MEDIA REPORTS
PA House: Longietti honored for Early Childhood Education Caucus leadership
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.
Your Erie: Rep. Pat Harkins named 2020 Early Childhood Education Legislative Champion
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.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Hershey school proposes a PA network of six free early learning childhood centers with $350 million
The Milton S. Hershey School for poor children, which has faced criticism over how few students it helps despite its riches, has proposed to spend $350 million on six centers throughout Pennsylvania to offer free infant and early childhood services to 900 kids.
South Philly Review: Fiedler hoping to bring funding to childcare centers
State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, whose district covers parts of South Philadelphia, is introducing a bill with state Rep. Mary Jo Daley, a Montgomery County Democrat, to help workers and childcare centers weather the financial crisis. Fiedler is hoping to secure part of the $106 million in funding that the state received as part of the CARES Act.
WHYY: Child care centers in Pa.: bellwether for how tricky it will be to fully reopen economy
“Child care is a business, like all of the others that are struggling through this crisis,” said Jen DeBell, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children. “But this business is the one that everyone else relies upon, to make sure families can work.”
Post-Gazette: Expect more cleaning, temperature-taking, and some masks when child care centers reopen
Closed child care centers will be able to reopen Friday, when the region moves from “red” into the “yellow” partial reopening phase of pandemic mitigation.
Whether they all will choose to reopen, or have enough youngsters to reopen, is another matter.
PennLive: OpEd: Frontline workers in the coronavirus need dependable child care
The current COVID-19 crisis is requiring unprecedented action by both the public and private sectors to not only support our front line workers leading the public health response, but also to support those employees that continue to provide essential, often behind the scenes, services to our communities.
Morning Call: Lehigh Valley child care centers could collapse under coronavirus. Will federal aid rescue the industry?
Smith is like hundreds of child care providers and workers in the region. Their future is uncertain as they hang on in fear that their centers — like so many smaller businesses — might be unable to manage through the health crisis.
CBS 21: PA childcare providers call for economic stimulus
The statewide shutdown has put an economic strain on an important industry: childcare.
Post-Gazette: Pennsylvania child care centers at ‘breaking point’ due to mandated COVID-19 closures
Child care providers throughout Pennsylvania — most of which have been temporarily closed since last week — say they might not be able to reopen for business without direct and immediate state aid, should the closure last beyond a month.
