BOYERTOWN, PA — Pennsylvania is seeking to expand child care capacity and keep more parents in the workforce through additional funding for child care worker recruitment and retention, as the industry continues to face staffing shortages that limit access to care across the state.
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh visited Boyertown Children’s Center in Montgomery County on Tuesday to highlight the Shapiro administration’s child care workforce investments, including a proposed $10 million increase that would bring total state funding for recruitment and retention grants to $35 million.
The proposed funding follows a $25 million investment included in the 2025-26 state budget that provided retention bonuses of up to $645 to nearly 39,000 child care employees statewide.
The administration argues that workforce shortages remain one of the biggest barriers to expanding child care access. Pennsylvania currently has roughly 2,600 unfilled child care positions, vacancies that state officials estimate prevent providers from serving nearly 22,000 additional children. Providers continue to report difficulties recruiting and retaining workers because of low wages, forcing some centers to close classrooms and turn away families.
“Early learning and child care programs like Boyertown Children’s Center are the workforce behind our Commonwealth’s workforce,” Arkoosh said. “Our dedicated, passionate child care workers are the ones who make that possible.”
The proposed funding increase is part of Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget plan, which builds on several child care initiatives enacted during his administration. Those efforts include a recruitment and retention program for child care workers, increased funding for Pre-K Counts and Early Intervention services, and an expansion of Pennsylvania’s Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit.
State officials said the tax credit expansion increased Pennsylvania’s match from 30% to 100% of the federal credit, raising the maximum family benefit from $630 to $2,100. The program delivered approximately $139 million to nearly 222,000 working families last year, according to the administration.
The administration also cited nearly $117 million secured across Shapiro’s first two budgets for the Child Care Works program, which helps subsidize child care costs for up to 80,000 low-income families annually.
Montgomery County Commissioner Jamila Winder said child care workforce investments have broader economic implications beyond the education sector.
“Childcare is not a luxury; it is essential to working families and to our economy,” Winder said. “We’ve seen how investments in the childcare workforce keep centers open, support parents, and give children a strong start.”
The event was held at Boyertown Children’s Center, a four-star Keystone STARS facility that serves about 63 children annually and employs up to 18 full-time staff members. The center has received $10,320 through the state’s child care staff recruitment and retention bonus program.
“The Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention bonus we received this year helps this become a little more obtainable and retain the teachers and staff who help provide a safe, loving learning environment for our children,” said Angie Miller, the center’s director.
The administration’s proposed budget, which requires legislative approval, would continue targeting workforce shortages as a strategy to expand child care availability and support labor force participation across Pennsylvania.
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