northcentralpa.com: LTE: Is there a crisis in childcare?
Ron Frick, President/CEO, Lycoming County United Way
Dec 2, 2020
Healthcare access, educational inequities, and racial disparities are issues that are not new to the United States, but COVID-19 has certainly brought new attention to these issues and others and forced the nonprofit community to speak out and advocate for systemic change. The holes in the dike are opening daily and governments and communities are running out of fingers to plug them.
We clearly need to do better.
Early learning and child-care providers serve families across all socio-economic classes and provide the valuable care needed so parents can go to work and so children have the proper start they need in life. Yet despite the important role many believe they have, many child-care providers are struggling to stay afloat. Under Pennsylvania’s social distancing measures, most child-care providers were required to close in the early days and weeks of the pandemic, and while things have opened up somewhat, many providers have been forced to implement new protocols and work schedules for the parents have also changed and caused disruption for families as well as providers. This has put many high quality programs at risk of closing permanently.
Read the full article here.
Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Programs Level-Funded for Remainder of FY 20-21
Advocacy campaigns continue to push on reimbursement policy and federal stabilization fund
HARRISBURG, PA (November 20, 2020) – The principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, thank the General Assembly for level funding state investments in high-quality pre-k, child care and evidence-based home visiting services to help Pennsylvania’s working families. ELPA operates three issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, and Childhood Begins at Home. Reaction statements from these respective campaigns regarding final FY 2020-21 budget follow.
CHILD CARE
“Start Strong PA is grateful to the General Assembly and the Wolf Administration for continuing to level fund child care through the remainder of the FY 20-21. Knowing that our economy depends on working families and working families depend on high-quality child care, access to these services is a necessity in our economic recovery”
“Start Strong PA is resolved to continue to advocate for additional federal funding to stabilize the child care sector and for subsidy policy that bases child care subsidy payment, during this crisis, on pre-pandemic enrollment. The policy recently released by OCDEL clarifies payment in the case of a class or program closure where there is a COVID case or child cannot attend because they test positive. They have yet however, to make any revision to the policy enacted on September 1st that penalizes providers that suffer the reduction in demand for services associated with COVID compliance or fear of contagion.”
“In a study on COVID-19’s impact on Pennsylvania’s child care sector, Penn State’s Director of Institute of State and Regional Affairs reports an estimated $325 million in new costs and lost revenues for PA providers since the economic shutdown. The PennState study reports that these increased costs and reduced enrollment have put 1,000 more providers at risk of closing”
“Such a contraction of Pennsylvania’s child care sector would jeopardize the healthy development of Pennsylvania’s youngest children and disrupt working families as they navigate the new realities of work and school for the duration of the pandemic and beyond.”
PRE-K
“Level funding for high-quality, publicly funded pre-k shows the legislature’s commitment to preserving the state’s investment in early learning. For nearly a decade, Pennsylvania has expanded access to pre-k every year. During an extraordinary and uncertain budget year, this agreement shows a bipartisan commitment to our youngest learners and working families of Pennsylvania.”
“However, Pennsylvania’s early learning providers have incurred devastating losses over the past 8+ months, while more than 100,000 eligible 3- and 4-year-olds await access to a publicly funded pre-k classroom. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge, these financial losses paired with new expenses and smaller enrollments threaten to collapse the early learning system, at a time when capacity is key to meeting the educational needs of Pennsylvania’s youngest learners. Families of 3- and 4-year-olds seeking high quality pre-k require both education and child care.”
EVIDENCE-BASED HOME VISITING
“Whether it is making sure a newborn is growing appropriately and meeting developmental milestones, that an expectant first-time mother is healthy, or a young child gains early literacy skills, the critical services provided through evidence-based home visiting are more important now than ever, as more and more families face mounting challenges during the pandemic.”
