Keystone STAR 4 child care provider LOLAs Early Care and Education Center in Homer City welcomed state Rep. Jim Struzzi and Indiana County Sheriff Robert Fyock on Thursday for a tour and conversation discussing the ongoing challenges of the early care and education sector as it faces workforce shortages that are threatening both pre-kindergarten and child care capacity in Pennsylvania.
Also participating in the discussion were Bruce Clash, Pennsylvania state director, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Lindsay Ramsey, assistant director of Policy and Practice at Trying Together; and Tracy Weaver, Outreach and Communications coordinator, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children.
Meghan Strawcutter, executive director of LOLAs Early Care and Education Center, discussed the impact that staffing shortages are having on the children they serve.
“We know turnover has a really negative impact on a child’s development because the most important indicator of a quality program is the teacher in the classroom. The interactions between teachers and children are critical to a child’s healthy development,” said Strawcutter.
Throughout Indiana County and the entire commonwealth, early learning providers are experiencing significant staffing shortages due to a lack of applicants, in part because the average child care worker makes only $10.69 per hour. A March 2022 survey of nearly 1,000 Pennsylvania child care providers indicated that these low wages are not only impacting...
A California lawmaker is suing Sacramento police for falsely accusing her of driving under the influence, saying the case may have been motivated by her tough-on-cops legislation or possibly becaus...