A scholarship program at Bryn Mawr-based Harcum College is helping working childcare educators across the Philadelphia region pursue early childhood education degrees.
The partnership between Harcum and the Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) provides scholarships that cover tuition costs for educators already working in the field, according to a Patch community post published Oct. 30. PHMC is one of three statewide Professional Development Organizations in Pennsylvania, supporting the early childhood education (ECE) workforce in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
The program matters locally because Harcum, founded in 1915, is based in Bryn Mawr and offers courses on its campus and online. Pennsylvania's childcare industry has 2,600 unfilled jobs, openings that would allow providers to serve nearly 22,000 more children if filled, Main Line Media News reported in June.
Two educators, two paths
Cleo Colon was working full time in early childhood education and raising two children when she enrolled at Harcum. She could not afford significant student debt, but the PHMC scholarship and other financial aid made her out-of-pocket tuition manageable, according to the Patch post.
"Support from PHMC and other financial aid encouraged me to keep going," Colon said.
Colon completed her associate degree in ECE in 2024. She advanced from assistant teacher to lead teacher and then to childcare center director at Comfort Zone Childcare in Northeast Philadelphia.
Andrea Brown returned to school at age 35 after postponing college to raise her family. She was working full time at Kidz Pic N' Play Childcare Center and raising five children when her supervisor connected her with Harcum and the PHMC scholarship. Brown is expected to graduate in 2027.
Harcum's online evening classes gave Brown the flexibility to balance school, work and family. She hopes to become a childcare center director and eventually open her own center.
A statewide workforce gap
The scholarship program addresses a broader challenge. Providers across Pennsylvania struggle with low wages that make it hard to hire and retain qualified staff, forcing some to close classrooms and turn families away, Main Line Media News reported.
The state's 2025-26 budget included a $25 million investment in recruitment and retention grants, providing nearly 39,000 childcare workers with up to $645 in retention bonuses, according to the office of Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Valerie Arkoosh. The governor's proposed 2026-27 budget would add $10 million more, bringing the total state investment to $35 million.
Arkoosh said Pennsylvania loses about $6.5 billion in productivity every year due to the childcare shortage.
PHMC works in partnership with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning to help ECE workers pursue career pathways leading to degrees or credentials. Participants can choose between online, in-person and hybrid options.
