July 12, 2024 Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA Respond to 2024-25 State Budget Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA have issued statements that the state budget fails to address the crisis in the early childhood sector. The two advocacy campaigns – which are part of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five – have released reaction statements to Senate Bill 1001, which has been signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro and will be enacted in the 2024-25 Pennsylvania state budget. Below are statements from the advocacy campaigns and a breakdown of budget investments. Child Care $26.2 million in additional funding to maintain the status quo of payments in the subsidized child care system and the number of children. Additional federal child care funding to meet the federally recommended child care subsidy reimbursement rate. In a press release, Start Strong PA said, “With a child care sector that is collapsing with classrooms and programs closing across the commonwealth due to the historic child care teacher shortage, the Start Strong PA Campaign is deeply disappointed by the lack of direct investment to help child care providers recruit and retain their workforce as part of the state budget bill.” The Start Strong PA campaign noted that staffing shortages within the child-care sector are driven by low wages. According to the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO), the average child-care teacher in Pennsylvania only earns $15.15 per hour. This wage includes the impact of one-time federal child care stimulus funds. With the lack of direct state involvement, it is unclear whether these wages can be sustained, the campaign said. “Child care teachers are the workforce behind the workforce,” the statement said. “When families can’t get child care, their children suffer, their income drops, and the state’s economy is shortchanged. In a time of severe labor shortages and billions in state budget surplus, the commonwealth’s failure to help child care providers recruit and retain these teachers is a tragic outcome.” Recent estimates show that gaps in the child care sector cost the state’s economy $6.65 billion annually in lost wages, productivity, and tax receipts. Start Strong PA pointed out that more than 50 state chambers of commerce have called for investments that directly help child care providers attract and keep teachers. The budget deal includes a tax credit for businesses that help pay employees pay for child care. The credit is a demand-side solution that helps families afford care, but the state must invest in the supply side by stopping the exodus of teachers. “While we appreciate the continued support of existing programs in the state budget, the lack of investment in recruitment and retention initiatives will only continue the trend of short staffing in our programs and teachers leaving the field for higher-paying jobs,” said Karian Wise, the head of school for early learning at the Carlow University Early Learning Center and a Provider Advisory Board member. Pre-K $15 million in additional funding for the state’s Pre-K Counts program to increase rates from $10,000 per child for a full-day slot to $10,500. $2.7 million in additional funding for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program. In a statement, Pre-K for PA said, “The Pre-K Campaign is relieved to see modest growth in the state’s publicly funded pre-k programs – PA Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.” Pre-K for PA noted that increases for both programs will make rate increases possible to pre-kindergarten providers to combat inflationary pressures and staffing shortages. However, the campaign noted, “We are disappointed that the increase to PA Pre-K Counts is half of what Gov. Shapiro proposed, and state support for Head Start continues to grow at a slower rate than Pre-K Counts.” Currently, more than 78,000 three- and four-year-olds in Pennsylvania are eligible but do not have access to publicly-funded pre-k programs. Pre-k access has been a top issue for state voters, of whom 95% believe that early education is important and nearly 70% support increasing state funding for pre-k access. “Once again, Pennsylvania has failed to adequately invest in young children and their families,” said Abigail Enz-Doerschner, assistant director of the Once Upon a Time Early Learning Center in Washington and a Provider Advisory Board member. “While the state has offered a $500 per slot increase in PA Pre-K Counts funding, this 5% increase does not keep pace with the rising costs of operating a program. Insurance, utilities, teacher compensation – all of our costs have risen sharply.” Early Intervention $9.1 million increase for the Early Intervention Part C (infant and toddler) through DHS. $32.9 million increase for the Part B Early Intervention program (age three to five) through PDE. The statement noted that while the increase for the Early Intervention Part C reflects the administration’s updated budget request, it does not address broader issues within the program, including worker shortages and a long-needed rate adjustment for providers. Read the full statement by Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA.
