NEWS ROOM
Early Education Budget Investments Make Progress on Teacher Shortage Crisis
Today, the principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, applauded the 2025-26 state budget’s focus on children and early education workforce investments, vital commitments finalized after prolonged negotiations.
Pennsylvania Head Start Providers Celebrate 60 Years, Sound Alarm on Budget Crisis Jeopardizing Early Learning
Today, the Pennsylvania Head Start Association, alongside bipartisan legislative leaders and providers from across the state, celebrated the 60th anniversary of the national Head Start program while issuing an urgent warning about the devastating impact of the ongoing state budget impasse and federal government shutdown on early childhood education.
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.
LOGO FILES
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.


