News

February 3, 2026

Shapiro Announces Additional $10M for Child Care Workforce in Proposed 2026-27 Budget

Governor Josh Shapiro announced on Tuesday during a speech before the General Assembly in Harrisburg that he is seeking an additional $10 million in his 2026-27 budget for the child care workforce.

The principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania – a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting children from birth to age 5 – praised Shapiro’s budget proposal for its focus on children and early education workforce investments, while highlighting the need for additional support in areas such as infant and toddler Early Intervention and home visiting.

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Shapiro said the additional $10 million would bring the total investment to $35 million for the recurring Child Recruitment and Retention Program. The governor said the investment aims to stabilize and grow the child care workforce amid an ongoing teacher shortage.

“We need more early childhood educators and pre-k teachers – kind, gentle souls who want to get our kids started on the right path, but who have been paid too little for too long,” Shapiro said. “This budget delivers for them.”

Trying Together’s Executive Director Cara Ciminillo lauded this increased investment, saying, “I am pleased to see Governor Shapiro continue to prioritize the child care workforce in his proposed budget. This additional funding demonstrates to educators that their work is vital, valued, and worth investing in.”

The proposed budget also includes an additional $7.5 million for Pre-K Counts and $2 million for Head Start State Supplemental to help providers raise wages and retain staff. Shapiro said he is also calling for an additional $2.5 million for teacher professional development to ensure that educators have the training and tools needed to support students.

In a statement, Start Strong PA praised Shapiro’s budget proposal.

“Child care is an economic development strategy, workforce participation strategy, and education success strategy,” the statement read. “These investments will encourage teachers to remain in the field, allowing more parents to work, prepare more Pennsylvania children for school, and build a stronger and more prosperous commonwealth.”

However, Start Strong PA noted that the reduction in funding of $5.2 million for the infant and toddler Early Intervention program in the Department of Human Services’ budget failed to recognize needed investments in those areas.

“Early Intervention is a critical and federally-required component of the early care and education continuum, as all children from birth through age 5 with developmental delays, regardless of family income level, must be identified, referred to, and provided necessary services to help them and their families reach their fullest potential,” Start Strong PA’s statement read. “The cut to infant and toddler Early Intervention in the Department of Human Services’ budget is deeply concerning. The reduction of funding will negatively impact the ability to adequately deliver services to more children in Pennsylvania.”

Start Strong PA also noted that stagnant funding reduces home visiting services for pregnant women and families with young children.

To read the governor’s full budget address, visit the governor’s office pressroom website.

Take Action – Thank Governor Shapiro for Prioritizing the ECE Workforce!

Start Strong PA has issued a new action alert encouraging people to send a message to Governor Shapiro thanking him for prioritizing the ECE workforce. See action alert.

News

January 15, 2026

Trying Together Names Indi Kids Director as Advocate of the Month

Trying Together has named Stephanie McAdoo, director of Indiana’s Indi Kids preschool, as its January 2026 Advocate of the Month.

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The Advocate of the Month award goes to providers who demonstrate exceptional commitment, compassion, and leadership in the field of early childhood education. Trying Together chose McAdoo because of her consistent and reliable work and advocacy for early childhood education in Indiana County and statewide.

“Stephanie works tirelessly to manage not only her own program and the challenges that come with that, but also does extra work to make sure the whole field is being supported,” said the Trying Together policy team.

Honoree Statement

In an honoree statement, McAdoo said that advocacy is important to her, and that she and many other educators spoke up for early care and education amid the state’s ongoing budget impasse.

McAdoo participated in the “Day in the Life” photovoice project, which shared the joys and challenges of the child care field.

“We told our stories of dedicated teachers struggling to make ends meet on unlivable wages and grappling with decisions to leave a field that they love, of programs trying to balance budgets and struggling with decisions to raise rates and risk losing families or forgo wage increases and risk losing teachers,” McAdoo said.

She added that she and other advocates voice repeatedly that the true cost of care is unaffordable to most families and when the cost of care cannot be put on families, educators end up subsidizing the system through lower pay.

McAdoo said she appreciated that Gov. Josh Shapiro and members of the General Assembly voted to make early care and education a priority. The result was a passed budget with a new $25 million educator recruitment and retention line item.

