Newsworks: With prison as backdrop, advocates stump for more Pa. pre-K
May 26, 2017 by Avi Wolfman-Arent
As lawmakers in Harrisburg jockey over Pennsylvania’s budget, a group of legislators and law enforcement officials gathered Friday to stump for more state pre-k money.
And they did it in front of an arresting backdrop — the state prison in Chester city.
“It’s no question how people end up behind us,” said state Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, referring to the barbed wire over her right shoulder. “Because we don’t invest in them.”
Gov. Tom Wolf wants to layer an extra $75 million on top of the roughly $200 million Pennsylvania already spends on government-subsidized pre-K. On Friday, Wolf’s Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel joined local prosecutors and police officials to stump for the money.
“When you hear 115,000 kids are eligible for these programs, but can’t get in them because we don’t have the courage to fund them, that’s a crime in itself,” Wetzel said.
The money in Wolf’s budget plan would give an estimated 8,400 low-income children access to pre-K, according to the administration.
A report released Friday in conjunction with the press event projected that Wolf’s proposal would save the commonwealth $244 million over the lifetime of the children enrolled by reducing special-education costs, boosting future wages, and cutting back on crime.
The report comes from the advocacy group Council for a Strong American, which includes law enforcement from across the country and positions itself as a counterweight to the “tough on crime” movement of the 1990s. The savings calculations were based on “a sophisticated meta-analysis of nearly 20 high-quality, pre-K programs for disadvantaged children,” according to the report.
In April, the state House of Representatives passed a budget bill that included some increases to pre-K funding, but not nearly as hefty a spike as Wolf requested. House Bill 218, which is now before the Senate Appropriations Committee, would increase state pre-K spending by $25 million.
Read the full article here.
WJACTV: Advocates Push for More Funding for Preschool Education
May 21, 2017 by Lauren Petrelli
Harrisburg, Pa. – A new study released two weeks ago suggests Pennsylvania is spending less money on pre-school programs compared to other states.
Gov. Tom Wolf and other organizations, such as Pre-K for PA, hope the study will encourage lawmakers to invest more money into the budget for early education.
According to the report called “Prioritizing Pre-K in Pennsylvania: A State Comparison,” Pennsylvania is one of 27 states along with the Washington D.C. that has decided to invest in high-quality pre-school education.
The report said Pennsylvania began funding pre-school in 2003 due to the Accountability Block Grant and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, but lawmakers said they need more funding.
The study showed 65 percent of Pennsylvania pre-schoolers eligible for publicly funded pre-school don’t get to attend, leading Pennsylvania to rank number 20 on the previous list mentioned.
Advocates who helped compile the study are now calling on the legislature to join the governor and expand pre-school investments in the state budget by $75 million for the coming fiscal year, as mentioned in the press release.
Reports show the new budget would allow 8,400 more children to benefit from publicly funded, high-quality pre-school next school year.
Advocates for the new budget believe high-quality early education is an investment that will lead to benefits in the state’s social services, reduced crime, and increased earning power, according to the study.
Read the article here.
Delaware County News Network: Local pols honored for Pre-K work
May 6. 2017 by Kevin Tustin
Upper Darby >> The Pre-K for PA issue campaign organization recognized local state leaders on both sides of the aisle for their work in advancing high-quality pre-K opportunities in the state.
Seven state representatives and senators serving Delaware County were honored for being 2017 Pre-K Champions for supporting pre-K funding in the last two state budget cycles which has afforded 6,000 3- and 4-year-olds to programs like Head Start.
The following lawmakers were honored on May 1 at a special ceremony at the Delco Early Learning Center in Drexel Hill: Reps. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161 of Swarthmore; Nick Miccarelli, R-162 of Ridley Park; Margo Davidson, D-164 of Upper Darby; and Joanna McClinton, D- 191 of Philadelphia; state Sens. Anthony Williams, D-8 of Philadelphia; Thomas Killion, R-9 of Middletown; and Thomas McGarrigle, R-26 of Springfield.
Pre-K for PA recognized individuals throughout the state.
“It is an honor to be recognized as a Pre-K Champion,” Krueger-Braneky said in a prepared statement. “I promise to continue to be a voice and advocate for our children and families by pushing for policies that expand access and increase the quality of pre-K for all children in the commonwealth, including the $75 million increase in pre-K and Head Start funding included in Gov. Wolf’s proposed budget.”
Davidson said she was honored to receive the award, saying in a May 3 statement on her website that she felt morally bound to support such an initiative.
“Thank you to all the groups that help make the issue of Pre-K funding as simple as it really is: invest in children early to make better, more productive adults later,” she said. “That’s the recipe for success.”
“Children’s brains experience the greatest amount of growth before they are 5 years old,” Davidson added. “We must invest any and all resources to them during this precious time.”
Investment in Pre-K education went up $60 million over the past two years under first-term Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, and with the $75 million proposed in the 2017-18 budget will be a 40 percent increase in funding. The governor’s website said this will allow more than 8,400 more children to enroll in early childhood education programs.
York Daily Record: Op-Ed: Early Childhood Education: An Investment Worth Making
May 17, 2017 by Rep. Carol Hill-Evans
Decades of research have shown the significant ways a child’s brain develops in the early years – long before kindergarten. A child’s brain capacity is said to be 90 percent developed before the child turns 5.
