Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

Pennsylvania House Bill HB1653

Introduced
6/24/25  

Caption

In children and youth, providing for child-care center assistance grants.

Impact

The bill aims to address the shortage of child-care facilities in low-population density areas by facilitating grants for establishing new centers. These grants can be used for physical improvements such as land purchase, construction, and renovation of facilities, along with financial support for staffing. By creating more child-care options in rural regions, this legislation is expected to directly benefit both children and working families, as well as promote early childhood education initiatives that are essential for community development.

Summary

House Bill 1653 establishes a framework for providing assistance grants to child-care centers in rural Pennsylvania. The bill aims to support nonprofit early childhood education organizations and public school districts by offering competitive grants to enhance or establish child-care services in counties where child care is scarce. This initiative is particularly critical in rural areas, which often face significant challenges in accessing sufficient child-care facilities, thereby impacting families and their ability to work or pursue education.

Sentiment

The sentiment towards HB 1653 is largely positive among its proponents, particularly from those advocating for early childhood education and rural development. Supporters emphasize the necessity of such funding, viewing it as a vital step towards improving access to quality education and care for young children in underserved communities. However, there may be concerns expressed regarding the adequacy of funding and the ability of rural schools to manage new centers effectively.

Contention

Despite the overall support, there are notable points of contention surrounding the bill. Critics may be wary of how grant funds will be administered and whether they will determine effective use without leading to potential shortfalls in other educational funding areas. Additionally, the challenges of maintaining quality standards and adequate staffing levels in newly established child-care centers could also be sources of debate. Ensuring that salary supplements for staff genuinely reflect the necessary market conditions while maintaining sustainability for funded centers remains a critical issue.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

PA HB2642

In children and youth, providing for child-care center assistance grants.

PA SB168

In children and youth, further providing for payments to counties for services to children and for review of county submissions.

PA SB167

In children and youth, providing for purpose.

PA HB411

In children and youth, providing for Statewide children's mental health ombudsman.

PA HB1600

In children and youth, further providing for availability of services, providing for purposes, further providing for payments to counties for services to children, for review of county submissions and for statistics and assistance for research, providing for ensuring safe and humane institutional practices and further providing for study of delinquents and recommendations to courts; and, in departmental powers and duties as to licensing, further providing for refusal to issue license, revocation and notice.

PA HB494

Providing standards for carbon monoxide alarms in child care centers and family child care homes; and imposing penalties.

PA HB1351

In public assistance, further providing for medical assistance payments for institutional care and providing for emergency transportation services and for case-mix rates for nursing facilities; in Statewide quality care assessment, further providing for definitions, for implementation, for administration, for restricted account and for expiration; continuing the Pennsylvania Rural Health Redesign Center Authority and the Pennsylvania Rural Health Redesign Center Fund; and making a repeal.

PA HB2082

Providing for the treatment and prevention of anaphylaxis in child care centers.

PA HB301

In preliminary provisions, further providing for special provisions applicable to limited school years; in duties and powers of board of school directors, further providing for additional schools and departments; in grounds and buildings, further providing for limitation on new applications for Department of Education approval of public school building projects; in school directors' associations and county boards of school directors, further providing for powers and duties; in intermediate units, further providing for visual services and for school safety and security enhancements; in certification of teachers, further providing for substitute teaching permit for prospective teachers and for locally issued temporary certification for substitute teachers, repealing provisions relating to permit for classroom monitors and providing for permit for classroom monitors; providing for the Educator Pipeline Support Grant Program; in pupils and attendance, further providing for compulsory education of physical defectives, for school lunch and breakfast reimbursement, for dependent children, for actual cost of tuition and maintenance of certain exceptional children in the four chartered schools for education of the deaf and the blind, for payment of cost of tuition and maintenance of certain exceptional children, for transfer of funds for transferal programs and for children under six with defective hearing and parent or guardian advised of schools, etc.; in safe schools, further providing for definitions and for Office for Safe Schools, repealing provisions relating to regulations and to reporting, further providing for policy relating to bullying and for maintenance of records and repealing provisions relating to Safe Schools Advocate in School Districts of the First Class, to standing, to enforcement and to construction of article and other laws; in school safety and security, further providing for definitions and for school safety and security committee, providing for duties of committee, further providing for School Safety and Security Grant Program, providing for Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools and School Entities Program, for standardized protocols, for county safe schools' collaborative and for school mental health grants for 2023-2024 school year, further providing for school safety and security coordinator training and providing for reporting and memorandum of understanding, for safe schools advocate in school districts of the first class and for enforcement; in school security, further providing for definitions, for school police officers, for annual report and for school security guards; in character education program, further providing for character education program; in community colleges, further providing for financial program and reimbursement of payments; in educational tax credits, further providing for definitions, for qualification and application by organizations and for limitations; in school districts of the first class, further providing for qualifications of principals and teachers; in funding for public libraries, providing for State aid for fiscal year 2023-2024; in reimbursements by Commonwealth and between school districts, further providing for definitions and for payments on account of pupils enrolled in career and technical curriculums, for payments on account of courses for exceptional children, for payments to intermediate units, for assistance to school districts declared to be in financial recovery status or identified for financial watch status, for payments, for payments on account of pupil transportation, for Ready-to-Learn Block Grant and for payment of required contribution for public school employees' Social Security; in construction and renovation of buildings by school entities, further providing for applicability; providing for School Environmental Repairs Program; and making an editorial change.

