HARRISBURG, PA (October 21, 2026) — Pennsylvania leaders, Head Start providers, teachers, and families gathered at the Capitol today to celebrate more than 60 years of Head Start success and to oppose a proposed federal rule that would eliminate many of the standards that make the program work. The event, held in the Main Rotunda and featuring a Pumpkin Patch display, drew bipartisan support from the Early Childhood Education Caucus and highlighted what is at stake for more than 30,000 Pennsylvania children.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a rule that would significantly rewrite Head Start Program Performance Standards governing class size, services for children with disabilities, staffing, health and mental health services, workforce qualifications, transportation, and other critical components of Head Start and Early Head Start. The proposed rule would increase class sizes by 33%, reduce the number of teachers and support staff, weaken health and mental health services, and remove protections against suspension and expulsion.
“By a margin of nearly three to one, Pennsylvania voters oppose the federal government’s proposal to eliminate many of the current federal standards for Head Start. Sixty-five percent of voters oppose eliminating these standards. Only 25% support the proposal,” stated Representative Pat Harkins (D-1), Early Childhood Education Caucus co-chair. “Pennsylvanians understand something fundamental: Head Start works, and the standards that make it work should not be eliminated.”
The polling confirms what advocates have long understood about public sentiment on Head Start. A September 2026 survey conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research found that 82% of Pennsylvania voters support increased funding for Head Start, while a separate survey conducted in March 2026 found that 65% of voters oppose eliminating the program’s federal standards; a margin of nearly three to one. Support for the program has remained consistent across party lines, age groups, and regions of the Commonwealth, underscoring that protecting Head Start is not a partisan issue but a Pennsylvania priority.
“For more than 60 years, Head Start has been a federally funded program that has changed lives. And here in Pennsylvania, we recognized its value and built on it,” described Senator Pat Stefano (R-32), Early Childhood Education Caucus co-chair. “In 2004, the Commonwealth established the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, a state investment to reach more children and families than federal funding alone could allow. That program has been a bipartisan success ever since.”
Speakers emphasized that children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness or trauma, children in foster care, and families in rural communities would be harmed first and worst. The federal proposal comes as Pennsylvania continues to face significant challenges recruiting and retaining early childhood educators. Reducing workforce standards would further complicate efforts to retain and build a stable, skilled, and well-compensated workforce.
“As a working mom, I understand this on a very personal level. I understand the challenge of finding and affording quality care. I understand wanting a consistent, experienced teacher for your child,” shared Representative Shelby Labs (R-143), Early Childhood Education Caucus co-chair. “And I can appreciate the immense stress families feel when they get a notification that a classroom might close due to staffing shortages or a lack of funding. I believe we must ensure the programs we have are stable and strong.”
HHS’s own analysis shows that the projected $2.2 billion in savings would come from reduced staffing, services, and safety protections, meaning expansion would come at the direct expense of quality. Weakening federal standards would undermine both the federal investment and Pennsylvania’s long-standing bipartisan commitment to expanding access to high-quality Head Start services through the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program since 2004.
“Head Start supports over 30,000 Pennsylvania families with parents who are employed, in school, or in job training. The results speak for themselves,” stated Senator Judy Schwank (D-11), Early Childhood Education Caucus co-chair. “Head Start alumni are more likely to be ready for kindergarten, graduate from high school, and secure stable employment. They are the proof that this investment pays a lifetime of dividends.”
Speakers at today’s event included Kara McFalls, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Head Start Association; Senator Judy Schwank; Representative Shelby Labs; Representative Patrick Harkins; Jillian Karman, Head Start teacher and former Head Start parent; Desmond Hunter, former Head Start student and Head Start parent; Nyanda Finley de Santos, Director of Family and Community Engagement at Community Services for Children; and Jhanna Almonte, former Head Start parent.
Advocates urged supporters to contact their members of Congress and share their stories to protect Head Start’s quality standards and full funding.
