Harrisburg, PA – Today, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Secretary of Administration (OA) Neil Weaver, Department of General Services (DGS) Secretary Reggie McNeil, and Public Utility Commission (PUC) Vice Chair Kimberly Barrow joined child care staff, teachers, and parents at the Keystone Early Learning Center (KELC) to celebrate the opening and ribbon-cutting of an expanded new facility that increases access to on-site child care for Commonwealth employees working in the Capitol Complex. The expansion will significantly increase capacity, adding space for 68 additional kids and bringing the total that can be served at the KELC to 162.
The expanded child care capacity responds to growing demand from state employees with young children and reflects the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s commitment to supporting working families, attracting Pennsylvanians seeking a career in public service, and continuing to build a strong, competitive Commonwealth workforce. Reliable, affordable child care is a critical factor in recruiting and retaining talent — and a key part of making state government the best place to work in Pennsylvania.
Lt. Governor Davis, who serves as co-chair of the Early Learning Investment Commission, emphasized the importance of a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to addressing child care access across Pennsylvania. Under the Shapiro-Davis Administration, agencies including the Departments of Administration, General Services, Community and Economic Development, Aging, and Labor & Industry are working together to improve access to high-quality child care — both for Commonwealth employees and for families statewide.
“The Shapiro-Davis Administration understands that the high cost of child care and the low wages in the field hurt working families and child care providers — and it hurts our economy,” said Lt. Governor Davis. “Through this whole-of-government approach to supporting child care, we are making our values known and telling the private sector that we want you to do more, but we will be there right alongside you. There is still more we should do to support the child care space, and our administration will continue to identify ways to bolster the field.”
Today’s announcement advances the goals of Executive Order 2024-01, signed by Governor Josh Shapiro, which established the Hire, Improve, Recruit, Empower (HIRE) Committee to modernize state government as an employer, expand opportunity in public service, and strengthen the Commonwealth workforce. As part of that work, the Administration is expanding child care options in state-owned buildings to better support working parents.
“From day one, Governor Shapiro has been clear: if we want government to work better for the people of Pennsylvania, we have to make the Commonwealth a place where great people want to work,” said OA Secretary Weaver. “Increasing child care capacity in the Capitol Complex is a tangible demonstration of our commitment to making the Commonwealth a top employer that understands supporting employees also means supporting their families.”
“As we continue to right-size the Commonwealth’s real estate footprint, our focus is on ensuring every space serves a purpose for Pennsylvanians,” said Secretary McNeil. “The Keystone Early Learning Center expansion demonstrates how smart facility investments can support working families, enhance early learning, and create environments where people feel supported all at once. Space matters, and when it’s designed well, it can positively impact those who work and learn inside it.”
The KELC, operated by TodayCare Children’s Centers, is located in the Keystone Building in Harrisburg. High demand means the facility is frequently at its maximum capacity and must put new children on an enrollment waiting list. The Public Utility Commission, headquartered in the Keystone Building, serves as the sponsoring agency for the daycare. The daycare is open to eligible children of Commonwealth employees in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
“As the state agency sponsor of the KELC since 2013, the PUC has seen the benefits that onsite child care provides for our employees and other working parents throughout the Capitol Complex,” said PUC Vice Chair Barrow. “We are incredibly grateful to the Shapiro-Davis Administration for its investment in the KELC’s growth. Innumerable families will benefit from this investment in early childhood education.”
“The opening of a new daycare wing means that additional Commonwealth employee families will gain access to quality care, more children will create new memories with their peers, and new staff will join our team of dedicated early childhood professionals and form lasting bonds,” said Andrea Jackson, Director of the Keystone Early Learning Center. “As we continue to recognize the importance of early learning and the foundation of lifelong learning, we are excited for the days to come and the impact for the children we serve.”
“Being a parent in today's world is not easy. We welcome children into the world and just weeks later are expected to return to work and leave our babies in the care of others before they (or we) have even really established a routine or feel normal again," said Katie McGowan, President of the KELC Parent Board and a Commonwealth employee of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. “My role as a museum curator for the Commonwealth means that I study the past. And I can say that this is a momentous point in KELC's history. This expansion demonstrates a commitment by the Commonwealth to increase child care opportunities for state employees.”
Previously, 6,700 square feet, the new space adds 6,200 square feet to the KELC to accommodate approximately 68 additional children for a new maximum capacity of 162. Construction of the new addition includes various classrooms, a full kitchen to serve both daycare areas, and an indoor play area. The total cost of the project was approximately $4.1 million.
The Commonwealth has been a leader in workplace child care for decades, beginning with child care facilities at the Department of Human Services in the 1980s, followed by the Governor’s Model Child Care Program in 1989, and continuing today through the Commonwealth Child Care Program, under which the KELC operates.
To address workforce shortages and expand child care availability, the 2025-26 budget signed by Governor Shapiro established a $25 million Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Program, which will provide roughly $450 bonuses to staff at licensed Child Care Works (CCW) providers. These bonuses will support approximately 55,000 child care workers statewide.
To learn more about working for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, visit Employment.pa.gov to view and apply to current job openings, receive notifications about new vacancies in their field, and see all the Commonwealth benefits available to employees.
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