She added that Trying Together and PennAEYC stood with her in support of her advocacy efforts.

“I will continue to raise my voice to ensure early care and education gets the investment it so desperately needs and deserves,” she said. “Our families deserve quality programs, our children deserve qualified teachers, and our teachers deserve livable wages.”

See her full statement.

News

December 2, 2025

Shapiro Touts Child Care Recruitment and Retainment Program During Riverview Visit

Governor Josh Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis joined child care workers, legislators, and community leaders at Verona’s Riverview Children’s Center on Monday to discuss child care investments in the 2025-26 budget that the governor signed in November.

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Shapiro dropped by the center, with which Trying Together has a long relationship, to talk about how investments in the budget would help Pennsylvania to recruit and retain child care workers, expand access to quality care, and ensure that more parents can stay in the workforce.

The state’s child care industry currently has 3,000 unfilled jobs that, if filled, could serve an additional 25,000 children. Providers also continue to struggle with low wages that make it difficult to hire and retain staff. The result is closed classrooms and families being turned away.

To address the shortages and expand child care availability, the 2025-26 budget established a $25 million Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program that will provide about $450 annually per employed to licensed Child Care Works providers. The bonuses would support approximately 55,000 child care workers.

“When parents can’t find affordable, reliable care, they can’t work – and our entire economy feels it,” Shapiro said during the event at Riverview. “We’ve taken real action to lower costs by tripling the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for nearly 219,000 families, but affordability isn’t enough. We also have to expand access. That’s why we’re making investments to help child care centers hire and retain talented educators. These bonuses will help to strengthen the workforce, open more slots for children, and make sure families across Pennsylvania can find the care they need.”

The budget also invests an additional $7.5 million for Pre-K Counts to help providers raise wages and stabilize the early educator workforce. It also includes a $10 million increase for early intervention services to support families with children experiencing developmental delays.

Riverview Children’s Center is a state licensed, four-star Keystone STARS early learning center that serves about 154 children from infancy through school age and employs 32 educators. About 15% of the center’s annual revenue comes from Child Care Works.

“As a working mother, I know firsthand how essential high-quality early education and dedicated educators are – not only for our children’s development, but for the stability and success of families across the commonwealth,” said Stephanie Heakins, the center’s director. “At RCC, we are deeply committed to providing high-equity care so every child, no matter their background, begins with the strong foundation they deserve.”

News

November 24, 2025

Shapiro Discusses State’s New Child Care Worker Recruitment and Retention Bonuses

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Val Arkoosh, secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, highlighted the state’s new recruitment and retention bonuses for child care workers during an event in Bristol.

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Shapiro dropped by the Children of God Educational Services to discuss the new $25 million Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program that aims to address the state’s child care workforce shortage. The program was part of the state’s recently passed budget.

During his discussion of the budget, Shapiro noted that items passed in it would:

Create an employer child care contribution tax credit that encourages businesses to make contributions to their employees’ child care and be able to write it off
Add a new $25 million child care line item in the budget that is earmarked for recruitment and retention bonuses for child care workers at licensed child care facilities. As a result, 55,000 child care workers would get a bonus of up to $450.

“We’re making it more affordable by putting over $130 million back in people’s pockets who are trying to afford child care and making it more available for families by opening up more slots by hiring more teachers,” Shapiro said. “We need to invest in the well-being of our children. We need to invest in economic opportunity. This budget does all of that.”

To listen to Shapiro speak about the budget and the new child care recruitment and retention line item, watch this video on YouTube.

News

November 20, 2025

PA Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women Hosts Discussion on Child Care Crisis

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women hosted a virtual discussion earlier this week between business and government leaders and child care advocates about the state’s child care crisis.

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The discussion – which took place on Monday – focused on the ongoing child care crisis, which has forced many parents to leave the workforce due to the lack of access to affordable child care.

“Ensuring affordable, high-quality child care depends on bold, ongoing investment in the educators who power our commonwealth,” said Cara Ciminillo, Trying Together’s executive director. “Early educators are the workforce behind every thriving community. By continuing to invest in them, Pennsylvania can strengthen its economy, support families, and build a child care system that positions our state for long-term prosperity.”