CONTACT:
Jodi Askins
Pre-K for PA
jodiaskins@gmail.com | 272.444.1860
Kara McFalls
PA Head Start Association
kara@paheadstart.org | 443.336.9222
Harrisburg, PA (September 29, 2026) – Early Learning PA (ELPA) is calling on Pennsylvanians to speak out against proposed federal changes to Head Start that could weaken longstanding standards for quality, health, safety, and staffing for children and families across the Commonwealth. As a coalition of policy and advocacy organizations and experts in the science of child health and early childhood development from across Pennsylvania, we oppose the proposed changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards, which would roll back critical protections for children and families.
The proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would significantly rewrite Head Start Program Performance Standards governing class size, staffing, health and mental health services, workforce qualifications, transportation, and other critical components of Head Start and Early Head Start.
The proposed rule is open for public comment through October 6, 2026. ELPA is urging families, educators, Head Start providers, health and early intervention professionals, and community leaders to submit comments about how the proposed changes could affect Pennsylvania children and families.
Head Start and Early Head Start provide early learning alongside health, developmental, nutrition, and family supports to children and families in communities across Pennsylvania. ELPA believes every Pennsylvania family deserves an early childhood system in which children can thrive from the start through quality care, health, and learning — one that strengthens families and values the professionals who nurture and teach young children.
Structural racism and a history of underinvestment in Black and Brown communities have created inequitable access to these opportunities. ELPA is concerned that weakening consistent federal Head Start standards could deepen those inequities and roll back progress toward ensuring all children have access to the supports they need to thrive. In addition, in some rural communities Head Start is the only child care option, which could leave those families without anywhere to turn to support their ability to go to work.
For more than 60 years, Head Start has been changing children’s lives for the better — providing early learning, health, nutrition, and family supports that help children enter school ready to succeed and help parents work, learn, and build stable futures. In Pennsylvania, Head Start is a critical part of our early care and education system. Recognizing its importance, the Commonwealth has invested dedicated state funding through the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program since 2004 to reach more children and families than federal funding alone allows. Weakening federal standards would undermine both the federal investment and Pennsylvania’s long-standing bipartisan commitment to expanding access to high-quality Head Start services.
HHS describes the proposed changes as a way to give Head Start programs greater flexibility and expand access. However, its own analysis shows that the projected savings would come, in part, from changes to staffing, workforce, health and safety, and other program requirements. ELPA believes expanding access should not come at the expense of the quality and comprehensive supports that have long defined Head Start.
The proposed rule would:
- Increase class sizes and reduce a teacher’s ability to provide individualized care and education by allowing 33% more children per teacher.
- Reduce the number of teachers, home visitors, and support staff, creating a more stressful and less effective environment for learning.
- Weaken health, mental health, and dental care services by rolling back critical screening and service requirements.
- Create new barriers to enrollment for children experiencing homelessness by requiring documentation that is difficult or impossible for some families to obtain, a change that HHS itself estimates will remove 8% of currently enrolled children.
- Endanger children’s safety on buses by lessening requirements for monitors and safety protections.
- Jeopardize services for children with disabilities by weakening requirements for developmental screenings, early intervention referrals, and the specialized supports that help children with disabilities access and succeed in Head Start programs.
- Remove protections against suspension and expulsion, eliminating rules that sharply limit suspensions and prohibit expelling children. Without these protections, children who need support most, including those with disabilities and children experiencing trauma, could be pushed out of Head Start entirely.
“In Pennsylvania, Head Start and Early Head Start serve more than 30,000 children in every single one of our 67 counties. These programs are the backbone of early learning in communities across the Commonwealth, from our largest cities to our most rural towns,” said Kara McFalls, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Head Start Association, a principal partner of Early Learning PA. “This proposal doesn’t just change federal regulations; it could fundamentally change what families can expect from Head Start. Smaller group sizes, qualified educators, comprehensive services, and strong health and safety standards have helped define Head Start for generations. We should strengthen these foundations while expanding access, not ask families to choose between access and quality.”
The proposal also comes as Pennsylvania continues to face significant challenges recruiting and retaining early childhood educators. Reducing federal workforce standards while providing programs greater latitude over staffing could further complicate efforts to build a stable, skilled, and well-compensated early childhood workforce.
“We should absolutely be looking for ways to reach more children and families, but access and quality must go hand in hand,” said Kristen Rotz, President of United Way of Pennsylvania, a principal partner of Early Learning PA. “We cannot meaningfully expand opportunity by placing more young children with fewer educators, reducing comprehensive services, or creating new barriers for families trying to enroll. Head Start has long recognized that children’s learning, health, family stability, and economic security are interconnected. Those are strengths to build upon.”
