Pittsburgh, Pa. − December 3, 2025 − Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Minority Chair of the Senate Education Committee, joined Governor Josh Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, Rep. Joe McAndrew, and leaders in early childhood education on Monday to celebrate the passage of the Child Care Staff Retention and Recruitment Program in the FY25-26 Budget.
“Working parents—especially working moms—cannot go to work unless they have safe, affordable, reliable care for their kids,” said Senator Williams. “Our early childhood care providers do so much more than just babysit—they establish stability and routine, provide an educational foundation sets kids up for future success, and lets parents get to work and provide for their households. This $25 million investment in our childcare workers is a great start toward paying our childcare workers like the keystones of our economy that they are.”
The Child Care Staff Retention and Recruitment Program is based on Senate Bill 506, which was introduced by Senator Williams and Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and was included in the FY25-26 Budget. It provides $25 million in recruitment and retention bonuses for childcare staff across the Commonwealth, an approximately $450 bonus per employee.
Full video of the event can be found here.
Video of Senator Williams’ remarks can be found here.
All photos of the event can be found here.
Additional coverage of Monday’s event:
- Delayed Pa. budget aims to tackle child care workforce crisis | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Shapiro praises raise for child care workers in Pa. budget | 90.5 WESA
- Shapiro visits Verona to tout $25M in funding for child care workers | TribLIVE.com
- In Allegheny County, Governor Shapiro, Lt. Governor Davis, Child Care Workers, and Legislators Highlight New Child Care Recruitment & Retention Bonuses Secured in the 2025-26 Budget
