American kids losing the academic “medal count”
PA sports champions urge further state investment in quality pre-k to level the playing field for PA kids
Harrisburg, PA, January 25 ⎯ It is time to level the playing field and scale up access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs that prepare kids for academic and lifetime success, top Pennsylvania athletes said at a Capitol news conference today.
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris and four-time Olympic medalist wrestler Bruce Baumgartner helped release a new report from the nonprofit Champions for America’s Future entitled, “High-Quality Early Education Can Help Kids Win the Academic ‘Medal Race.’”
The report brings to light new data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showing that American children are far back in the pack when it comes to the international “medal count” on academic achievement. America’s 15-year-old children finished 25th in science and 40th in math out of the 72 countries taking the (OECD) PISA exam in 2015. This is in stark contrast to the USA’s dominating performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics winning 121 medals compared to second-place China’s 70 medals.
Recalling the great amounts of support he received along the way to becoming an NFL Hall of Famer, Franco Harris noted that far too many kids lack adequate support for becoming competitive students. Harris pointed to research showing 60 percent of the “achievement gap” in reading and 70 percent of the achievement gap in math between low-income and higher-income children in high school is already present at the start of kindergarten.
“Access to prekindergarten creates an opportunity to level the playing field for all children to achieve their full potential regardless of the income level of the families they inherited,” Harris said.
The report documents studies across the nation showing high-quality pre-k helps children develop in all areas⎯social, emotional and behavioral skills⎯along with essential pre-math and pre-reading skills. Additionally, the analysis team at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development identified high-quality pre-k as one of the common characteristics among the world’s “smartest countries.”
Pennsylvania has made strides in expanding access to high-quality pre-k, but more needs to be done, the athletes stressed. They noted that 112,900 three- and four-year-olds qualify for high-quality, publicly funded pre-k that remain unserved due to lack of funding⎯that’s enough to fill Penn State’s Beaver Stadium and leave another 7,000 children in the parking lot.
Former Olympian freestyle heavyweight wrestler Bruce Baumgartner, one of just eight athletes in U.S. history to medal in four different Olympiads (two gold, one silver and one bronze), emphasized his desire to see all children achieve their full potential on and off the field and become champions in life. “Athletes know that every medal we earn represents a team effort,” he said. “Our youngest children deserve the same team effort guiding them toward success on and off the field. Unfortunately, far too many kids don’t have access to quality pre-k, which hampers their chances for success before they even reach the starting line of life.”
Bruce Clash, on behalf of the Pre-K for PA Campaign, explained that all Pennsylvanians bear the brunt of children being left behind academically. “When a child starts school already behind, the cost to educate that child already begins to escalate,” said Clash. “Kids that continue to fall behind in school have a greater risk of dropping out and engaging in criminal activity. This is why the research on pre-k shows that it can return over $29,000 on average, net benefits to society for every child served.”
The athletes join a growing chorus of voices across Pennsylvania that are part of the Pre-K for PA Campaign in calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers and Governor Wolf to expand access to publicly funded high-quality pre-k for all eligible children and begin to address affordability issues among the middle class. Specifically, the Campaign is calling for an $85 million increase to state pre-k funding in the 2017-18 state budget to serve 10,000 additional children.
Also participating in the event were State Senator Pat Browne and Representative Mark Longietti, who are Co-Chairs of the bicameral, bipartisan Early Childhood Education Caucus; and Suzann Morris, the Deputy Secretary of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning within the PA Departments of Education and Human Services.
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PennLive: In another tight state budget year, advocates make case for preschool funding
January 25, 2017 by Charlie Thompson
In a tight budget year, one group that still feels confident enough to ask for growth in state funding are advocates for expanded access to preschool programs.
Leaders of the Pre-K for PA coalition pressed their case at the Capitol Tuesday at a rally headlined by two native-son athletes, Penn State and Pittsburgh Steeler great Franco Harris and Olympic wrestler Bruce Baumgartner.