May 15, 2024 Interactive Maps Demonstrate Unmet Child Care Needs at County Level Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a Start Strong PA campaign partner, has created interactive maps and fact sheets demonstrating the unmet need and availability of high-quality child care to meet those needs at the state, county, and legislative district levels. Access By County Each county-level assessment examines workforce issues – such as average wages – as well as the amount of access to and quality of child care. Access to high-quality programs was a challenge for families in numerous Pennsylvania counties. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children provided fact sheets and maps for: Allegheny County (65% of children under age five and 70% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Armstrong County (90% of children under age five and infants and toddlers were unserved) Beaver County (78% of children under age five and 82% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Butler County (87% of children under age five and 90% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Fayette County (80% of children under age five and 82% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Greene County (83% of children under age five and 85% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Indiana County (86% of children under age five and 85% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Lawrence County (76% of children under age five and 79% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Washington County (83% of children under age five and 87% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Westmoreland County (83% of children under age five and 86% of infants and toddlers were unserved) Start Strong PA Campaign The Start Strong PA campaign is asking the General Assembly to include in its 2024-25 state budget: Support for the Shapiro administration’s proposal to increase subsidy rates to the 75th percentile of the current price families pay for child care services. This increase will help alleviate rising facility, food, utility, and supply costs for providers participating in Child Care Works. A $284 million investment in new and recurring state funding to implement a child care teacher recruitment and retention initiative. This will help alleviate the ongoing staffing crisis that is causing classrooms and programs to close, leaving working families without access to child care.
May 7, 2024 Child Care Providers Invited to Participate In “Imagine a Day Without Child Care” Throughout May, the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Provider Advisory Board is inviting Pennsylvania child care providers to participate in Imagine a Day Without Child Care. Inspired by the national “A Day Without Child Care,” which takes place every year in May, Imagine a Day Without Child Care offers advocacy activities to engage families, teachers, and staff in early learning programs. Imagine a Day’s Origins Since 2022, Start Strong PA and the Provider Advisory Board have drawn attention to the importance of early care and education providers by strengthening the policy-to-practice feedback loop, and growing the network of providers willing to mobilize and advocate on behalf of the early childhood field. Inspired by the national Day Without Child Care movement, the board introduced A Day Without Child Care to enable child care providers to close on May 13 to advocate for their programs and encourage families to raise awareness for the day. PAB’s Toolkit To support provider participation in Imagine a Day Without Child Care, the Provider Advisory Board releases an annual toolkit that includes: Information on how to reach out to state legislators Samples of prompts to post on social media to raise awareness for the day Tags to include in social media posts Information on how to set up a family engagement station for parents or caregivers to take quick action during drop-off or pickup. Stations can include printable temples that families can use to share their stories. Printable grab-and-go stickers that can be worn on Imagine a Day Without Child Care Learn More On May 13 and throughout the month, Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA are encouraging child care providers to use their voices to advocate for increased funding in the state budget to provide higher wages for early childhood educators. When posting to social media, be sure to tag Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA so these organizations can elevate provider posts and ensure elected officials receive a collective message. Families can also sign a petition to tell their elected officials that they rely on child care and support increased investments in child care wages. To learn more, visit Start Strong PA’s website.
April 15, 2024 Working Together Webinar Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA will host a Working Together webinar in late April that will focus on: Early learning in the 2024-25 state budget Follow up and response to state policymakers Federal advocacy update and opportunities for child care Learn More Speakers will include Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA’s partners: First Up: Champions for Early Education Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children Pennsylvania Child Care Association Pennsylvania Head Start Association Trying Together Participants will learn how to work together to strengthen the state’s early learning system for teachers and programs and grow access to more eligible families. Details The webinar will begin at 12 p.m. on Monday, April 29. Those interested in participating can register in advance for the Zoom webinar. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
April 9, 2024 Take Action to Fix Child Care In February, Gov. Josh Shapiro released his 2024-25 state budget approval. While the governor mentioned proposed investments in pre-K, evidence-based home visiting, and perinatal and child health, his proposal did not directly address the state’s ongoing child care teacher shortage. To accomplish our goal of keeping classrooms open and staffed, we need supporters to send a message to the General Assembly and the governor, telling them to fix child care in the 2024-25 state budget. Details on the Teacher Shortage A September 2023 survey conducted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s PolicyLab – on behalf of Start Strong PA – provided details on the staffing crisis in 762 of Pennsylvania’s child care programs. The survey found that nearly 26,000 additional children could be served at child care programs if they were fully staffed. Additionally, 2,395 open positions have resulted in the closure of 934 classrooms. Lastly, child care providers’ inability to recruit and retain staff is having a direct impact on the quality of programming. As a result, thousands of families are unable to find the care they need to go to work. Take Action Pennsylvania lawmakers can fix this problem by tackling the child care teacher shortage. They must establish and fund a program that will help providers to better recruit and retain staff. Make your voice heard: Send a message to the General Assembly and the governor. Tell them they must fix child care in the 2024-25 state budget. Get Updates By signing on to Trying Together’s Public Policy Agenda, you’ll receive action alerts to advocate on behalf of young children, their families, and the early care and education professionals who interact with them.
