December 12, 2025 - Reading, PA
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh will visit Patton Avenue Learning Center to celebrate a $25 million investment in Governor Josh Shapiro's 2025-26 budget to expand and strengthen the child care workforce with yearly bonuses, while supporting access to high quality child care for families around the Commonwealth. Investing in the child care workforce ensures that families can continue working while children receive the foundation they need to succeed. The Governor's budget secures major investments in the child care workforce through competitive wage increases, recruitment, and retention bonuses for child care workers, including: $25 million for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program, which will provide a $450 bonus per employee at licensed Child Care Works (CCW) providers. These bonuses will support approximately 55,000 child care workers and help stabilize the child care sector; and $7.5 million for Pre-K Counts to help providers raise wages and stabilize the early educator workforce. WHO: Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh Patton Avenue Learning Center Director Yessenia Vasquez Reading Housing Authority CEO Stacey Keppen Opportunity House CEO Alyssa Bushkie WHEN: Media Availability: Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 12:20 PM WHERE: Patton Avenue Learning Center 1000 Patton Ave Reading, PA 19611 MEDIA RSVP: Press interested in attending must RSVP with the name of photographer/reporter to ra-pwdhspressoffice@pa.gov.
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