United Way of Lancaster County will host a “Conversation About OUR Community” this month on access to early childhood education.
The free online forum will take place from 11 a.m. to 12 noon Tuesday, Aug. 20, on Zoom. To register, click here.
By the numbers: Early childhood education in Pa.
- 68% of children aged 0 to 5 have working caregivers and require childcare.
- The average annual cost of infant childcare at a child care center is $12,152.
- The average wage of a childcare worker is less than $26,000/year.
- The average Pre-K teacher salary is $33,120.
Source: “2023 State of Early Care and Education in Pennsylvania,” Pa. Partnerships for Children
It will open with a presentation from Lili Dippner, vice president of education and child development at Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County. She will then take part in a Q&A with three more panelists:
- Senate Alexander, Executive Director, Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning
- Lisa Eckert, Director of Early Learning, Pequea Valley School District
- Lorita Valente, Executive Director of Community Programs, Luthercare
United Way of Lancaster County President & CEO Kate Zimmerman will moderate the discussion.
This edition of “Conversations About OUR Community” is sponsored by Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning.
An offshoot of Milton Hershey School, the Catherine Hershey Schools organization was founded in 2020. It is in the process of building out a network of early learning centers in central Pennsylvania, including three in Lancaster: CHS Elizabethtown, CHS Lancaster City and CHS New Danville.
Each school will serve about 150 children. Children from households with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty line will be eligible to attend.
Advocates say Pennsylvania has a shortage of affordable high-quality early childhood education and have urged state government to increase its support. The long-term benefits to children are significant, but the field’s economics are challenging: The cost to families is high, but wages are low and turnover is substantial.
The 2024-25 state budget provides an increase of $15 million for the Pre-K Counts program, which serves families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level; and $2.7 million more for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
(Editor’s Note: This article was updated to correct the threshold for eligibility to attend Catherine Hershey Schools.)
