Philly.com: Commentary: Failure to adequately fund pre-k hurts Pa. children
June 8, 2016
One of the most rewarding parts of training to be a pediatrician is caring for a newborn patient and then watching that child grow up into a bright, curious, and engaging toddler. However, all too often, we see those perfect newborns we care for face obstacles beyond their control that hinder healthy development.
Adversity in the first few years of life, such as poverty, parental substance abuse, and neighborhood violence, can result in toxic stress, or dangerously high stress over long periods of time. Toxic stress has a significant negative impact on brain development – nearly all of which occurs within the first five years of life.
But there is cause for hope. Research shows that supportive relationships with caring adults in structured environments, such as those found in prekindergarten programs, can mitigate the effects of toxic stress. That is why, along with two dozen colleagues from across the state, we recently went to Harrisburg to urge our legislators to increase Pennsylvania’s investment in pre-K programs.
Children engaged in high-quality preschool show improved interpersonal skills and better self-regulation and cognitive skills than those in lower-quality programs. In addition, high-quality education in the first few years of life results in improved educational outcomes, fewer adolescent pregnancies, and decreased involvement in the criminal justice system.
In Pennsylvania, only 30 percent of the low-income 3- and 4-year-olds who qualify for state-funded pre-K are able to receive these services. This is not for lack of interest; in fact, the waiting lists for programs like Head Start and Pre-K Counts are extensive. Rather, 70 percent of our neediest children are not given the right start on life for one simple reason: We don’t adequately fund these essential programs.
As pediatricians, we find this concerning. If we want to maximize the potential of Pennsylvania’s children, we need more state funding for pre-K. We are asking for an increase of $90 million during fiscal year 2016-17, which would give 7,400 more children access to pre-K across the state. While this figure may sound daunting, research has shown that for every dollar invested in preschool, society saves up to $17 on special education, incarceration, and social services.
The data are clear. Our children cannot wait until age 5 to receive formal, quality education; their brains are developing rapidly long before kindergarten. When we miss out on this critical window of development, we miss out on immeasurable human potential and reinforce inequities through cycles of poverty.
Each year we fail to act is a year of lost opportunity. Let’s not lose this year.
Stacey Kallem, M.D., is a third-year resident in Philadelphia. Stacey.kallem@gmail.com
Barbara H. Chaiyachati ( Bchaiyachati@gmail.com), M.D., and Irène P. Mathieu ( ipmath@gmail.com), M.D., are first-year residents in Philadelphia.
Read the op-ed here.
York Daily Record: Column: Pre-k is a Healthy Investment in Children
June 7, 2016
Growing up in York County, I was fortunate to have opportunities many children lack, including the opportunity to receive a quality education that prepared me for my career in pediatric medicine.
Today, as a pediatric resident at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, I have experienced first-hand how challenges in a child’s growth and development – if left unaddressed – can limit opportunities, including the opportunity to learn.
That is why I want to see the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania invest more in high-quality pre-kindergarten (“pre-k”) programs in the state budget. The years before a child enters kindergarten are a critical window for healthy cognitive, physical, social and emotional development, and the circumstances and experiences children have during these early years can shape their health and impact upon their success for a lifetime. Quality pre-k programs help put our children on a path to a lifetime of good health and success.
Unfortunately, too many young children face obstacles that hinder healthy development. These obstacles, including the effects of poverty and other adverse conditions beyond their control, which can fuel “toxic stress” – the type of extreme, persistent stress that can actually alter a child’s brain architecture in negative ways. Research shows one of the most effective ways to lessen the impact of toxic stress is through caring relationships and stable, supportive environments. High-quality pre-k programs provide such an environment, enabling young children to learn and develop free from the adverse conditions that can create persistent stress and anxiety.
High-quality pre-k programs not only prepare children for success in school and in life, but they also have been shown to promote good health in childhood as well as their development as they move into adulthood.
