May 15, 2025 Early Childhood Educators Share the Day-to-Day Realities of Working in Child Care Programs Pennsylvania early childhood educators joined Trying Together and partner organizations on May 13 in Harrisburg to advocate for investments in workforce recruitment and retention and share at a press conference a recently released photovoice story map that highlights the joys and challenges of working in the early childhood field. A Day in the Life The photovoice story map, titled “A Day in the Life,” shares a glimpse into the day-to-day reality of working in child care programs. During the event, participants used these stories to call attention to widespread challenges in the field and urged further investments in the state’s early childhood education system. Brie Rice and Aydan Roney met with state Rep. Eric Nelson. Brie Rice, of JB’s Bright Beginnings in North Huntingdon, discussed the often-overlooked dedication of early childhood educators who spend significant time outside of work hours and their own money to keep young learners engaged. “Let us draw you a picture of what happens in early education – gifted early childhood educators are making the heartbreaking decision to leave their passion behind in the classroom for higher-paying jobs in other sectors,” she said. “To raise wages, we would need to increase tuition. Parents can’t afford to pay more, and teachers can’t afford to make less. Without public investment in the workforce, the broken child care system is going to collapse.” State Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-38th District) said that the state should support educators by investing more in the early childhood education system. “Early childhood educators are the cornerstone of a family and child’s quality experience in a child care program, offering safe, nurturing, and responsive environments where children grow, learn, and thrive,” Williams said. “However, talented early educators are leaving the field due to abysmal pay and families’ access to quality child care is directly impacted. By investing funding proposed by Gov. (Josh) Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget in recruitment and retention bonuses for licensed child care providers, child care programs will be able to provide competitive wages to caregivers.” According to a March 2024 report from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO), the average child care teacher in Pennsylvania earns $15.15 per hour, less than $32,000 annually. Shapiro has proposed a $55 million investment in child care recruitment and retention. Data from a September 2024 Start Strong PA survey of 1,140 child care providers showed more than 3,000 open positions. If those positions were filled, an estimated 25,320 more children could be served. In partnership with the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns, Trying Together was joined by fellow campaign partners First Up, PennAEYC, Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA), and Fight Crime: Invest in Kids/Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. Alongside early childhood educators from across the state, they met with more than 30 state legislators to advocate for increased investments in early care and education. During their visits in Harrisburg, they urged the General Assembly to: Support the proposed investment of $55 million 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 an additional $1,000 per educator To more fully address the child care staffing crisis and its impact on working families, businesses, and the economy, consider an investment above the proposed $55 million “Classrooms are empty, centers are closing, teachers are fleeing, families are being stranded without care, and children are being left without educational resources,” said Hayley Butler, an educator at Crafton Children’s Center in Allegheny County. “Recruitment and retention desperately need to be taken seriously because when a teacher leaves, a domino effect occurs. A teacher leaving can result in a family losing access to quality care options. While we know that there are many industries in need of support, our sector is the workforce behind the workforce, and we will not solve the labor issues without investing directly in our early education professionals.” To better understand what is taking place in the early childhood education sector, view Trying Together’s “A Day in the Life” photovoice storytelling project. Ready to take action? Sign the petition urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to invest, at minimum, the governor’s proposed $55 million in new and recurring state funding to implement a child care teacher recruitment and retention initiative to fix our child care staffing crisis.
April 14, 2025 Indiana County Observed WOYC with Proclamation and Activities Indiana County kicked off the Week of the Young Child on April 5 with a proclamation, activities, and a movie screening. Learn More The county’s Early Care and Education Committee (ECEC) of the Children’s Advisory Committee of Indiana County hosted the event, which began at the Indiana County Courthouse. Providers from LOLA’s Early Care and Education Center, Indi Kids, and Grand Beginnings Children’s Center joined Indiana County Commissioner Michael Keith and state Rep. Jim Struzzi (R-62nd District) for the reading of the proclamation. Families then headed to the Indiana Theatre for two screenings of the 2024 film “The Wild Robot” with discounted tickets and accompanying crafts. Trying Together and the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) provided advocacy activities for families, while Commonplace Coffee brought drinks and treats for attendees.