The topics focused on during the discussion – which included Trying Together and various other organizations – will inform the commission’s future recommendations to the Shapiro Administration.

Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed the state budget, which secured the following investments in child care:

$25 million for a new Child Care Staff Retention and Recruitment Program, providing about $450 per employee annually to licensed Child Care Works providers
A $7.5 million increase in Pre-K Counts rates, enabling providers to raise wages and stabilize the early educator workforce
Continued support for the Employer Child Care Contribution Tax Credit, which encourages businesses to help employees cover child care costs, and the Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit for working families
A $10 million increase for Early Intervention to provide coaching support and services to families and children with developmental delays and disabilities

“Child care and the early learning professionals who make this work possible play an important role in supporting child development and fueling our economy,” said Shante Brown, deputy secretary of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). “Our child care workforce makes it possible for parents to go to work knowing their children are learning and growing in an enriching, caring environment.”

News

September 9, 2025

Trying Together’s Director of Public Policy Discusses Early Childhood Education Crisis on PCN Capitol Preview

Trying Together’s director of public policy appeared this week on The PCN Capitol Preview to discuss Pennsylvania’s ongoing early childhood education staffing and funding crisis.

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Emily Neff, Trying Together’s director of public policy, appeared on the program on Tuesday, Sept. 8 to discuss what Trying Together does to support early childhood development as well as the state’s teacher shortage and budget impasse.

“We are in a crisis,” Neff said. “The system is not working for everyone. Early childhood educators are woefully underpaid for the amazing work they do for our children. Families are paying as much for their rent or mortgage as they do for child care – and that’s if they can find it.”

Neff said many parents – including herself – are on long waiting lists to get their children into a program. Often, she added, programs have classrooms that are closed that could serve more children, but cannot due to the state’s staffing crisis. She said that one program she knows of recently closed its toddler class, while another said it would shut down if it lost another teacher.

Neff cited Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed $55 million child care teacher recruitment and retention line item as an opportunity to address the state’s early education crisis.

“It’s a great opportunity for Pennsylvania to put itself on the map,” she said. “It would be a $1,000 payment to teachers, but we don’t know what’s going to happen with that right now.”

She said that the state’s budget impasse – during which the state Legislature has not passed a budget more than two months past the deadline, resulting public schools not receiving state funding that educators say is critical to keep them operating – has led some programs to lay off teachers, while parents have been left to find care elsewhere.

“We need more investments to make sure that programs have what they need, teachers are being paid better, and families have access – and it’s not costing families more than what they’ve already been paying,” Neff said.

The PCN Capitol Preview is available on YouTube.

News

August 7, 2025

PA Chamber of Commerce Leaders, Teachers, and Parents Discuss Teacher Shortage

Pennsylvania chamber of commerce leaders, child care teachers, and parents gathered on Zoom Wednesday to discuss how the ongoing state child care teacher shortage is forcing classrooms to close and leaving working families scrambling to find child care.

During the event, participants said that the teacher shortage – driven by unlivable wages – is limiting care options for working parents and called on state lawmakers to address the shortage.

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Participants urged state lawmakers to prioritize child care in the 2025-26 state budget by including Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal to invest $55 million in a new and recurring Child Care Recruitment and Retention line item to boost the pay of the state’s child care teachers by $1,000.

“As chamber leaders, we know that child care isn’t just a family issue – it’s an economic issue,” said Ron Aldom, executive director of the Somerset County Chamber. “This is why more than 70 of Pennsylvania’s local chambers of commerce are urging the General Assembly to invest in our child care teachers. When parents can’t find reliable, affordable care, they can’t work. When child care providers struggle to recruit and retain staff, classrooms close and employers lose valuable employees.”

Albom cited the results of a statewide PA Chamber survey of employers on the impact of limited child care options on Pennsylvania businesses. The survey found that:

A total 81% of employers said they have moderate or significant recruitment and retention issues due to child care challenges.
A total 69% of businesses indicated that it is extremely or very important to help their employees meet their child care needs.

According to the survey, he said, a total of 60% of parents reported being late for work because of child care problems, while 27% had to quit jobs and 18% were fired. Aldom also cited economic analysis from the nonprofit ReadyNation and the PA Early Learning Investment Commission that showed gaps in Pennsylvania’s child care system costing working families, employers, and taxpayers $6.65 billion annually in lost earnings, productivity, and tax revenue.

