Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro, First Lady Lori Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis welcomed pre-K students, teachers, and advocates to the Governor’s Residence for the 2025 annual Easter Egg Hunt — the first public event held at the Residence since the April 13th arson attack.
The Governor and the First Lady were determined to reopen the Governor’s Residence as quickly as possible — and while work continues on the building, the Residence will remain a welcoming place for people from all across the Commonwealth.
“As I said last Sunday after an arsonist tried to burn down the Governor’s Residence, it’s not only important to get this historic building cleaned up and repaired quickly — it’s also critically important to me and Lori that we welcome visitors back here as soon as possible and make sure this continues to be a place where people from all walks of life feel welcome,” said Governor Shapiro. “This Residence is a place where we’ve lit Christmas trees, held Iftar dinners, danced at a bar mitzvah, and hunted for Easter eggs. Today’s event marks an important step forward in continuing that tradition – and we will continue to bring Pennsylvanians together at the Governor’s Residence for years to come.”
The annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Governor’s Residence welcomed pre-K students and educators for a fun-filled day of springtime activities. In partnership with Pre-K for PA, the event included a photo station with the Easter Bunny and a craft table for children. After the egg hunt, the children enjoyed themed activity stations — including a reading corner hosted by the Pennsylvania State Library, a live bunny exhibit from the Pennsylvania Farm Show, and a petting zoo featuring baby goats provided by Steinmetz Family Farm of Fleetwood, Berks County. The event brought together families, early learning advocates, and public officials to highlight the importance of accessible, affordable early education.
“The Second Lady and I were excited to bring our daughter to her first Easter Egg Hunt at the Governor’s Residence, and we’re so appreciative of the Residence staff who worked long hours to ensure this treasured holiday tradition could happen,” said Lieutenant Governor Davis. “Seeing all of the kids was a powerful reminder of who we’re fighting for — Pennsylvania’s working families and the future generations of Pennsylvanians.”
Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has been focused on building safe and healthy communities — and he knows that an important part of doing that is supporting Pennsylvania children and addressing critical child care workforce shortages. The Governor has been fighting for investments in early childhood education programs to give every child a strong start and to help address the staffing shortages in these programs.
The Governor’s 2025-2026 proposed budget builds on that commitment and makes significant investments in the child care workforce and early childhood education, including:
- $55 million for recruitment and retention bonuses of at least $1,000 for child care workers at licensed providers participating in the Child Care Works (CCW) Program.
- $10 million to increase rates for Early Intervention providers, helping more young children access needed developmental services.
- $15 million in additional Pre-K Counts funding to help providers raise wages and strengthen the early childhood workforce.
Governor Shapiro has built a strong record on child care affordability by expanding tax relief for families, investing in subsidized care, and supporting working parents and employers, including:
- Expanding Tax Relief for Families: Signing a historic expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit, delivering $136 million in savings to over 218,000 families.
- Investing in Access: Securing nearly $93 million across two budgets for the CCW program, allowing up to 75,000 low-income families to access subsidized care.
- Supporting Working Parents and Employers: Creating a new Employer Child Care Contribution Tax Credit and delivered increased investments in early childhood education, including $15 million more for Pre-K Counts and $2.7 million more for Head Start.
"Pre-k teachers earn about half as much as their K-5 counterparts in public schools, and higher wages in both the K-12 system and other sectors have made it increasingly difficult for Pre-K Counts providers to recruit and retain qualified educators," said Jen DeBell, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children and part of the Pre-K for PA Coalition, who helped organize the event. "We're excited to partner with Governor Shapiro to support his proposed investment in Pre-K Counts — a critical next step for programs to close the pay gap and address rising costs, preserving programs for our commonwealth's youngest learners."
Read more about Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal. Explore the Governor's 2025-26 Budget in Brief here, or visit shapirobudget.pa.gov to learn more.
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