If we merge mercy with might
and might with right
then love becomes our legacy and
change our children’s birthright

We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens

Any inauguration ceremony marks the start of new efforts, declaring fresh priorities, and laying the groundwork for bold initiatives. Andrea Gorman certainly showed us what that could mean with her now famous poem and call to action. 

While the nation’s eyes were on the eagerly awaited news of the first actions by the 46th President, PCCY never shifted our gaze from the work at hand. Yesterday, with the help of 14 PA senators and members of the House of Representatives, Governor Wolf was sent a clear message that, in this new year, he must do more to protect the needs of the Commonwealth’s youngest children who are nurtured in a child care center while their parents are at work.

Surprisingly, on the same day PCCY and state lawmwakers decried stunning cuts to child care payments and the reneging on funds already promised to child care workers, the state Department of Human Services released a powerful report proclaiming the agency is “committed to building an equitable and sustainable early child care and education system in which all children, early childhood educators, and programs thrive.”

Those words seem hollow when contrasted with the damming statements by lawmakers about the Administration’s reversal of policies that at one time were in place to keep child care providers afloat in light of significantly depressed attendance by children because COVID-19.

At a press conference hosted by PCCY to highlight the child care cuts, Senator Katie Muth, a fierce advocate for children, said it best. “We need to provide the necessary support for [child care providers] to get through this pandemic both from the standpoint of financial needs and providing a safe work place, a place for kids to go. The conditions of the pandemic have already had an impact on gender equality and equity and the loss of child care infrastructure will set that back even further.”

Her sentiment was echoed by Representative Morgan Cephas who hit home the equity issues currently being ignored by the Wolf Administration. “Black and Brown communities have been disproportionately impacted not just by the pandemic but by the policies enacted by our legislature, by our governor, and governors across the country. As we climb out of COVID-19, it’s going to be critically important that we put the inequities that have, again, been exacerbated by this pandemic, at the very forefront when we’re making decisions like these policy changes and when we’re talking about expanding revenue.”

These champions for children took heed when Andrea Gorman eloquently challenged America on the Capitol steps: Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), Senators Amanda Cappelletti, (D-Delaware/ Montgomery), Maria Collett (D-Montgomery/Bucks), Tim Kearney (D-Delaware/ Chester), Katie Muth, (D-Berks/Chester/ Montgomery), Judy Schwank (D-Berks), and Representatives Morgan Cephas (D-Philadelphia), Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery), Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia), Melissa Shusterman (D-Chester/ Montgomery), and Joe Webster (D-Montgomery), Representative Sarah Innamorato (D-Allegheny).

If we merge mercy with might
and might with right
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright