PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A bill aimed at addressing the shortage of child care workers in Pennsylvania cleared a key state House committee last week.
“Too many parents in Pennsylvania are forced to reduce their hours or leave the workforce altogether because they cannot find affordable, reliable and quality child care,” said Lehigh Valley Democratic state Rep. Jeanne McNeill, the prime sponsor of the bill.
Her bill would offer retention and recruitment bonuses that average $1,000 per year per teacher. McNeill said this could help fill the 3,000 vacant child care jobs in the state, offering spots for about 25,000 children.
It moved out of the House Children and Youth Committee 16-10, with two Republicans joining all Democrats in favor.
Bucks County-based Republican Joe Hogan said he voted for it because something needs to be done. However, he’s also spoken with a lot of providers who fear it’s not enough.
“And they said, ‘Well, this is great, it’s not going to do a whole lot.’ And I think this is another example of the government creating a problem and the government trying to solve the problem by just throwing more money at the issue,” he said.
Hogan introduced a bill on Friday with Bucks County Republican Shelby Labs that would offer dual enrollment to high school students. It would provide them with an associate degree and certification at graduation, free of cost, as long as they agree to work at a qualified child care facility for a certain amount of time.