Run by La Petite Academy, the childcare centre is open for infant, toddler and preschool care for parents working at the airport.
Earlier this month, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) opened the doors to a brand-new childcare facility for working parents at the airport. Open Monday to Friday from 6:30a.m. to 6:30p.m. the centre can host up to 61 children and has an app, SproutAbout, giving parents regular updates and access to live cameras in each room. In addition to providing childcare, the centre will give children a STEM-focused curriculum that connects academic skills to real-world applications. Providing both indoor and outdoor play areas, there is also a Grow Fit program that helps children build healthy habits.
Following a survey by the Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA), childcare and transportation were cited as the top two obstacles preventing people from working in aviation. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic drove men and women out of the workforce, and women, especially women of colour, are not returning at the same rate as men, according to experts.
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said the new childcare centre “will make it easier for people to build their careers” at PIT, adding “this childcare centre enables the airport authority to amplify regional workforce development.”
Childcare is part of a workforce development strategy at PIT that tackles three major barriers for people entering the workforce – childcare, job training and transportation. The airport also recently graduated 12 students from its PIT2Work job training program – a course designed to promote careers in construction and skilled trades by leveraging the airport’s new terminal program.
ACAA CEO Christina Cassotis said “The new childcare centre is a step toward bringing them back and building a more diverse and inclusive workforce at the airport. We have an obligation to make sure we take care of the people who build the buildings—that we build the builders as well as the buildings. Everyone deserves access to quality childcare.”
PIT joins the Los Angeles and San Francisco airports as one of the few to offer on-site childcare facilities, and PIT’s new centre is already garnering interest from other airports and construction for a childcare centre at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is already underway. During her visit to PIT in July, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden called the new childcare centre “revolutionary.”
The centre was funded by several partner organisations, including Hillman Foundation, Benedum Foundation and Trying together.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
