Lifting up a quality, affordable child care

The child care crisis facing our country does not take a summer vacation. For working parents of very young children, especially in rural communities of western Pennsylvania, the end-of-the-school-year scramble to find affordable, quality options ratchets up the stress level for parents and providers. 

“For all intents and purposes, many of our families live in a child care desert,” says Kathy Morrell, development director for The Learning Lamp in Johnstown. 

To address the needs of lower-income families with preschoolers, The Learning Lamp has expanded summer programs in New Florence and Connellsville to be a more robust extension of the school year, with an emphasis on continuous learning. 

“We don’t think of this as a playday,” Morrell explained. “We have lesson plans all year long. In the summer we shift into physical activities that pair with those lesson plans, so the kids are more equipped going back or starting school in the fall.” 

Thanks in part to United Way investments, The Learning Lamp has been able to make educational activities feel like playtime for younger kids. This year for example, just days before the start of the summer session, the Laurel Valley campus installed new climbing equipment and a listening center. Children can now enjoy audio books at their own pace, helping build confidence and reading comprehension. 

This comes at a time when many child care providers are eliminating programs or shutting down all together. 

“Child care is in crisis right now. Preschool and child care are severely underfunded. So that leaves most of the burden to pay on the parents,” Morrell says. “When costs rise, which they have, we have no other choice than to pass those costs on. United Way has really filled the gap in terms of supplies and facilities needed.” 

Santana Fry, who oversees the day-to-day operation for The Learning Lamp in Laurel Valley, grew up and went to school in the area.  

“As a mom, I know that child care out here is very limited,” Fry says. “This is a very hardworking area. It is a struggle for a lot of the people around here to find somewhere reputable to take their children. And I personally just feel so grateful to impact the community where I grew up.”