February 25, 2025 - Pottsville, PA

ADVISORY - Solving the Child Care Shortage: Governor Shapiro Highlights Proposal to Expand Pennsylvania's Child Care Workforce, Support Parents and Families in Schuylkill County

Governor Josh Shapiro visited The Perception Training Center in Pottsville, Schuylkill County to highlight the Governor's 2025-26 proposed budget, which builds on his efforts to make child care more affordable by expanding and strengthening the child care workforce. Governor Shapiro has worked to make child care more affordable over his first two years - and this year's budget proposal works to make child care more available for Pennsylvania families.

The budget proposal builds on Governor Shapiro's first two budgets with a $55 million investment in workforce recruitment and retention grants to increase child care availability and pay these dedicated workers more. These grants would provide an additional $1,000 annually per employee working in licensed child care centers in the Child Care Works (CCW) Program. Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has expanded the Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit, delivering $136 million in savings to over 218,000 families, and created the Employer Child Care Contribution Tax Credit to help businesses contribute to employees' child care costs. These initiatives have been key in helping to make child care more affordable for families all across the Commonwealth.

"My budget proposal places a special emphasis on workforce development - addressing growing workforce shortages across several critical sectors, including child care," said Governor Shapiro. "Right now, we have 3,000 unfilled jobs in child care centers across Pennsylvania and when families can't find safe, affordable child care for their kids, it forces them out of our workforce and hurts our economy. That's why my budget includes $55 million to give child care workers in Pennsylvania at least $1,000 in recruitment or retention bonuses to invest in our workforce and solve this problem."

Speaker list:
Michelle Dallago, Owner and Executive Director of Perception Early Learning, Inc.
Governor Josh Shapiro
Meridith Driscoll, Parent
Bob Carl, President and CEO of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce
Senator David Argall
Representative Tim Twardzik

• Full Advisory