Latest news with #SpecialEventsGrants
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Shapiro's budget proposal addresses funding for childcare workers
The childcare shortage is an issue we've been reporting on, and on Friday, Governor Shapiro announced his plans to continue addressing the crisis in his 2025-26 budget. Shapiro's proposal includes the recruitment and retention of child care workers and expanded access to affordable care. ECGRA gives out nearly $200K to local organizations through Special Events Grants There's $55 million in funding earmarked to provide $1,000 bonuses for childcare workers at licensed providers. The assistant director at ABC Childcare in Erie said they have a waiting list of families because of staffing shortages. Erie Insurance announces new $100 million charitable foundation 'This is a very hard job. It's a very important job. And when people come in they want more money, and you know we can't pay them what McDonald's or Taco Bell is paying them, and more money would definitely help,' said Melissa Pollard, assistant director of ABC 24Hr Child Care. According to the governor's office, Shapiro's child care proposal has bipartisan support. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Millcreek, Red Cross installing free smoke alarms amid fatal fires
Already this year, Millcreek Township has had four fatal fires that took the lives of five people. Township officials said even one death is one too many, and now, they're taking steps to make sure township residents are better protected. Erie Insurance announces new $100 million charitable foundation Millcreek Township is working alongside the Red Cross to ensure that everyone in the township has working smoke alarms. Smoke detectors save lives. It's a proven fact and can seriously be the difference in you or your loved ones making it out of a burning home. 'Fires do evolve very quickly. First, you have that generation of smoke, and that's usually what will kill people, is smoke inhalation,' said Millcreek Township Supervisor Dan Ouellet. Since January, five people in Millcreek Township have died in four fires and smoke alarms have been a common denominator in several of these recent tragedies. Waldameer's Ravine Flyer II ranks 4th among best coasters in US In three of the four fatal fires so far in Millcreek, there has either been a smoke alarm that didn't work, or no smoke alarm all together. 'After the first fire, we started looking into opportunities for grants and funding to make a significant impact for getting smoke detectors into people's hands,' said Michael Cliff, chief of the Millcreek Township Fire Department. When a fire breaks out, you only have two to three minutes to get out of the house before you're trapped. And if you're not being woken up by a smoke alarm, that time is cut significantly leaving seconds for you to escape. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now In response to these findings, the fire department, along with the Red Cross, will be going to people's homes and installing smoke detectors in people's homes free of charge. 'It's unique because of the frequency of how many fatal fires we've had in this first quarter. Pennsylvania, unfortunately, has the highest fire fatality rate in the United States. This program came about as a Red Cross initiative to try to reduce that by 20%, and we've been doing this since 2015,' said Red Cross community disaster program manager Geoffrey Domowicz. It's part of the 'Sound the Alarm Campaign,' which not only provides people with the alarms but also a thorough education on home fire safety. 'We are going on about five to six thousand calls per year now that we have the paid staff implemented. We really plan to have fliers made up for advertisement for the partnership with the Red Cross. We plan on distributing those when we're out on calls, out in the community. We're going to do some public campaigns as well and I do foresee us going into some of our higher-risk areas to pass them out,' Chief Cliff went on to say. ECGRA gives out nearly $200K to local organizations through Special Events Grants You can sign up for the program by calling 814-240-7667 or online here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