Research shows high-quality pre-k programs improve language, literacy and math skills as children enter kindergarten. These vital programs also reduce special education placements and increase the likelihood of high school graduation and college enrollment. From a health perspective, children who benefit from high-quality early learning programs tend to have better diets and exercise routines as adults, lower rates of smoking or substance abuse and lower risks of diabetes, stroke and/or heart disease. These health-related benefits not only help the child, they also help society by lowering health care costs, especially costs caused by chronic illnesses or disease.
Despite these many benefits for our children and our communities, the majority of 3- and 4-year-olds in Pennsylvania lack access to high-quality pre-k programs. According to the statewide Pre-K for PA campaign, more than 9,000 3- and 4-year-olds in York County alone lack access to high-quality pre-k. We can and should address this unmet need.
That is why I – along with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics – strongly support the call for Pennsylvania legislative leaders to enact a state budget that increases funding for high-quality pre-k by $90 million in fiscal 2016-17 so an additional 7,400 children can benefit.
It’s worth noting that, even with such a new investment, more than 107,000 at-risk preschool children still would lack access to high-quality pre-k next year. This is why Pennsylvania needs to increase investments in the development of pre-k programs over multiple years, including the $90 million increase needed this year.
High-quality pre-k programs make sense and save all of us money in the long run. It’s time to step up Pennsylvania’s efforts to invest in these programs so more young learners can get off to a strong, healthy start.
Dr. Jaime L. Moellman is a pediatric resident at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
Read the column here.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Mission: Pre-K: More state support for early education is vital
By the Editorial Board June 4, 2016
Early-childhood education is so important that even retired admirals and generals are fighting for it.
Mission: Readiness, a children’s advocacy group made up of former military leaders, is part of a 2-year-old coalition demanding that the state invest $90 million more next fiscal year in pre-kindergarten and Head Start programs.
Why? A high-tech military requires highly skilled recruits, while the nation’s lagging performance in science and math portends a diminished global competitiveness, according to a study that Mission: Readiness and the business group ReadyNation released Thursday.
Pre-K is funded by the state, while Head Start receives federal and state funds. The programs for 3- and 4-year-olds provide instruction in math, literacy and other subjects, preparing tykes for the rigors of kindergarten and the challenges that life throws at them later on. Targeting kids at an age when their brains are especially fertile, pre-K and Head Start have been associated with improved performance in key academic subjects, higher school graduation and better college enrollment rates, all translating into higher levels of individual achievement and national gain.
Nearly 176,000 children statewide are eligible for the programs based on family income, but only about 30 percent are enrolled because of limited funding, according to coalition figures. In Allegheny County alone, classes are available only to 42 percent of the 12,577 children eligible. Mission: Readiness, the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children and other coalition members want the state to increase funding by $90 million, to $256 million, for 2016-17. The increase would add 7,400 children to the pre-K and Head Start rolls and give additional hours to another 6,200 who received only partial instruction this year. (Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed an additional $60 million for 2016-2017.)
Read the full editorial here.
Delaware County Daily Times: Guest Column: Why boosting pre-K spending is a good investment
June 2, 2016
By Francesca Darquea, M.D., Brittany Davis-Schaffer, M.D., and Sam Master, D.O., Times Guest Columnists
In our work in pediatric medicine at the Crozer-Chester Medical Center, we see first-hand how challenges in a child’s growth and development — if left unaddressed — can limit opportunities, including the opportunity to learn.
That’s why we want to see Pennsylvania invest more in high-quality pre-K programs in the state budget. The years before a child enters kindergarten are a critical window for healthy cognitive, physical, social and emotional development, and the circumstances and experiences children have during these early years can shape their health and success for a lifetime. Quality pre-K helps put our children on a path to a lifetime of good health and success.
Unfortunately, too many young children face obstacles that hinder healthy development, including the effects of poverty and other adverse conditions beyond their control, which can fuel “toxic stress” – the type of extreme, persistent stress that can actually alter a child’s brain architecture in negative ways. Research shows one of the most effective ways to lessen the impact of toxic stress is through caring relationships and stable, supportive environments. High-quality pre-K programs provide such an environment, enabling young children to learn and develop free from the adverse conditions that can create persistent stress and anxiety.
