Some early childhood education centers are still recovering from the months-long state budget impasse, despite additional child care investments in the 2025-26 budget that Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law last month, according to a new report by the West Hills Gazette.

Several long-time partners of Trying Together discussed with the Gazette how they were forced to dip into their reserves during the impasse and how getting a $25 million early childhood education retention and recruitment line item in the budget is a great start for alleviating teacher shortages.

Presbyterian Day School

Mary Merryman, director of Coraopolis’ Presbyterian Day School, said that low wages in the early childhood education profession has made it challenging to find teachers and resulted in a shortage of child care centers. 

Merryman, an alum of Trying Together’s advocacy fellowship, said that Coraopolis is a “child care desert,” meaning there are not enough centers or programs to support the number of children under age 5 in the area.

Merryman, who has traveled to Harrisburg to advocate for early childhood education, said the state budget’s $25 million line item is a good start to combatting the shortages.

“That will definitely help,” she told the Gazette. “If we can retain teachers, we can offer more services to families.”

Riverview Children’s Center

Stephanie Heakins, director of Riverview Children’s Center in Verona, said she took over the reins at the center in the middle of the impasse. Earlier this month, Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis dropped by the center to discuss the recently-passed child care investments in the 2025-26 budget. Riverview has been a long-time partner of Trying Together and has a history of advocacy work.

Heakins told the Gazette that loans were not an option during the impasse because paying interest on them was “not feasible,” while laying off teachers was also not possible because she knew the center would never get them back.

Riverview receives about $55,000 per month from the state for its Pre-K Counts program, which provides free pre-kindergarten classes to low-income families, the Gazette reported. More than 50 students are currently enrolled and there is a waitlist.

Because Pre-K Counts and Head Start – which Riverview does not offer – did not receive state dollars during the impasse, programs like Riverview were forced to dip into their reserve funds.

“(The impasse) was a big thing, but now we are hoping we can get back on track and start planning for the future,” Heakins told the Gazette.

Data

According to PA Partnerships for Children, there were about 3,000 open staffing positions in the child care workforce, with an average salary of $29,480, as of September 2024. Kindergarten teachers, on the other hand, make an average $67,670.

The 2025-26 budget’s $25 million Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program would provide about $450 annually to employed licensed Child Care Works providers. The bonuses would support approximately 55,000 child care workers.