Erie County Investing in Families Phase I—Educator Retention Awards

The Need

The lack of affordable, quality childcare has been an issue in Erie County for many years. In 2024, the Jefferson Educational Society tasked a team of childcare professionals, led by Court Gould, to develop recommendations for the City of Erie to reverse its dire shortage of affordable, quality childcare. This work culminated in a report, funded by the Erie Community Foundation, entitled Positioning Erie to Prosper and Compete: Child Care School for Infants and Toddlers is Key to Future of Workforce and Economy, released in August 2024. It found that in the City of Erie alone, there was a deficit of 1,542 childcare slots. Using census data, it was extrapolated that there was an approximate deficit of 2,544 across Erie County, including the City of Erie. Many of these childcare slots were not available due to a lack of available early childhood education teachers. Many programs closed due to the lack of available staff; many qualified teachers were leaving the field for higher wages. Phase I of the Erie County Investing in Families program, the Educator Retention Awards, was developed to help subsidize the current workforce and stop this worker attrition.

Why Now

The childcare industry in Erie County, like many other communities across our country, is facing a staffing crisis. Early childhood educators are leaving the field for better paying, less stressful jobs. Now is the most important time to act to prevent further attrition from occurring countywide.

How It’s Done

The Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA) identified childcare as a community need based on the Jefferson Educational Society’s Positioning Erie to Prosper and Compete report. Bringing together members of the report project team, ECGRA and the Northwest Institute of Research, Inc. (NWIR), which operates Early Learning Resource Center Regions 1 & 2, hosted study sessions for Erie County Council to explore the childcare issue within our community.

After these study sessions, Erie County Government realized the need to support the early childhood education industry as a vital tool for economic and workforce development, both for today and for tomorrow.

ECGRA budgeted $1.5 million of the $5 million dollar Erie County Investing in Families allocation to the Educator Retention Awards. To be eligible for an award, employees need to have worked at a STAR 2 or higher facility and been employed for at least one year.

Based on Pennsylvania’s Education and Retention Award program from before the pandemic, these awards also increased the median award given to full-time childcare employees from about $1,500 per individual to $3,750 per individual to increase the impact of the retention awards. The awarded amount is based on Career Pathway levels.

How It’s Funded

The initial funding for this program came from the Erie County Government using available American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. ECGRA provided $2.5 million dollars in funds, which was matched dollar for dollar by the county government for a total of $5 million for all three phases of the Erie County Investing in Families program.

The Innovators

This project could not have happened without the involvement of ECGRA and NWIR, with support from the Jefferson Educational Society’s Early Childcare Investment Policy Initiative Team. This project could also not have occurred without the support of Erie County Government and their understanding of early childhood education as an important driver of economic and workforce development.

The Impact

In May of 2025, ECGRA and Erie County government, with support from the NWIR, announced 59 childcare programs throughout Erie County received $991,785.38 in Educator Retention Awards. This initiative positively impacted 3,056 children and families, as well as 302 early childhood education teachers and directors. A second round of Educator Retention Awards funding will be available this fall using the remaining funds from the $1.5 million dollar allocation, incentivizing teachers who did not meet the one year of service requirement to stay in their jobs to remain with their place of employment.

Phase II of the Erie County Investing in Families, focusing on expansion of existing programs, is entering the application review process in August 2025. Phase III, tentatively scheduled for release in September 2025, will focus on new infrastructure.

Get Involved

The most important takeaway for other counties in Pennsylvania is that local advocacy from childcare providers and associated organizations can drive real impact and real change. Engaging and educating legislators on a local level can have a major positive effect on the childcare community.