Monroe County’s Childcare Crisis: Who Will Care for Our Children?

Nurturing the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth of young children stands as one of the most challenging yet vital responsibilities within our society. Early childhood educators are the backbone of this work, yet they face a crisis that threatens not only their well-being but the stability of the entire system: they simply cannot afford to stay in the profession.

Many of these dedicated professionals fall into the ALICE category — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. In other words, they work full-time jobs yet still struggle to meet basic living expenses. This financial stress is causing high turnover rates, classroom closures, and widespread instability in early childhood programs.

In Monroe County alone, 97 staff positions remain unfilled, 24 classrooms have closed, and over 1,300 children are stuck on waitlists, unable to access the care and education they need. This isn’t just a childcare issue — it’s a workforce issue. Without early childhood educators, parents cannot work, businesses cannot operate efficiently, and children miss out on critical developmental opportunities. The first step in addressing this crisis is to raise public awareness. Early childhood education is not “just babysitting.” It lays the foundation for lifelong learning, success, and social development. Understanding this is key to driving the legislative changes we urgently need.

We must also advocate directly. Let your legislators know that you support fair compensation for early childhood educators at https://startstrongpa.org/take-action. These professionals deserve a living wage that reflects their value to our children and to our entire community. Supporting our educators is not just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do for our future.

Michael Tukeva
President/CEO Pocono Mountains United Way

Sarah Wallace
Director, Pocono Chamber of Commerce

Chris Barrett
President/CEO Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau