ABC27: Pennsylvania State and Local Officials Celebrate New Lancaster County Preschool Classrooms
October 31, 2022 by Kaylee Fuller
LANCASTER, Pa. (WHTM) — On Monday Pennsylvania state and county officials celebrated the added capacity of high-quality preschool slots at a Lancaster County school.
Officials gathered to participate in a classroom visit, press conference, and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the added capacity of high-quality preschool slots at Manheim Township’s Brecht Elementary School.
“Funding is the number one thing that goes to their ability to run a classroom, to have the space and hire personnel that are a part of that. Our goal is as long as there are waiting lists, we have a lot more work to do,” said Senator Scott Martin.
Watch the video here.
Sharon Herald: Pre-K Counts classroom helps meet community’s education needs
October 13, 2022
By: David L. Dye
HERMITAGE — Gathered in the Pre-K Counts Classroom, a group of young children listened intently Tuesday moprning as state Rep. Mark Longietti read a story about a witch.
Upon completing each page, Longietti, D-7, Hermitage, turned the book toward the children, who excitedly pointed out different characters as they followed along.
But while the children seemed to enjoy the special visit Longietti paid to the classroom — located at the Building Blocks Child Center in Hermitage — the classroom itself represented a special opportunity for the preschoolers, center Senior Director Carrie Brown said.
According to a press release, 1,690 eligible children 3 and 4 years old live in Mercer County, but 1,090 of them lack access to high-quality, publicly-funded pre-kindergarten classes.
To help meet that need, the Building Blocks Child Center’s Pre-K Counts Classroom, which features slots for eight children, gives eligible-income students the opportunity to receive that education at no cost to families.
When parents learn about the Pre-K Counts program, Brown said their response is always positive – often intermixed with excitement, joy and even surprise that the program exists.
“I think Pre-K Counts is something where the community is just getting to know it better,” Brown said.
United Way of Mercer County CEO and President Carla Regginello said in the press release that access to high-quality pre-K is an important part of a child’s opportunity to lead a prosperous life.
A study by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill showed that kids enrolled in Pre-K Counts outperformed kindergarten peers who did not have access to pre-K. That advantage is equal to four or five months of learning gains, the release states.
“These outcomes are significant because language and math skills have been shown to be the school readiness skills that most strongly predict later academic achievement,” Regginello said.
Regginello added that recent polling data showed 90 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania agreed that early care and education are important investments that help set kids on a path to leading healthy and productive lives.
Longietti, Democratic chair of the state House Education Committee and the co-chair of the General Assembly’s Early Childhood Education Caucus, said there has been “tremendous” bipartisan support for early learning in Pennsylvania.
“When you look at budget line items, we’ve steadily increased that line item by a greater percentage than any other budget line item,” Longietti said.
Although Longietti said there is still work to be done since about half of Mercer County’s children are still unserved in pre-K, the statewide average on unserved children is closer to 64 percent.
Brown credited Longietti with his work in securing the funding for Pre-K Counts, both in terms of the grant for Building Blocks Child Center and the statewide funding toward serving three- and four-year-olds.
Pennsylvania’s 2022-23 budget included a $60 million increase for the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Program and a $19 million increase for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
As Longietti enters his final days in the state House — he announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election — he said the visit to Building Blocks Child Center was also a reflective moment. His first state budget as a legislator, in 2007, marked establishment of the Pre-K Counts program at the end of a “long, hard-fought budget” process.
Seeing the expansion and effects of the program 16 years later was very gratifying, he said.
“The wonderful thing is when you see these beautiful kids and their smiling faces, they’re so excited to learn and have this opportunity to learn those social skills and have that foundational learning that they need to succeed when they arrive in kindergarten,” Longietti said.
The Building Blocks Child Center opened in 2009, and serves children 6 weeks to 12 years old, Brown said. The center has received a grant of $80,000 for the 2022-23 period, according to the state Department of Education.