Briana Tomack, president and CEO of the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce said that Pennsylvania has lost 460 of its child care providers since 2019.

“In Southwest PA specifically, the numbers are at critical levels,” she said. “Fayette County has lost over 30% of its providers, Greene over 25% of their providers, and Westmoreland has lost over 11%. Imagine trying to keep a job, run a business, or even put food on the table when child care is out of reach – not for weeks, but for years.”

A September survey conducted by the Start Strong PA Campaign of 1,140 state child care providers showed that 92% of child care programs reported challenges in recruiting staff, with 85% struggling with teacher shortages that are leaving more than 3,000 unfilled positions statewide. Programs could serve an additional 25,320 children if they could recruit and retain the necessary staff, and these numbers represent less than 18% of the total open registered programs in Pennsylvania.

“Right now, we serve 120 children,” said Brie Rice, program specialist at Irwin’s JB’s Bright Beginnings. “But here’s the heartbreaking reality: We’re licensed for 350.”

Amy Bradley, president and CEO of the Cambria Regional Chamber of Commerce, said that in a September survey, 100% of the 23 providers that responded in Cambria County said they face challenges recruiting the staff they need, resulting in 64 unfilled staff positions and 748 child care spaces unavailable for working families.

Dr. Leah Spangler, CEO of Johnstown’s The Learning Lamp, said there are 48 unfilled child care educator jobs in Somerset, Cambria, and Fayette counties. If fully staffed, a total of 297 more children could be served.

“I wear two hats that feel impossible to balance most days,” said Sara Sisler, parent and director of curriculum, environment, and development at Judy Early Education Group. “I’m not only a parent of two young children who rely on child care, but I’m also an early educator in the field. I have witnessed the recruitment and retention challenges firsthand, as the turnover rates in our centers are at an all-time high.”

Stephanie McAdoo, director of Indiana County’s Indi Kids said it is challenging to fill open child care positions because “teachers make less than cashiers at Sheetz or Target.”

And Dan DeBone, president and CEO of the Westmoreland County Chamber, noted that polling data has shown that Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly support increased funding to grow early childhood care and education programs. A Susquehanna poll found that Pennsylvania voters believe that early childhood education is an important component of a child leading a healthy and productive life (98%), support increasing state funding for teacher recruitment and retention (83%), and back more funding to increase pre-k teacher compensation (72%).

The discussion between the county leaders, educators, and parents can be viewed online.

News

July 15, 2025

Trying Together Joins ELPA in Praising Passage of House Bill That Includes Early Care and Learning Workforce Investments

The principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA) applauded the Pennsylvania House’s bipartisan passage of House Bill 1330 that includes Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed investments in the early care and learning workforce.

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ELPA, a statewide coalition of advocates of which Trying Together is a member that focuses on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age 5, issued a statement following the passage of the bill on Monday.

“The governor and Pennsylvania House of Representatives responded to the pleas of Pennsylvanians to prioritize early care and learning by investing in early childhood educators and ensuring that their critical work of caring for and educating young children is valued,” the statement read. “These educators are the workforce behind the workforce in Pennsylvania, and their work matters to children, families, businesses, and Pennsylvania’s economic security.”

House Bill 1330 includes the following investments above Fiscal Year 2024-25 appropriations:

A $55 million investment in a new and recurring Child Care Recruitment and Retention line item to grant licensed child care providers participating in the child care subsidy program with $1,000 per educator
$17 million in additional funding for Pre-K Counts
A $16.2 million increase for infant/toddler early intervention and a $38.1 million increase for preschool early intervention

ELPA noted that the House’s passage of the bill is a positive step toward a final budget agreement and that this demonstrates that state lawmakers stand with families with young children on early childhood line items.

The coalition’s partners also encouraged the state Senate to support the investments and ensure that $9.5 million is provided for Pennsylvania’s Head Start Supplemental Assistance Programs in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget.

“These urgently needed investments will stabilize and reverse the exodus of early educators, directly benefit tens of thousands of early childhood professionals and keep child care centers open, so parents can go to work,” the ELPA’s statement read. “Additionally, these investments will begin to reverse the billions of dollars in lost productivity and earnings suffered by working families and employers when families do not have the reliable child care they need.”