February 5, 2025 PennAEYC Honors Educators with Voice for Children Award The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) recently honored educators during their 2025 Voice for Children Celebration. The VOICE for Children Award is the only statewide award in Pennsylvania recognizing early care and education professionals, who are not paid advocates but go above and beyond their daily work in the field by being grassroots leaders through advocacy and public policy efforts. The award celebrates not only individual award recipients, but also the early childhood profession. PennAEYC presented this year’s award recipients at an event on April 4. Trying Together recognizes and congratulates two honorees in particular who have worked closely with the organization. Honorees Photo credit: PennAEYC Lesely Crawford, an educator and the executive director of Pittsburgh’s ABK Learning and Development Center, was among this year’s three honorees. She was nominated by Trying Together. “Lesely’s love for children and her desire to educate them led her to open her own early learning center. She was concerned with the struggles of her students and felt that she could do more for them if she caught them earlier. Not wanting to leave any children behind, ABK Learning & Development Center was born. As she organized and structured the program, she felt compelled to focus on families that lacked sufficient care during nontraditional hours. ABK Learning & Development Center would be open 24 hours, seven days a week to accommodate parents. Through the partnership with the housing Authority the City of Pittsburgh, she opened her second facility, Bedford Hope Center. ” Read full bio. Photo credit: PennAEYC Eva Wood (executive director of Ligonier Valley Learning Center, Inc. in Latrobe) was also honored this year. She is a long-time partner of Trying Together and recently became part of Trying Together’s ECE Advocacy Fellowship. As a result of her involvement in the ECE Advocacy Fellowship, she began the Westmoreland Director’s Team which is already meeting and has grown to almost 40 members. Most recently, Eva contributed a story to the “Day in the Life” advocacy project through Trying Together, which encourages others to gain a deeper understanding of the realities facing children, families, and early childhood educators across the state. Read full bio. Other honorees include: VOICE for Children Student Honoree: Sonya Geisinger (owner/operator of Sonya Sue Geisinger’s Family Daycare in Coopersburg) Distinguished Career Nominee: Gail Nourse, a consultant and first director of The Pennsylvania Key Vision Award Honoree: The Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce was this year’s Vision Award honoree. The gala was held at the Hershey Lodge and more than 125 early childhood care and education professionals were in attendance. Jasmine Brooks, an anchor for CBS 21, acted as the event’s emcee. For more information, visit the 2025 Voice for Children Celebration website.
November 13, 2024 Working Together Webinar Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA are hosting a webinar that will focus on early learning priorities for the 2025-26 Pennsylvania state budget. Learn More The Working Together Webinar will focus a variety of topics, including: Early learning priorities for the 2025-26 state budget Election results Advocacy update and opportunities for child care Speakers will include Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA partners, including Trying Together, Champions for Early Education, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, Pennsylvania Child Care Association, and Pennsylvania Head Start Association. Attendees will learn how to work together to strengthen Pennsylvania’s early learning system for teachers and programs and grow access to more eligible families. More Details The webinar will begin at noon on Thursday, Nov. 21. Those interested in attending should register in advance. After registering, a confirmation email will be sent containing information about joining the webinar.
September 24, 2024 PennAEYC Handouts Provides Infant/Toddler Early Intervention Information The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) has released a new, one-page handout that provides information on infant and toddler early intervention. Learn More The resource is intended for early care and education providers as well as the families they serve. It provides information about the Infant and Toddler Early Intervention program, which serves children who have or are at risk of developmental delays. The handout provides information on: Eligibility criteria and the enrollment process Available services and how they can support child development Contact information for referrals and questions The handout is aimed at helping families to determine whether the Infant and Toddler Early Intervention program is a good fit for their child. It can be found on PennAEYC’s website. Any questions about the handout should be emailed to Meg Eirkson, public policy and advocacy associate, at meirkson@pennaeyc.org.
August 26, 2024 Webinar: Fair Labor Standards Act Compliance Update The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) will host an upcoming webinar on an update to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Learn More During the PennAEYC webinar, Christine Nentwig, Esq., of the CGA Law Firm, will discuss recent and upcoming changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Nentwig has 30 years of combined experience as a labor and employment attorney and HR professional. The webinar will include recent developments to the Fair Labor Standards Act as well as steps that employers must take to comply with requirements related to non-exempt employees, including rules regarding minimum wage and overtime, permitted deductions, rest and lunch periods, meetings and training periods, and required bookkeeping. The webinar will take place from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Registration is now open.
