Session Tackles Causes, Impact of Crippling Cambria County Child Care Shortage

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Johnstown, PA (July 19, 2024) – Child care availability in Cambria County plummeted 25 percent since the pandemic. A lack of workers and wages below other industries has closed classrooms and shuttered child care programs, making it harder for employers in Cambria County to fill open jobs. County-wide, there has been a net loss of 17 child care providers since 2019. With fewer providers and 385 fewer child care slots available, working parents of young children are faced with tough decisions.

“Many parents with young children can’t find the care they need so they can go to work. Instead, they’re ending up on long waitlists for care because providers can’t hire the staff they need to enroll more children,” explained Leah Spangler, EdD, President & CEO of The Learning Lamp. “Workers, especially women, are leaving jobs or putting careers on hold because there is not enough child care available to meet demand.”

The Learning Lamp, in partnership with the Cambria Regional Chamber, Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, and Johnstown Area Regional Industries (JARI), is inviting employers, human resources staff, child care providers and workers, elected officials, local foundations, the media, and anyone interested in the child care crisis to join this discussion of the problem and its impact.

A panel session on Cambria County’s Child Care Crisis will be held on Thursday, August 8, 2024 at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. It will examine the causes of the crippling shortage of child care and potential strategies and solutions to address the issue. Andrea Heberlein, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, Linda Thomson, President & CEO of Johnstown Area Regional Industries, and Karen Grimm-Thomas, Early Childhood Educations Strategy Advisor from the Pennsylvania Key, will be on hand to guide the eye-opening discussion and work with attendees to develop actionable steps toward achievable solutions.

The work session will be held at the Penn Highlands Community College Workforce Center, 101 Community College Way, Johnstown, PA. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. for check-in, networking, and a light breakfast. The discussion begins at 10 a.m. and will wrap up at 11:30 a.m. Seating is limited. Attendees are encouraged to pre-register. Call Heather Buchmann at 814-262-0732 x242 or email hbuchmann@thelearninglamp.org.

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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.