Pre-school initiatives received a $30 million boost from Gov. Tom Wolf and legislators in the 2016-17 budget, for a total of more than $190 million in the state’s Pre-K Counts and Head Start programs.
Including federal- and locally-funded programs, about 64,000 low- and moderate-income children are served through quality publicly-funded programming.
The coalition, however, estimates there are still nearly twice that many kids unserved. Advocates are pressing state officials to continue working to close that gap this year, asking for an increase of $85 million.
Wolf has consistently said this winter that he will look to continue his pattern of increasing state investment in education.
Read the article here.
CBS21: Franco Harris and Bruce Baumgartner talk about the importance of pre-k
January 25, 2017
HARRISBURG, Pa — Two standout athletes talked about the importance of academics in Harrisburg today.
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris and four-time Olympic medalist Bruce Baumgartner called on lawmakers to scale up access to high quality pre-kindergarten programs.
I had what we called nursery school back when I was growing up and I could see that some of the kids had a little bit of an advantage over some of the kids who maybe didn’t have that opportunity.
They found that American children are far behind the pack when it comes to international academic achievements.
In creating more access to pre-K programs they hope kids will be better prepared for academic and lifetime success.
Watch the video here.
Chambersburg Public Opinion: High-quality pre-k programs pay big dividends for economy
January 13, 2017 by Mike Ross President of Franklin County Area Development Corporation
“Pennsylvania’s gap between STEM job openings and people qualified to fill them is here now and, without preventive measures, expected to grow.” This headline from 2016 grabbed my attention and concerned me from an economic development perspective.
A report from the business leader organization, ReadyNation, detailed Pennsylvania’s STEM skills gap:
–By 2020, more than 170,000 positions will not be filled by qualified in-state employees with the credentials employers demand.
–52 percent of Pennsylvania employers currently have difficulty finding hires with adequate education, training or credentials.
–56 percent of employers expect recruiting challenges to worsen.
–Business spend $189 million a year on retraining employees.
The report documented that these costly challenges stretch back to secondary and post-secondary schools. Two-thirds of Pennsylvania eighth-graders are not proficient in math and science. More than one quarter of students entering Pennsylvania state system universities enrolled in remedial courses, costing $153 million a year.
Clearly, efforts to engage young talent in STEM fields during the K-12 years matter, but this report pointed to a growing body of research showing that front-end investments in high-quality early childhood education truly plant the seeds of STEM learning. For example: knowledge of math in preschool and kindergarten is a powerful predictor of later school success, not just in math but also in reading and overall achievement. Children with persistent math problems at ages 6, 8, and 10 are less likely to graduate from high school or attend college.
Findings like this have influenced state policy makers over the past several budget cycles and resulted in high-quality prekindergarten being available to thousands more eligible children. However there’s much more work to be done.
Statewide, 112,900 three- and four-year-olds who qualify for publicly funded, high-quality prekindergarten are not served. That’s more than 64 percent of eligible children, according to “A Path Forward: Publicly Funded High-Quality Pre-K in Pennsylvania,” from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
Looking at Franklin County, fewer than 25 percent of kindergarten children who were eligible for publicly funded, high-quality pre-k received it. This includes school districts like Fannett-Metal where only one publicly funded high quality pre-k classrooms exists – leaving nearly 80 percent of eligible three- and four-year-olds without access.
The unmet need, here and statewide, is fueling a campaign called Pre-K for PA. This campaign has united a wide array of voices calling for greater access to pre-k including United Way affiliates, mayors, pediatricians, chamber of commerce leaders, prominent athletes, military and law enforcement leaders, and most importantly parents of young children.
All these people from varied spheres agree that investments in high-quality prekindergarten make a difference in the lives of children. Further research reveals that children from high-quality prekindergarten are:
–More likely to advance grades in school and have improved social skills.
–Less likely to need special education placements.
–More likely to graduate from high school and enroll in college, ramping up their employment possibilities and lifetime earning potential.
–Less likely to commit crimes later in life.
