Public News Service: Report Shows PA Lagging in Pre-K
January 17, 2018
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Investing in pre-K is investing in a strong future for Pennsylvania, according to a new report from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
The study says the Keystone State ranks 18th out of 30 states that put state money into quality pre-K programs.
While neighboring New Jersey, the national leader, puts more than $3,200 per capita into publicly funded pre-K, Pennsylvania spends less than $800.
According to Joan Benso, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, years of research have shown that high-quality early childhood education is an investment that pays off.
“Public investments in pre-K get kids ready for school, help them succeed in school, make it likely they will not engage in juvenile crime and, ultimately, be productive members of the workforce,” she points out.
The state did increase funding by $30 million for the current fiscal year, but only 36 percent of eligible children currently have access to quality pre-K programs.
Studies have shown that every dollar of public investment in quality pre-K returns $4 in savings for social costs such as remediation and juvenile crime.
Benso points out that there’s also a long-term multiplier effect.
“The contributions of someone who graduates from high school, goes on to post-secondary education and goes into the workforce skilled ends up being another big return,” she states.
Benso says the state could serve all at-risk children by investing $85 million in the next state budget, and an additional $225 million by the 2020-to-2021 fiscal year.
This is a pivotal year for electoral politics at both the state and national level. Benso maintains early childhood education is an issue that candidates need to address.
“And one of the wisest public investments voters can be seeking in their candidates for office includes high quality pre-K,” she stresses.
Voters in 12 of the 17 states that invest more in pre-K than Pennsylvania will elect governors this year.
Listen to the report here.
The Intelligencer: Former governors Rendell, Schweiker urge more funding for pre-kindergarten
January 17, 2018 by Chris English
The two former Pennsylvania chief executives spoke during a press conference at the Bucks County Intermediate Unit in Doylestown Township.
Former Pennsylvania governors Ed Rendell and Mark Schweiker lent their voices to the call for more state funding for quality pre-kindergarten during a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Bucks County Intermediate Unit in Doylestown Township.
During the event organized by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and Pre-K for PA, both Rendell and Schweiker said they placed high priorities on pre-K spending during their administrations but were often thwarted by their legislatures.
The administration of Gov. Tom Wolf is making good progress, both former governors said. In 2017-18, state funding for pre-K is $226 million — a $30 million increase from last fiscal year and a $90 million hike over the last three years, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children President and CEO Joan Benso said.
But more needs to be done, Rendell and Schweiker said.
“The private sector has stepped up to make contributions to pre-K, but it’s not the private sector’s job,” Rendell said. “The education of our children is one of the core responsibilities of state government. There should not be one child in Pennsylvania not receiving a high quality pre-K education. Our children do better if we lay a foundation of pre-K education and full-day kindergarten.”
A report released Wednesday by Pre-K for PA said that only 36 percent of eligible children in Pennsylvania receive high quality, publicly funded pre-K. That means 112,900 children are not getting it, the report said.
Of the 30 states that publicly fund pre-K at current educational standards, Pennsylvania ranks 18th with per capita spending of $792, the report said. New Jersey is first at $2,706, it added.
According to the report, pre-K investments save taxpayer dollars by reducing the need for special education and remedial instruction in later years, and increases graduation rates and college enrollment, among other benefits.
“Gov. Wolf has made important strides, but the other states are still boxing our ears off,” Rendell said. “If we want to attract the Amazons and other cutting edge businesses to our state, we need to properly educate our kids.”
Both former governors said one of the main reasons Pennsylvania lags behind other states in pre-K funding is simply a reluctance among lawmakers to commit the funds.
“Good or bad, there is a philosophical take on state government that it shouldn’t be responsible for education below kindergarten,” Schweiker said.
Politicians want to look good during campaigns by boasting that they didn’t vote to raise taxes but that is a misguided notion, Rendell said.
“People don’t mind a raise in taxes if they see they are getting something for it,” he said.
Read the full article here.
The Intelligencer: Give every child a good start for learning
January 9, 2018
When I welcome kindergartners on the first day of school, I don’t see them only as little ones eager to learn. I also picture them 13 years later, attired in cap and gown, proudly accepting their hard-earned and well-deserved high school diplomas.
However, I worry that the road ahead is rocky for some of our most vulnerable children. Through no fault of their own, they have not been exposed to the tools they need to learn, and that’s why I’m speaking up for high-quality prekindergarten that prepares all children for academics even before they enter school.
For two decades, Pennsylvania leaders in government, business, law enforcement and the military have supported public investments in high-quality pre-K. Now, elementary school principals have joined the chorus. In a 2017 survey conducted by the Pennsylvania Principals Association in conjunction with the Pre-K for PA Campaign, nearly 99 percent of us agreed that publicly funded, high-quality pre-K is an important tool in preparing at-risk children for kindergarten.
This nearly unanimous show of support is remarkable but hardly surprising. As a principal, I see the difference that early learning makes. Children who have had an opportunity to attend high-quality pre-K come ready for school. They already know the basics of reading, mathematics, getting along with others, building friendships and sharing.
Unfortunately, some children who do not attend high-quality pre-K programs do not have the readiness skills needed to prepare them for standards-based curriculum instruction. Their teachers, then, are required to spend more time on classroom management and social skills rather than engaging them in meaningful learning experiences.
