by Joseph Sabino Mistick, TribLive.com
“In Pennsylvania, high-quality pre-K exists but there is simply not enough of it. Families of means can afford to send their 3- and 4-year-olds to private programs. And many of our poorest families have access to publicly funded pre-K.
“Still, nearly 250,000 children across the commonwealth — most from the middle plus those kids still unserved at the bottom — will start school behind the others because they have no access to pre-K. Not just another program that we simply cannot afford, universal pre-K is something that we cannot afford to ignore.”
Read more: http://triblive.com/opinion/josephmistick/6892769-74/pre-early-education#ixzz3FQNo3rfj
Make Pre-K a Priority
September 25, 2014
Pre-K for PA’s mission ought to be a cakewalk. After all, few people don’t support high-quality early education.
And why not?
It’s an investment that provides young children the solid start they need to succeed both academically and socially in school.
That, in turn, increases the likelihood they’ll stay out of trouble, graduate high school and enroll in college or join the military, leading to better career opportunities.
High-quality pre-K programs also boost local economies by eventually producing the skilled workers new businesses need.
That’s why 10 organizations representing education, business, law enforcement and the military earlier this year launched Pre-K for PA, a campaign to ensure every 3- and 4-year-old has access to high-quality pre-K in Pennsylvania.
Click Here for the Full Story
Want to guarantee a kid a sound future? Invest in early childhood education: Ed Rendell and Mark Schweiker
“There are few occasions when two former governors from opposing parties find themselves in total agreement, but investing in early learning is one issue where we see eye-to-eye.
“By increasing access to early learning opportunities for all children, we will improve our state’s economic future and most certainly better the life chances of each child who is given this important head start.
“We are not newcomers to this issue. We both took very seriously the need to boost the skills of all students, even those as young as three and four years old. It all starts with great parents and well-prepared teachers.”
Read the full op-ed at:
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2014/06/want_to_guarantee_a_kid_a_soun.html
Erie Reader: From the Editors
The editors of the Erie Reader take a stand in support of pre-K in this editorial:
“Of the 296,957 children ages 3 and 4 in Pennsylvania, 208,991 don’t have access to high-quality pre-K learning opportunities. More shocking yet, 178,795 — or 60 percent — of those children live in families below 300 percent poverty, and currently there are only enough public funds to make pre-K available for less than 20 percent of 3 and 4-year old statewide. Furthermore, a new report by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) reveals that Pennsylvania ranks 30th out of 41 states that provide high-quality pre-k to 4-year-olds.
In Erie County alone, 6,864 children don’t have access to that high-quality pre-K education. And if current poverty trends have taught us anything, that number simply won’t reduce itself.
That’s why in a year in which we’ll either re-elect our current governor or decide someone else is a better fit for the job, as well as make critical decisions for who represents us in the state legislature, we want to turn our attention — and yours — to the PreK for PA initiative to help ensure this issue gets the attention it deserves from those making the funding decisions in Harrisburg.”
Read the full story here.
The Notebook: Editorial: Glimmers of optimism
“With a bleak financial predicament facing Philadelphia public schools, it is hard to maintain optimism about the future of public education here. As the Notebook reflects on 20 years of publishing in pursuit of educational quality and equity, we cannot say students are better off than they were in 1994. But we do see encouraging trends – both growing wisdom and evidence that an informed, engaged community can make a difference.
For example, we know now that the early years are critical for child development and that high-quality pre-K can help ensure success in school. In 1994, full-day kindergarten still was missing from most high-poverty schools here. That fight has been won, and now the public campaign has moved to expanding access to quality pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds. With most state legislators and the governor up for election this year, the “Pre-K for PA” campaign is positioned to win a statewide commitment to new investments in early education.”
Read the full story here.
Scranton Times Tribune: Op-Ed: Close the Gap Before it Opens
Universal access to pre-kindergarten urgent matter of economic, national security
March 24, 2014
By Gen. Daniel J. O’Neill and Gen. Michael A. Dunn
As we all know, 2014 is a major election year in Pennsylvania. On the ballot will be races for the entire state House of Representatives, half of the state Senate seats and our governor’s office. As voters, we have a responsibility to help guide the election debate to those issues that we see as critical to our commonwealth’s and our country’s future.
As retired general of the United States Army, we believe our candidates for public office must focus on better preparing our youth to be citizen-ready – healthy, educated, law-abiding contributors who are able to serve their nation in uniform or in the civilian sector.
We find it deeply troubling that the U.S. Department of Defense estimates that 75 percent of young Americans – ages 17-24 – currently do not qualify for military services. Poor academic performance, a lack of physical fitness, and a history of criminal behavior are among the top cited reasons for disqualification.
Even among those who do graduate high school and want to join the military, 22 percent do not possess sufficient math, literacy and problem-solving skills to pass the military’s entrance exam.
These statistics show a looming skills gap among the next generation of Americans that will limit their ability to fill 21st century jobs, which will place the economic and military elements of our national security at risk.
This situation is echoed by yet another recent U.S. Army report, “Strong Students, Strong Futures, Strong Nation,” that cautioned:
“In the coming decade, the United States will face a significant workforce shortfall and both the civilian and military sectors may not have the skilled labor required to meet the demands of a knowledge-based economy.
“The effect on our ability to compete globally will be devastating if we do not act immediately and forcefully to reverse the impact.”
As members of the national security non-profit organization Mission: Readiness, we believe one of the most effective ways to close this skills gap is to prevent it from ever occurring in the first place by expanding investment in high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.
New data from our neighboring state of New Jersey confirms that state systems of early education can be brought to scale with strong and lasting results in math and literacy.
By the time they were in fourth and fifth grade, children who participated in New Jersey’s high-quality program for two years were three-quarters of an academic year ahead in math and two-thirds of an academic year ahead in literacy compared to those who did not.
Studies of voluntary high-quality programs in states such as Michigan, Arkansas, West Virginia, New Mexico and Pennsylvania also have shown impressive gains in literacy and reductions in the number of children needing special education services or being held back in school.
These new and emerging research results are bolstered by long-term studies of participants from high-quality programs in Michigan and Illinois, which found that participants were up to 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school.
Despite this successful track record, access to high quality pre-k is limited.
Only one of six of Pennsylvania’s preschool-age kids currently benefit from existing publicly funded preschool programs.
In Lackawanna County, 53 percent, or more than 2,500 kids ages 3 and 4, do not have access to high-quality pre-k.
This must change.
This is why Mission: Readiness is supporting the Pre-K for PA Campaign – an issue education campaign supported by individuals and organizations across Pennsylvania who believe that affording all children the opportunity to enter school ready to succeed is the right choice and an urgent necessity.
Candidates for our public offices must realize today’s three- and four-year-olds will be of age to join the military and workforce in 2028.
Expanding access to high-quality pre-k will have a profound impact on our children’s ability to achieve their dreams and become the contributing citizens that we need them to be to ensure our future economic and national security.
Pennsylvania’s next governor and members of our General Assembly must ensure that all kids have the opportunity to “Be All That They Can Be.”