July 6, 2023 State Budget Fails to Significantly Invest in Early Care and Education Amid Historic Labor Shortage The principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, recently issued the following statements regarding House Bill 611, which still awaits the signature of the Senate President Pro Tempore and Governor to become the enacted 2023-24 Pennsylvania state budget. ELPA operates four issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins at Home and Thriving PA. First Budget in a Decade to Not Expand Pre-K Counts and State Funding for Head Start “The Pre-K for PA campaign is deeply disappointed by the failure to expand the state’s publicly funded pre-k programs – PA Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program. When nearly 90,000 eligible 3- and 4-year-olds do not have access to these once-in-a-lifetime early learning opportunities, and pre-k and Head Start programs can’t keep teachers in their classrooms because of inadequate reimbursement rates, this budget bill is simply unacceptable. Public investment in high-quality pre-k has historically been a consensus issue in Pennsylvania; aligning political parties, rural, urban and suburban communities, and families across the commonwealth on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that improves the life chances of Pennsylvania’s children. In fact, a February 2023 Susquehanna Polling and Research poll showed that 98% of PA voters believe that early learning is important, and 78% of PA voters support increasing state funding to serve more eligible children in pre-k programs, which was an increase from 65% in 2022. Unfortunately, HB 611 is a noticeable departure from a decade of growing investment in high-quality pre-k and threatens the stability of the early care and education sector and the futures of the 90,000 young children that lack access.” With no new funding and all PA Pre-K Counts contracts up for renewal as part of a complete competitive rebid in FY 2023-24, Pre-K for PA urges the Shapiro Administration to maintain (to the greatest degree possible) the current per county slot allocation to ensure stability in access for our youngest learners.” Budget Fails to Address Historic Labor Shortage & Furthers Impact on Working Families “With a child care sector that is on the brink of collapse, the Start Strong PA Campaign is shocked by the lack of investment to address the child care teacher shortage in the state budget bill. Policymakers ignored calls from chambers of commerce, working parents, child care providers, military leaders and others to stabilize the sector by investing in child care wages. Failing to invest in the workforce, which supports all other sectors, will continue to harm the commonwealth’s children, working families and the overall economy. HB 611 currently allocates slightly more than $100 million in new state funding to maintain the status quo in the child care system. This includes supporting the current child care subsidy caseload and utilization, as well as maintaining the increase in subsidy rates as one-time federal funding lapses. While maintaining the 60th percentile of market rates is important to help alleviate inflationary pressures on child care providers, it has not stabilized the child care workforce. This maintenance of effort of the subsidy system is simply woefully inadequate given the scale of the commonwealth’s child care crisis. Across Pennsylvania, child care providers are closing classrooms and entire programs due to this historic child care teacher shortage. According to a February 2023 Start Strong PA survey of more than 1,000 child care providers across the state, 85% of responding providers had open and unfilled positions amounting to more than 3,600 open staff positions resulting in 1,500 closed classrooms, and a combined waitlist of more than 35,000 children. Low wages within the child care sector are driving this staffing shortage. The average wage of a Pennsylvania child care teacher is less than $12.50/hour. At this earning potential, 21 percent of the child care workforce relies upon Medicaid for their health care coverage and SNAP to put food on the table. There is no county in the commonwealth where this wage covers the cost of living. For families with young children, access to child care is a critical factor in their ability to go to work and ensure their children are in a safe and nurturing environment. Nearly 70 percent of all households with children younger than age 6 have all available caregivers in the workforce—that’s over 537,000 households. For all other business sectors, the child care sector is the workforce behind the workforce. When families can’t get child care, their children suffer, their income drops and the state’s economy is shortchanged. In a time of severe labor shortages and billions in state budget surplus, the commonwealth’s failure to ensure parents have access to child care is a tragic outcome. For all Pennsylvanians, when businesses aren’t fully staffed, or staff are unreliable due to lack of child care, they cannot produce goods or provide services, creating shortages and increasing prices. So, whether one has young children or not, Pennsylvania’s child care crisis should matter to all of us.” Infant and Toddler Early Intervention and