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"We need young people to succeed." Congresswoman Susan Wild hosts Allentown forum on child care

September 30, 2019

How do you keep talented staff for high quality child care centers when paying them what they are worth means a center has to price parents out of the market?

That was one of the questions at the heart of a forum Monday evening at the Resurrected Life Community Church in Allentown that attracted about 150 people. The forum was organized by U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, the Lehigh Valley congresswoman who brought in federal, state and local panelists to answer questions from the public and encourage advocacy for more government subsidies for parents who need child care.

Wild said only 27% of children in Pennsylvania who are eligible for Head Start get a spot in the longtime early education program. Those who care about that deficit need to advocate for the programs and vote for lawmakers who support them, she said.

One of the remarks I get most often … is along the lines of ‘Well, nobody helped me so why should my tax dollars go to help other people, or youngsters in the community, when nobody helped me?'" Wild said.

She said the answer is society and the economy depend on an educated workforce. "We need young people to succeed, so they can continue to build our economy and grow our economy," Wild said. "So that people who want to retire someday have a base of working people who are there to help them and the Social Security system. It's really a community-based effort to make our economy continue to work. It starts with making sure people get the education they need."

The Rev. Gregory Edwards, the pastor of Resurrected Life, said there are some public perceptions that low-income parents don't care enough about their kids to provide for good early education. His church runs the Resurrected Life Children's Academy child care center.

"I've never met a parent who was not concerned about the well-being or future of their child," Edwards said, pointing out that many of the children enrolled have parents working two and three jobs.

Panelist U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, who is chairman of the House Education Committee, urged support for the Child Care for Working Families Act, federal legislation that would better subsidize child care for those who can't afford it.

"Frederick Douglass said it's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men," Scott said.

Cynthia McInnis, director of Little Archie's Clubhouse in Allentown said she has talented staff but can't afford to pay them what they are worth.

"I have staff members who are passionate about taking care of children, but I can't pay them enough to take care of their own," McInnis said.

She was echoed by Crystal Lopez, director of early childhood education at Kiddie City Early Learning Center in Allentown, who said it's hard to find and keep qualified staff while keeping the cost affordable for parents.

Panelist Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera said Gov. Tom Wolf has done his best to get more money for education but the system has been underfunded for so long that there is a lot of catching up to do.

"We're pretty much in some areas putting a Band Aid over an open wound," Rivera said. "It's all about the resources that are available."