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.
Centre Daily Times: Preschool fair showcases local early education options
January 7, 2017 by Britney Milazzo
Aiden Hall will turn 3 in March.
That’s when he’ll be eligible to attend some preschools for next school year.
But his parents Carrie and Landon Hall said they don’t want to send their son to a place that is just a day care.
“If that’s the case, I would just send him to my mom’s all the time, but I want him to learn, to interact with other kids and teachers, and have that experience before he actually goes to school,” Carrie Hall said.
She said they teach the 2-year-old structure and etiquette at home, but it’s limited.
“We do as much as we can, but don’t have all the tips for the right behavior at school or at the playground when he’s among a group of others,” she said.
That’s why the Ferguson Township couple attended the annual preschool fair Saturday morning hosted by the Moms Club of State College at Mount Nittany Middle School.
Moms Club annually organizes the fair as a way to help educate local families about preschool and early childhood intervention care in the community, organizer Nicki Rusca said.
The event included 20 early childhood care programs, a majority from the Centre region.
“The process can be a little overwhelming, so the goal is to educate families on the options they have,” Rusca said. “They can narrow down what preschools they like and follow-up at the open house later.”
Some early childhood educators said preschool and early intervention is an important part of a child’s life.
At KinderCare, preschool teacher Chris Miley said preschool helps with the transition into kindergarten and helps expose children to different things.
“It plants the seed for their future,” she said. “If they stay at home with a parent, they can fall behind because they might not necessarily get the kind of exposure they would when they’re in a preschool setting.”
Miley said preschool exposes children to social, emotional and physical traits, but also exposes them to sicknesses, which could be a good thing.
“It can help build their immune system,” she said.
At KinderCare, preschool is available to children ages 3 to 5. It’s a paid program, but offers tuition assistance to eligible families.
The goal, Miley said, is to help the child learn basic skills that lead them to think “outside the box.”
“It’s age appropriate, but they learn things like numbers and letters and how to play with each other,” she said. “It’s play-based, but they still get educated.”
However preschool isn’t an option for everyone.
And a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit called Pre-K for PA is trying to change that by raising money and advocating for affordable, yet high quality preschool for every child in the commonwealth.
“We have had several successes this year,” spokeswoman for the central Pennsylvania area of Pre-K for PA Tracy Weaver said. “For example, we reached out to legislators, including Sen. (Jake) Corman, to advocate for increased pre-K funding. We were successful in getting the legislature to follow through in funding the increase, which ultimately made preschool available to more children.”
In 2016, Pre-K for PA was able to help expand the number of high-quality pre-K centers, made possible by the additional $25 million in funding for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and $5 million for Head Start in the state’s 2015-16 budget, Pre-K for PA spokeswoman Kate Philips said.
Philly.com: Commentary: Let Pa’s resolution for 2017 be expanded access to pre-k
January 3, 2017 by Pedro Ramos, Jim Cawley, and Sharmain Matlock-Turner
Resolutions – proactive measurable goals that pave the way for future success – help us launch the new year with purpose and direction.
Let’s resolve to build on the growing consensus for the wisdom of quality universal pre-K in Pennsylvania.
For our children, it’s essential to propel their path to learning through programs that lay solid foundations for achievement in education and in life.
A child’s brain is 90 percent developed by age 5. Falling behind during this critical time could mean a lifetime of having to run faster to try to catch up – or worse, never catching up.
A person who has a preschool education is less likely to drop out of high school, get arrested, repeat grades, and require remediation services. Research shows that children enrolled in pre-K programs can go on to earn incomes as much as 23 percent higher than what they’d earn had they not participated.
The benefits for our society as a whole also have been documented. Pre-K programs lead to a more competitive workforce. As such, they constitute an economic development program – the educational equal of business-tax incentives, property-tax abatements, and job-creation tax credits. A high-quality workforce is a key driver of job creation, as well as higher community earnings per capita, something that in turn enhances overall regional growth.
Pennsylvania’s lagging commitment to universal pre-K puts our population at an increasingly competitive disadvantage, even among our next-door neighbors. Nationally, Pennsylvania has dropped from number 11 to 15 for pre-K access for 3-year-olds, and ranks 30th in pre-K access for 4-year-olds. We serve only 26 percent of our 4-year-old population, compared with 35 percent in New Jersey, 42 percent in Maryland, 54 percent in New York, and 94 percent in West Virginia. Only one in six Pennsylvania young learners is enrolled in pre-K programs.
Just offering a pre-K program is not enough. The curriculum needs to be focused on the cognitive, physical, and social skills expected in today’s kindergarten, which no longer centers just on socialization.
Sadly, the amount of public funds available for pre-K in Pennsylvania provides less than 20 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds with access to high-quality programs. Since the annual cost of pre-K can rival a family’s rent or mortgage expense, on average amounting to $8,800 per year, it’s often far out of reach for children who would benefit most.
Additional funding could produce life-changing results. With $370 million in funding, pre-K would be available to the more than 47,000 3- and 4-year-olds in Pennsylvania who are at the greatest risk of academic failure. With an additional $100 million, 23,500 students in middle-income households could benefit. Those targeted investments could reach 125,000 children by 2019 – providing pre-K access to more than 40 percent of our 3- and 4-year-olds.
We simply cannot continue to withhold this opportunity for our children. As representatives of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, we ask you to join us in resolving not to accept anything less.
Pedro Ramos is president and CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation. president@philafound.org
Jim Cawley is president and CEO of United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. jcawley@uwgpsnj.org
Sharmain Matlock-Turner is president and CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition. sharmain@uac.org
Times Leader: Report: No publicly funded pre-school for 70 percent of eligible students
December 15, 2016 by Mark Guydish
An online map released Wednesday allows anyone with a computer and internet connection to check preschool availability throughout Pennsylvania, and the news is grim locally.
According to data on the map, 70 percent of children ages 3 and 4 in Luzerne County school districts who are eligible for publicly funded preschool can’t get into a program for one simple reason: There aren’t nearly enough slots available.
The map, posted by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children at papartnerships.maps.arcgis.com, provides data for state Senate districts, state House districts, or school districts.
In each case, it shows the number of children ages 3 and 4, the number and percent of those who are economically eligible for “high quality, publicly funded pre-k,” and the percent of those eligible but “unserved. It also shows locations of pre-k services, both publicly funded and private.
Children are eligible if family income is at or below 300 percent of federal poverty level (or $72,900 for a family of four).
A persistent proponent of early childhood education, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children repeatedly has pushed for increased state funding for programs. The map was released as part of “A Path Forward,” an effort to get Harrisburg lawmakers to increase pre-kindergarten spending by $85 million next year, providing service to another 10,000 children.
While the organization does not specify where the money would come from, it routinely cites studies saying such investments pay up to 17-fold in savings because children who get solid educational support early on are less likely to require more costly special education services later, end up in the justice system, or end up on welfare.
During a web-based presentation, Partnerships President Joan Benso said the ultimate goal is to “ensure that every child eligible for publicly funded pre-k gets the opportunity.”
Benso conceded there are problems with rapid expansion. Existing providers might need support in scaling up for a big surge in enrollment, and pay for employees generally has been flat for nearly a decade. “There has been no child care pay increase from the state since 2007 for most providers,” Benso said.
Partnerships has a suggested four-step “path forward,” with the first step being the most costly: Along with an increase of $85 million in state spending on pre-k next year, it calls for “growing the investment to an additional $340 million by 2020-21.
It calls for another $100 million by 2022-23 to begin serving children in families with incomes above the 300 percent-of-poverty threshold.
Read the full article here.