Many children who have not been exposed to a high-quality pre-K are at a greater risk of doing poorly in school, due to adverse circumstances. These are the students my kindergarten teachers and I lose sleep over. We strive to bring them to the same developmental and academic playing field as their classmates; but for many, time is not on their side.
High-quality pre-K helps close the learning gaps. In the years from birth to age 5, when 90 percent of brain development occurs, scientifically proven, carefully crafted enrichment prompts strong growth in the brain’s neurological pathways. Without those rich learning opportunities, the once-in-a-lifetime chance for kindergarten readiness is lost.
The evidence I see in the classroom every day validates years of research findings. Children who attend high-quality pre-K are much more likely to demonstrate age-appropriate behaviors. They grasp basic numeracy concepts and show reading readiness. They are much less likely to be retained in a grade, require remediation or receive special education services. As time goes on, they are less likely to drop out of school and more likely to graduate and pursue a postgraduate degree.
Unfortunately, too few children get to experience high-quality pre-K. Statewide, 64 percent of eligible preschool-age children miss this opportunity, and in Bucks County, it’s even worse at 76 percent. In my school district, Centennial, 92 percent of local children don’t enjoy the school-readiness benefits of publicly funded, high-quality prekindergarten.
Pennsylvania needs to do more. Building off recent growth in state funding, our commonwealth should invest another $315 million by 2022. This investment would make publicly funded, high-quality pre-K available to every eligible child and help improve affordability for middle-class parents.
I believe in the promise of every kindergartner, but it saddens me to think that some have a late start on the journey to graduation day. With high-quality pre-K, every child in Pennsylvania starts a lifetime of learning, preparing to contribute to the community and pursue their dreams.
Shawanna James-Coles is principal of Davis Elementary in Centennial School District.
WBRE: Governor Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf Light the 2017 Capitol Christmas Tree
December 8, 2017 by Jayne Ann Bugda
HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) Governor Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf flipped the switch lighting the Capitol Christmas Tree in the Rotunda.
The tree is a 22-foot Douglas Fir from Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Lehighton, Carbon County. It is decorated with more than 900 LED lights and more than 1,600 hand-made ornaments from senior centers throughout the commonwealth coordinated by the PA Department of Aging and Pre-K/Head Start students through Pre-K for PA.
The Rotunda tree will be lit daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., while the Capitol Steps and Soldiers’ Grove trees will be lit daily from 5 p.m. to midnight. All trees will be lit daily through the week of
January 8, 2018.
Watch the video here.
Gant News: LTE: Clearfield Area United Way Believes in Early Learning
November 28, 2017
Dear Editor:
The Clearfield Area United Way (CAUW) believes in early-learning and school readiness.
CAUW member agencies are making differences in the lives of children daily. Our Reading Ripples project has distributed over 5,000 books to area children.
Research continues to confirm that high-quality Pre-K is among the best and most cost-effective initiatives.
Pennsylvania is home to nearly 300,000 three- and four-year-olds, including 1,700 in Clearfield County. However, only a small fraction of those children are enrolled in publicly-funded Pre-K.
Many of those who are missing out are at-risk of academic failure. In fact, 542 children lacked access to publicly-funded, high-quality Pre-K last year.
Community philanthropic organizations have made efforts to promote high-quality Pre-K but cannot get the job done alone.
We need the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to bolster its efforts to fund Pre-K programs and to reach those children who are missing out.
A new report by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and the non-partisan Pre-K for PA outlines a multi-year investment that could help reach nearly 71,000 additional three- and four-year-olds over a four-year span.
If Pennsylvania would follow through on the proposed investment strategy, it could make publicly-funded, quality Pre-K available to more than 40 percent by 2019, as compared to fewer than 20 percent who benefited in 2013.
We could reach all of our Commonwealth’s at-risk three- and four-year-olds, helping them succeed.
United Way and other organizations across Pennsylvania have been doing their part to make Pre-K a priority because we know it works.
Pre-K benefits our children, our communities and our entire Commonwealth.
We are requesting the Commonwealth to make Pre-K a budget priority this year and in the years ahead, so that our region’s children can reach their fullest potential.
Most sincerely,
Nancy M. Pinto
Clearfield Area United Way
Read the Letter to the Editor here.
Trib Live: LTE: In Praise of Pre-k
November 15, 2017
Pre-K really does work.
Each school year, I look forward to seeing children just starting out, young minds ready to be developed. Teachers in our pre-K classrooms provide structure, tools, exploration and fun to set students on the path to success. Pre-K provides valuable social, behavioral and academic skills that help children succeed in academics and in life.
As someone who has volunteered in a kindergarten classroom, I can often tell which children have had the benefit of quality pre-K experiences. They are more comfortable in a school environment and interacting with others. They have command of numbers and pre-reading skills. They are actively engaged in learning.
Many studies point to the advantages of having a quality pre-K experience. Pre-K affords children the opportunity to have the fundamental skills to “hit the ground running” when they start school. The benefits last a lifetime and result in higher achievement overall.
Unfortunately, not all children have this opportunity. The article “Not enough seats for Southwest Pa. preschoolers, advocates say” is a compelling case for expansion.
Current demand far outweighs capacity to serve preschoolers. This means that many children are being denied this tremendous opportunity. Investments must be made to increase accessibility to quality pre-K and provide enough resources for programs for all children.
This is not just an investment in the future; it is an investment in our children.
LYNDA WRENN
Point Breeze
The writer is a member of the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board of Directors.
Read the Letter to the Editor here.