Take Action

The PA House took the next step in funding early learning programs, but the budget process is far from over. PA Senators need to hear from you immediately. Take action by visiting https://tryingtogether.org/advocacy/current-issue/

News

June 9, 2025

State Survey Asks Women About Experiences Accessing Healthcare

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Advisory Commission on Women is asking for women to take part in a survey on their healthcare needs in the state.

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The survey aims to learn about Pennsylvania women’s real-life experiences of accessing healthcare in the state. Among the questions in the survey are:

Do you know what services are available and covered by your health insurance?
What stops you from seeking care?
What barriers or issues have you run into when trying to get women’s health services?

The survey takes about 10 minutes or less and responses are anonymous. The survey focuses on such topics as health screenings, birth control, pregnancy care, and mental health services.

The survey will remain open until July 7. It is available in English and Spanish.

News

June 6, 2025

Allegheny County Leaders Hold Roundtable to Address Child Care Teacher Staffing Crisis

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato joined Trying Together, the Allegheny Conference, state legislators, and child care providers Thursday for a roundtable to discuss new state and local survey data showing how a worsening child care teacher shortage – driven by low wages – is closing child care classrooms and causing parents to struggle to find the care they need to be able to work.

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During the roundtable at Providence Connections, results from a September Start Strong PA survey were shared to demonstrate how the staffing crisis is affecting programs in Allegheny County and across the state.

“Of the 118 providers that participated in the survey, 89% reported staffing shortages,” Innamorato said of the Allegheny County providers. “Those programs have 373 unfilled teaching positions, and if those positions were filled, they could serve an additional 3,000 children.”

A total of 1,140 Pennsylvania child care providers took the survey, of which 92% reported difficulties in recruiting staff and 85% said they struggled with teacher shortages. The shortages, which are leaving more than 3,000 unfilled positions statewide, could serve an additional 25,320 children if programs could recruit and retain the staff they need. The numbers represent only 17% of the total open registered programs in the state.

Leslie White, director of early childhood and youth programs for Providence Connections, said low wages are preventing programs from finding qualified early childhood educators.

“They are doing some of the most important work in our society – nurturing the next generation. But the reality is that many teachers can find other jobs that require far less specialized skills and pay more an hour, often with benefits,” she said. “I’ve been doing this work for nearly 40 years and fighting for better pay. The time is now to invest in the child care teaching workforce.”

During the event, Matt Brown, an early educator at Providence and participant in the Your Career, Our Future campaign, shared his passion for teaching young children and why more qualified educators matter for the field. The initiative shares the experiences of current early educators and the families they serve in the hopes that more people will answer the call to become early educators.

Speakers said the foundational role child care plays is a critical part of the state’s economy and the bipartisan support that it has garnered to date.

“The report shows this is not just an inconvenience for working parents – this is a major economic issue that affects every business, every community, and every family in Pennsylvania,” Trying Together Public Policy Director Emily Neff said. “It is no surprise that this impact is understood by Pennsylvanians and, as such, they want lawmakers to prioritize early learning in the budget.”

Majestic Lane, chief opportunity officer for the Allegheny Conference, noted that the staffing crisis is a detriment to the economy, citing a recent economic analysis conducted by the Conference citing child care as one of the top barriers for employment in the region.

“Child care is vital to the future of our economy and the quality of life in our region,” Lane said. “When families don’t have the resources they need and their ability to work is severely diminished, it has a measurable economic impact on our communities and our commonwealth.”

At the press conference, participants encouraged state lawmakers to prioritize early learning in the 2025-26 budget by including Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal to invest $55 million in a new and recurring Child Care and Recruitment and Retention line item to grant licensed child care providers participating in the child care subsidy program an additional $1,000 per educator.

“We’ve heard the problem, we’ve heard the solution, and we know the cost of inaction,” Trying Together Executive Director Cara Ciminillo said. “To grow our economy and support working families, we must invest in child care.”

State Reps. Lindsay Powell (D-21st District) and La’Tasha Mayes (D-24th District) and representatives from other state legislators attended the press conference and expressed their support for the investment in the child care workforce.