March 3, 2023 New Survey Reveals Impact of Child Care Staffing Shortage Partners of the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA advocacy campaigns recently released new survey results detailing the wage-driven staffing crisis in the early care and education sector, which continues to contract the capacity of child care programs. About the Survey The new survey, conducted between January 31 and February 12 details the current child care staffing crisis in more than 1,100 Pennsylvania child care programs across 54 counties and its effects on working families’ ability to access care. Summary of Survey Results Staffing Crisis Programs need to fill nearly 4,000 open staffing positions. 85% of child care respondents reported staffing shortages. 50% of child care respondents have closed at least one classroom. Impact on Working Families Nearly 35,500 children currently sit on child care waiting lists. More than 30,000 additional children could be served at respondents’ sites if they were fully staffed. Over 2,200 children currently sit on Pre-K Counts waiting lists. Over 650 children currently sit on Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program waiting lists. Implications The February 2023 survey results depict a deepening crisis in the early care and education sector. In May 2022, Start Strong PA released a similar survey showing that Pennsylvania’s child care centers were experiencing a staffing shortage resulting in nearly 32,500 children sitting on waiting lists. These new survey results show that over the past 10 months, waiting list numbers have continued to increase across Pennsylvania. Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Campaign Recommendations Child care workers, on average, make less than $12.50 an hour, and 50% of them qualify for government benefits. Because of this, child care providers cannot compete against other industries, which offer higher wages and require less specialized skills, for staff. Child care advocates are calling on Governor Shapiro and the Pennsylvania General Assembly to increase investment in early care and education programs, using recurring funds as part of the 2023-2024 state budget. Learn More The following fact sheets are available with statewide and county results: Statewide results Allegheny Armstrong Beaver Butler Fayette Greene Indiana Lawrence Washington Westmoreland Trying Together is a principal partner of the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns. To learn more, visit the Trying Together, Start Strong PA, or Pre-K for PA websites.
March 2, 2023 Bridging the Gaps in Early Childhood Education HiMama recently surveyed over 1,500 child care professionals, asking about issues facing the child care industry. The results, compiled in their 7th Annual Childcare Industry Snapshot, paint a picture of child care providers who are optimistic, despite facing significant challenges in 2023. In this webinar, panelists will dive deeper into the survey data and share their own child care experiences and insights, before answering your questions. Session Details Thursday, March 9 | 2 -3 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More In this special webinar, HiMama will welcome Tirusha Dave, owner of Ellie’s Academy, Bernadette Testani, owner of Atelier Childcare, and HiMama’s own Jo Sinanan. To learn more, visit the HiMama website.
February 24, 2023 Request for Applications: PA Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is requesting applications for Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships (EHSCCP). Partnerships are made possible by an EHSCCP grant, and forty partnership opportunities are available. Applications are due by March 20. About EHSCCP and the EHSCCP Grant Pennsylvania’s EHSCCP grant enables partnerships between high-quality child care providers and OCDEL, which provide funded child care to infants and toddlers. All providers who meet eligibility standards are encouraged to complete an application for consideration. Eligibility To apply for an EHSCCP opportunity, child care providers must: have and maintain a STAR 3 or 4 rating provide full day (10 hours or more) and full year care to infants and toddlers (ages 6 weeks – 3 years) of income-eligible, working or student families or caregivers adhere to all Head Start Program Performance Standards and OCDEL Early Head Start (EHS) policies including: meeting a staff to child ratio of 1:4 maintaining a maximum group size of eight children providing two qualified, in-room staff members at all times assigning children to primary care groups retain or hire qualified staff to work in EHS classrooms EHS classroom staff must have an Infant Toddler CDA and/or a degree in Early Childhood Education. facilitate ongoing staff coaching with an OCDEL EHS coach maintain full enrollment and fill vacant slots within 30 days participate in Child Care Works (CCW) continue to provide care to children who lose their CCW until they transition from the program never unenroll children due to loss of subsidy utilize GoEngage data system (previously known as MyHeadStart) work collaboratively with the comprehensive service provider holding their contract, if applicable waive any fees typically charged to enrolled families, except for subsidy co-pays How to Apply To apply, complete the application below: EHSCCP Application Applicants must submit their applications via email. Send completed applications to ehsteam@pakeys.org by Monday, March 20. Learn More The OCDEL EHS Team will host a Q&A via Zoom to address questions about the requirements of the grants and the application process, and to provide general information about EHSCCP on Thursday, March 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pre-registration is not required. To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Key website.
February 23, 2023 Prioritizing Father Engagement Using the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework Strong partnerships between program staff and fathers are the foundation for positive and lasting change for children, fathers, and their families. Through these partnerships, programs can work more effectively to support father-child relationships and other outcomes for children and families. Join the Office of Head Start and its National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement to learn about planning, prioritizing, and promoting father and male engagement, and creating a safe program environment for fathers to share their hopes, celebrations, challenges, and resource needs. This webinar is offered with simultaneous interpretation in Spanish. Session Details Thursday, March 9 | 3 – 4 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More In this webinar, attendees will hear: ideas for planning and prioritizing program-wide father engagement using the PFCE Framework elements as a guide program planning strategies to support father engagement goals opportunities to strengthen fathers’ connections to peers and community resources To learn more, visit the Office of Head Start or National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement websites.
