Child care staffing crisis reaching tipping point in Pa.

Patriot-News - 6/6/2023

Stephanie Vaughan is a full-time worker in sales and a business owner. She’s also a mother of two, and finding quality child care to allow her to carry out her work is critical .

But that’s not easy these days in Pennsylvania with child care centers forced to operate without full staff.

“We love our children, but this has real effects on our jobs, our mental health and businesses that we own,” Vaughan said at a Tuesday rally in the Pennsylvania Capitol Rotunda. “Teachers need to be appropriately incentivized to continue working. Today I’m here to ask that we invest in our kids by investing in our child care workers.”

The average statewide wage for child care workers is $12.43 per hour. While working in child care does not always require a degree, pre-K teachers typically need a bachelor’s degree or higher. As costs rise, the pay rate for child care workers is simply not enough to keep teachers in the field, as Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks County, witnessed firsthand.

“There are nearly 3,600 open staffing positions across Pennsylvania and 50% of child care programs have closed at least one classroom,” Schwank said at the rally. “In my district alone, 1300 kids are on waitlists. This staffing crisis has real ramifications for our economy.”

According to a recent study from ReadyNation and the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, underfunding of the child care system costs Pennsylvania$6.65 billion annually. Economically, the burden falls on parents, employers and taxpayers.

Rep. Shelby Labs, R-Bucks County, a mother and a co-chair of the Early Childhood Education Caucus, spoke about her own experiences in finding quality child care at the rally.

“It makes perfect sense to invest in early learning from a child wellness lens, a workforce lens and an economic lens. We are not only investing in our children, but the future of our economy.” Labs said. “Children with high quality early education are more likely to have greater academic achievement late in life, graduate from high school, obtain a college degree and contribute meaningfully to society.”

Childcare shortfalls increased with the pandemic, as child care centers dealt with masking restrictions, spacial issues and state COVID-19 guidelines. Bob Garrett, CEO of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the economic impact on business leaders and their employees.

“In the employment sector we talk about barriers to employment, it’s also known as the participation rate. The problems we’re hearing about today relating to child care gaps are all too familiar to the business community,” Garrett said. “We live this data every day.”

Sens. Patrick Stefano, R-Fayette County, and Lynda Schlegel Culver, R-Northumberland County, co-sponsored a memorandum, posted on June 1, to establish a Child Care Workforce Commission. The commission would study policies to address concerns of the child care workforce and develop strategies to improve conditions for child care workers.

“This is the best way to find out what it takes, who those people [working in child care] are and what motivates them,” Stefano said.