“The Childhood Begins at Home campaign is pleased to see that funding for delivering evidence-based home visiting services was level-funded for the 2020-21 budget. With the closure of the current fiscal year, the six evidence-based home visiting models receiving state funding in Pennsylvania can breathe a collective sigh of relief as payments for services in the current quarter have been delayed since October. Providers and families now have certainty that the much-needed services provided through virtual visits can continue.”
“In addition, the Community Based Family Center line that funds evidence-based home visiting in the state budget did receive a $1 million increase in the final state budget bill. However, this allocation was not to expand services to additional children and families, but instead to preserve federal slots through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV) services as a means to offset the loss of federal funding earlier in the year.”
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“From birth to age 5 early learning is happening, and our coalition of advocates is committed to ensuring that families can access it in high-quality, developmentally appropriate settings. The lack of state resources for early learning creates deep inequity among families at a very early age. Especially during this time of economic uncertainty, we remind lawmakers that these services support working families and that support is an urgent necessity.”
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Longietti honored for Early Childhood Education Caucus leadership
October 19, 2020
State Rep. Mark Longietti is being honored this evening as a “Legislative Champion” by state education advocates for his work as chairman of Pennsylvania’s bipartisan, bicameral Early Childhood Education Caucus.
Longietti, D-Mercer, said his leadership role with the caucus is focused on ensuring that the interests of Pennsylvania’s at-risk children remain a top legislative priority.
“Early education programs benefit young children a hundred different ways beyond the ABCs,” Longietti said. “They make a huge difference in helping kids develop the skills that determine success later in life, from forming friendships and working with peers to developing creative thinking and sharpening problem-solving skills.
“That’s why it’s so critical to ensure all kids have access to these resources. We need to give them an even playing field from the start, because when they don’t have this during their early formative years, it’s very difficult to make that up later.
Read the full article here.
Rep. Pat Harkins named 2020 Early Childhood Education Legislative Champion
Oct 19, 2020
State Rep. Pat Harkins has been named a Legislative Champion by state education advocates for his role in founding the bipartisan, bicameral Early Childhood Education Caucus and his decade-long work promoting the caucus’ mission of protecting at-risk children.
Harkins, D-Erie, said he began organizing the caucus 10 years ago.
“I founded the Early Childhood Education Caucus in 2010, with help from former state Representative Phyllis Mundy, because I realized Pennsylvania’s at-risk kids needed a strong, unified voice in Harrisburg to ensure they received the best possible start in life.”
“I was able to get just about every member to participate and become active members in the caucus, which was no small feat at the time, with depleted budgets that often ran months long and provided much uncertainty and tension among members and the administration. That we succeeded is a testament to lawmakers on both sides of aisle, who understood the importance of the cause.”
“I’m extremely honored to be recognized for this achievement. This caucus has lived on and endured, and it provides great support for our state’s most precious resource – the young students who represent our future. We owe it to them to make sure that as they begin their educational experience, they receive every possible opportunity to succeed.”
STATE REP. PAT HARKINS
Harkins added that his wife, Michelle, is deeply involved in Pre-K programs in the Erie region and that he and Michelle are honored to work with the many excellent programs dedicated to giving children the extra boost they need to thrive and excel.
Read the full article here.
State Representative Michael Schlossberg and State Representative Peter Schweyer Tour Luv N Hugs Learning Center
Child Care Providers Struggle to Remain Open as the Workforce in Northeast PA Returns to Work
ALLENTOWN: (October 22, 2020) – Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Campaign partner the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children hosted a virtual classroom tour at Luv N Hugs Learning Center in Allentown today describing the challenges COVID-19 has caused the child care industry. State Representative Michael Schlossberg and State Representative Peter Schweyer participated in the tour and discussion.
Cereta Johnson, Owner/Director of Luv N Hugs offered a glimpse into the early learning center describing both visually and verbally how providers support our children, families, businesses, and are a critical component to our economic recovery. Joining her in the discussion were Sofia Estrella, Owner/Director of Elevation Learning Center, Betty Druckenmiller, Center Director of Volunteers of America and Cystal Lopez, Director of Kiddie City Learning Center. The message was clear, the child care industry in northeast PA and across Pennsylvania immediately needs substantially more funding so that as the state reopens, they can stay open and our workforce can return to work.
