News

August 12, 2026

Trying Together Responds to Proposed Changes to Head Start Performance Standards

Trying Together encourages public comment from administrators, teachers, former Head Start children and families, caregivers, and community members regarding proposed changes to the Head Start Performance Standards by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Head Start Performance Standards

Head Start is a core part of the early care and education landscape across the nation, providing quality care and comprehensive support for children and families for more than 60 years. In addition to education, it provides physical and mental health support, family engagement, nutrition, and developmental screenings.

Last week, the HHS published proposed changes to the Head Start Performance Standards, which serve as the foundational regulations to provide guidance on how to implement the Head Start program’s comprehensive services. However, the changes are only in the proposal stage. Head Start programs should continue to operate as usual and not make any changes based on the proposed changes.

It is important to note that the proposed changes are to the Head Start Performance Standards – not The Head Start Act, which is the law and can only be changed by Congress. The Performance Standards define the quality – and provide clarity and guidance for implementation – of services at the local level. The standards cannot reduce the quality, scope, or types of services in The Head Start Act.

Proposed Changes

The Head Start Performance Standards are based in child development science. Proposed changes would eliminate a majority of the standards, such as:

Removing the mention of standards related to health, mental health, oral health, and developmental screenings, including details about how to provide services, the timeline, and requirement for follow-up
Eliminating class size and staff-to-child ratios
Weakening parent voice and decision making in local programs
Making it more difficult for families to prove eligibility, which may result in a reduction of service to families experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, or immigrant families
Removing services for pregnant women, expectant families, and newborns
Reducing administrative cap from 15% to 5%, creating more burden for programs to operate
Requiring teaching and learning to only be in English
Removing additional services for children with disabilities and the ban on suspension/expulsion

Trying Together’s Response

Trying Together is working with state and national partners to gain a better understanding of the proposed changes.

“Trying Together is concerned that the proposal weakens health, safety, and quality standards for Head Start and creates more challenges for programs to operate,” said Emily Neff, Trying Together’s director of public policy. “As we continue to hear about rising costs for families and challenges to find quality child care, efforts to dismantle core components of a quality care and education program like Head Start further worsen the child care crisis.”

Neff said any attempt to weaken health and safety standards raises concerns about the wellbeing of young children and the de-professionalization of the early childhood field. She added that proposed changes aim to increase classroom sizes to serve more children without increasing investments for the program as well as remove credentials for teachers and pathways for families to be decisionmakers in local programs.

“While HHS frames the proposed changes as providing more flexibility and reducing administrative burden, in reality it proposes a reduction in services, larger class sizes, and fewer staff – and, ultimately, will help to justify why less funding will be needed for programs to operate in our communities,” Neff said.

Trying Together will continue to provide updates and resources in the coming weeks about the proposed changes – including ways that educators and caregivers can voice their concerns.

Review Period

The deadline to submit comments is Tuesday, October 6. Trying Together encourages former Head Start children and families, administrators, teachers, caregivers and parents, and concerned community members to provide comments.

Regulatory changes at the federal level go through a process known as Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). Now that proposed changes have been made, anyone can comment during a 60-day period.

After the comment period, HHS must review and respond to comments before issuing a final rule. Changes only take effect after a final rule is published and an effective date is announced, which will likely take several months.

Trying Together’s policy team – and its partners at the Pennsylvania Head Start Association, Pre-K for PA, and Start Strong PA – will offer support and provide templates for public comment.

Further Resources

News

June 29, 2026

Start Strong PA Urges Providers to Send Letters to Policymakers About Success of Recruitment and Retention Program

Start Strong PA is calling on providers of child care programs who received additional funding from last year’s state budget to send a message to Pennsylvania state legislators to let them know that investments in the state’s early care and education programs are beneficial.

Learn More

Currently, state lawmakers are finalizing the state’s 2026-2027 budget. Start Strong PA is urging child care providers to reach out to policymakers to ask them to include, at minimum, the following proposed investments in the early care and education workforce:

A $10 million increase for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program
A $2 million increase for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program
A $7.5 million increase for Pre-K Counts

Start Strong PA is asking providers who received a Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Award or funding to provide bonuses to staff to let policymakers know if the bonus helped to pay bills, catch up on expenses, support one’s family, or reduce financial stress.

Providers can also let policymakers know whether the additional funding helped them to feel recognized for the work they do every day. Those who contact legislators can personalize their letters with their own story.

For more information, visit Start Strong PA’s website.

