Episode 11: The Pandemic Perspective: The Challenges and Opportunities of the Childcare System

Summary: This month, we return to our Pandemic Perspective series and explore the state of the childcare system in Pennsylvania during the pandemic. We discuss the challenges and opportunities to funding, access, and quality for the childcare system. We spoke to Karen Grimm-Thomas (https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-grimm-thomas-28055865/), Director of External Relations at the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) (https://www.education.pa.gov/Early%20Learning/Pages/default.aspx), and Philip Sirinides (https://harrisburg.psu.edu/faculty-and-staff/philip-sirinides-phd), Associate Professor of Education in the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education (https://harrisburg.psu.edu/behavioral-sciences-and-education) and Director of the Institute of State and Regional Affairs (ISRA) (https://isra.hbg.psu.edu/) at Penn State Harrisburg (https://harrisburg.psu.edu/), about the impact that the pandemic has had on childcare providers and families throughout Pennsylvania. OCDEL is a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that focuses on creating opportunities for the commonwealth's youngest citizens to develop and learn to their fullest potential. The Institute of State and Regional Affairs leverages Penn State's unbiased data expertise and the resources to provide multifaceted data and research support services to partners in government and the private sector. Episode Resources * ISRA's Report on the Impact of COVID-19 on Pennsylvania Child Care (https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/resources/eeaaff20-6ead-4c61-a8ea-dfa06b714f21) * ISRA's Report on the Cost of Childcare in Pennsylvania (https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/resources/8b92d196-bb9e-44bf-aef2-cac1c059084a) * Breakdown About OCDEL's COVID-19 Funding (https://www.pakeys.org/ececaresactfundingcontacts/) The transcript for this episode is available here (https://evidence2impact.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Childcare-in-PA-During-COVID-19-Episode_.pdf).