St. Luke's aims to bring solutions to child care crisis in the Lehigh Valley

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Finding child care is a growing problem in the Lehigh Valley, and the coronavirus pandemic made an already serious situation worse.

Now, an Education Action Committee from St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus, made up of leaders from around the Lehigh Valley, is working to find solutions and educate others about how the problem affects businesses around the region.

The committee will hold a Child Care Workforce Crisis Advocacy event from 8-10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Sacred Heart Campus.

• Education Action Committee will address the child care crisis families are facing around the Lehigh Valley
• The event is from 8-10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6
• It will be at the St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus

The committee said the issue is caused by a few reasons, including staffing shortages, low wages for teachers and people leaving to find jobs in other fields.

Results from a recent survey showed that more than 92% of those types of programs have a staffing shortage.

"When child care programs can't open classrooms or permanently close due to staffing issues, it makes it challenging for parents to work and ultimately places a significant burden on the Lehigh Valley economy and beyond," said Frank Ford, president of St. Luke's Sacred Heart Campus.

“This issue will only grow more serious as time passes,” he added.

The group will discuss child care issues and come up with solutions to address the needs families have right now.

Those from St. Luke’s will be joined by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, the Education Action Committee, Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers, The Greater Valley YMCA, Pinebrook Family Answers-Unconditional Child Care, The Children’s Center, Volunteers of America and CAI.

Register here if you're interested in attending the event.