Child care was already unaffordable for 63% of parents. Half of families live in child care deserts. One in 3 working families struggle to find child care. Only 10% of the supply of child care is quality. That’s from a recent article in Forbes Magazine quoting several sources and were from before the COVID Pandemic.

The situation has only gotten more dire as many child care facilities closed and some didn’t re-open.

Quality child care is expensive where it exist, there aren’t enough child care workers and many of them aren’t paid well.

So, what’s the answer?

The Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization for Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, housed at Shippensburg University provides training for child care workers and employers at little cost.

Liz Knouse, Director of Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization for PSSHE, Autumn Alleman, Assistant Director of ECEPDO@PSSHE, and Melissa Ocker, Director, Carlisle Early Education Center, Carlisle, were on Tuesday's Smart Talk.

Child care was already unaffordable for <a href="https://heller.brandeis.edu/news/items/releases/2019/spring-2019-impact-report-joshi-baldiga.html" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://heller.brandeis.edu/news/items/releases/2019/spring-2019-impact-report-joshi-baldiga.html" aria-label="63% of parents">63% of parents</a>. Half of families live in<a href="https://childcaredeserts.org/2018/" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://childcaredeserts.org/2018/" aria-label="child care deserts"> child care deserts</a>. <a href="https://printveela.com/1-in-3-working-families-struggle-to-find-the-child-care-they-desperately-need/" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://printveela.com/1-in-3-working-families-struggle-to-find-the-child-care-they-desperately-need/" aria-label="One in 3">One in 3</a> working families struggle to find child care. Only <a href="https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/documents/seccyd_06.pdf" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/documents/seccyd_06.pdf" aria-label="10% of the supply of child care">10% of the supply of child care</a> is quality. That’s from a recent article in Forbes Magazine quoting several sources and were from before the COVID Pandemic.
The situation has only gotten more dire as many child care facilities closed and some didn’t re-open.
Quality child care is expensive where it exist, there aren’t enough child care workers and many of them aren’t paid well.
So, what’s the answer?
The Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization for Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, housed at Shippensburg University provides training for child care workers and employers at little cost.
Liz Knouse, Director of Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization for PSSHE, Autumn Alleman, Assistant Director of ECEPDO@PSSHE, and Melissa Ocker, Director, Carlisle Early Education Center, Carlisle, were on Tuesday's Smart Talk.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

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