Pennsylvania Child Care Association

What Pennsylvania Child Care Association does

The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1973 (originally as the Pennsylvania Association of Child Care Administrators) and headquartered in Lemoyne, PA. It represents and supports Pennsylvania's early care and education providers, with a membership base of over 1,500 regulated child care programs, resource and referral agencies, and associate business partners that collectively employed nearly 20,000 staff and served more than 140,000 children daily pre-pandemic. PACCA's core product portfolio consists of the PACCA Membership program (advocacy representation, professional development, networking, and information resources), the TEACH Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship Program (a debt-free higher education scholarship program with over 9,000 scholarships awarded since 1998, achieving 95% scholar retention), and the annual Early Childhood Education Summit (co-founded in 2008 with the Pennsylvania Head Start Association and OCDEL). Supporting products include a Legislative Action Center, MemberLeap-based member portal, Annual Awards program, and Business Partners Program offering discounts through partnerships with Lillio, Teaching Strategies, Alera Group, and others.

PACCA operates a hybrid revenue model with three primary streams: membership dues (annual subscription from child care providers and business partners), government grants and pass-through funding (from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' Office of Child Development and Early Learning and the Pennsylvania Department of Education), and foundation and corporate contributions (from Heinz Endowments, American Business Collaboration, Terri Lynn Lokoff Child Care Foundation, United Way, Wawa Corporation, and others). The TEACH scholarship program operates as a tripartite shared investment model where the scholar, sponsoring employer, and TEACH funders each contribute. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and event-driven: membership acquisition occurs through online enrollment (MemberLeap portal) and direct phone outreach, while professional development and member engagement are anchored by the annual Summit, regional forums, bi-monthly webinars, E-News briefs, and Action Alerts. PACCA does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its member-facing technology stack consists of a third-party MemberLeap portal and standard web/digital channels.

The organization is led by Executive Director Diane P. Barber (over 25 years' nonprofit management experience) and governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Michele McEllroy, with TEACH program operations directed by Laurie Litz and supported by multiple TEACH counselors and coordinators. Operating exclusively within Pennsylvania, PACCA has reached 58 of 67 Pennsylvania counties through TEACH scholarships, partnered with 45+ higher education institutions, and aligned closely with state regulatory and funding infrastructure.

Name

Pennsylvania Child Care Association

Legal name

Pennsylvania Child Care Association

Website

https://pacca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) is a statewide nonprofit membership organization founded in 1973 that supports over 1,500 regulated child care programs in Pennsylvania through advocacy, professional development, the TEACH scholarship program (9,000+ scholarships awarded since 1998), and the annual Early Childhood Education Summit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Association Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child Care Services (624410)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accreditation Support (NAEYC/NECPA/State) (EDACAKAD), Subsidy & Funding Compliance (CCDF/child care assistance program requirements) (EDACAKAN), Health, Safety & Compliance Training (CPR/First Aid, Safeguarding, Licensing) (EDACAIAH)

Keywords

• Child care advocacy
• Early childhood education
• Membership association services
• Professional development services
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Pausa

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: PACCA generates revenue through annual membership dues from child care providers, resource and referral agencies, and associate members (businesses and organizations). Dues are deductible as ordinary or necessary business expenses for federal income tax purposes.
2. Government Grants and Funding: TEACH program receives significant funding from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) of Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services (DHS) and Pennsylvania's Department of Education (PDE). Additional government support includes school district partnerships.
3. Foundation and Corporate Contributions: Funding from foundations including Heinz Endowments, American Business Collaboration, Terri Lynn Lokoff Child Care Foundation, United Way, and corporate donors like Wawa Corporation. These fund TEACH scholarship components including compensation bonuses and tuition support.
4. Scholarship Program Contributions: TEACH operates as a shared investment model where scholarship recipients and their sponsoring child care programs contribute a portion of scholarship costs, creating a tripartite funding structure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents and supports early childhood education providers across Pennsylvania through advocacy, professional development, networking, and member resources. Its flagship program is the TEACH Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship Program, which offers debt-free higher education to early learning professionals. PACCA also operates the annual Early Childhood Education Summit and provides public-policy advocacy before state and federal policymakers.

Product overview

The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) operates as a nonprofit membership organization offering a portfolio of advocacy, professional development, and support services for early childhood education providers. The core offerings include PACCA Membership providing access to advocacy representation, networking, webinars, and resources; the TEACH Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship Program offering debt-free college education for early learning professionals; and the annual Early Childhood Education Summit for professional development. Supporting products include the Legislative Action Center for policy advocacy, the MemberLeap-based member portal for content access, PACCA Annual Awards for recognizing excellence, and a Business Partners Program providing access to child care management tools and services. The organization does not offer a technology product platform but provides scholarship administration, advocacy coordination, and member services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TEACH Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship Program: A debt-free higher education scholarship program for early learning professionals that provides financial support, counseling, and career development while they work to earn degrees and teaching certifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of TEACH scholars remained with their employers (vs. 60-70% national retention rate)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, preferred and minor.

• Early Childhood Education SummitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Founded in 2008 through collaboration between PACCA, Pennsylvania Head Start Association, and Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). The Summit is a cross-systems professional development opportunity for early learning professionals across Pennsylvania, serving as the largest and premier statewide networking and professional development event.
• Child Care Aware of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPACCA is a member of CCAoA, a national membership-based nonprofit working to advance a high-quality, affordable and equitable child care system. CCAoA conducts research, provides resources, tools, and advocates for families, providers, and resource & referral organizations.
• Lillio (formerly HiMama)preferredGTM or Marketing PartnerPACCA's newest partnership providing child care programs with tools for center management, high quality curriculum, parent communication, professional development and assessments by Pearson. Exclusive offering for PACCA members.
• Alera GrouppreferredGTM or Marketing PartnerAlera Group Small Business Unit offers employee benefits, human resource assistance and insurance. PACCA members have access to exclusive plans and pricing through this partnership.
• Cuties Care (First Quality Products)preferredGTM or Marketing PartnerPACCA's exclusive partnership offering the Cuties Care program to members. A full service, family discount supply program providing diapers and wipes at school.
• Child Care Information ExchangeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPACCA partners with Exchange Press to provide members free and discounted materials on the Exchange content hub.
• Nature ExploreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit program of Dimensions Educational Research Foundation working to help nature become an integral part of children's daily learning. Provides research-based workshops, design consultations, and resources.
• Teaching Strategies, Inc.preferredGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading provider of early learning solutions including curriculum, assessment, family engagement, and professional development. Gold partnership level offering for PACCA members.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• First Up: Philadelphia-based (formerly Delaware Valley AEYC) regional ECE advocacy and professional development organization. Comparable in supporting PA early childhood programs and educators, but with a southeastern PA/regional focus rather than statewide.
• Trying Together: Pittsburgh-based early childhood advocacy and professional development organization active in Pennsylvania. Comparable in ECE provider support and advocacy but with a regional (southwestern PA) rather than statewide footprint.
• California Child Care Resource & Referral Network: California statewide network of child care resource and referral agencies. Closely comparable mission of supporting child care providers through advocacy, training, and resource coordination, but operating in California rather than Pennsylvania.
• Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA): Illinois statewide child care resource/referral network supporting providers and families. Comparable in state-level advocacy, training, and resource coordination for ECE providers, but operating in Illinois.
• Child Care Council of New York: New York-based child care resource/referral and advocacy organization serving a single state. Directly comparable operating model (state-level child care association/resource agency) but in a different geography.

Direct peers

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): Largest national professional association for early childhood educators. Comparable mission (advancing high-quality ECE), member services (accreditation, PD, advocacy), and conference/credentialing infrastructure overlapping with PACCA's offerings.
• Pennsylvania Head Start Association: Pennsylvania state association for Head Start programs and co-founding partner of the Early Childhood Education Summit with PACCA. Directly comparable in statewide early childhood advocacy, professional development, and member services.
• TEACH Early Childhood National Center: National center that licenses the TEACH model administered by PACCA at the state level. Directly comparable in operating the same scholarship/retention program framework across multiple states; PACCA is a TEACH licensee.
• Child Care Aware of America: National membership-based nonprofit advancing affordable, high-quality child care; PACCA is explicitly a member of CCAoA. Directly comparable in mission, membership structure, and advocacy focus on child care providers and resource & referral agencies.
• National Child Care Association: National trade association representing licensed child care providers. Closely aligned membership base (child care programs) and provider-focused advocacy mission, functioning as a national-level counterpart to state associations like PACCA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PAChildCareAssociation
• Pinterestpinterest.com/paccaorg
• Xx.com/paccaorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pennsylvania Child Care Association