Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Pittsburgh on Monday to tout a provision of the 2026 budget that has gotten little attention but that Shapiro calls “a really wise investment”: a fund to shore up the ranks of child care workers.
The $50.1 billion spending plan signed in November includes $25 million to recruit and retain employees in day care and early-education facilities. An estimated 55,000 employees at licensed facilities participating in Child Care Works, the state’s subsidized child care program, are slated to receive $450 bonuses meant to keep them in the field.
The administration hopes the program will help not just child care workers themselves, but those who depend on them. The administration says there are 3,000 unfilled child care jobs across the state, which translates to 25,000 children who lack access to care.
“Investing in [a child care worker’s] future, by providing them some additional dollars, can then lead to a positive outcome for all of us,” Shapiro said during a visit to Riverview Children’s Center in Verona with Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, and other elected officials.
Ultimately, agreed state Sen. Jay Costa, “The beneficiaries are our families. Our kids are gonna be able to come to a place where they get good quality education and good quality childcare, but at the end of the day, they’re also helping their families be able to participate in our economy.”
The budget also allots an additional $7.5 million for the state’s Pre-K Counts program, which will be used to raise wages, and a $10 million increase for early intervention services to support families with children experiencing developmental delays.
Child daycare workers have one of the lowest levels of average weekly wages nationally and are typically among the nation’s lowest-paid employees, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found. And speakers at Monday’s event said the bonuses are meant to alleviate some of the financial pressure that comes from working in the field.
“Childcare workers are the ones who allow everyone else to get to work knowing that their children are safe, happy, and learning throughout the day,” said state Sen. Lindsey Williams. But, she added, “we don’t pay these childcare workers like they’re the keystone of our economy — and they are.”
She called the budget allocations a “fantastic start” towards improving their wages.
The investments are part of what Shapiro described as the state’s “two-pronged approach” towards making childcare more affordable and available for families. A new earned income tax credit will benefit low- and moderate-income working people, and the expansion of an existing tax credit for child care expenses will also lower childcare costs and put more money back in taxpayers’ pockets, Shapiro said.
During his visit, Shapiro also condemned President Donald Trump’s recent comments about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump used a slur for people with intellectual disabilities to describe the former Democratic vice-presidential nominee.
Asked by a reporter about Trump’s remarks, Shapiro said Trump should follow the examples set by children at the daycare.
“You come to a place like Riverview to learn the lessons we need in life to have a society that is caring, compassionate,” he said. “I wish the president of the United States would spend some time here at Riverview.”
“I think it is shameful conduct,” Shapiro added. “It’s conduct that would get him thrown out of every classroom in America.”