PennAEYC’s state and federal public policy agenda is focused on ensuring high-quality early care and education opportunities for Pennsylvania’s youngest children and supporting the early care and education workforce.

PennAEYC's Public Policy and Legislative Agenda 2025-2026

PennAEYC’s vision is that each and every Pennsylvania family will have access to high-quality, affordable early childhood care and education opportunities for their children provided by a profession that is valued, well-compensated and supported. Primary attention is devoted to expanding access to high-quality early childhood care and education programs for young children and appropriate compensation and support for the professionals and programs which provide these services. Our public policy and legislative agenda outlines goals for funding increases, as well as changes in policy and practice and regulation and law at the state and federal levels. We will achieve our goals through existing and new partnerships at the local, state and federal levels, including our chapters and membership, state advocacy campaign and coalition partners and NAEYC’s strategic direction.

Current Landscape

The State of Child Care in PA

Pennsylvania’s early care and education system continues to experience staffing shortages, with the most severe being in child care. This is impacting families who need child care in order to work. According to a September 2024 Start Strong PA staffing survey of 1,140 respondents (17.6 percent of total open certified child care programs):

  • 85 percent reported teacher shortages
  • More than 3,000 unfilled staff positions
  • More than 25,300 additional children could have been served at respondents’ sites if they were fully staffed
  • 92 percent reported challenges recruiting teachers
  • 69 percent reported challenges retaining teachers

Low wages are the most significant factor driving the child care staffing crisis. According to the March 2024 Independent Fiscal Office report, the average child care teacher in Pennsylvania earns $15.15/hour. Child care earnings fail to meet the cost of living in all 67 counties. Child care providers cannot afford to pay child care workers more, parents cannot afford to pay a higher price for child care, and child care workers cannot afford to stay in the field.

With one-time American Rescue Plan Act relief having expired, it is more important than ever to build a stronger, more equitable early childhood care and education system with greater investments at the federal and state levels. Without substantial and sustainable investments, child care programs will continue to face these challenges that burden families, the professionals that serve them, and the economy the sector supports. Local chambers of commerce across Pennsylvania recognize that a state investment that directly helps child care providers attract and keep their teachers is vital to maintaining and reopening classrooms and increasing availability of child care for families so that they may remain in the workforce and contribute to the economy.

 

2024 General Election Impact

The November 2024 General Election resulted in more significant changes to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation than in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The U.S. Senate power shifted to the Republican Party, with the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat up for election flipping from Democrat to Republican. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican Party maintained control with two Pennsylvania seats flipping from Democrat to Republican making the current delegation ten Republicans and seven Democrats.

In the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the Democratic Party maintained control of the chamber by one seat. Sixteen new Pennsylvania House of Representative members were elected, 11 Republicans and five Democrats. In the Pennsylvania Senate, four new Pennsylvania Senate members were elected with the Republican Party maintaining control of the chamber, with 28 Republicans and 22 Democrats. One incumbent was defeated, flipping the seat to Republican and a seat held by Republicans flipped to the Democratic Party. Three of the four new senators served in the state House of Representatives prior.

 

PennAEYC will continue its advocacy and will work to achieve the following six public policy goals:

  1. Improve compensation for early childhood professionals
  2. Increase equitable access to developmentally appropriate, high-quality, affordable child care, particularly for each and every infant and toddler and provide more stable and cost-based payments to child care providers
  3. Increase access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs
  4. Implement the Infant/Toddler (Part C) Early Intervention Statewide Advocacy Agenda
  5. Advance policies that support Pennsylvania in reaching an equitable early care and education system
  6. Support high-quality experiences in early childhood care and education programs and school districts for children through grade four

Download our full public policy and legislative agenda to learn more PennAEYC Public Policy Agenda 2025-2026 - FINAL