Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) opens on-site childcare centre

PIT opening ceremony of their new childcare centre. CREDIT: PIT

Parents who work at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) can now drop off their children at a brand-new childcare centre, which officially opened its doors on 05 September 2023.

While 05 September was the first day for children, many PIT parents toured the centre before it opened – including last month during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, where the new centre was officially unveiled.

Breaking down barriers

Providing a childcare option on the same site as an employee’s workplace helps strengthen parents’ work-life balance and supports workforce development. The goal is to break down barriers preventing working parents from starting careers at the airport.

CREDIT: PIT

“Being a working parent and dealing with childcare issues is huge stress,” Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA) CEO Christina Cassotis said. “This is our contribution to getting more and more working parents, more and more peace of mind, as they build careers and build families.”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have left the workforce, and finding childcare is one of the largest obstacles stopping them from coming back. The new childcare centre, operated by La Petite Academy, invites them to return. As construction on the terminal modernisation programme (TMP) is underway at PIT, the airport needs a strong, diverse workforce now more than ever.

“We have a unique opportunity to serve the regional economy with a diversity of jobs including labour and the building trades as we build this new terminal,” County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said during the ribbon cutting. “Unions need more skilled workers for the many construction projects that are underway in this region.”

CREDIT: PIT

Employee routines changing for the better

ACAA employees Ben and Trudi Shertzer enrolled their son Hunter in the centre months ago. In the meantime, Hunter has stayed with a babysitter. Now that the centre is finally opened, the Shertzer’s routine looks a little bit different.

“It makes it a lot easier on the parents. It’s super convenient,” Ben said. “You’re already on your way to work. You’re stopping at a location on-site, and you can check on him at any point in the day.”

Hunter was already excited to be in a new space. “Last we saw him, he was playing with the toys and playing with the staff. He was having fun,” Ben said.

Hunter was joined by three-year-old Charlotte. David Storer, ACAA Director of Business Development, brought her to the centre on 05 September for her first day too. Storer said the new childcare centre arrived at the perfect time for his family.

“There were very few options in the area, and wait lists were long and not convenient,” Storer said. “This is going to make things so much easier. I can bring (her) with me every day, take her home every day. It will probably save me hours a week.”

Changing the industry

The centre is open to most airport workers, including construction staff, and it is available for infant through preschool aged children. For now, the childcare centre will be open Monday through Friday from 06:30 to 18:30 and can host up to 61 children at a time.

CREDIT: PIT

PIT is one of the only airports in the country to offer an on-site childcare option. Other airports plan to follow suit in hopes of expanding their workforces too. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is in the process of constructing their own childcare centre now. 

Meanwhile, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky and Orlando airports are considering building childcare centres to help recruit and retain a strong workforce.

Nation media has picked up on the trend. NBC News featured the centre at PIT in an August report.

Cassotis considers the new childcare centre a critical piece in the airport’s ongoing workforce development efforts. “We look at this from the lens of attraction and retention in an industry that needs to do better,” she said. “People need access to quality childcare.”