News

June 4, 2026

Advocates Screen Make a Circle Documentary, Reflect on Path Forward

On June 1, Trying Together and Westmoreland County Community College hosted a screening of the documentary film Make a Circle with early care and education teachers, program directors, administrators, and higher education professionals. After dinner and a 60-minute viewing, the group engaged in impactful conversations and shared reflections on a path forward.

About Make a Circle

Make a Circle follows early care and education providers from California, highlighting their joys, challenges, and collective advocacy efforts. The film demonstrates through compelling storytelling how early childhood education is historically undervalued and underfunded despite its critical importance. While the film takes place in California, the stories and universal experiences resonated with the ECE professionals representing Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties who came to view and discuss the film.

Throughout the screening, the audience nodded along in recognition of the challenges, laughed at relatable interactions between children and educators, and shed tears during heartbreaking moments that felt all too familiar.

Group Discussion

Focusing on the experiences of early care and education professionals in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the group shared their own stories, emphasizing the deep fulfillment that comes from helping children grow, witnessing moments of curiosity, and building the foundation for all future learning.

Despite the joys of working in the field, the group recognized universal challenges: difficulty hiring and retaining staff; the daily struggle to provide coverage; the hard decision to close classrooms; and more.

At the forefront were anecdotes about those who continue to make heartbreaking decisions to leave their passion behind for higher paying jobs, including those in K-12 settings. According to Start Strong PA and PreK for PA, kindergarten teachers in Pennsylvania make an average salary of $64,270 compared to $35,250 for preK teachers and $29,510 for child care teachers.

“I left direct care too because I couldn’t provide a living for myself,” said one participant, reacting to a story from the film about an educator leaving his job in child care because he could no longer afford to remain. “I love working with kids and being in the classroom with the little ones… I miss it a lot.”

While much of the discussion focused on the challenges faced by educators, the group also recognized the difficulties faced by families. Often, parents shoulder a financial burden when child care programs are forced to raise tuition rates. Without public investment, it becomes more and more difficult for programs to keep their doors open. In turn, families lose access to high-quality child care which can hinder their ability to work.

Takeaways

The film highlights the importance of advocacy – from creating spaces to have important conversations and connect with our communities, to organizing and elevating unified messages.

It is unfortunately common for early educators to dedicate multiple decades of advocacy to make small strides in public investments. Emily Neff, director of public policy for Trying Together, encouraged the group to keep speaking up for change. “Persistence matters!”

In the 2025 – 2026 State Budget, PA saw the development of a new early childhood line item for the first time in nearly 20 years. For many early educators, this was a moment of celebration and of feeling heard. The $25 million investment in the new Child Care Recruitment and Retention line item demonstrated that policymakers heard advocate’s voices and took the first step in solving the child care crisis and investing in the workforce.

Last year’s new investment in the child care workforce was an important first step, but there’s still more to do.

“All the work our advocates have done is phenomenal, and we’ve achieved a lot of things,” one participant reflected. “But we’re still in the trenches. We’re not even above water yet.”

Early childhood supporters in Pennsylvania are currently actively advocating for the 26-27 budget to include the proposed investments in the early care and education workforce (at a minimum):

- $10M increase for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program.
- $2M increase for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
- $7.5M increase for Pre-K Counts.

The early education professionals who attended the screening ended the evening by completing post cards to send to their elected officials and signing action alerts urging elected officials to invest public dollars in ECE.

As conversations closed for the evening, folks left with a spark of optimism and renewed sense of hope that we can continue to grow awareness of the value of early care and education, along with elevating the need for increasing public investments.

News

May 11, 2026

Working Together Webinar

Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA will host a Working Together Webinar on Wednesday, May 20 in which Trying Together will participate.

Learn More

The webinar will focus on advocating for early learning in the 2026-2027 Pennsylvania state budget, state legislation updates, a federal advocacy update, and opportunities for child care.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. on Zoom. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Speakers will include Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA partners – such as Trying Together, Champions for Early Education, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, Pennsylvania Child Care Association, Pennsylvania Head Start Association, and provider advisory board members

News

April 7, 2026

Five Ways to Advocate for Early Childhood Education During Month of the Young Child

There are numerous ways to advocate for early childhood education during April, which is celebrated by Trying Together as the Month of the Young Child and includes a regional advocacy blitz.

It is an important time to collectively work together to create systemic and policy change for young children, families, and the educators who serve them. No action is too small and can be part of your day. Think of advocacy as educating policymakers on the reality of early childhood education and the families of young children to ensure their needs are met and to receive the resources and investments necessary for a thriving early childhood education (ECE) system.

