Newsworks: McCord wants to nearly triple Pa. spending on early education
“Fewer than 20 percent of all 3- and 4-year-olds in Pennsylvania have access to publicly-funded pre-K programs.
If elected, McCord wants to add $220 million to the state’s early childhood education budget during his first year in office, nearly tripling current state spending.
The funding boost would come courtesy of a 10 percent severance tax on companies drilling for natural gas in the state.”
Read the full story here.
Centre Daily Times: Letter to the Editor – Support Early Education
Letter to the editor from Bill Frantz, State College chairman of Pre-K for PA:
“Early investments minimize the need for costly and difficult interventions meant to close the achievement gap in later years. Yet available public funds help only 50 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in Centre County get access to programs that help them get a sound educational foundation.
High-quality prekindergarten strengthens our schools because every child who arrives in kindergarten ready to learn helps the classroom become a more effective place for the learning of all children.”
Read the full story here.
PennLive: Military, business and law enforcement leaders push candidates to learn about early childhood education
Rear Admiral Thomas Wilson, Steven Wray, and Bruce Clash met with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie McGinty and voiced support for high quality pre-K from their diverse perspectives:
“They said the coalition, which calls itself Pre-K for PA, will release a policy paper with options and projected costs for Pennsylvania in May.
In the meantime, they want the gubernatorial candidates to understand the issue. Rob McCord is meeting with the group tomorrow. Allison Schwartz, they said, has expressed support, and Tom Wolf is still in negotiations to schedule a meeting.
Pre-K for PA neither endorses nor opposes candidates.
After listening to the men’s appeals, McGinty told them their message was strengthened by the fact they came to the same conclusion from so many different perspectives.”
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WJAC TV: Week of the young child aims to showcase the importance of early childhood education
“Two mayors in Centre County proclaimed all this week, the week of the young child. After hearing from advocates about just how important an early childhood education is, the mayors of State College and Bellefonte made those proclamations.
Even though this is only a week of awareness, those who are behind the cause said this is just the start. They are on a mission to make sure every child in the state of Pennsylvania has access to a quality educational experience early on.
“Well we really only have about one space for every six children and this is what we really want to do is expand access to make sure all children have access to whichever kind of program they want to go to but we always want to guarantee that those programs are high-quality,” Wendy Whitesell, of Penn State Children’s Programs, said.”
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York Dispatch: OP-ED: A smart investment for York County
Op-ed from Joan Benso, CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children:
“If we could invest tax dollars in a way that reduces public school costs, increases graduation rates, lowers spending on crime and social services and helps build a more competitive workforce with stronger earning power, would you get behind it?
Such an investment opportunity already exists in York County in the form of high-quality pre-kindergarten. Unfortunately, we aren’t doing enough to take full advantage of it here or across Pennsylvania, and that means lost savings for taxpayers and missed opportunities for kids.
A growing body of research shows children who attend high-quality pre-k head to kindergarten better prepared to learn and have improved social and emotional skills throughout school. They tend to perform better academically and need fewer special education and remedial learning services. As a result, taxpayers and society benefit in all those ways I mentioned earlier.”
Read the full story here.
