When two teachers at a Pottsville early learning center resigned last year for school district jobs, the center’s owner questioned the future.
“How long could we go on serving children and families with the revolving patterns of the loss of teachers? I was devastated,” said Michelle Dallago, founder of the Perception Training Center, which offers Montessori-based education for infants through school-age children.
Advocates say child care in Schuylkill County — and statewide — is in crisis, with centers closing, underpaid teachers leaving and waiting lists growing.
Gov. Josh Shapiro visited the center this week, promoting a program he hopes will make a difference.
“I have seen the power of these early learning centers all across Pennsylvania, and they make a difference in children's lives,” he said. “We haven't invested enough directly in the wonderful souls that are doing this work of educating our children, the teachers who are here at Michelle's early learning center. We need to invest more in them.”
Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal includes a $55 million investment in workforce recruitment and retention grants to increase child care availability. The grants would provide an additional $1,000 annually per employee working in licensed child care centers in the Child Care Works (CCW) Program.
Pennsylvania’s child care system serves more than 300,000 children annually statewide. Providers struggle to hire and retain staff, leading to reduced capacity and long waitlists for families. Child care providers report increasing difficulty in filling positions due to low wages, and many are forced to close classrooms or limit enrollment. Without a competitive wage, it remains difficult to attract and retain qualified early child care educators, according to the state.
Shapiro says he has bipartisan support for the proposal, and Sen. Dave Argall and Rep. Tim Twardzik — both Republicans — joined him at the event at Perception.
“Republicans and Democrats working together, we all support the governor's investment in our child care centers. It's a win for everyone,” Argall said. “When you have something good, you want to invest in it. You don't want to see it go away. It's certainly a win for working families.”
Across Pennsylvania, 3,000 unfilled child care positions leave 25,000 children without access to care. The Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce launched an advocacy campaign two years ago. The number of child care providers in the county has decreased by 20% since 2019.
“The child care staffing crisis has reached critical levels and is affecting employers and working families alike,” said Bob Carl, the president and CEO of the chamber.
The state’s economy loses nearly $3.5 billion annually due to a lack of child care options, according to the Pennsylvania Chamber.
At the Perception center, which has a waiting list of more than 300 children, Dallago tries to pay her employees a competitive wage. But she can’t compete with the benefits from school district positions. She was able to move staff around and eventually staff all her classrooms last year, but she worries about losing other highly qualified staff to other jobs.
“The child care we provide is an essential support for our working families,” she said. “If my teachers are not at work, it's likely that our parents, who rely on us, won't be showing up for work either. Child care is truly the workforce behind the workforce.”
Shapiro visited the preschool program, stopping for high fives and collecting crayon-drawn cards and messages.
"My name's Josh. What's yours?" he asked the children.
The students and guests recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang several patriotic songs.
"So me, that guy, that guy over there, and a whole bunch of folks here, we just want to make sure that kids like you have wonderful places like this to go every day," Shapiro told the students. "Does that sound good?"