April Advocacy Blitz

The Trying Together Policy team supports an April Advocacy Blitz, a regional advocacy effort that aims to amplify the voices of early childhood educators, families, and community partners across the Pittsburgh region, said Emily Neff, Trying Together’s director of public policy.

“Last year, we celebrated a major win – a $25 million recurring investment (in the state budget) for child care recruitment and retention, the first of its kind in nearly 20 years,” Neff said. “While that was a huge step, we’re just getting started.”

Neff noted that as the 2026-2027 state budget is being negotiated, it is a critical time for early childhood advocates in the region to come together to ensure that their voices are heard.

Neff outlined five things to do during April’s Month of the Young Child (MOYC) to advocate for early learning:

Sign Start Strong PA’s petition
Complete the 2026 child care staffing crisis survey
Contact legislators
Submit children’s artwork to legislators
Post on social media

Sign Start Strong PA’s Petition

The first action that advocates can take is to sign Start Strong PA’s petition to include a number of proposed investments for early childhood education in the 2026-2027 state budget. The proposals include:

A $10 million increase for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention program
A $2 million increase for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance program
A $7.5 million increase for Pre-K Counts

Other recommendations include raising the child care subsidy limit, dedicating funds so programs can better serve children with special needs, and advancing targeted reforms to reduce unnecessary burdens on child care providers while preserving strong health and safety standards to keep children safe.

After signing the petition, share it with your friends, family, colleagues, and community members.

Complete the 2026 Child Care Staffing Crisis Survey

Help to gather real stories and data from the field to inform state policymakers and advocacy efforts by filling out Start Strong PA’s 2026 Child Care Staffing Crisis Survey.

Those who fill out the survey will have the opportunity to discuss staffing issues at their child care programs. The information collected from the 15-minute survey will be used to demonstrate the need for the 2026-2027 state budget to increase funding for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention program, so that bonuses for the workforce grow.

Those who take out the survey should encourage fellow staff members and families who utilize the program to also participate.

Contact Your Legislator

Another way to make your voice heard on the state’s child care staffing crisis is to reach out directly to the decision-makers in your community.

Start by looking up your state legislators, and then sending an email, making a call, or inviting them to visit your program. Show and tell them why investing in early childhood education is important to your community.

To find your state legislator, visit the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s website.

Submit Children’s Artwork

Another simple and powerful way to advocate is to submit children’s artwork to elected officials who represent your community.

Ask the children in your program to create artwork. If you are already having them create something for the Week of the Young Child, you can use that – or ask them to create something new. An optional step would be to ask them to include a short message, such as “My name is ___ and I love my school because ___.”

Then, find your state legislator’s district office by searching the state General Assembly’s page and then entering your program’s address on the artwork that you submit. Send some of the artwork to your state House representative’s office and some to your state senator’s office.

Post on Social Media

A final, simple way to advocate is to share what you are doing during the Month of the Young Child on social media and tag your legislator in the post.

Information you might consider sharing in the post might include:

Activities taking place at your center
Teachers in action
Children learning and engaging
An explanation of why this week and your work matter

Post your photos on Facebook or Instagram and describe the activities taking place at your center as well as why the Month of the Young Child is important. In your post, tag your state House representative, state senator, and Trying Together.

MOYC and Week of the Young Child

Trying Together celebrates the Month of the Young Child every April in conjunction with the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) yearly observance of the Week of the Young Child.

This year, the Week of the Young Child will be observed April 11 through 17.

More information on how Trying Together and providers are celebrating the Month of the Young Child can be found on Trying Together’s website.

News

March 31, 2026

State Survey Asks for Women’s Input on Child Care, Education, and Other Topics

The Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women is asking Pennsylvania women to take a survey on such issues as child care, health care, education, and employment prior to an upcoming statewide listening tour.

Learn More

The survey, which takes about 20 minutes, is part of the commission’s initiative to collect information on women to help shape public policy.

Women are asked to share their stories involving child care, health care, education, employment, safety, and other issues of importance to them.

The testimony will be included in a 2026 State of the Woman Report that will highlight progress women have made in the state over the past 60 years as well as identify the gaps that still exist.

The statewide listening tour kicked off in Philadelphia on March 19. The tour will continue through May 30 in locations across the state. Registration for the Pittsburgh event, which takes place on Thursday, May 14, is available online.

Start Strong PA noted that the survey is an opportunity for mothers, grandmothers, child care teachers, and program directors and owners to make their voice heard. It encouraged women to provide testimony about how the state’s child care crisis affects a parent’s ability to work, an educator’s ability to earn a living wage, and a child’s ability to have a stable learning environment, among other topics.

Those interested can take the survey online.

