Early Learning Professionals Strive to Improve Care with Day-Long Training

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Johnstown, PA (Nov. 11, 2024) – Child care teachers are the workforce behind the workforce. Without them, parents of young children cannot go to work. Quality child care is an essential support for our region’s businesses and workers. On Monday, November 11, 2024, nearly 150 local child care teachers and aides gathered to learn new skills they can take back to their classrooms. Teachers and supervisors from The Learning Lamp’s 17 licensed child care and preschool programs attended.  

The day-long training focused on two topics: supporting children with behavior challenges and professionalism in the workplace. Dr. Essence Allen-Presley of the Education Institute for Early Intervention was the keynote speaker and delivered a presentation that was both dynamic and down to earth. “Dr. P brought real-life scenarios to the table for us to discuss how we would handle them in the classroom both professionally and in ways that are developmentally appropriate,” said Angela Welch, teacher at The Learning Lamp Preschool in Bedford. 

 With The Learning Lamp’s child care centers and preschool classrooms spread out over six counties, having a day when all staff can gather and learn together is a great way to connect, explained Alyssa Wertman, teacher, The Learning Lamp PreK Counts Classroom in Everett. 

“It offers opportunities to unite us together under our common goal—helping to better early care and education for the children we serve,” Wertman shared.  

The All-Staff Training comes at a time when child care providers are operating at reduced capacity due to a shortage of workers. Supporting existing staff with the resources and training they need is one way to ensure working parents can access the stable, high-quality child care they need to go to work and stay on the job.  

“Child care is a necessity for them. Right now, child care is hard to find in our region. Locally, Cambria and Fayette counties are among the top ten in the state for the loss of child care capacity. When care is not available, parents may be forced to leave the workforce,” said Dr. Leah Spangler, president and CEO of The Learning Lamp. “Another local child care program closed just last week. Where are those families going to find care?”” 

In Cambria County alone, 17 child care programs have closed since the pandemic, leaving hundreds of parents scrambling for a new caregiver. Nearly 400 child care seats were lost– about 20% of the county’s child care capacity.

The main issue facing child care programs is a staffing shortage brought on by a combination of factors including stress, increasing behaviors among young children, and teachers leaving the field for higher paying jobs in other industries. By investing in its staff and better equipping them to meet the needs of today’s children, early learning leaders at The Learning Lamp hope to retain its current workforce. Other strategies the organization is using to stabilize staff include:  

• Increased wages 
• Free educational opportunities so teachers can earn new credentials and advance to higher paying jobs 
• Advocating for additional investment into the child care system at the state level 

In addition to investing in its own staff, The Learning Lamps offers many of these same opportunities to other child care programs in our region. Through the Early Childhood Alleghenies Shared Services Hub, other providers can enroll staff in credit-bearing coursework, receive free CPR and First Aid training, and benefit from fundraising, lesson planning, and early childhood mental health assistance. For more information on shared services, visit ecalleghenies.org. To learn more about The Learning Lamp, visit thelearninglamp.org. 

The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high-quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. In 2023, The Learning Lamp and our school-based division Ignite Education Solutions directly served 37,524 children and adults. In addition to our own program locations, we worked with 87 public and private schools in 36 Pennsylvania counties. We also supported 473 child care and community-based youth organizations with free or nearly free shared resources, positively impacting another 44,190 children statewide.  

Our programs include: child care and preschool, after-school programs, tutoring, SAT prep, school staffing, alternative education programs for at-risk students, online learning, credit recovery, drug and alcohol prevention programs, and grant writing and project consulting for schools.