By Katie Caples
Community Connections for Children (CCC), York County Economic Alliance (YCEA), and Every Child Has Opportunities (ECHO), announce over $950,000 in grant awards to early childhood education providers in York County, PA.
The funds were awarded through four funding programs, and cumulatively project that approximately 330 additional York County children will be served in high-quality early childhood education programs and 68 new early childhood educators hired. The projects spread across York County, from Hanover to Spring Garden, Mount Wolf to the City of York.
“Now in our second year, ECHO continues to champion high-quality early childhood education, creating ripple effects that benefit children, families, employers, and educators in York County. Through innovation and collaboration, we recognize that access to quality early learning is not just an investment in children – it’s an investment in our community’s economic future,” said Katie Caples, ECHO Director.
ECHO Innovation Grants
Available through Community Connections for Children, 10 early childhood education providers have been selected to receive a total of $429,910 in grants, funded by private dollars through ECHO, for innovative projects that expand the number of children and families served and increase the quality of care and education provided.
- Clinton Family Childcare – Lower Windsor Twp
- Crispus Attucks Association – York City
- Jack and Jill Nursery – Spring Garden Twp
- King’s Country Kids – West Manchester Twp
- Stillmeadow Nazarene Child Care Center – Manchester Twp
- WeeConnect Early Learning Center – Spring Garden Twp
- York Day Early Learning – York City
- York Jewish Community Center – Springfield Twp
- YWCA of Hanover Day Care – Hanover Boro
- YWCA York – York City
This grant program awarded grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 to PA Department of Human Services (DHS) Certified family, group, and center providers and Pre-K Counts grantees located in York County.
BLOOM Start-Up Child Care Forgivable Loans
Available through the BLOOM Business Empowerment Center, a program of the YCEA, four start-up small businesses have been selected to receive a total of $140,000, funded by private dollars through ECHO, for new DHS Certified early childhood education businesses across York County.
- Coleman’s Endless Learning Circle – Manchester Twp
- Ds Little Bees LLC – Manchester Twp
- Gardner ME LLC dba Tiny Muscles – West Manchester Twp
- Kreative Bears Preschool – Spring Garden Twp
This program awarded forgivable loans of up to $20,000 for new home-based providers and up to $40,000 for new center-based providers located in York County.
ECHO Teacher Aide Grants
An early learning apprenticeship program offered by Community Connections for Children, 24 teacher aides receive Child Development Associate training and are paired with experienced mentors and early childhood educators from 14 early childhood education providers across York County. These providers, teacher aides, and mentor teachers have been selected to receive a total of $354,480 in grants, funded by private dollars through ECHO, to attract, upskill, and retain high-quality educators.
- Creative Kids Daycare – Dover Twp
- Community Progress Council – York City
- Crispus Attucks Association – York City
- iCare Youniversity – York City
- Jack and Jill Nursery Inc. – Spring Garden Twp
- Little Bug Learning – Springettsbury Twp
- Otterbein Early Education Center – Mount Wolf Boro
- Stillmeadow Nazarene Child Care Center – Manchester Twp
- Sunshine Christian Daycare and Learning Center LLC – York City
- WeeConnect Early Learning Center – Spring Garden Twp
- York Day Early Learning Center – York City
- York JCC – Gan Rimon Campus – Springfield Twp
- York JCC – Gan Timon Campus – York Twp
- YWCA York – York City
The Child Development Associate training is offered in partnership with Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC). The grant supports providers with salary reimbursement for the teacher aide position, provides the teacher aide and paired mentor teacher with stipend pay, and, in addition to the in-person CDA class, it offers wrap-around support for both the teacher aide and mentor teacher.
ECHO Professional Development Mini-Grants
Available through Community Connections for Children and in its pilot round, this mini-grant program awarded 19 early childhood educators a total of $32,500 through ECHO as they build professional skills, network with peers, and increase knowledge.
- Creative Kids Day Care – Dover Twp
- Crispus Attucks – York City
- Daisy Hill Daycare – Windsor Twp
- First Church of the Brethren CDC – Springettsbury Twp
- Inspiring Imaginations Home Child Care – Goldsboro Boro
- Kidding Around Childcare – Windsor Twp
- King’s Country Kids – West Manchester Twp
- Saint Paul’s Chapel Christian Daycare – York Twp
- Sunshine Christian Daycare and Learning Center – York City
- Valerie Davis Family Daycare – York City
- WeeConnect Early Learning Center – Spring Garden Twp
- York Day Early Learning – York City
This program awards up to $2,000 for educators to attend select regional and national conferences, training, or advocacy opportunities, increasing the quality of education and expanding access to national best practices in early childhood education.
For details on all programs highlighted, visit https://echoyork.org/.
A new round of ECHO Innovation and BLOOM Start-Up early childhood education funding will open on October 1, 2025.
Download the Press Release Here.
ECHO was created in 2024 in direct response to the crisis in early childhood education faced in York County, our Commonwealth, and our Nation. Current providers are operating on average at 85% of typical enrollment due to teacher and workforce shortages. Early childhood education program waitlists average 50-75 children, and many have stopped adding to their lists.
According to Ready Nation, the annual cost of the childcare crisis in Pennsylvania is $6.65 billion and growing. As well, 54% of employers in PA said one of the most significant reasons they lost employees was due to childcare issues. According to American Progress, in Pennsylvania, 57 percent of all residents live in a childcare desert, defined as an area where there are more than three times as many children as licensed childcare slots.
ECHO is administered by Community Connections for Children (CCC) and the York County Economic Alliance (YCEA) with philanthropic support from J. William Warehime Foundation, Powder Mill Foundation, WellSpan Health, Kinsley Foundation, United Way of York County, and York County Community Foundation.
For more information about ECHO, visit www.echoyork.org or contact Katie Caples at kcaples@cccforpa.org or (717) 714-8561.