Maternal Health Increases Included in Budget “The budget bill also contains an increase of $15.4 million for Infant and Toddler (Part C) Early Intervention in the Department of Human Services budget. This is short of Governor Shapiro’s March budget proposal, which called for a $20.2 million increase. While the additional $15.4 million will serve more children and sustain a rate increase initially achieved through one-time federal stimulus funding, Thriving PA is disappointed more was not done to support the Early Intervention system holistically. This includes solutions to address workforce shortages needed to create a viable and sustained service delivery platform. Additionally, Preschool (Part B) Early Intervention received a $10.4 million increase in the Department of Education budget, which was what Governor Shapiro included in his March request. A $2.3 million increase in the Department of Health budget was included in HB 611 in order to implement recommendations included in the Maternal Mortality Review Commission report. Thriving PA appreciates support for these funds, which will help address maternal mortality and morbidity in Pennsylvania.” Summary House Bill 611, which is not yet the enacted 2023-24 Pennsylvania state budget, includes: Level funding for the state’s Pre-K Counts program. Level funding for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program. Increase of $103,747,000 to maintain the status quo in the child care subsidy program (increases of $13,370,000 million for the state Child Care Assistance line item and $90,377,000 million for the Child Care Services line item). Level-funding for evidence-based home visiting in the Community-Based Family Center line item and $25,000 for the Nurse-Family Partnership line item, which is a technical adjustment from previously enhanced federal matching funds. $15.4 million for the Early Intervention Part C (infants and toddlers) program through DHS. $10.4 million for the Early Intervention Part B (age-three-to-five) program through PDE. Start Strong PA Message to Early Care and Education Professionals, Families, and Advocates Early Care and Education Professionals, Families, and Advocates: You raised your voices time and time again. Our data was strong and compelling, but policymakers have ignored calls from working parents, child care providers, chambers of commerce, military leaders, and others urging investment in child care wages to stabilize the workforce. We feel your frustration and will soon give you an efficient way of communicating with your elected officials about how our child care crisis continues to impact you, your program, the families you serve, and our communities at large. Learn More To learn more, visit the websites for any of the ELPA campaigns: Start Strong PA Pre-K for PA Childhood Begins at Home Thriving PA Source Information for this post was taken directly from the Pre-K for PA press release. Some text may have been added, paraphrased, or adapted for readability and comprehension. Related Content & Resources Trying Together Shares Advocacy Tools for Families and Child Care Providers Child Care Providers and Advocates Ask for Legislative Support in New Video Series Child Care Providers Invited to Participate in ‘Imagine a Day Without Child Care’ Advocacy Organizations Release Report on Rural Early Care and Education Westmoreland County Chamber Hosts Summit to Address Child Care Crisis Trying Together- Early Learning PA Trying Together – Public Policy Agenda Trying Together – Take Action
June 26, 2023 Trying Together Shares Advocacy Tools for Families and Child Care Providers Trying Together has created two new advocacy tools to aid families and child care providers in their efforts to impact state budget negotiations and persuade state legislators to directly invest in the workforce behind the workforce by raising child care wages. Trying Together Advocacy Tools Simple, everyday advocacy efforts often start with quick, common interactions between providers, educators, families, and legislators. Calling your state representative or emailing with waitlisted families are great ways to communicate challenges facing the child care industry and advocate for change. Phone and email scripts can assist on these occasions. For Providers & Families: Phone Scripts for Calls to State Representatives & Legislators For Providers: Email Response to Waitlisted Families Take Action with PennAEYC Tell your legislators how important child care is to you and take action in seconds. The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children (PennAEYC) has constructed a tool that allows you to send an email to your legislators stressing the importance of child care with a single click. Take action now. Additional Advocacy Tools The Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA campaigns, of which Trying Together is a partner, have also compiled advocacy tools for family and provider use. Some of these include: State Fact Sheet: Pre-K in Pennsylvania County Fact Sheets: Pre-K in Pennsylvania County Fact Sheets: Child Care in Pennsylvania Pre-K and Child Care Maps: High-Quality Child Care in Pennsylvania EI Fact Sheet: Infant and Toddler Early Intervention in Pennsylvania Learn More To learn more, visit the Trying Together “Take Action” page.
