A group of 60 Pennsylvania local chambers of commerce and economic development associations are urging Gov. Josh Shapiro and state lawmakers to include $284 million in the state budget to fund a comprehensive child care teacher recruitment and retention plan.
In Pennsylvania, the child care sector has faced challenges in retaining and recruiting qualified teachers. Many child care centers are struggling to maintain staffing levels, and parents are encountering extensive waiting lists and unaffordable tuition costs.
“If Pennsylvania wants to be economically competitive, we must have quality, affordable child care options for working parents and grandparents,” Robert S. Carl, Jr., Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said.
Carl calls child care teachers the “workforce behind the workforce” and says a child care recruitment and retention initiative is a critical part of an overall state economic development strategy.
At least 18 other states have solved the child care teacher shortage by investing in recruitment, retention or wage impacting strategies.
The Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce conducted a survey and learned that 62.5 percent of parents have been placed on a waiting list with wait times ranging from a few months to three years. Since 2019, the number of child care providers in Schuylkill County has dropped 20 percent.