On Thursday, October 15, Community Connections for Children, United Way of York County, York County Non-Profit Collaborative, and the York County Economic Alliance hosted a webinar, Child Care Affordability in Pennsylvania: A Conversation with State Representative Kate Klunk.
The webinar was focused on providing York County early childhood education providers and broader stakeholders with a clear, practical overview on the 14-bill legislative package proposed by the Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee. The bills, unveiled in June 2026, are aiming to improve child care affordability, expand access, support providers, and address workforce barriers in Pennsylvania.
During the webinar, Katie Caples, ECHO Director at Community Connections for Children, set the stage for the conversation by sharing data and insights on early childhood education challenges in York County, highlighting how the ECHO initiative is working to achieve measurable results in the community, and identifying upcoming opportunities for engagement, including the Early Childhood Education Impact Press Conference & Tour on Thursday, October 29.
Continuing the conversation, Laura O’Grady, Vice President of Impact & Strategy at United Way of York County, led a fireside chat with Rep. Kate Klunk (169th District & Republican Chairwoman for the House Children and Youth Committee).
Rep. Klunk summarized her committee’s series of six hearings held across Pennsylvania over the past year, focused on early childhood education. The hearings provided important context on the challenges providers face and reinforced that child care is an affordability, workforce, and quality-of-life issue affecting communities across the Commonwealth.
The fireside chat transitioned to an overview of the legislative package and a closer look at several key proposals. Rep. Klunk shared that:
“The package reflects the experiences and recommendations shared by stakeholders throughout the hearing series.”
Rep. Klunk provided a high-level overview of the package, along with a more detailed discussion of several bills, including:
- Volunteer Qualifications (proposed as HB 2561) – improve the statutorily definition for volunteers to include a requirement that the Department of Human Services (DHS) accepts PA Department of Education (PDE) clearances for educators.
- Align Regulations for After School Programs (proposed as HB 2562) – improve alignment with DHS regulations on providers who operate after school programs on school properties that adhere to PDE standards.
- Provide Start Up Grants for New Providers (proposed as HB 2567) & Loans for Facility Expansion (proposed as HB 2568) – both are proposed as an initial state allocation of $5 million dollars to support start-up grants for new child care centers and low-interest expansion loans for existing providers.
- Improve Support of Half-Day Programs (proposed as HB 2572) – exempt certain part-day, instruction-only programs in private or religious settings from DHS licensing requirements.
- Resolution for the Joint State Government Commission (proposed as HB 2573) –direct the commission to conduct a comprehensive study of all ECE regulations in Human Services code and make recommendations to reduce redundancy.
Following the fireside chat, the webinar opened for a question-and-answer session. Rep. Klunk addressed the anticipated timeline for introducing the bills, opportunities for parents and providers to engage, potential cost savings for providers, and other related topics.
Rep. Klunk noted that the General Assembly’s current legislative session is nearing its conclusion and that the bills remain in draft form. Various statutes, regulations, and overlapping responsibilities among state departments continue to be reviewed.
The bills would need to be formally introduced in the next legislative session, beginning in 2027. Rep. Klunk expressed hope that additional discussion and input from providers and other stakeholders would help move the proposals forward.
Regarding potential cost reductions, Rep. Klunk shared:
“The package includes regulatory reform and is taking examples from other states who maintain high safety standards while cutting costs to operate, such as insurance and utilities.”
Engagement with policymakers on proposed child care legislation can continue throughout the remainder of this year and into the next legislative session.
Rep. Klunk closed by emphasizing the importance of continued stakeholder input:
“The input from those on the call and from across the Commonwealth is valuable. We want to hear from you. If something in the language won’t work for you, there is certainly room for continued discussion.”
To learn more about the legislative package, please visit the links below:
To inquire or engage with Rep. Klunk on the proposals, please send an e-mail to KKlunk169@pahousegop.com.
The October 15 webinar was organized to be purely informational and give way to dialogue on broader child care policy challenges. The hosting organizations are not endorsing any candidate, legislator, or legislative proposal.
Community Connections for Children, York County Economic Alliance, United Way of York County, and York County Nonprofit Collaborative will continue to monitor the policies and engage providers and officials on recommendations to support the ECE community.