For families already struggling to afford basic necessities, Head Start is also an important part of the infrastructure that allows parents to work while their children receive early learning and comprehensive supports. Weakening that infrastructure can have consequences far beyond the classroom.
Pennsylvanians have until October 6, 2026, to make their voices heard. ELPA encourages families, educators, Head Start providers, health and early intervention professionals, community leaders, and others who care about Pennsylvania’s youngest children to review the proposed rule and submit public comments opposing the rule and describing how these changes could negatively affect children, families, educators, and communities.
Early Learning PA believes the path forward should expand the number of children who can benefit from Head Start while preserving the quality, safety, comprehensive services, and skilled workforce that have made the program a critical resource for children and families for more than 60 years.
Early Learning PA Principal Partners
- Allies for Children
- Allegheny Prenatal to Three
- Casa San José
- Children First
- Early Intervention Providers Association
- First Up
- Genesis of Pittsburgh
- Healthy Start, Inc. (Pittsburgh)
- Education Law Center – PA
- Maternal and Family Health Services
- Maternity Care Coalition
- Outreach – Center for Community Resources
- PA Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
- PA Coalition for Oral Health
- Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children
- Pennsylvania Child Care Association
- Pennsylvania Head Start Association
- Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children
- Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association
- The Arc of Chester County
- The Arc of Pennsylvania
- The Pennsylvania Parents as Teachers State Office at the Center for Schools and Communities
- Trying Together
- United Way of Pennsylvania
- United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania
About Pre-K for PA
Pre-K for PA launched in 2014 with the vision that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. Learn more at www.prekforpa.org.
About Start Strong PA
Start Strong PA, launched in 2019, supports healthy child development, working families, and the economy by increasing access to and affordability of high-quality child care programs for young children. Learn more at www.startstrongpa.org.
About Thriving PA
Thriving PA is a perinatal and child health campaign launched in 2021 that works to ensure each birthing person, infant, and toddler in Pennsylvania has access to affordable, quality health care. Learn more at www.thrivingpa.org.
About Childhood Begins At Home
Childhood Begins At Home is a statewide campaign launched in 2017 to help policymakers and the public understand the value of evidence-based home visiting and support public investments in the programs. Learn more at www.childhoodbeginsathome.org.
About Early Learning PA (ELPA) – ELPA is a broad-based coalition that advocates for access to voluntary, high-quality early care and education and healthy development opportunities for all Pennsylvania children. ELPA’s public policy agenda focuses on five key components: pre-kindergarten, child care, home visitation, perinatal and child health, and early intervention.
HARRISBURG, PA (July 12, 2026) – Today, the principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates, expressed appreciation for some small steps forward in addressing early education workforce shortages in the 2026–27 state budget. They also emphasized that the commonwealth must do far more to support programs such as infant and toddler Early Intervention to ensure that every Pennsylvania child from birth to age five has access to affordable, high-quality early care and education by 2030.
ELPA operates issue-based advocacy campaigns, including: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins at Home, and Thriving PA. The partners of ELPA issued the following statements regarding the 2026-27 state budget:
Budget Takes a Step Forward in Addressing the Child Care Staffing Crisis
“Start Strong PA appreciates the incremental progress this budget makes to support the child care workforce by building on the $25 million recurring Child Care Recruitment and Retention Program funding with an additional $5 million investment. These funds will support programs in recruiting high-quality applicants and retaining experienced educators.
“Child care is an economic development strategy, workforce participation strategy, and education success strategy. 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.
“While this increase is a step in the right direction, there is much more we can do to help families find and afford child care. Pennsylvania must continue to build a robust early learning sector while working to improve system quality and stability.”
Budget Gives a Slight Boost to Pre-K Counts and Head Start
“Pre-K for PA appreciates the recognition by the Shapiro Administration and General Assembly of the critical role high-quality pre-k plays in supporting children, families and communities across the Commonwealth. The 2026-27 final state budget provides $3.75 million in new state funding for Pre-K Counts and $1.043 million for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program to help stabilize early learning providers by increasing per-child rates – an important investment to help stabilize programs facing rising costs and persistent staffing shortages due to low wages.