August 12, 2024 Webinar Recording: Program Liability Insurance Options and Risk Management Tools The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) recently hosted a webinar on how its web platform can save money, time, and resources for program liability insurance options and risk management tools. Learn More The purpose of the webinar was to address concerns regarding liability insurance, provide a summary of efforts to date, and show how PennAEYC’s website – Shared Source PA – can help. Tools available on the website that were touted during the webinar include recruitment and retention (from onboarding practices to the low cost and high impact of staff benefits), strengthening business practices (such as reducing operating costs and family child care operation), and resources for teachers and families (such as curriculum planning resources and managing challenging behavior). Shared Source PA can also help to successfully obtain quotes and secure insurance for family child care businesses and centers of all sizes. The webinar explored how to understand business insurance and how carriers assess risk. It tackled impacts to eligibility and cost (such as business location or claims history) as well as methods of assistance (such as completing an annual assessment and implementing strong human resources and workplace safety practices). Panelists in the webinar included Jen DeBell, PennAEYC’s executive director, as well as Rose Snyder, PennAEYC’s senior director of education and operations, and two representatives from CCA for Social Good. More Details The presentation from the webinar can be viewed online. Anyone with additional questions about the webinar or Shared Sources PA should contact PennAEYC’s Rose Snyder at rsnyder@pennaeyc.org.
May 30, 2024 PennAEYC to Host Webinar on Using Shared Source Site PennAEYC will host a webinar in June on how to use SharedSourcePA.org to support program management. The event will cover such topics as program liability insurance options, risk management, and other tools to help save time and money. Learn More Presenters will discuss the growing concerns about provider liability insurance and how using SharedSourcePA.org can help to save money and provide tools that can reduce liability risk. Speakers will share possible liability insurance coverage options as well as other cost-savings features on the platform to save money as costs continue to rise for everyday program operations. Presenters will include: Jen DeBell, PennAEYC executive director Rose Snyder, PennAEYC senior director of education and operations Cellissa Hoyt and Andrea Bimonte, representatives of CCA for Social Good More Details The webinar will run from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18. Registration for the Zoom webinar is now open.
April 8, 2024 Educators to Celebrate Family Child Care Awareness Day in Harrisburg The Family Child Care Advisory Council, with support from PennAEYC and First Up, is inviting home-based educators from around the state to gather in Harrisburg on April 30 to celebrate Family Child Care Awareness Day. The event will recognize the impact of home-based child care programs. Learn More Family Child Care Awareness Day will include a visibility event, which will give attendees an opportunity to showcase to legislators and the public what it means to be a home-based child care educator. Participants can showcase their programs through a variety of means. Some options include creating the following: A trifold poster highlighting the learning that occurs in their program A poster recognizing the families the home-based program serves that includes their testimonies about their experiences A cardboard cutout displaying the quote: “Of course, I’m a home-based child care educator…” More Details Family Child Care Awareness Day will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 30 at the state capitol, located at 501 N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg. Those interested in participating should contact Trying Together’s policy team at elizabeth@tryingtogether.org. Also, registration is now open for an April 23 training in connection with Family Child Care Awareness Day. For those who cannot attend the April 30 event, Trying Together is leading capitol caravans from Pittsburgh on May 7, May 22, June 4, and June 25.
March 22, 2024 Voice Of ECE Childcare Liability Insurance Survey The Voice of ECE is inviting child care providers to share their insights by participating in its Childcare Liability Insurance Survey. The survey was created by and for early childhood business owners. Learn More The survey’s objective is to gain a comprehensive understanding of child care business owners’ experiences with liability insurance carriers. The Voice of ECE is interested in gathering information on changes in premiums, coverage issues, or policy cancellations/non-renewals. Feedback gathered during the survey will play a crucial role in identifying areas for improvement and help to ensure that child care facilities are adequately protected. Challenges and concerns shared during the survey will help to better serve and maintain child care facility operations. All content will be utilized only for internal data collection purposes and will be treated as confidential. The Voice of ECE’s partners in the survey include Trying Together as well as Children First, First Up, Latinos Educando Juntos, the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA), and the Pennsylvania Association of the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC). How To Participate Providers who are interested in filling out the survey have until April 12 to do so. Two participants will be randomly chosen to win a $100 gift card from PennAEYC.
