Child Care Voter came to Erie to host a candidate conversation. It's a chance for childcare directors and parents to talk with running candidates about the struggles in childcare. 

“Something that we’ve heard from parents is that there is a disconnect between what parents need and want as it relates to childcare and early education and what our candidates and our elected officials are actually offering to them,” Civic Engagement Coordinator for Children First Whitney Brown said.  

One childcare center owner is Barbara Gainer. Gainer said it's essential to have these conversations and one area of concern is the need for behavior and emotional regulation resources. 

“We need people to come in and help these children learn to control their emotions and learn to control their actions because we’re trying to teach them to play, but some of these kids need one-on-one, and I can't afford to pay one-to-one,” Gainer said. 

A part of the conversation was how to keep people in the early education field and how to pay early education workers fairly. 

“My girls deserve more. Way more. A lot of them are educated. You know we get the grants to educate our teachers, but where’s the money to pay for their degrees that they took four years to get or five years to get? That’s how we lose them to the school district,” Gainer said.

This year the state budget increased the budget for K - 12 education, but Gainer says Pre-K needs more investment too. 

“It starts with us --with the little children. Molding them and teaching them and learning the social skills they need to be great learners one day,” Gainer said.