“While these funding increases are a meaningful step forward, they fall short of the level needed to fully address the challenges facing Pennsylvania’s early learning system. To meet the growing needs of children and families, policymakers should invest additional funding to strengthen and expand these programs.
“We remain committed to working with policymakers to build on this progress through sustained investments that strengthen the early childhood workforce, address the ongoing teacher recruitment and retention crisis and ensure high-quality early learning programs remain strong, stable and accessible to families across the Commonwealth.”
Early Intervention Funding Cut Creates Uncertainty for Families and Providers
“We are concerned that the final budget includes a $5.2 million cut to infant and toddler Early Intervention in the Department of Human Services budget. Although policymakers have indicated they intend to use remaining funds from the current fiscal year to prevent service reductions, the 2.6% decrease creates confusion and uncertainty for families and providers alike.
“Early Intervention is a critical, federally required component of the early care and education continuum. Children from birth through age five with developmental delays, regardless of family income, must be identified, referred to and provided the services they need to help them and their families reach their fullest potential.
“Our concern is further underscored by OCDEL’s Early Intervention Rate Methodology Study, which found that infant and toddler rates were underfunded by more than $71 million –- nearly 40% – in FY 2022-23. That deficit has continued to grow in the years since – now upwards of $116 million. Without addressing the workforce shortages caused by this ongoing rate deficit, providers will remain severely constrained, making it harder for families to access services their children are entitled to under federal law.
“Early Intervention programs continue to see significant annual increases in the number of children needing these critical services. Moving forward, we will focus our efforts on ensuring families can continue to access the supports their children need.”
2026-27 PA State Budget Includes:
- $5 million in additional funding for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program.
- $3.75 million in additional funding for the Pre-K Counts program.
- $1.043 million in additional funding for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
- $1.129 million for the Child Care Assistance line item.
- Level funding for the Child Care Services line item.
- A $5.2 million reduction in funding for the infant and toddler Early Intervention program in the Department of Human Services budget. The Department is using prior-year funds to keep the program whole and maintain the rate increase provided in fiscal year 2025-26.
- $41.221 million in additional funding for preschool Early Intervention in the Department of Education budget.
- Level funding for evidence-based home visiting in the Community-Based Family Center line item, with a small reduction in the Nurse-Family Partnership line item due to a change in federal matching rates.
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Urge increased state investments for Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program
May 28, 2026 – Standing at their City Center site with two closed classrooms behind them, Early Connections CEO Stacey Hellmann joined state and local leaders today to spotlight an unrelenting child care staffing crisis that is leaving hundreds of Erie County children without care and parents sidelined from the workforce.
“Let me show you what this crisis looks like on the ground, starting right here at our City Center site. Across our four locations, we currently have eight staff vacancies. Here at City Center alone, two classrooms are closed,” shared Hellman. “Recently, we made the heartbreaking decision to close an entire site at John E. Horan Garden Apartments. If every one of our centers were fully staffed today, we could immediately serve an additional 91 children. That is 91 families scrambling for backup care and 91 futures being put on hold.”
An April 2026 survey conducted by the Start Strong PA Campaign of 1,141 child care providers from across Pennsylvania showed that 87% of child care programs reported challenges in recruiting staff and 78% are struggling with teacher shortages. Those shortages are leaving more than 2,600 unfilled positions statewide. Programs could serve an additional 21,917 children if they could recruit and retain the staff they need, and these numbers represent less than 18% of the total open registered programs in Pennsylvania.
Hellman also shared that 38 programs from Erie County responded as part of that 2026 survey. They reported 74 unfilled positions closing 21 classrooms. Another 41 classrooms in these programs are under-enrolled, meaning they are open but cannot take more children due to lack of staff.
“As a chamber, we hear regularly from employers about the difficulty of hiring and retaining workers. Time and time again, one of the most cited pain points impacting working families’ ability to work is the availability of child care,” said Brandon Mendoza, President and CEO of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership. “That is why we have been able to build a coalition of more than 75 local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations advocating for immediate action to stall the exodus of child care teachers.”
