Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Chambers of commerce across Pennsylvania have submitted a letter to state lawmakers urging them to address Pennsylvania’s ongoing child care crisis.
The letter, signed by over 50 chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, calls for state investments that will directly help child care facilities recruit and retain teachers. Alleviating the child care worker shortage means classrooms can stay open or reopen, increasing the availability of child care for tens of thousands of families who need it to remain in the workforce and contribute to Pennsylvania’s overall economy, the letter explains.
During a June 11 press conference at the State Capitol, Schuylkill County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Karl emphasized that low wages in the child care industry are causing a historic teacher shortage, reducing the availability of child care facilities and impacting employers in nearly every sector in the state.
“We’ve been working with child care providers in Schuylkill County for a year now and have heard firsthand the struggles they are having to retain teachers,” Karl said. “Low wages are causing this teacher shortage. We know child care providers need to pay more, especially when unskilled workers are making more than $20 an hour, but we also know parents can’t afford to pay more.”
A new report from the nonprofit ReadyNation surveyed more than 300 working mothers in Pennsylvania and estimated that Pennsylvania’s flawed child care system costs the state an annual economic loss of $2.4 billion in lost income, productivity and tax revenue.
The report found that because the majority of child care responsibilities remain with mothers, the job disruptions, career barriers, and financial burdens caused by inadequate child care are greater for working mothers as a percentage of income than for working parents overall. The annual economic cost of working mothers and fathers addressing gaps in Pennsylvania’s child care system is estimated at $6.65 billion.
In the letter, local chamber of commerce leaders point to many states struggling to navigate a child care worker shortage crisis that has resulted in the closure of child care programs for working families in need and ballooning wait lists: At least 18 states are directly investing in recruitment and retention strategies to address child care worker shortages and ensure the supply of child care workers meets the demand of working families.
You can read the full letter here.