February 16, 2023 Cost Estimation – Improving Child Care Subsidy Rate Setting In Pennsylvania, child care programs operate on razor-thin margins. Additionally, child care teachers and staff get paid low wages. Still, the price of child care remains high and a burden for most families. Join Start Strong PA at this webinar to learn how cost modeling offers practical and achievable ways to change this reality. Session Details Wednesday, February 22 | 12 – 1:30 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More Cost modeling is the process that Pennsylvania needs to undertake to estimate the true cost of care for child care programs providing high-quality child care, including appropriate compensation for teachers and staff. Determining the true cost of care is critical to addressing the underfunding in the child care system. It is up to all of us to understand the solution, so that we can promote this change. At this webinar, attendees will hear more about cost modeling from the following presenters: Jeanna Capito, Principal, Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies Daisy Lira, Director, Bumble Bee Learning Center, Sunland Park, New Mexico Kelly Hoffman, Vice President of Data and Strategy, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children Jen DeBell, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children Kimberly Early, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children
February 14, 2023 NAEYC Report Quantifies Impact of Recent Child Care Challenges The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has released a report on the results of their fall survey. Entitled, “Uncertainty Ahead Means Instability Now: Why Families, Children, Educators, Businesses, and States Need Congress to Fund Child Care,” the report quantifies the impact of recent child care challenges. About the NAEYC Survey and Report The NAEYC survey was conducted in October 2022 using SurveyMonkey. The resulting report represents the responses of 12,897 individuals working in all states (including 941 individuals working in Pennsylvania child care programs) and early childhood education settings, including faith-based programs, family child care homes, Head Starts, and child care centers. It is intended to present the experiences of the respondents, as captured in the moment that they took the survey. Summary of Pennsylvania Survey Data Data on Stabilization Grants Over the course of the pandemic, Pennsylvania utilized federal relief funding to stabilize the child care sector. This included one-time bonuses for child care teachers and increased subsidy payments for providers to increase staff salaries. However, this relief funding will soon end. As a result of the end of pandemic relief funding: 62% of Pennsylvania child care center directors reported that they will have to raise tuition 29% of Pennsylvania child care center directors reported they will have to cut staff salaries Data on Staffing and Supply 57.7% of Pennsylvania child care center directors reported serving fewer children than they would like, primarily due to staffing shortages 65.8% of Pennsylvania child care center directors reported currently experiencing a staffing shortage 33.7% of Pennsylvania early childhood educators (ECE) indicated “yes” or “maybe” to considering leaving their job or closing their family child care home 45.8% of family child care providers indicated “yes” or “maybe” to considering leaving their job 35.4% of ECEs in minority-owned child care businesses indicated “yes” or “maybe” to considering leaving their job 9.9% of ECEs in non-minority-owned child care businesses indicated “yes” or “maybe” to considering leaving their job However, the majority of ECEs indicated competitive wages would convince them to stay at their jobs. Data on ECE Workforce Well-Being 34.9% of Pennsylvania respondents reported experiencing financial insecurity in the last year, despite 54.7% reporting an increased wage Additionally, 78.6% of Pennsylvania respondents indicated that burnout/exhaustion contributed “greatly” or “to some extent” to problems retaining teachers NAEYC Recommendations NAEYC recommends that congress build on the successes of child care funding to prioritize additional, sustainable investments. These investments ensure programs and educators can meet the needs of families, children, and businesses, and states can continue to build towards an early childhood education system that works. Learn More To learn more about the NAEYC survey results, read the full report.