“We have had to make changes to stay open – closing one pre-school classroom and reassigning teaching staff to virtual school support. We expected an increase in enrollments in September but that has yet to occur. Currently we are at about 65% enrollment. I do not feel that confident about whether we will still be here next September.” said Betty Druckenmiller, Director at Volunteers of America.
In a study on COVID-19’s impact on Pennsylvania’s child care sector, Penn State’s Director of Institute of State and Regional Affairs reports an estimated $325 million in new costs and lost revenues for PA providers since the economic shutdown.
“The financial impact, not only for PA child care providers but for the businesses that employ the families those child care providers serve will certainly result in more closures if additional funds do not materialize quickly. With this very real risk that providers across Pennsylvania will close, our state will not have the workforce to be able to effectively recover from this pandemic,” said Kim Early, Public Policy Director, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, who hosted the tour.
In the wake of COVID-related closures, the Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA campaigns — representing tens of thousands of Pennsylvania families — have illustrated the urgent need for relief, as Pennsylvania’s child care providers have incurred devastating losses over the past 6+ months. Stabilizing the Commonwealth’s child care and early learning system is a necessary strategy supporting our overall economic recovery.
The Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns represent thousands of early learning providers and supporters across Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.startstrongpa.org and www.prekforpa.org.
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Representative Jordan Harris Tours Gray’s Ferry Learning Academy, Care-A-Lot Learning Center and Brightside Academy
Child Care Providers Struggle to Remain Open as the Workforce in Southeast PA Returns to Work
PHILADELPHIA, PA: (October 22, 2020) – Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA Campaign partner First Up hosted virtual classroom tours at Gray’s Ferry Learning Academy, Care-A-Lot Learning Center and Brightside Academy in Philadelphia today describing the challenges COVID-19 has caused the child care industry. Senator Anthony Williams staff and Representative Jordan Harris both participated in the tour and discussion.
“Brightside Academy takes pride in the critical role our organization plays in providing peace of mind for families who rely on us to keep their children safe while in a nurturing and educational environment. Providers are facing unprecedented hardships, and many are at risk of closure. The current climate is not sustainable”, stated Sharen Woodley, Regional Vice President of BSA. “COVID-19 has negatively impacted Grey’s Ferry Learning Academy’s enrollment causing a significant reduction in revenues, to the tune of 45%”
Woodley offered a glimpse into the early learning center describing both visually and verbally how providers support our children, families, businesses, and are a critical component to our economic recovery. The child care industry in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania immediately needs substantially more funding so that as the state reopens, they can stay open and our workforce can return to work.
Unis Bey Owner/Director, Gray’s Ferry Learning Academy who just received her STAR 4 designation described an unsustainable situation. “Although my high-quality program has the capacity to serve and prepare 92 children for success, only two of the seven classrooms are being used and even those two classrooms are not full.”
In a study on COVID-19’s impact on Pennsylvania’s child care sector, Penn State’s Director of Institute of State and Regional Affairs reports an estimated $325 million in new costs and lost revenues for PA providers since the economic shutdown.
“Over 300 providers have closed across the state and 1,000 are at risk of closing” said Carol Austin, Executive Director of First Up, who hosted the tour. “What will happen to the 70% of PA children under the age of six who had all adults in their household in the workforce prior to the pandemic? Those adults need child care to return to work.”
In the wake of COVID-related closures, the Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA campaigns — representing tens of thousands of Pennsylvania families — have illustrated the urgent need for relief, as Pennsylvania’s child care providers have incurred devastating losses over the past 6+ months. Stabilizing the Commonwealth’s child care and early learning system is a necessary strategy supporting our overall economic recovery.
The Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns represent thousands of early learning providers and supporters across Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.startstrongpa.org and www.prekforpa.org.
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