June 19, 2023 Child Care Providers and Advocates Ask for Legislative Support in New Video Series Trying Together spoke with child care providers and advocates at the 2023 Annual Celebration Dinner on Thursday, April 27 and recently released a video series of the conversations they captured. In this series of 10 videos, providers detail the current staffing crisis and its effect on families. They call on state legislators to support the workforce behind the workforce and raise wages for child care and early learning professionals. Excerpts From Videos: What Did Providers Say? Videos in the series are between approximately 30 seconds and 1:30 seconds long. However, if you’re looking for quick quips, check out the excerpts below. “A huge resource that we need is more high quality teachers.” – Laura Saxon, Carnegie Science Center “We desperately need more staff and we need better wages to retain good staff to take care of our children.” – Tressie Lesnoski, University of Pittsburgh Child Development Center “Without early learning facilities, parents cannot go to work.” – Gwendolyn Marcus, Project Destiny Early Learning Centers “We cannot compete with the wages being offered…. In order for us to be able to compete, we’d have to raise tuition to an astronomical price that would make our child care not affordable to most of our families.” – Denise Burke, Westminster Early Childhood Education Program “…We need to keep our teachers. And in order to keep our teachers, we need to be able to pay them well.” – Lori Feldman, Westminster Early Childhood Education Program “We need more support from our lawmakers and our policymakers so that we can keep the children in programs…and still pay ourselves a livable wage.” – Brandi Allen, Brandi’s Care with Love, LLC “Every family and every child deserves access to a high quality program, and, in order to provide that, we need to provide our child care professionals with a living wage.” – Casey Mindlin, STEM Coding Lab “As a working parent, I am grateful for my children’s early learning program because it gives us a chance to create a better opportunity for our families while we are being ensured that our children are being loved, taught, and cared for while we are working.” – Nachell Henderson, YWCA Homewood-Brushton “I’ve been doing this business for over 30 years, and I’ve seen a definite decline in the staff that we’re able to retain because of pricing.” Joy Simmons, Joy Simmons Family Childcare “The staffing crisis has really affected us and has made it really hard to keep classrooms open…which really puts a burden on the parents, because then they don’t have child care.” – Mary Merryman, Presbyterian Day School Access the Videos To hear more from child care providers and advocates, access the videos below. Laura – We Need Educators https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/laura_-_we_need_educators-720p.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Tressie – Raise ECE Wages https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tressie_-_Raise_ECE_Wages.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Gwen – Support ECE: Backbone of the Community https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Gwen_-_ECE__Backbone_of_the_Community.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Denise – We Need Funds for Higher Wages https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/denise_-_we_need_funds_for_higher_wages-540p.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Lori – Help Us Retain Teachers https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lori_-_we_need_to_keep_our_teachers-360p.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Brandi – We Need Support From Lawmakers https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/brandi_-_we_need_more_support_from_lawmakers.-540p.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Casey – Give Child Care Professionals a Livable Wage https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Casey_-_Give_Child_Care_Professionals_a_Living_Wage.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Nachell – Show Gratitude for Child Care Providers https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/nachell_-_our_children_are_loved_taught_and_cared_for.-720p.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Joy – Help Solve the Staffing Crisis https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/joy_-_seen_a_decline_staff_retention.-360p.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Mary – Help Us Keep Classrooms Open https://tryingtogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mary_-_Help_Us_Keep_Classrooms_Open.mp4 Watch on Vimeo. Learn More To learn more, visit the “Advocacy” tab on the Trying Together website or visit any of the following webpages: Take Action Public Policy Agenda Early Learning PA Early Childhood Funding Map Call it Child Care Resources
May 8, 2023 Child Care Providers Invited to Participate in ‘Imagine a Day Without Child Care’ Throughout the month of May, the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Provider Advisory Board (PAB) is inviting Pennsylvania child care providers to participate in Imagine a Day Without Child Care. Presented in conjunction with the national Day Without Childcare movement on May 8, Imagine a Day Without Child Care offers advocacy activities for providers to engage their teachers, staff, and families in their early learning programs. About PAB and Imagine a Day Without Child Care Since 2022, the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Provider Advisory Board has aimed to elevate the influence of early care and education providers by strengthening the policy-to-practice feedback loop, and growing the network of providers willing to mobilize and advocate on behalf of the early childhood field. Inspired by the Day Without Child Care movement, PAB introduced Imagine a Day Without Child Care to enable child care providers unable to close on May 8 to advocate for their programs and encourage families to raise awareness around the workforce crisis, as they care for children. This year, Imagine a Day Without Child Care will address the following themes: Families on the waiting list aren’t forgotten, and we’re trying everything to get you in our doors. What will higher wages mean for our early childhood educators? How can we give our families and staff an outlet and opportunity to share their stories? Connecting the workforce crisis to those who are affected by it — but might not otherwise realize it — such as business owners. Participate in Imagine a Day Without Child Care To support provider participation in Imagine a Day Without Child Care, PAB developed a toolkit with posters, stickers, social media posts, and an action alert for families—both currently enrolled and on waitlists. Access the toolkit on the Start Strong PA website and join PAB in Imagine A Day Without Child Care. Learn More May 8, and throughout the month of May, Strong Strong PA and Pre-K for PA encourage child care providers to use their voices to advocate for increased funding in the state budget to address higher wages for early childhood educators. Please tag Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA when posting, so these organizations can elevate provider posts and ensure elected officials hear this collective message. To learn more, visit the Start Strong PA website.