As part of the event, Mendoza presented data released by ReadyNation Pennsylvania in a new report noting that these child care issues have a real cost to the economy. The economic analysis shows gaps in Pennsylvania’s child care system now cost the Commonwealth’s economy $6.4 billion annually, including $4.9 billion in costs to working parents and $1.5 billion in costs to Pennsylvania businesses through lost earnings, lost productivity, and extra hiring costs.
“We hear daily from providers and parents across the state. They tell us about classrooms closing because teachers can’t afford to stay. They tell us about parents who are sidelined from the workforce because care is too expensive or simply unavailable,” Kimberly Early, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at PennAEYC said. “Affordability matters, but without educators, there’s no care to afford.”
As part of the event, Early shared new March 2026 Pennsylvania voter polling numbers:
- 78% support increasing state funding for child care staff salaries
- 81% support increasing state funding for pre-k teachers’ salaries
- 82% support increasing state funding for Head Start
“More than half of Pennsylvania residents live in child care deserts, and less than half of Pennsylvania’s child care is considered high quality,” stated Representative Pat Harkins (D-1). “I was happy to support the creation of the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program last year but we still have a lot of work to do for early learning programs and a mandate from the voters to do it.”
The Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program launched in January 2026 with an appropriation of $25 million in the 2025-26 Pennsylvania budget. Program launch highlights include:
- 4,358 child care providers applied in the first year of the program (75% of eligible providers in PA).
- 33,688 child care teachers will receive $645 retention bonuses.
- 4,972 newly hired child care teachers will receive $645 recruitment bonuses.
“Before I was a legislator, I was a teacher,” shared Representative Bob Merski (D-2). “For 16 years, I stood in front of young children in Erie’s Catholic schools, in the Corry School District, and most recently in Erie City Schools. I know what it takes to educate a child. And I know what it takes to keep a classroom staffed. Here’s what I learned: You cannot have a strong classroom without strong teachers. And you cannot keep strong teachers without paying them a living wage.”
Participants shared that the current average wage of a child care teacher in Pennsylvania is $15.23 hour. This wage does not meet the cost of living in any county in Pennsylvania. And it is these low wages that continue driving this staffing crisis.
Event speakers urged that, as part of an enacted 2026-27 budget, the General Assembly must include:
- A $10M increase for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program
- A $2M increase for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program
- A $7.5M increase for Pre-K Counts
Others participating in the event included: Mike Plazony, Board Advisor, GBU Life; Commissioner, PA Early Learning Investment Commission; Board President, Early Connections and Jody Irwin, Director of Benefits, Erie Insurance; Commissioner, PA Early Learning Investment Commission.
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HARRISBURG, PA (February 3, 2026) – Today, the principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, expressed appreciation for the Shapiro Administration’s 2026-27 state budget proposal and its continued focus on children and early education workforce investments, while also highlighting the need for additional support in areas like infant and toddler Early Intervention and home visiting.
ELPA operates issue-based advocacy campaigns, including: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins at Home, and Thriving PA. The partners of ELPA issued the following statements regarding the Governor’s budget proposal:
Budget prioritizes early learning workforce to address on-going child care staffing crisis
“Start Strong PA applauds Governor Shapiro for continuing to prioritize the child care workforce by building on the $25 million recurring Child Care Recruitment and Retention Program funding with an additional $10 million investment. These funds will support programs as they work to recruit quality applicants and retain experienced educators.
“Child care is an economic development strategy, workforce participation strategy, and education success strategy. 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.
“Start Strong PA looks forward to working with the House and Senate to ensure these urgently needed funds are included in the final budget so we can more fully address the child care staffing crisis and its impact on working families and employers. There is always more we can do to help families find and afford child care and build a robust early learning sector while working to improve system quality and stability.”
Proposed budget boosts Pre-K Counts and Head Start rates to tackle ongoing teacher shortage
“Pre-K for PA commends the Shapiro Administration for taking an additional step to confront the longstanding teacher staffing crisis facing the Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental programs. The proposed Pennsylvania 2026-27 state budget’s inclusion of an additional $7.5 million investment for Pre-K Counts and $2 million for Head Start will help stabilize early learning providers by increasing per-child rates – an essential step toward addressing rising costs and chronic staffing challenges driven by persistently low wages.
