Skip Navigation

tag | child care




Waning signups for Pennsylvania child care program could forecast weak economic recovery

A decline in Pennsylvania’s Child Care Works enrollment might be a sign the pandemic has forced low-income families to prioritize home care over earning a paycheck.

By Ed Mahon/Spotlight PA and Kate Giammarise/WESA

Support for WITF is provided by:

Become a WITF sponsor today »


A staffing crisis at Pa. child care centers is upending family routines and slowing the economic recovery

The shortages, caused by low wages and razor-thin profit margins, have ripple effects that reach far beyond the classroom and affect everyone.

By Ed Mahon/Spotlight PA

Childcare industry facing unprecedented challenges

Childcare options in Pennsylvania essentially evaporated in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Merideth Bucher/WITF

The Child Care Crisis

PBS NewsHour presents an in-depth look at how the lack of affordable, quality child care is affecting American families.

By Fred Vigeant/WITF

Underlying all the labor shortages? A ‘crisis’ in the child care sector creating a vicious cycle for working parents

“I’ve been in this industry for 30 years, we’ve always talked about the challenges of hiring … but we’ve never seen this before.”

By Laura Benshoff/WHYY

Pa. sets aside $655 million in federal pandemic relief money for child care programs

Between March 2020 and the end of August 2021, 921 child care providers permanently closed in Pennsylvania and 680 new ones opened.

By Gabriela Martínez/WITF

Five children died in a fire at a Pa. child care home. The tragedy changed state law, but some say more must be done.

A fire in Erie changed the rules for child care facilities across Pennsylvania. Under a new state law, child care operators must meet more stringent fire safety requirements to operate. Inspectors are looking to make sure of it.

By Jan Murphy/PennLive
LOAD MORE