For our communities, the need for less special education and criminal justice intervention saves taxpayer money. Plus, our workforce and economy are strengthened with educated people equipped with the communications and teamwork skills that employers value. In fact, every dollar invested returns $17 in long-term savings and benefits.
All these benefits help explain this groundswell of support for high-quality pre-K.
We believe that Gov. Wolf will, once again, prioritize new investments for pre-k in his upcoming budget proposal for 2017-18. The Pre-K for PA movement is calling for an $85 million investment to serve an additional 10,000 children. That investment should grow in future years, to reach all eligible children and help address affordability issues for hardworking middle-class families who deserve the benefits of high-quality prekindergarten but find it financially out of reach.
By uniting to make these investments a top priority, we assure that our children, families, and communities reap the benefits of preparedness for school and life promised by high-quality prekindergarten.
Mike Ross is President of the Franklin County Area Development Corporation and serves as a member of ReadyNation.
Read the op-ed here.
York Daily Record: Make high-quality prekindergarten a 2017 priority
January 11, 2017 by Chris Reilly York County Commissioner
Movements gain their strength when many people from differing walks of life unite for a single cause. Over the past three years, I have supported an effort known as Pre-K for PA, which is urging meaningful state investments in high-quality prekindergarten.
Why high-quality pre-K? Because it works, and because all children, especially those who start life at disadvantages due to no fault of their own, deserve a chance to succeed. For these kids, high-quality early learning helps to build the foundation for academics, proper social behavior and emotional health.
Neuroscientists have proved that the human brain develops most rapidly from birth to 5, and most effectively with the proper kind of enrichment. Those findings have influenced state policy makers and resulted in high-quality, enriching prekindergarten being available to thousands more eligible children. However, new data show there’s much more work to be done.
Statewide, 112,900 3- and 4-year-olds who qualify for publicly funded, high-quality prekindergarten are not served. That’s more than 64 percent of eligible children, according to “A Path Forward: Publicly Funded High-Quality Pre-K in Pennsylvania,” from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. In 11 out of the 16 school districts in York County, fewer than 20 percent of qualifying prekindergarten children were served. In Red Lion Area School District there is only one high-quality publicly funded classroom – despite nearly 600 eligible children in the district. And while 245 children qualify in the Spring Grove Area School District, there are no publicly funded high-quality pre-k providers.
The unmet need, here and statewide, is fueling more voices to support the goals of the Pre-K for PA Campaign. In 2016, some of those voices included United Way affiliates (including the United Way of York County), mayors (including Mayor Bracey), pediatricians, chamber of commerce leaders, prominent athletes, military and law enforcement leaders, and most importantly parents of young children.
All these people from varied spheres agree that investments in high-quality prekindergarten make a difference in the lives of children. Research reveals that children from high-quality prekindergarten are:
- More likely to advance grades in school and have improved social skills.
- Less likely to need special education placements.
- More likely to graduate from high school and enroll in college, amping up their employment possibilities and lifetime earning potential.
- Less likely to commit crimes later in life.
For our communities, the need for less special education and criminal justice intervention saves taxpayer money. Plus, our workforce and economy are strengthened with educated people equipped with the communications and teamwork skills that employers value. In fact, every dollar invested returns $17 in long-term savings and benefits.
All these benefits help explain this groundswell of support for high-quality pre-K.
Clearly, this is the time to keep the pre-k momentum going and help all children fulfill their promise. We believe that Gov. Wolf will, once again, prioritize new investments for pre-k in his upcoming budget proposal for 2017-18. The Pre-K for PA movement is calling for an $85 million investment to serve an additional 10,000 children. That investment should grow in future years, to reach all eligible children and help address affordability issues for hard-working middle-class families who deserve the benefits of high-quality prekindergarten but find it financially out of reach.
By uniting to make these investments a top priority, we assure that our children, families and communities reap the benefits of preparedness for school and life promised by high-quality prekindergarten.
Christopher B. Reilly is a York County commissioner.
Read the column here.
