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Surveys Find Devastating Impacts of State Budget Impasse on Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Providers
Surveys Find Devastating Impacts of State Budget Impasse on Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Providers Documented to date: $20 Million in Loans; 4,000 Children Shut Out Harrisburg, PA (October 17, 2025) – Recent surveys conducted by the Pre-K for PA and Start...
SWPA Chambers of Commerce Call on State Lawmakers to Fix the Child Care Teacher Shortage that is Limiting Care Options for Working Parents
Local chamber of commerce leaders, child care teachers and working parents gathered via Zoom to discuss how the ongoing child care teacher shortage, driven by unlivable wages, is forcing classrooms to close and leaving working families scrambling to find care. Participants urged lawmakers to prioritize child care in the 2025-2026 state budget by including Governor Shapiro’s proposal to invest $55 million in a new and recurring Child Care Recruitment and Retention line item to boost the pay of the Commonwealth’s child care teachers by $1,000.
Northeast Times: Op-Ed: Teaching Our Youngest Children Deserves a Living Wage
We are educators, who help young children develop cognitively, physically, emotionally and academically – with benefits to themselves and society that last as long as they live. We are qualified and we do quality work. We deserve to be able to make a decent, living wage doing it.
The Daily Item: Editorial: Funding Early Childhood Education is Always Money Well Spent
New analysis from the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children presents a lot of the same conclusions and data stakeholders have long known about the impact of funding early childhood education. Essentially, you can never go wrong putting money into programs that boost high-quality programs and make them more accessible to more people.
Northeast Times: Op-Ed: Teaching Our Youngest Children Deserves a Living Wage
We are educators, who help young children develop cognitively, physically, emotionally and academically – with benefits to themselves and society that last as long as they live. We are qualified and we do quality work. We deserve to be able to make a decent, living wage doing it.
The Daily Item: Editorial: Funding Early Childhood Education is Always Money Well Spent
New analysis from the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children presents a lot of the same conclusions and data stakeholders have long known about the impact of funding early childhood education. Essentially, you can never go wrong putting money into programs that boost high-quality programs and make them more accessible to more people.
MEDIA CONTACT
Kate Philips
215-850-4647
kphilips@prekforpa.org
EARLY EDUCATION EXPERTS
If you are a reporter looking for comment or background from one of our early education experts, please Kate Philips at kphilips@prekforpa.org.
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Bedford Gazette: Education caucus discusses teacher shortages
The state’s Early Childhood Education Caucus hosted a rally with child care and pre-K students, teachers and parents as well as other advocates to underscore the worsening impacts of the commonwealth’s early learning teacher shortage.
MyChesCo: Shaping the Future of Pennsylvania: Examining Gov. Shapiro’s 2024-25 Budget Proposa
However, the ELPA coalition paints a concerning picture with pre-K classrooms closing throughout the commonwealth due to inadequate wages. These circumstances are forcing pre-k teachers to vacate their chosen field for higher-paying roles in other sectors. The fresh investment planned by the government is undoubtedly a critical initial step towards overcoming this issue.