2022-23 Proposed PA Budget Overview

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has released highlights from the 2022-23 proposed Pennsylvania Budget as they pertain to early childhood education professionals.

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Child Care

  • Child Care Services - level-funded (total appropriation of $156.48 million)

    • To support low income families

  • Child Care Assistance - increase of $38,000 (total appropriation of $109.92 million)

    • To support families receiving TANF, Former TANF and SNAP benefits.

    • Combined with increases in federal funds, the $38,000 increase in Child Care Assistance is intended to support the proposed increase in minimum wage to $12 hour.

The budget proposal also supports a new $30 million initiative to establish child care options for state employees intended to eliminate child care as a barrier to employment. This initiative will be led by the Department of General Services.

Early Childhood Education

  • PA Pre-K Counts - increase of $60 million (total appropriation of $302.28 million)

    • To increase the cost per child from $8,750 to $10,000 for full time slots and from $4,375 to $5,000 for part time slots

    • To serve an additional 2,308 children for a total of 30,421 children

  • Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program - increase of $10 million (total appropriation of $79.17 million)

    • $10 million to support increased costs anticipated through the in 2022-23 through 2027-28 grant cycle

    • To continue serving 6,774 children

Together with $175 million in funding increases secured over the past seven years for Early Childhood Education, an additional investment of $70 million in 2022-23 will increase funding for Pre-K Counts by 211% and funding for Head Start Supplemental Assistance by 102% since 2014-15.

Evidence Based Home Visiting and Family Supports

  • Community-Based Family Centers - increase of $15 million (total appropriation $34.55 million)

    • The increase in state funds, combined with available federal funds, will serve approximately 3,500 additional families in 2022-23.

  • Nurse Family Partnership - increase of $95,000 (total appropriation of $13.178 million)

    • Continues Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) Evidence Based Home Visiting services for approximately 2,831 pregnant women and families. The $95,000 increase replaces federal funding received in 2021-22 for COVID-19 response.

Early Intervention

  • Preschool Early Intervention, 3-5 - level-funded (total appropriation of $336.5 million)

    • To serve 63,000 children

Proposed Budget Details

For more details, view OCDEL’s full summary.

NewsHeidi Winkler