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Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a $50.1 billion budget on Wednesday that includes continued and new investments focused on children and the early education workforce.  

Emily Neff, director of public policy for Trying Together, emphasized that this is a huge win for the early care and education workforce. 

“During a tough budget year that is four months past the deadline, policymakers prioritized child care teachers in the budget through the establishment of a new line item for early childhood education,” she said. “It’s been nearly 20 years since we’ve had a new line item, and it’s significant that a bipartisan group of legislators and the governor’s office prioritized this new investment. This demonstrates that policymakers heard our stories and are taking steps to solve the child care crisis and invest in the workforce.”

Early Learning PA Applauds Investments

Early Learning PA (ELPA), of which Trying Together is a principal partner, released a statement following the budget’s passage that praised investments that will stabilize and reverse the exodus of early educators and directly benefit tens of thousands of teachers and other professional staff as well as help provider businesses stay open. 

Recruitment and Retention

In the statement, the Start Strong PA campaign “celebrates the Shapiro administration and General Assembly for the establishment of a new child care teacher recruitment and retention program that will help keep teachers in the classroom, so that working families have access to the care they need.”

Start Strong PA noted that a $25 million recurring investment in the budget would benefit the teachers and other paraprofessionals who are directly responsible for the care of children in licensed child care programs throughout the state that are participating in the child care subsidy program.

A September 2024 survey of 1,140 child care providers showed that 92% of child care programs reported challenges in recruiting staff with 85% struggling with teacher shortages, leaving more than 3,000 unfilled positions statewide. This resulted in eliminating child care for more than 25,000 Pennsylvania children.

Additionally, recent estimates show that gaps in the state’s child care system cost working families, employers, and taxpayers a total of $6.65 billion annually in lost earnings, productivity, and tax revenue. These new investments are aimed at helping to reverse the billions of dollars in lost productivity and earnings suffered by working families and employers when families don’t have the care they need.

Pre-K Counts

Additionally, Pre-K for PA shared that $9.5 million in new state funding in the budget for Pre-K Counts will help stabilize early learning providers by increasing per-child rates, a measure that would counter costs and staffing challenges driven by low wages.

“In recent years, opportunities for higher salaries in k-12 education and other sectors have made it increasingly difficult for Pre-K Counts providers to retain qualified teachers, forcing some programs to reduce enrollment or close classrooms,” the campaign said. “This new investment represents a critical step in ensuring that state-funded kindergarten programs remain strong, sustainable, and accessible for Pennsylvania’s youngest learners.”

However, they also expressed disappointment that the final budget failed to offer support for the state’s Head Start Supplemental programs that are also facing staffing challenges.

Other Investments

The budget also includes an increase of $41.7 million for early intervention services, of which $13.2 million is allocated for the Part C (infants and toddlers) program in the state Department of Human Services budget. A total of $10 million of those funds will be directed to increase provider rates to address key challenges, including workforce shortages.

See the full statement from ELPA. 

 

2025-2026 PA State Budget Includes:

• $25 million in additional funding for child care ($25 million in the new Child Care Recruitment and Retention line with level funding in the Child Care Services and Child Care Assistance line items)
• $9.5 million in additional funding for the state’s Pre-K Counts program
• Level funding for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program
• $13.2 million increase for the Early Intervention Part C (infant and toddler) program through DHS, with $10 million of these funds allocated for a rate increase for providers
• $28.5 million increase for the Early Intervention Part B (age three to five) program through PDE
• Level funding for evidence-based home visiting in the Community-Based Family Center line item and a small reduction in the Nurse-Family Partnership line due to a change in federal matching rates