February 6, 2023 Prenatal-to-Three Playbook Details State of Child Care in Allegheny County, Shares Resources Child Trends, in partnership with The Heinz Endowments, has published the Prenatal-to-Three (PN-3) Playbook. The playbook reveals PN-3 challenges and successes in Allegheny County, and provides resources and tools that equitably support Allegheny County families with children three years-old and younger. About The Heinz Endowments partnered with Child Trends in spring of 2020 to create the Prenatal-to-Three (PN-3) Playbook. The project team at Child Trends worked with several local child care organizations, including Trying Together, and interviewed over 30 PN-3 stakeholders in Allegheny County to develop it. Summary of Findings State of Child Care in Allegheny County Allegheny County’s maternal and child health programs and social supports, such as its five prenatal and postnatal home visiting programs, successfully serve children. Between 2015 and 2019, 86.9% of women who gave birth in Allegheny County received a prenatal care visit in their first trimester, nearly 10 percentage points higher than the national average. Rates of prenatal care utilization do not vary by race/ethnicity in Allegheny County. Allegheny County faces challenges with its disparately high rates of maternal and infant deaths among Black populations. The infant mortality rate among Black infants is more than four times higher than among White infants. The maternal mortality rate for Black mothers is higher in Pittsburgh than in 97 percent of similar cities. Elements of early learning systems in the county are strong. For example, 43% of the county’s child care capacity meets high-quality standards. There are notable gaps in access to high-quality early education. Among the infants and toddlers in Allegheny County who are eligible for Child Care Works (CCW), Pennsylvania’s child care subsidy program, 70% remain unserved. In the city of Pittsburgh, around 35% of children who potentially need child care are unable to access it. This is higher than the state’s average child care accessibility gap of 29%. The evident disparities in maternal and child health outcomes and access to high-quality early childhood care are compounded by other county- and state-level systems and supports for families, such as access to paid family and sick leave and affordable child care. Allegheny County is taking positive steps by offering paid family leave to county employees and recently requiring most businesses in the county to offer paid sick leave to their employees. New Governmental Support for Child Care In 2018, Congress approved more than $2 billion in funding to support states in meeting Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) reauthorization requirements. After this, Pennsylvania’s child care funding increased by $66.1 million, allowing for more affordable and high-quality child care options. Recently, child care advocates persuaded the Pennsylvania legislature to allocate $25 million in new state funding towards child care. Allegheny County Department of Human Services created Hello Baby in 2019—a program that intends to serve all women and families of new babies, and specifically targets supports to the families most in need. The Allegheny County Department of Health created an Infant Mortality Collaborative (IMC) to help address disparities in infant mortality rates in the region, as well as to raise awareness and knowledge of local maternal and child health issues. Additionally, Allegheny County created a Department of Children’s Initiatives in 2021 to promote access to high-quality early learning. A PN-3 Map for Allegheny County Child Trends created an interactive, online map of Prenatal-to-Three services in Allegheny County. The playbook includes a link to the report. The map includes: median household incomes surrounding childcare organizations, organization types, services provided by organizations, and additional organizational information. PN-3 State and County Policy Recommendations Enact state laws that require employers to provide protections and accommodations to pregnant workers. Extend Medicaid benefits beyond the nationally mandated 60 days postpartum. Implement paid family leave, paid sick leave that covers time to care for a child who is sick, and a state minimum hourly wage of $10 or higher. Increase families’ access to child care subsidies. Implement policies and programs equitably to support all families in need. Key Considerations for Child Care Funding Allocations Commit to an equitable process. Listen to the voices of providers, families, and the workforce and prioritize their stated needs. Use data to inform decisions and enhance data capacity. Prioritize direct payments for the early care and education workforce. Identify indicators at multiple levels of the system that can be used to track and monitor progress. Work closely with intermediaries who maintain strong community ties, and communicate decisions with key stakeholders. Build training and technical assistance to support the application and implementation processes. Fund recruitment efforts. Provide necessary supplies and support the home visiting workforce. Finally, elevate the urgency of supporting the child care workforce and strengthen opportunities to support parents with newborns. Learn More Read the full report to learn more.
February 2, 2023 Partnering with Parents to Support Emotional Literacy Join the Office of Head Start and their National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning for this webinar on the relationships between home visitors and parents, and how those relationships can support children’s emotional literacy. This webinar is offered with English and Spanish captioning. Event Details Wednesday, February 8 | 3 – 4 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More Emotional literacy refers to an individual’s ability to recognize their feelings and communicate and express those feelings in healthy ways. It’s important for young children to develop the skills needed to manage their emotions. Adults play a major role in a child’s ability to identify, understand, and express their emotions. This webinar will discus: Understanding emotional literacy Strategies and resources that foster emotional literacy in the home environment This webinar benefits: Home visitors and their supervisors Program directors Education managers and coaches Support staff Staff who support home visiting programs and home-based program staff
January 24, 2023 Healthy Mind’s Champions and Early Childhood Professionals: The Mindfulness Movement Documentary “The Mindfulness Movement” profiles the growing number of people who believe mindfulness—a peaceful quality of attention anyone can develop by simply focusing on the present moment in a nonjudgmental way—is the key to creating a healthier, happier world. Join the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and the Healthy Minds @ Work Program for a virtual screening of this documentary and learn how practicing mindfulness can impact your life and work. Event Details Monday, February 20, 2023 | 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Virtual Register
January 23, 2023 Caring for Children with Special Health Care Needs Child care health consultants (CCHCs) give unique support to early childhood programs as staff manage children’s health conditions. Many factors, including race and ethnicity, and where children live and play affect positive health outcomes for children with special health care needs. CCHCs who understand social determinants of health and differences in health care access can work strategically with programs to address new or chronic health conditions by developing care plans and by training staff. Join this webinar, hosted by the Office of Head Start‘s National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety (NCHBHS) and Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC), to explore strategies CCHCs can use to support staff and families in caring for children with special health care needs. Learn how managing chronic health conditions helps prepare children for success in school. Session Details Thursday, February 2, 2023 | 1 – 2 p.m. Virtual Register