“For years, higher-paying opportunities in K-12 education and other sectors have pulled qualified educators away from early learning settings, forcing many providers to reduce enrollment or close classrooms altogether. This new funding represents a critical step toward reversing that trend and ensuring that state-funded pre-kindergarten programs remain strong, sustainable, and accessible to families across the state.
Budget proposal fails to recognize needed investments in infant and toddler Early Intervention
“Early Intervention is a critical and federally required component of the early care and education continuum, as all children from birth through age five 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. While the increase for preschool Early Intervention in the Department of Education budget is a needed boost, 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. It is especially disappointing, as the 2024 Early Intervention Rate Methodology Study released by OCDEL found that infant/toddler rates were underfunded by more than $71 million in 2022-23 – almost 40% – a deficit that has continued to grow in the years since. Failing to address the workforce shortages caused by the ongoing rate deficit in the sector severely limits providers, making it harder for families to access services they are entitled to by federal law. We look forward to working with the legislature and the administration to change course and ensure critical investments are made in infant and toddler Early Intervention in the final budget.”
Stagnant funding reduces home visiting services for pregnant women and families with young children
“Home visiting is a vital component of the early childhood landscape, offering pregnant women and families with young children an option for support during the earliest and most critical years of life. For the fourth consecutive year, the proposed state budget level funds evidence-based home visiting programs. Without increased investments to address the rising costs of providing these life-changing services designed to strengthen and support families, local programs will struggle to serve families in their communities without reductions or be able to address longstanding workforce shortages, including factors that affect retention and recruitment. The Childhood Begins at Home campaign views the lack of an increase in the proposed 2026–27 budget as a missed opportunity, particularly as families and communities across Pennsylvania continue to face rising costs for basic needs such as food and housing. Investments in these vital services also help lower human services costs in the long run, and are critically important at a time when costs continue to grow. We will continue working with policymakers in the legislature and the administration to underscore the importance of evidence-based home visiting services for families who face disproportionate barriers to health and well-being, including families living in poverty, and to lay the groundwork for increased investment in the next competitive contract period beginning in July 2027.”
2026-27 PA State Budget Proposal Includes:
- $10 million in additional funding for the Child Care Recruitment and Retention line.
- $7.5 million in additional funding for the Pre-K Counts program.
- $2 million in additional funding for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
- $2.2 million in additional funding for the Child Care Services and $1.6 million for the Child Care Assistance line items.
- A reduction in funding of $5.2 million for the infant and toddler Early Intervention program in the Department of Human Services budget, and an increase of $51.2 million for preschool Early Intervention in the Department of Education budget.
- Level funding for the Community Based Family Centers line and Nurse Family Partnership line.
About Pre-K for PA
Pre-K for PA launched in 2014 with the vision that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. Learn more at www.prekforpa.org.
About Start Strong PA
Start Strong PA launched in 2019 to support healthy child development, working families, and the economy by increasing access to and affordability of high-quality child care programs for young children. Learn more at www.startstrongpa.org.
About Thriving PA
Thriving PA is a perinatal and child health campaign launched in 2021 that works to ensure each birthing person, infant, and toddler in Pennsylvania has access to affordable, quality health care. Learn more at www.thrivingpa.org.
About Childhood Begins At Home
Childhood Begins At Home is a statewide campaign launched in 2017 to help policymakers and the public understand the value of evidence-based home visiting and support public investments in the programs. Learn more at www.childhoodbeginsathome.org.
(Harrisburg, PA) January 14, 2026 – In response to the federal administration’s decision to freeze Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) payments in five states, the Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA campaigns issue the following statement:
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.
This reaction represents a failure of targeted governance. It punishes thousands of responsible providers, jeopardizes the livelihoods of early educators, and destabilizes care for children and families who rely on it. The potential consequences: program closures, workforce dropout, and disruption to children’s routines and their parents’ employment are severe and preventable.
The federal government possesses standard legal and financial controls to investigate fraud and recoup misspent funds without resorting to a freeze that jeopardizes the entire sector of care and education. We call on our federal partners to immediately restore funding flow and employ the precise tools of accountability meant for such situations, rather than imposing collective punishment on states, providers, and working families.
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