News

March 23, 2026

Start Strong PA Calls on Child Care Directors, Owners to Take Staffing Crisis Survey

The Start Strong PA Campaign is calling on child care directors and owners to take part in a survey on the staffing crisis survey in the next two weeks.

Learn More

Start Strong PA is collecting information about the ongoing staffing crisis and participation in the Child Care Recruitment and Retention Program that was included in Pennsylvania’s most recent budget.

The information collected during the survey will be used to demonstrate the continued need for the 2026-2027 state budget to increase funding for child care so the workforce is paid a livable wage and programs can keep classrooms open for working families.

Surveys must be completed by Sunday, April 5.

Child care programs should fill out separate surveys for each locations if they are multi-site organizations.

Some of the questions on the survey include:

The amount of open or unfilled staff positions
Whether the program has closed classrooms
Whether there are under-enrolled classrooms
Whether there are challenges with recruiting teachers

The survey can be taken online.

News

February 26, 2026

Start Strong PA Survey Focuses on Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program

The Start Strong PA Campaign is calling on child care program staff to fill out a survey regarding the need for increased funding for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program in the 2026-27 state budget.

Learn More

The Start Strong PA Campaign is collecting information from Pennsylvania child care directors and owners about the ongoing staffing crisis. While last year’s state budget included funding to help child care programs offer a bonus to eligible teachers, child care programs are still in need of more funding to keep their classroom and program doors open.

The information collected from the 15-minute survey will be used to demonstrate the urgent need for the 2026-27 state budget to increase funding for the recruitment and retention program, so the workforce is paid a livable wage and classrooms can remain open for working families.

The survey includes questions about the number of open staff positions, closed classrooms, and underenrolled classrooms as well as whether programs are having difficulty recruiting teachers.

Those who complete the survey by Friday, March 20 will be entered in a $100 gift card drawing. The deadline to fill out the survey is Sunday, April 5.

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.

Learn More

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

Start Strong PA Provides Update on Impact to Federal, State Child Care Funding

Start Strong PA shared information this week regarding what is known about the current status of federal and state child care funding after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would freeze funding in five states.

Learn More

The federal government announced in early January that it would freeze $10 billion in federal funds to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. This was triggered by allegations of fraud at child care centers in Minnesota and was initially stated it would be applied nationwide. However, a judge temporarily blocked the freeze on January 9 on the grounds that the states met a threshold “to protect the status quo” for at least 14 days while arguments were made in court.

Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA condemned this freeze on federal funds in a recent statement, saying, “The recent decision to freeze access to Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Social Services Block Grant funds for California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York is a disproportionate and harmful reaction to alleged fraud confined to specific providers in Minnesota. Let us be clear: fraud within public systems is unacceptable and must be addressed with precision. However, we must also be clear that states have regular audits of these funds, many systems like Pennsylvania’s have robust program integrity measures, and federal oversight mechanisms are already in place to ensure accountability.”

To date, states have submitted quarterly financial reports to justify funds that are drawn monthly from their CCDF allocation. New rules would prevent states from accessing federal funds automatically. Every payment request would now require pre-approval with “justification and a receipt or photo evidence.” The immediate impact could be on state agencies, such as Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), that are responsible for providing the documentation.

Documentation or Payment Delivery

OCDEL has announced that there is no change in required documentation or in payment delivery for child care providers with Child Care Works contracts receiving reimbursement for subsidized child care.

Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRC) and child care providers should continue administering Child Care Works in accordance with existing OCDEL policy and procedures. Also, for parents, OCDEL has announced that there is no change in the type or frequency of required documentation.

“While fraud is absolutely unacceptable and must be addressed, this response is unjust and disproportionate,” a statement from Start Strong PA read. “It punishes providers, families, and children for the alleged actions of a few. Many states like Pennsylvania already have extensive program integrity measures and all states undergo regular federal reviews designed to prevent and catch fraud.”

Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program

The Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program enacted in the 2025-26 state budget is not affected by the federal funding change and will continue accepting applications from eligible providers from qualified staff.

Providers must submit a completed application to their region ELRC by Thursday, January 29.

Impact on Pennsylvania

Start Strong PA said that the new federal rules would negatively affect the 93,300 children receiving Child Care Works if Pennsylvania’s federal child care funding is impacted in the future.

“Delaying or freezing payments would not only hurt the families receiving those subsidies, but could force child care programs to close and teachers to lose their jobs,” the Start Strong PA statement read. “These consequences are detrimental to families’ stability and children’s learning. This reaction is outside the norm – the federal government has already targeted legal and financial tools to recoup fraudulent funds without harming innocent families and small businesses.”