High-quality pre-K programs not only prepare children for success in school and in life, but they also have been shown to promote good health in childhood and into adulthood.
Research shows high-quality pre-K improves language, literacy and math skills as children enter kindergarten, reduces special education placements, and increases the likelihood of high school graduation and college enrollment. From a health perspective, children who benefit from high-quality early learning programs tend to have better diets and exercise routines as adults, lower rates of smoking or substance abuse and lower risks of diabetes, stroke or heart disease. These health-related benefits not only help the child, they also help society by lowering health care costs, especially costs from chronic illnesses or disease.
Despite these many benefits for our children and our communities, the majority of 3- and 4-year-olds in Pennsylvania lack access to high-quality pre-K programs. According to the statewide Pre-K for PA campaign, more than 9,300 3- and 4-year-olds in Delaware County alone lack access to high-quality pre-K. We can and should address this unmet need.
That’s why we – along with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics – support the call for Pennsylvania leaders to enact a state budget that increases funding for high-quality pre-K by $90 million in fiscal 2016-17 so an additional 7,400 children can benefit.
Read the full column here.
PennLive: Pre-K is a healthy investment in child development: Susan Kressly
May 13, 2016 by Susan Kressly
I’ve spent more than 25 years as a pediatrician in Pennsylvania, and in that time I’ve encountered many children who face challenges in their growth and development – challenges that, if left unaddressed, can limit a child’s opportunities, including the opportunity to learn.
High-quality pre-k is a proven tool to help overcome some of the negative impacts many of our young children face, including those children at higher risk of academic failure due to economic circumstances or family social and emotional issues.
Pre-k works, and Pennsylvania should be investing more in it so more of our young learners can benefit from it.
Why is high-quality pre-k such a significant, cost-effective way to help ensure a child’s healthy development?
In part because one of the most significant periods for a child’s physical, mental, social and emotional growth is before they even enter kindergarten.
Yet too many children face adverse conditions in these early years that can be detrimental to their healthy development.
Poverty is just one factor that can not only limit a child’s opportunities, but it also is a leading factor in what we called “toxic stress” in children.
Stress itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing for children or adults.
Some level of adversity or challenge is inevitable in every child’s life, and learning to manage the stress that can accompany that adversity or challenge is actually an important part of a healthy development.
But when we talk about toxic stress, we’re not talking about the type of stress that stems from everyday childhood challenges like taking a test, performing at a recital or playing goalie on the soccer team.
Learning to manage that type of stress is actually an important part of healthy development.
Toxic stress is a persistent, extreme, unrelenting type of stress – the kind related to things like prolonged economic insecurity – that can do lasting harm.
Research shows toxic stress can actually alter the architecture of a young child’s brain, bringing with it long-lasting negative impacts that can undermine the ability to learn, think, react and interact with others.
Fortunately, there are proven ways to mitigate the harm of toxic stress in young children.
One way is to help provide these children with caring relationships and stable, supportive environments. Those are exactly the kinds of positive relationships and environments found in Pennsylvania’s high-quality pre-k programs.
These programs can bring about dramatic gains in academic and social skills and in children’s emotional development, particularly young children who might face disadvantages due to circumstances beyond their control.
High-quality pre-k programs not only prepare children for success in school and in life, but they also have been shown to promote good health in childhood and well into adulthood.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has found that early childhood interventions such as high-quality pre-k programs have a high return on investment in both human and financial terms.
The statewide, nonpartisan Pre-K for PA campaign is calling on Pennsylvania leaders to increase investments in high-quality pre-k in the fiscal 2016-17 budget by an additional $90 million.
That way an additional 7,400 young learners can benefit in the next school year.
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the AAP supports this call for stronger pre-k investments.
Much of the work pediatricians do is focused on prevention. We work to make sure children are safe from things that might cause them harm.
Whether that means vaccinating against diseases or promoting the use of safety measures around the home.
And we work to mitigate the health impacts of things we cannot prevent, finding ways to heal and help children recover from harm that has come to them.
Pre-k programs are, in essence, a form of both prevention and healing.
