A strong start to a new era in childcare in PA

A legislator at this week’s launch of Start Strong PA felt a tug on a pantleg and found himself peering into the eyes of a toddler who was asking for a little attention. Responsible grownups who have spent even a little time with little ones know the score.

First, infants and toddlers command attention.

Second, when they need something, you give it.

After a year of careful planning and coalition-building, PCCY was proud and excited to help launch Start Strong PA, a new statewide campaign to ensure infants and toddlers get the care they need during the most critical years of development by increasing support for and improving the quality of child care programs that serve them.

With Start Strong PA, the Commonwealth joins the fevered race to emerge as a national leader for high quality and accessible infant/toddler care. Of course, the urgency with which the campaign will move isn’t about bragging rights, but about the incontrovertible evidence that shows the brain develops faster during the first three years of a child’s life than any other period, laying the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health.

We know the science. We know the need. And we know full well that, as with many of the things children need, any delay means fewer opportunities for success.    

The launch of Start Strong PA, incidentally, occurred on the fifth anniversary of the launch of Pre-K for PA, lauded by legislators and state officials for being a highly effective advocacy campaign. While not a motivator, we do have an advantage for coming out on top in the country—the same partners behind Pre-K for PA are also driving Start Strong.

In just five years, Pre-K for PA transformed a critical issue for families into an overwhelming consensus among both Republican and Democratic voters. With even more compelling research than for pre-K (and the cost of child care continuing to climb), the case for increasing access to quality infant/toddler care is expected to resonate quickly.

It can’t happen fast enough.

Currently, of 116,000 infants and toddlers eligible for state-funded quality child care in the Commonwealth, only 30,000 are enrolled, meaning 74% are unserved. Of those 30,000 enrolled, two-thirds are in programs receiving state funds that are not meeting high-quality standards.

“The weight of the world was on my shoulders until my child got into a high-quality program,” said Lauren Bethea, a mom from Pittsburgh, voicing an all-too familiar pressure that young parents face.  “Waiting for space in a program until your child is 2, 3, or even older before enrollment is not an option for so many families.” Luckily, Lauren’s daughter has been in a high-quality program for nearly two years.

There’s no doubt nothing is better for infants and toddlers than the attentive care of a loving parent. But there’s also no doubt that staying home to raise a child is a luxury few parents can afford; a fact that Harrisburg cannot afford to ignore. 

Budget season is upon us. The Capitol is a flurry of activity with many groups vying for the attention of lawmakers. Yet, Start Strong PA broke through the din at its launch, with a dozen or so state legislators joining parents and campaign partners behind the podium—a strong start to a new era of quality child care in Pennsylvania.

Join our growing coalition of responsible grownups at StartStrongPA.org