STATE, LOCAL LEADERS RECOGNIZE PROVIDER APPRECIATION DAY
Johnstown, PA (May 6, 2026) – Early Childhood Alleghenies, a service of The Learning Lamp, will join organizations across the country in observing Provider Appreciation Day on Friday, May 8, 2026, with special recognition from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, State Senator Pat Stefano, Johnstown City Mayor Sylvia King, and the Fayette County Commissioners, who have issued official proclamations honoring the day and the critical role of child care providers in our communities.
Provider Appreciation Day is celebrated annually on the Friday before Mother’s Day to recognize child care providers, out-of-school time programs, and other carers for young children. The day serves as an opportunity to amplify collective gratitude for those who support the social, emotional, and physical development of young children while enabling families to work and communities to thrive.
“Recognition from Governor Shapiro, as well as other state and local leaders, underscores just how vital child care providers are to our communities,” said Leah Spangler, President & CEO of The Learning Lamp. “As a provider ourselves and a partner to more than 100 others across our region, we are proud to be part of a field that makes it possible for children to learn and grow in safe, nurturing environments while families can pursue work and opportunity.”
Early Childhood Alleghenies supports more than 110 child care providers throughout Pennsylvania as a shared services network designed to strengthen the early childhood community in the Southern Alleghenies region. Through professional development, resources, and collaborative support, the network helps providers deliver high-quality care to children and families.
Provider Appreciation Day was established in 1996 by volunteers in New Jersey who recognized the need to honor the tireless efforts of those caring for children of working families. Since then, support for the day has grown nationwide, with participation from Child Care Resource & Referral agencies, advocates, community organizations, government leaders, businesses and families.
The Provider Appreciation Day website, providerappreciation.org, offers ideas for celebration and tools for families and community members to share messages of appreciation with their providers. Community members are encouraged to join the celebration on social media using #ThankYouChildCare in the days leading up to May 8.
The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high-quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. In 2025, The Learning Lamp and our school-based division, Ignite Education Solutions, directly served 44,856 children and adults. In addition to 48 programs of our own, we worked with 100 public and private schools in 24 Pennsylvania counties and supported 487 child care and community-based organizations with free or nearly free shared resources, positively impacting another 64,657 children in 58 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
Our programs include: child care and preschool, tutoring, school staffing, educational programs for at-risk students, online learning, credit recovery, school-based substance use prevention, project consulting for schools, and early childhood systems building.