Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Meg Snead joined early childhood educators and community members at the Warwick Child Care Center’s Lionville Center in Exton to thank child care workers for their service to Pennsylvania’s children and working families during the COVID-19 crisis and to discuss the Wolf Administration’s commitment to helping the child care industry recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic.
“For our youngest Pennsylvanians, an early childhood education experience can shape their educational, social, and emotional development throughout their lives. Because of child care and early learning providers who kept their doors open, essential workers had the peace of mind to know their children were safe while they staffed our hospitals, stocked our grocery shelves and responded to our emergency calls,” said Acting Secretary Snead. “A thriving child care industry is foundational to the rest of our economy, and this industry and the dedicated educators who show up every day to help our children grow are essential for our recovery from this pandemic.”
Last month, DHS announced its plan to distribute $655 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to stabilize Pennsylvania’s child care industry. Licensed child care providers are invited to submit applications for one-time grant funding that represents an unprecedented investment in the child care industry and its dedicated workforce. This grant funding can be used to cover expenses, support staff, and provide support to this critical industry that continues to be challenged by the pandemic. Licensed child care providers are invited to apply for funding through January 31, 2022, and more information on the grant funding and how to apply can be found here.
“The $655 million we are investing in child care because of the American Rescue Plan Act will help us stabilize this industry so it can continue to be there for children and families as we move forward,” said Acting Secretary Snead. “Child care and early learning educators and providers have stood by Pennsylvania families throughout this pandemic, and we will stand with them throughout this economic recovery.”
The Wolf Administration also recently announced plans to invest $352 million included in the American Rescue Plan Act for the Child Care Development Fund to support Pennsylvania’s Child Care Works (CCW) program, which helps low income, working families access child care. Beginning January 1, 2022, the funding will increase support for child care providers participating in CCW, ease barriers for parents, and incentivize providers to offer child care in non-traditional hours, helping parents who work second and third shift jobs. Investments in subsidized child care also help more Pennsylvania families access high quality child care no matter where they live or their income.
Additionally, child care providers have received three distinct payments from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, totaling $220 million, the distribution of which was based on the findings of a Penn State study of COVID-19’s impact on Pennsylvania’s child care industry. Earlier this year, Pennsylvania also distributed $303 million from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 to support child care.
The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University found that a child’s environment before and soon after birth “provides powerful experiences that chemically modify certain genes in ways that then define how much and when they are expressed.” And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, early childhood education can protect children against future onset of disease or disability, as well as counteract some socioeconomic disadvantages. Early childhood education, according to the CDC, has also been associated with increases in maternal employment and income; savings in health care costs; improvement in health outcomes associated with education; earnings gains after high school graduation; and better jobs and higher earnings throughout employment years for children participating in these programs.
For more information on child care providers operating during the COVID-19 public health crisis, visit www.findchildcare.pa.gov.