children in child care and was paying more for child care than I was bringing home in a paycheck.”
Ashley Dreschler
Parent, Gettysburg, PA
“The number of good folks [child care] that we have lost to nonrelated fields...is staggering.”
Jennifer Madigan
Jefferson DeFrees Family Center, Warren, PA
“I took a 900k loss of revenue this year because of the pandemic.”
Janel Work
Kiddie Academy, Royersford, PA
“All our staff deserve to make enough to provide for their families.”
Carol Wong
Chinatown Learning Center, Philadelphia, PA
“We ask ECE teachers to live in poverty...a form of trauma and serve children, many of whom have been traumatized.”
Zakiyyah Boone
Wonderspring, Narberth, PA
“If our subsidy reimbursement was increased we could pay teachers more.”
Abigail Enz-Doerschner
Once Upon a Time, Washington, PA
Tell Congress to #solvechildcare
Help us tell Congress families need a significant and sustained investment in child care.