#United States #Harrisburg #Pennsylvania #Child Care #Start Strong PA

Pennsylvania's Child Care Crisis

In a remarkable show of solidarity, over 5,000 residents of Pennsylvania are calling on Governor Shapiro to take decisive action in addressing the ongoing child care crisis that is impacting working families across the state. Start Strong PA, a dedicated initiative focused on early childhood education, submitted a petition with these signatures, advocating for the urgent need to incorporate sustainable funding for child care in the upcoming 2025-2026 state budget.

The Current Landscape

The child care sector in Pennsylvania is facing a significant workforce shortage, with the number of available programs dwindling dramatically since the onset of the pandemic. According to recent data, around 600 child care programs have closed their doors, significantly limiting accessibility for families in need of child care services. The crisis has reached a point where over 3,000 staff positions remain unfilled, leading to the elimination of more than 25,300 child care slots statewide, as reported by a survey of 1,140 child care providers conducted in September 2024.

Leading voices in the child care advocacy community, such as Cara Ciminillo, Executive Director of Trying Together, have articulated the dire situation faced by working parents. She noted that businesses are struggling to find reliable employees because many parents cannot secure the necessary child care to remain in the workforce. This cycle of staffing shortages and facility closures is compounding the difficulty for families, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention.

Financial Implications

The financial aspect of the crisis is stark. Currently, child care teachers in Pennsylvania earn an average wage of just $15.15 per hour, a figure that does not even meet the cost of living in any county across the state. Jen DeBell, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, articulates that without the allocation of funds aimed at recruiting and retaining teachers, the cycle of closures will continue, further threatening the stability of thousands of families.

In light of this situation, the petition from Start Strong PA calls for a substantial investment of $284 million dedicated to a child care teacher recruitment and retention initiative. The goal is clear: to create a sustainable workforce dedicated to early childhood education, ensuring that families have access to high-quality child care.

Collective Action and Future Steps

As part of the efforts to raise awareness about this critical issue, Start Strong PA is launching a dedicated website, FixChildCarePA.com, to disseminate important information regarding the ongoing crisis. The platform will share the stories of families who struggle to find child care, as well as highlight the challenges faced by child care providers striving to keep their services operational.

Diane Barber, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association, emphasized that the child care situation is not an isolated issue that Pennsylvania faces alone. Multiple states, approximately 20, have already prioritized funding for similar initiatives to bolster their child care workforce. "Pennsylvania must act now," she stated, stressing the dire need for state-level solutions that address both the demand for child care and the supply of qualified care providers.

Conclusion

The time for action is now. With grassroots efforts spearheading the call for reform, the eyes of Pennsylvania are on Governor Shapiro and the decisions he makes in the coming months. As the state confronts an ongoing workforce crisis, the ability of families to secure reliable child care hangs in the balance. The proposed funding could represent not just a budgetary adjustment but a profound investment in the future of Pennsylvania's workforce and the families that sustain it.