PA HB27

In preliminary provisions, further providing for Basic Education Funding Commission and for special provisions applicable to limited school years, establishing the Child Reunification Program in the Department of Education and providing for minimum number of days or hours, for public job posting database, for instructional vacancy data and for data transparency; in duties and powers of boards of school directors, further providing for additional schools and departments; in school finances, providing for school district budget timeline for 2024 and for procedure for securing approval of electors; in grounds and buildings, further providing for limitation on new applications for Department of Education approval of public school building projects; in school directors' associations and county boards of school directors, further providing for powers and duties; in intermediate units, further providing for visual services and for school safety and security enhancements; in professional employees, repealing provisions relating to religious garb, insignia, etc., prohibited and penalty; in certification of teachers, further providing for substitute teaching permit for prospective teachers, for locally issued temporary certification for substitute teachers and for permit for classroom monitors; providing for Educator Pipeline Support Grant Program; in pupils and attendance, further providing for compulsory education of physical defectives, for dependent children, for cost of tuition and maintenance of certain exceptional children in approved institutions, for payment of cost of tuition and maintenance of certain exceptional children, for transfer of funds for transferal programs and for children under six with defective hearing and parent or guardian advised of schools, etc.; in safe schools, further providing for definitions and for Office for Safe Schools, repealing provisions relating to regulations and to reporting, further providing for policy relating to bullying and for maintenance of records, repealing provisions relating to safe schools advocate in school districts of the first class, to standing, to enforcement and to construction of article and other laws; in school safety and security, further providing for definitions and for School Safety and Security Committee, providing for duties of committee, further providing for School Safety and Security Grant Program, providing for Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools and School Entities Program, for standardized protocols, for county safe schools' collaborative and for school mental health grants for 2023-2024 school year, further providing for school safety and security coordinator training and providing for reporting and memorandum of understanding, for safe schools advocate in school districts of the first class and for enforcement; in school security, further providing for definitions, for school police officers, for annual report and for school security guards; in school health services, further providing for dental examinations and dental hygiene services and providing for eating disorder awareness and education; in drug and alcohol recovery high school program, providing for enrollment of students; in terms and courses of study, providing for calculation of average daily membership for a dual credit course and further providing for Economic Education and Personal Financial Literacy Programs; in early learning programs, providing for quarterly meetings; in character education program, further providing for character education program; providing for the Dual Credit Innovation and Equity Grant Program; in high schools, further providing for attendance in other districts; in community colleges, further providing for financial program and reimbursement of payments; in educational tax credits, further providing for qualification and application by organizations, for limitations and for low-achieving schools; in school districts of the first class, further providing for qualifications of principals and teachers; in funding for public libraries, providing for State aid for fiscal year 2023-2024; in credit card marketing, further providing for regulation of on-campus credit card marketing; in reimbursements by Commonwealth and between school districts, further providing for definitions and for payments on account of pupils enrolled in career and technical curriculums, providing for Level-Up Supplement for 2022-2023 school year, further providing for payments on account of courses for exceptional children, for payments to intermediate units, for assistance to school districts declared to be in financial recovery status or identified for financial watch status, for payments, for payments on account of pupil transportation, for Ready-to-Learn Block Grant and for payment of required contribution for public school employees' Social Security; in construction and renovation of buildings by school entities, further providing for applicability; providing for School Environmental Repairs Program; abrogating a regulation; and making an editorial change.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.