Delaware County Times: Letter: Pa. needs to invest in its future: Pre-K funding for more kids
Letter to the editor from Upper Darby School District superintendent Richard Dunlap Jr.:
“The good news is that support for high-quality Pre-K is reaching a tipping point in Pennsylvania. This is one issue that has bipartisan support in the state legislature’s 127-member Early Childhood Education Caucus.
However, we have much further to go. Too many three and four-year-old children in Pennsylvania still miss the opportunity to arrive at kindergarten with the same learning skills as their peers.
Just under one in six preschool-age children have access to publicly supported, high-quality Pre-K, leaving behind many families who may have difficulty affording or finding a good preschool for their child.”
Read the full story here.
Citizens’ Call: Coalition Calls for More State Investment in High Quality Pre-K Programs
“There are nearly 70,000 three and four-year-old children in SE PA who cannot enroll in high-quality pre-kindergarten (Pre-K), according to information released this week by the “Pre-K for PA” campaign. Despite the known benefits of Pre-K, public funds provide access to only about one in six eligible children in Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia counties, said the group.
“Every family in PA should have the option of enrolling their child in a high-quality Pre-K program,” said Donna Cooper, Executive Director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), one of the founding partners of the campaign in a press statement. “Investing in these tried and true programs will make sure more of our children are ready for school.””
Read the full story here.
The Alternative Press: Access for All: A Fight for Pre-K for PA
“According to a recent study, 95 percent of children between ages 3 and 4 do not have access to a publicly funded high quality pre-kindergarten program. One organization is striving to change that.
On Wednesday, March 5, a crowd of 40 enthusiastic volunteers for Pre-K for PA, a statewide coalition focused on promoting accessible, high-quality pre-k for all 3- and 4-year-olds in Pennsylvania, gathered at Montgomery County Community College. The group of thoroughly engaged activists met to discuss what Sarah Whetstone called “an important goal.”
The meeting, led Sarah Whetstone, who serves as the director of United Way of North Penn, focused on ways to make the issue of early education a focus in the upcoming Pennsylvania gubernatorial election.”
Read the full story here.
Tribune-Live: Invest in Pre-K
Letter from Michelle Figlar, executive director of the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (PAEYC):
“In response to the editorial “Universal pre-K? It would be a huge waste that would dwarf Head Start’s failure” : In my work with the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children, I see every day the benefits of high-quality preschool.
The evidence is overwhelming in proving that investing in high-quality pre-K is a smart choice. At-risk children who experience high-quality pre-K are less likely to commit crimes later in life. Society gains more productive citizens, with reduced reliance on social services and higher lifetime earnings.”
Read the full letter here.
Carlisle Sentinel: Our View: Gets kids learning while they are young
“We wholeheartedly support quality pre-kindergarten programs.
Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed $29.4 billion 2014-15 budget includes an increase in funding for early education of about $10.8 million, a 3 percent increase over the previous year. The bulk of the increase — $10 million — would go toward the Pre-K Counts program to enroll 1,670 more students.
We want to see improvement in pre-kindergarten programs, and more children involved in them. It’s much easier to start out youngsters on the right track than to get them there later in life.”
Read the full editorial here.
