Shusterman Hoping To Increase PA's Early Childhood Teacher Numbers

PAOLI, PA — State Rep. Melissa Shusterman wanted to help get more early childhood education teachers working in Pennsylvania and is planning to introduce a package to do just that.

According to Shusterman's office, a 2023 survey showed more than 4,000 open staff positions that must be filled in Pennsylvania’s childcare centers.

Due to the lack of staff, half of child care centers have closed at least one classroom, and 85 percent of centers reported staffing shortages.

The Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children reports that these staffing shortages are primarily caused by low wages. According to the March 2024 Independent Fiscal Office report, the average child care teacher in Pennsylvania earns $15.15 per hour.

Child care earnings fail to meet the cost of living in all 67 counties.

The national median income for teachers is $36,350, yet in Pennsylvania, the median teacher’s salary falls behind at only $28,000.

While recent state budgets have included funding increases in early childhood education, Shusterman said they do not go far enough to target the wage increases needed to recruit and retain staff who provide for the child care needs of working families and the educational needs of our youngest children.

"Employers need workers and working families need childcare they can afford," Shusterman, D-Chester, said. "Many families pay as much for child care as they do for rent or a mortgage. Increasing the wages of our child care professionals can not be solved by increasing the costs families pay. To address this crisis, our Commonwealth must step up with more solutions to support working families and grow our workforce."

Shusterman's package of bills aim to help improve access to child care through salary supplements for early childhood education professionals, pay parity across certification grade spans, and an early childhood educator tuition assistance program.

Additionally, Shusterman is proposing a grant program to facilitate child care access in rural counties through a public-private sector partnership.

In 2023, a bill Shusterman introduced with Rep. Tina Davis to expand Pennsylvania's Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit was folded into the state’s budget. Since then, it has significantly increased the percentage taxpayers can claim as a credit on their state tax return. While the tax credit is one tool to assist working families, Shusterman said it is not enough to solve the child care crisis and that the state must take additional, substantial action.