If you’re a working parent in the U S of A, you already know the cost of childcare is out the wazoo. 🥴 Aside from high costs, there’s a bigger problem: not enough childcare workers to make the merry go round. 🎡
How does the shortage of childcare options impact Pennsylvania families? 🤔👨👩👦👦 Read on to find out!
Here’s Five Fast Facts on PA’s child care shortage and the economy:
- 👯 Kid’s Club - Although PA provides publicly funded Pre-K programs, just under half of eligible 3 and 4 year old kiddos participate. Child Care Works, a subsidized child care program, only serves 25% of eligible children under 3. That leaves tens of thousands of PA kids unserved.
- 🧸 Nanny 911 - What’s the reason for these gaps? Experts blame a workforce shortage. Without qualified workers, child care centers either serve less children than they have capacity for, or they close altogether. There’s been a net loss of over 600 child care providers in the Keystone State since 2019.
- 💵 Right in the Paycheck - This shortage comes at a time where PA parents could really use the help. In an estimated 70% of PA families with young children, every parent or guardian works. This has a pretty significant impact on the state’s economy, too. Every year, PA loses over $6 billion in lost employer revenue and lost wage earnings for families.
- 🩹 Band-Aid Slap - To try to fix this problem, PA expanded the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. This allowed households to claim child care costs on their tax returns. However, critics say this is only a short-term fix and doesn’t put much of a dent over the long-term.
- 💰 Fund-amental - Advocates working to solve the childcare workforce shortage want funding for recruitment and retention initiatives in Gov. Shapiro’s 2024-2025 budget. Funding would potentially go towards monthly wage increases and bonuses for staff who stay in their jobs long-term or have specific credentials.
🔥Bottom line: When all the adults in the household hold down jobs, access to quality affordable childcare is an absolute must. Childcare providers also need to get paid for all the hard work they do. Let’s hope this shortage gets turned around in two shakes of a cat’s whiskers. Need something fun to do with the fam? Check out this list of October happenings in PA!
Is your family impacted by the child care shortage?
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