President Biden and bipartisan majorities in Congress have passed pro-worker legislation to repair roads, bridges, and expand broadband access across our Commonwealth. Now it's time to pass the Build Back Better Act and deliver a real investment in Pennsylvania's working families.
The Build Back Better Framework is an historic investment in Pennsylvanians, and the largest investment in child care and early education in history. This plan will make it easier for parents, especially mothers, to re-enter the workforce and create stability for children in their most formative years.
Here are a few things the Build Back Better Act will do for PA's working families:
Provide access to affordable child care for working families. The average cost of a child care center for a toddler is $11,402, meaning that a Pennsylvania family with two young children would on average spend 22% of the income on child care for one year. The lack of affordable options underscores the 15% gender gap in workforce participation between mothers and fathers in Pennsylvania, and contributes to gender pay inequality. The Build Back Better Framework will enable the Commonwealth to provide access to child care for 737,791 young children (ages 0-5) per year from families earning under 2.5 times the state median income (about $241,946 for a family of 4), and ensure these families pay no more than 7% of their income on high-quality child care.
Provide universal, high-quality, free preschool for every 3- and 4- year-old in America. Today, only 16% of the 244,279 3- and 4- year-olds in Pennsylvania have access to publicly-funded preschool, and it costs about $8,600 per year for those who can't access a publicly-funded program. The Build Back Better Framework will enable the Commonwealth to expand access to free, high-quality preschool to more than 204,716 additional children per year and increase the quality of preschool for children already enrolled. Parents will be able to send their children to the preschool setting of their choice - from public schools to child care providers to Head Start - leading to lifelong educational benefits, allowing more parents to go back to work, and building a stronger foundation for Pennsylvania's future economic competitiveness.