High-quality pre-k programs can help prevent the loss of opportunity by preparing children academically and socially for success once they enter kindergarten. And these programs can help heal by lessening the impact of toxic stress and other negative forces that can undermine a child’s success.
If you look at it in that context, I think it becomes clear why pediatricians are so strongly supportive of giving all of our children access to high-quality pre-k.
And it becomes clear why Pennsylvania needs to continue increasing its investments in high-quality pre-k so more children – particularly those at greatest risk due to circumstances beyond their control – can benefit from pre-k’s proven return on investment.
Susan Kressly is the president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Read the op-ed here.
Lebanon Daily News: Op-ed: Lebanon Needs Pre-k
By Lebanon City Mayor Sherry Capello
Earlier this month I joined mayors from across Pennsylvania in our state Capitol to urge expanded access to high-quality pre-k. As Mayor, I am focused on the economic future of Lebanon. This process includes growing the tax base, ensuring public safety, making sure that Lebanon has good jobs and, equally important, making sure that we have the talent needed to fill those jobs. Expanding the reach of high-quality pre-k can help address all of these concerns.
Business leaders tell me time and time again the challenges associated with finding the right and qualified people for job openings. The state’s Department of Labor and Industry maintains a database of tens of thousands of open positions that go unfilled because of shortages in skilled labor. It is well documented with research that children who attend pre-k graduate with stronger academic and life skills than their peers making them more competitive in the marketplace.
What’s less well understood is that expanding pre-k actually creates jobs and stimulates local business growth. Here’s how it works: New pre-k programs hire new staff who pay taxes, broadening the local tax rolls. Those employees spend their new paychecks locally and the pre-k programs also spend money on supplies that help our local businesses grow.
Public safety, incarceration and young children are topics that should not have any connection. But the facts about pre-k and its effect on reducing crime are real. One of the nation’s most extensive studies that tracked child outcomes over 28 years found that children without access to a good pre-k program were 70 percent more likely to be arrested by the time they were 18 compared to children who had the benefits of pre-k. Those same young adults were five times more likely to be chronic offenders by the time they were 27-years-old than their counterparts who were enrolled in pre-k. That’s why one of the nation’s most respected Nobel winning economists, James Heckman, points to pre-k as the most efficient strategy for improving the outcomes of children who we hope to lift out of poverty and keep out of prison.
This research shows that by expanding access to high-quality pre-k we can reduce our crime rate and make our community safer. It’s also why district attorneys and police chiefs from communities across Pennsylvania have lined up behind efforts to invest in pre-k under the slogan “Pay Now or Pay Later.” Less crime means less money spent fighting crime. Imagine what we could do to improve our community or lower our taxes if we didn’t have to devote so much of our local budget to public safety.
By stimulating economic growth and reducing public safety costs, over time we are likely to see that expanded pre-k can take some pressure off the local tax base.
In the short term, pre-k reduces special education costs so our school district is likely to see more immediate returns. Research from Pennsylvania and across the country indicates that when children start school with two years of high-quality pre-k under their belts, school districts are seeing the number of children enrolled in special education services drop by as much as 50 percent by 2nd grade.
I am excited by the local support behind expanding pre-k access. Recently, our YMCA, with the generous donations by many residents, opened the Ed and Jeannie Arnold Early Leaning Center. IU 13 and the Lebanon School District as well as other county schools are partnering with community providers to maximize the impact of the resources that we have for early education. But unfortunately it’s not enough.
There are more than 1,300 income eligible three- and four-year-olds that don’t have access to high-quality publicly funded pre-k each year in Lebanon County. In communities across the state, that number is 120,000 young learners that don’t have access.
That’s why I am advocating for our leaders in Harrisburg to continue to expand access to this essential first step in education. We all want a safe and prosperous community that offers good jobs and good lives for every family. Investing early in our next generation is a productive way to help accomplish this. As our lawmakers begin to work in earnest to pass a state budget by June 30, let’s not forget the good that can be achieved by more ambitious funding of our pre-k programs.
Read the full op-ed here.
