Carlisle Sentinel: Campaign aims to get every child in preschool

“As the “Pre-K for PA” campaign continues, the advocates plan to release reports and surveys that convey the state’s pre-kindergarten needs and propose solutions for meeting them. The campaign will suggest various financing models, for instance, and releasing a report at the end of February detailing availability gaps in preschool programs statewide.

Kevin Thomas, executive director of the Kiwanis International Pennsylvania District, noted his group has the most difficulty getting young children into preschool in Pennsylvania’s rural areas.

Pennsylvania already offers subsidized preschool for some children who come from low-income households or have special needs, with the state’s Pre-K Counts program serving 11,380 children in 62 counties in 2011-12. Less than 50,000 children enrolled in publicly funded pre-kindergarten in 2011-12, representing about 16.5 percent of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds, state data shows.”

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