Six Hearings Across Pennsylvania Lead to 14-Bill Childcare Reform Package

June 3, 2026

HARRISBURG-The Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee convened its sixth hearing examining childcare affordability and accessibility challenges facing families, providers, employers, and communities across the Commonwealth before lawmakers unveiled a 14-bill package designed to improve affordability, expand access, and support childcare providers.

The hearing marked the culmination of a year-long series of discussions held in Montour, Bucks, Allegheny, York, Blair, and Dauphin counties, where lawmakers heard testimony from providers, employers, educators, parents, and policy experts.

"Each community was unique, but the concerns were remarkably consistent," said Policy Committee Chairman Rep. David H. Rowe (R-Snyder/Union/Mifflin/Juniata). "Providers told us they are struggling to find and retain staff. Families shared stories about the difficulty of finding affordable, reliable care. Employers described the impact childcare shortages are having on workforce participation and economic growth."

Rowe noted that the hearing series revealed childcare is not simply a family issue, but also an affordability, workforce, and quality-of-life issue affecting communities across Pennsylvania. Lawmakers used testimony gathered throughout the process to develop a legislative package focused on modernizing regulations, supporting providers, and expanding childcare opportunities while maintaining safety standards.

House Children and Youth Committee Republican Chairwoman Rep. Kate Klunk (R-Hanover), who spearheaded the legislative effort, said the package reflects the experiences and recommendations shared by stakeholders throughout the hearing series.

"When my local YMCA and YWCA came to me upon becoming chair, I asked them what their challenges were, and they were the ones who really started us on this journey," Klunk said. "Today, I'm so very proud that we will be rolling out a 14-bill package that really speaks to everything that we've heard and continue to hear."

Among those testifying was Tina Carter, CEO of the Meadville YMCA, who described the real-world impact of staffing shortages and regulatory barriers on families seeking childcare.

"I have turned away 42 families for summer day camp," Carter testified. "It's not their fault. It's not ours. We just don't have the space or the staff."

Carter emphasized that providers are not seeking to weaken health and safety protections, but rather to create additional pathways for qualified workers and remove burdens that do not improve outcomes for children.

"There's nothing we want more than to make sure every child we have in our program is safe," Carter said. "We're not asking to decline health and safety standards. We're just asking for some leeway and some different alternative pathways."

In his testimony, Greg Moreland, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), said childcare providers are struggling under growing administrative burdens while operating on thin margins.

"Childcare facilities in Pennsylvania are overburdened," Moreland testified. "They're working with shoestring budgets and are consistently asked to do more with less."

Echoing concerns raised by providers throughout the committee's hearing series, Elizabeth Stelle, vice president of policy at the Commonwealth Foundation, testified that Pennsylvania's childcare regulations often prioritize degrees and credentialing requirements over demonstrated experience, limiting opportunities for otherwise qualified individuals to enter or advance within the childcare workforce. She argued that experience, training, and demonstrated competency should be recognized alongside formal education.

"A piece of paper does not make you a high-quality childcare provider," Stelle said.

Anna Claire Flowers, family policy fellow at the Archbridge Institute, testified that Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom nationally in regulatory flexibility for childcare providers.

"Pennsylvania ranks 48th out of the 50 states, third to last in the nation for childcare regulatory freedom," Flowers said.

Following the hearing, lawmakers unveiled a 14-bill childcare reform package aimed at modernizing staffing qualifications, streamlining regulations, expanding provider capacity, reducing administrative burdens, and improving access to affordable childcare for working families across Pennsylvania.

The Policy Committee indicated that stakeholder engagement on childcare issues will continue as legislation advances and additional reforms are considered.

The 14-bill package unveiled by House Republican lawmakers includes reforms to:

1. Modernize staff qualification requirements
2. Clarify volunteer requirements
3. Accommodate before- and after-school programs
4. Improve licensing inspector training
5. Standardize licensing inspections
6. Create fair provisional licensing standards
7. Establish a public child care advisory board
8. Provide start-up grants for new providers
9. Offer low-interest expansion loans
10. Modernize transportation requirements
11. Allow electronic signatures
12. Streamline water safety requirements
13. Reduce unnecessary licensing for part-day educational programs
14. Create study on child care regulations

Watch the full hearing here.
Watch the press conference here.

Representative David H. Rowe
85th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Nancy Nilson
202-641-1233
[email protected]
www.pagoppolicy.com