Brown said that grant made the Pre-K Counts Classroom possible, and she plans to reapply for another grant in 2023 to expand the classroom and allow an additional 10 students.
“Following that, honestly, the sky is the limit,” Brown said.
Read the article here.
Opinion: Pa. must increase its commitment to pre-K education
The Morning Call by Cereta Johnson
September 22, 2023
As the new school year begins, I feel hopeful and energized. This year, we are able to open more Pre-K Counts classrooms serving an additional 38 full-time and 21 part-time students thanks to funding provided in the 2022-23 Pennsylvania state budget. That’s 59 more children who will be leaving Children of Joy Christian Academy ready to begin kindergarten next year.
Studies have proven that students coming into kindergarten from quality pre-K programs have an advantage over their peers who didn’t get the same opportunities. A recent report, “Kindergarten Impacts of the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Program: A Statewide Evaluation” by Ellen Peisner-Feinberg of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, shows that children who attended one of Pennsylvania’s Pre-K Counts programs outperformed the other students who did not have this early learning experience — an advantage that equated to four to five months of learning gains, which is a substantial difference in development at that age.
Children who didn’t get pre-K education are usually not as prepared for learning and less confident when they walk in on that first day of kindergarten. They are more hesitant to make friends, less confident to ask or answer a question, are less willing to share, and aren’t as ready to learn.
The investment Pennsylvania already made into publicly funded pre-K is making an impact on the children who participate in pre-K programs. I personally get to see this each day as I watch our students grow.
As a provider of infant and toddler care as well as pre-K, I fully appreciate the impact high-quality early care and learning opportunities have on children and families. According to the Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University, brains are built over time, from the bottom up. The basic architecture of the brain is constructed through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues into adulthood. Simpler neural connections and skills form first, followed by more complex circuits and skills. In the first few years of life, more than 1 million neural connections form every second.
Most parents understand the importance of these early, formative years and seek out these experiences for their children while they go to work. Unfortunately, according to a recent survey done by the Start Strong PA campaign, child care and early learning opportunities are becoming more out of reach for working parents as child care centers are closing, staffing for classrooms are at a crisis low, and costs continue to increase.
In our own area, I have seen the continued need as families struggle to find early care and learning opportunities for their children. I started my business in 2007 to provide care for three families. With the increased need, I have been able to grow my business to serve 120 children. And yet, according to the Pre-K for PA: All Children Ready to Succeed Lehigh County fact sheet, there are still waiting lists and many families without affordable, care in Allentown.
Without early care and learning opportunities, families are not able to join the workforce. Without employees, businesses will continue to struggle, and Pennsylvania’s economy will be unable to recover. Long-term solutions need to be made so that the tens of thousands of families who are struggling to find child care can return to work. Strides have been made to alleviate the high cost of these opportunities, but much more must be done.
We must address Pennsylvania’s devastating child care crisis — thousands of open staffing positions and more than 1,600 closed classrooms. A survey conducted by the Start Strong PA Campaign quantifies Pennsylvania’s child care crisis. According to the survey, there are more than 30,000 children on waiting lists across Pennsylvania for child care, and the industry has a staffing shortage of 7,000.
We must prioritize our children, especially in the first five years. We must hold our policymakers accountable to help solve the early care and learning crisis that we have in Pennsylvania. What better way to prioritize our children than to ensure that they have every opportunity for success, including high-quality, affordable early care and learning?
I’d like to thank state Reps. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, and Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, and state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, who have continued to prioritize early care and education in Harrisburg, especially the significant increase of $79 million for pre-K in this year’s state budget. Also included was a $25 million increase allowing families enrolled in Child Care Works to continue receiving their child care subsidy even if their earnings increase to 300% of the federal poverty level. This investment in young children and their families is one of the most important the commonwealth can make. My hope is that this commitment to our youngest Pennsylvanians is one that continues in Harrisburg for many years to come.
