Allegheny County child care Archives

News

October 29, 2026

Allegheny County Families to Benefit from New Investments in Child Care

In April 2026, County Executive Sara Innamorato announced Forward with Families, an initiative aimed at strengthening the well-being, stability, and opportunities of working families across the region. A key goal of this initiative is to generate 5,000 new child care and out-of-school time (OST) slots over the next five years – and Allegheny County is now one step closer towards reaching that goal.

Thanks to a $3 million investment from the Heinz Endowments and a proposed $2 million in Allegheny County’s 2027 budget, up to 1,000 new child care and OST slots could soon be filled. This means more options for working families and greater opportunities for young children.

Speaking at the press conference announcing the new funding, Trying Together Executive Director Cara Ciminillo began by expressing excitement for two investments the county is making in partnership with Trying Together: support for the Allegheny Child Care Finder tool and Community Block Grant funding to help individuals establish home-based child care businesses.

“We’re helping families better access the child care that exists today while also helping build new supply for tomorrow,” Ciminillo said.

In her remarks, she also emphasized the importance of investments in the child care workforce. She cited a recent survey of 126 child care programs in Allegheny County that showed more than 300 vacant positions and 85 closed classrooms, noting that “we cannot expand our way out of this challenge without also investing in the early educators who make child care possible and sustain the programs already serving our communities.”

“That’s what is so promising about Forward with Families,” she continued. “Reaching 5,000 new child care and out-of-school-time slots isn’t simply about opening classrooms. It requires investing in the people, programs, small businesses, and infrastructure that make those slots possible—and sustainable.”

We’re grateful for the County’s partnership and for the public and philanthropic investments, and proud to be part of building a stronger child care system that helps children, families, employers, and our entire region thrive.

Learn More

News

May 15, 2024

Interactive Maps Demonstrate Unmet Child Care Needs at County Level

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a Start Strong PA campaign partner, has created interactive maps and fact sheets demonstrating the unmet need and availability of high-quality child care to meet those needs at the state, county, and legislative district levels.

Access By County

Each county-level assessment examines workforce issues – such as average wages – as well as the amount of access to and quality of child care.

Access to high-quality programs was a challenge for families in numerous Pennsylvania counties. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children provided fact sheets and maps for:

Allegheny County (65% of children under age five and 70% of infants and toddlers were unserved)
Armstrong County (90% of children under age five and infants and toddlers were unserved)
Beaver County (78% of children under age five and 82% of infants and toddlers were unserved)
Butler County (87% of children under age five and 90% of infants and toddlers were unserved)
Fayette County (80% of children under age five and 82% of infants and toddlers were unserved)
Greene County (83% of children under age five and 85% of infants and toddlers were unserved)
Indiana County (86% of children under age five and 85% of infants and toddlers were unserved)
Lawrence County (76% of children under age five and 79% of infants and toddlers were unserved)
Washington County (83% of children under age five and 87% of infants and toddlers were unserved)
Westmoreland County (83% of children under age five and 86% of infants and toddlers were unserved)

Start Strong PA Campaign

The Start Strong PA campaign is asking the General Assembly to include in its 2024-25 state budget:

Support for the Shapiro administration’s proposal to increase subsidy rates to the 75th percentile of the current price families pay for child care services. This increase will help alleviate rising facility, food, utility, and supply costs for providers participating in Child Care Works.

A $284 million investment in new and recurring state funding to implement a child care teacher recruitment and retention initiative. This will help alleviate the ongoing staffing crisis that is causing classrooms and programs to close, leaving working families without access to child care.