With the state budget clock loudly ticking toward June 30, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis rolled into Lancaster County on Tuesday to talk about something a lot of working parents care about more than any line item: child care costs.
Davis stopped at Elizabethtown Child Care Center to spotlight state efforts to make care more affordable for families, tying the visit to a broader budget push in Harrisburg that has key child care proposals on a fast track.
According to WGAL, Davis toured classrooms and sat down with local leaders, including Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County CEO Vanessa Philbert and Elizabethtown Mayor Phil Clark. The stop was billed as part of a statewide campaign to draw attention to recent tax-credit changes and new ideas aimed at helping parents pay for care while nudging employers to chip in.
What officials announced
In a press release from the Lt. Governor's Office, Davis said the Shapiro-Davis administration has already expanded the child care tax credit, increased financial relief for families and put money into bonuses for child care workers. "Child care isn't just essential for families, it's essential for employers, too," Davis said in the statement. The visit also highlighted the Employer Child Care Contribution Tax Credit program, which offers businesses a tax break when they help workers cover child care costs.
How the credits and budget add up
As outlined by the Governor's Office, Pennsylvania's Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit was expanded so the state now matches 100% of the federal credit. That change lifts the maximum benefit to $1,050 for one child and $2,100 for two or more children. The 2026–27 budget proposal also calls for increasing recruitment and retention bonuses for child care workers, bringing the total planned investment in those bonuses to $35 million.
The child care pitch is unfolding in a tight fiscal environment. With a projected shortfall and a hard June 30 budget deadline, state officials in Harrisburg are scrambling to lock in a spending plan, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The paper reports that legislative leaders are eager to avoid a drawn-out standoff after last year's delay left key payments and programs in limbo.
On the ground, providers say the spotlight is overdue. "When parents can work, businesses can grow," Community Action Partnership CEO Vanessa Philbert said, calling child care "the bridge" that holds up both families and the local economy, per WGAL. Officials at the event said the goal now is to make sure recent policy moves translate into more available and affordable child care slots at centers like the one in Elizabethtown.