Cereta Johnson is the owner of Children of Joy Christian Academy, Allentown. She started in the early care and education field in 2008 when she became a licensed family care provider.
See the full opinion piece here.
The Children’s Center Welcomes Governor Wolf and Local Leaders
Wolf, Local Leaders Mark 2021-22 Pre-K Expansion
ERIE, PA (September 9, 2022) – Pre-K Counts provider The Children’s Center/Volunteers of America welcomed Governor Tom Wolf and local leaders today to mark the $79 million pre-k expansion included in the final 2022–23 Pennsylvania budget.
Governor Wolf discussed the importance of the continued investment in high-quality pre-k in PA with community leaders and visited with the students and teachers at the center. The historic $79 million increase included in the final 2022-23 state budget will afford more than 2,300 additional children to attend pre-k in the upcoming school year.
“Early childhood learning programs are good for children, but they’re also good for families and our economy, too,” said Governor Wolf. “Think about it – parents and caregivers rely on affordable, accessible childcare so they can go to work. When we ensure that high-quality early learning programs are available for children, we are making a direct investment in our communities and our commonwealth’s economy. At a time of record inflation and families feeling the pinch of soaring costs for childcare, these investments are even more critically important.”
Joining Governor Wolf in discussion was Senator Pat Browne; Representative Mike Schlossberg; Representative Peter Schweyer; Betty Druckenmiller, director of The Children’s Center/Volunteers of America; Kari King, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; and Rasbell Espiritu, the parent of a pre-k child.
“Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and the Pre-K for PA campaign deeply appreciate the bipartisan support for pre-k programs in the state, including the leadership of Governor Wolf, Senator Browne, Representative Schlossberg and Representative Schweyer,” said Kari King, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. “Their support shows that policymakers understand these programs’ value and efficacy: a recent study of Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts showed enrolled children outperformed their kindergarten peers who did not have access.
“It’s clear that high-quality, publicly funded pre-k pays dividends and is a smart return on investment.”
“I’m thrilled that Governor Wolf and our local state officials are visiting our program today to mark the $79 million increase for more of Pennsylvania’s three- and four-year-olds to attend Pre-K Counts and Head Start,” said Betty Druckenmiller, director of The Children’s Center/Volunteers of America. “This is an important investment in our community as we continue to see a high demand for high-quality early learning programs.”
A study by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill confirmed that the Commonwealth’s investment in pre-k is paying dividends for the children fortunate enough to access pre-k through Pennsylvania’s Pre-K Counts program. In language and math skills, the study showed that these kids outperformed their kindergarten peers who did not enjoy access – an advantage that equated to four to five months of learning gains, which is a substantial difference in development at that age.
Pre-K for PA is an issue campaign supported by individuals and organizations across Pennsylvania who believe that investing in our children is the right choice and an urgent necessity. Our vision is that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. For more information www.prekforpa.org.
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Gov. Wolf visits Allentown’s Volunteers of America Children’s Center
On Friday, Sept. 9, Governor Tom Wolf joined childhood advocates and state lawmakers to highlight his accomplishments in increased funding for early childhood education during a visit to the Volunteers of America Children’s Center in Allentown.
In this year’s budget alone, the Wolf Administration has secured a $79 million increase in early childhood education, providing more children and families in Pennsylvania with access to high-quality early learning programs through Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP).
“Early childhood learning programs are good for children, but they’re also good for families and our economy, too,” said Gov. Wolf. “Think about it – parents and caregivers rely on affordable, accessible childcare so they can go to work. When we ensure that high-quality early learning programs are available for children, we are making a direct investment in our communities and our commonwealth’s economy. At a time of record inflation and families feeling the pinch of soaring costs for childcare, these investments are even more critically important.”
Over his two terms in office, Gov. Wolf has helped to increase early childhood funding by $254 million, which has allowed more than 21,000 new slots to open up for Pennsylvania children in Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance programs across the commonwealth.
Read the full article here.