April 25, 2023 Advocacy Organizations Release Report on Rural Early Care and Education Trying Together, in partnership with Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA, recently released a report on the current state of early child care and education in Pennsylvania’s rural counties. Entitled, “A Snapshot of the Rural Early Care and Education Landscape: Examining data from 13 counties in Pennsylvania,” the report shows that families in rural Pennsylvania communities have limited access to quality care, despite having a higher proportion of parents in the workforce, and a greater prevalence of long and nontraditional hours and commutes. About Rural Counties and the Rural Early Care and Education Report Authors of the report considered counties in which the number of people per square mile amounted to less than 291 (the statewide average), rural. Of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, 72% met this definition, and just over 162,000 children under five live in them. This report highlights data in the following rural counties: Armstrong, Butler, Centre, Clarion, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, and Washington. It also includes data from Lancaster, Westmoreland, and York counties. These counties aren’t classified as rural based on the population, but include pockets of rural communities facing similar challenges. Report Findings Rural families and child care providers have some of the greatest challenges in accessing and providing child care in Pennsylvania. This is due to the unique realities of rural areas, including fewer high-quality options, distance and travel, limited transportation, higher teacher turnover, fewer qualified individuals living in the region, and lower family incomes. Specifically: Working Families Child Care Needs Nearly every rural county in PA shows a majority of all available parents in the labor force. Seven of the counties reviewed have a higher proportion of working parents than does the state. Over 80% of parents in Butler County are in the workforce, as are three quarters of parents in Indiana and Somerset counties. In rural areas, options for evening, overnight, or weekend hours are scarce, with one parent describing them as non-existent. Child Care Provider Capacity The number of Child Care Works (CCW) subsidy-eligible children who need child care exceeds the licensed capacity in every county reviewed, with the exception of Centre. Families are eligible for the CCW subsidy if their incomes are at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($60,000 for a family of four). Most rural child care programs are not operating at full capacity because they don’t have enough staffing. Statewide home-based providers make up about 30% of licensed programs, yet home-based providers comprise a much higher proportion in some of the rural counties analyzed. In Greene County, home-based providers account for over 70% of licensed options, and for over half in Franklin County. Indiana County home-based providers make up 48% of licensed options, and in Armstrong and Somerset counties, home-based providers are 42% of licensed child care. Public Funding for Child Care and Pre-K The state only serves a quarter of CCW-eligible infants and toddlers. Unfortunately, this figure is even lower in every rural county reviewed. In rural counties, both subsidized and private pay infant and toddler care is difficult to find and afford. Pre-K children are served at much higher rates than infants and toddlers, given that pre-k investments have been more consistent and sustainable. Clarion, Greene, Indiana, and Lawrence counties are serving more than half of their eligible three- and four- year olds. The Child Care Workforce Pennsylvania is experiencing a dramatic decline in teachers from pre-k to 12th grade, and rural communities have been the most significantly impacted by this decline. No county shows median annual earnings above $26,000, with six counties below $20,000 a year. The median earnings fall well under the cost of living in every county. Providers highlighted the difficulty of training staff, especially with changing requirements and when onboarding new employees. Another challenge that providers raised is the lack of mental and behavioral health and early intervention services. Recommendations Early childhood programs can’t continue to operate with their current budgets and expenses. Additionally, middle class families cannot continue to shoulder the brunt of the cost, while child care teachers subsidize the system through their own low wages. Thus, Trying Together, Start Strong PA, and Pre-K for PA recommend the following: Invest long-term, sustainable funding for early childhood educator wages. Conduct further research on family child care needs and choices in rural communities. Support resources and quality for home-based and relative care providers. Increase infant and toddler contracted slots (grants). Move to an alternative cost methodology for setting subsidy rates. Increase early intervention, mental health, and behavioral health resources, and professionals. Provide more support and resources to help rural providers meet training requirements. Learn More To learn more, read the full report.
