Trying Together Exec Director to Participate in Discussion on How Child Care Shapes PA Economy

Trying Together Executive Director Cara Ciminillo will take part in an upcoming virtual discussion on how child care shapes Pennsylvania’s economy.

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The state Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women will host a virtual discussion on Monday, November 17 on child care’s role in Pennsylvania’s economy. 

The event will be a candid conversation featuring participants from business and economic development, state government, and child care advocacy. It will explore the workforce, policy, and cultural shifts needed to strengthen child care in Pennsylvania.

The state is currently facing a child care crisis that affects every sector of its economy. Due to a shortage of 3,000 child care positions affecting care for more than 25,000 children, families are being forced to choose between cutting work hours or leaving the workforce entirely.

Since nearly 70% of children have working parents and 95% of child care workers are women, the issue is deeply intertwined with women’s economic opportunity.

The virtual discussion will focus on identifying the problem and shaping solutions that help families, employers, and the economy.

Panelists include Ciminillo; Shante Brown, the deputy secretary of the state’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL); Alex Halper, senior vice president of government affairs for the PA Chamber of Business and Industry; and Kevin Schreiber, president and CEO of the York County Economic Alliance.

Tracy Lawless - government affairs counselor for K&L Gates and chairwoman of the Women in the Workforce Subcommittee of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Women - will be the moderator.

Those interested in attending can RSVP online.