Those years present a valuable opportunity that we can’t afford to waste.
But unfortunately, not every child in Pennsylvania – or York County – is getting to make the most of that critical time.
A 2015 report from the National Institute for Early Education Research showed neighboring states – New York, New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia – are all reaching more 4-year-olds with pre-K than we are here in Pennsylvania.
Data from the Pre-K for PA campaign shows that across Pennsylvania, about 69 percent of children who are eligible for publicly funded, high quality pre-kindergarten are not getting it.
And in York County, that number is higher. About 80 percent of eligible children in our county – children who are low-income or have other special needs – do not have access to these programs.
That’s 4,380 local children who are missing a vital opportunity that could put them on the path toward educational success.
We at the state level have to do our part to help correct that.
That is why I support Gov. Tom Wolf’s efforts to increase funding for early childhood education and make sure we are getting more children off to a good start.
For 2017-18, Wolf has proposed a $75 million increase for Pre-K Counts and Head Start programs. If you couple that with the $60 million in additional funding that the governor has been able to secure in the past two years, it would mean more than 8,400 additional children are able to enroll in those programs.
That’s 8,400 more children who would be put on a path more likely to lead to success in later grades and graduation.
The evidence on the benefits of pre-K is overwhelming. It reduces the need for remedial instruction, grade repetition and special education services later in a child’s life. It leads to increased graduation rates and college and technical school enrollment.
Some examples:
- A study in Michigan showed children who went to pre-K did better on fourth-grade math and literacy tests than students who did not have pre-K. They were also 35 percent less likely to repeat a grade.
- Research in Pittsburgh Public Schools found that providing early intervention services in pre-K eliminated the need for special education services for 42 percent of children in kindergarten.
- And a New Jersey analysis found children attending pre-K for one year were 30 percent less likely to repeat a grade. That percentage grew to 50 percent for children enrolled for two years.
There are many organizations in our community working to bring these valuable programs to our youngest learners.
The York City School District has been working to expand its pre-kindergarten programs in recent years, counting on it as a way to help better prepare students for their K-12 years. And York is lucky to have a number of other high quality options available.
But they need more support. Including the increases proposed by the governor in next year’s budget would make it easier to expand these high-impact programs and help us put more York and Pennsylvania children on the road to bright educational futures.
A few weeks ago, I sponsored a resolution in the House to mark the “Week of the Young Child” in Pennsylvania, because I believe that a child’s early years are critical to future success.
For that same reason, I’ll keep fighting for increased funding for high quality programs for our youngest learners.
The Republican budget that has passed the House and been forwarded to the Senate – a budget crafted without Democratic input or support – would dramatically reduce the early learning funding increases proposed by Wolf. It is my hope that we’ll be able to find a way to put those increases back in a final budget.
It’s good for our children, and it’s good for Pennsylvania.
Rep. Carol Hill-Evans is a Democrat from York City.
Sunbury Daily Item: Editorial: Pre-k Puts Kids in Better Place
May 15, 2017
Lawmakers often say they are working to make the world a better place for our children.
If that’s the case, members of the state Legislature should take a close look at a proposal by Gov. Tom Wolf to boost pre-kindergarten funding by $75 million in the next state budget.
“Early childhood education is one of the most effective interventions we can make in the lives of our children,” the governor said. “It is proven that children who participate in high quality pre-K perform better in school later on. They graduate at higher rates, they learn more now, and they earn more later. Good early childhood education levels the playing field for high- and low-income students.”
In Wolf’s first two years in office, the state has increased spending on early childhood education by $60 million, to $147 million for pre-K and $49 million for Head Start. The additional $75 million proposed by Wolf would allow the program to add about 8,400 children, the governor’s office estimated.
A budget passed by the state House would boost spending on early childhood education, but it provides $50 million less than the Wolf proposal.
A spokesman for House Republicans said this week that GOP lawmakers are not convinced that preschools would be ready to ramp up quickly enough to effectively use the the boost in spending.
But others point out that Pennsylvania is lagging behind because the state does not spend as much on early childhood education as many other states. On a per-capita basis, New Jersey spends about $3,000 on early childhood education — four times as much as Pennsylvania does, according to Joan Benso, chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed, a Republican, said its a good investment. About half of the inmates in Pennsylvania’s prison system dropped out of school, he noted.
“That’s the reason so many in law enforcement support this,” Freed said. “Studies show the programs work.”
It’s good advice for all of those looking to make Pennsylvania a better place for our children.
Sharon Herald: Wolf pushes for more early childhood education funding
May 9, 2017 by John Finnerty
HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Wolf was joined by advocates for early childhood education Monday to defend his plan to boost Pre-K funding by $75 million.
Wolf’s budget proposals include $2 billion in cuts where he thinks the state government can manage them. But, he stressed Monday, he thinks the state needs to target increased spending in some areas, including early childhood education.
“It is proven that children who participate in high quality Pre-K perform better in school later on,” Wolf said. “They graduate at higher rates, they learn more now, and they earn more later. Good early childhood education levels the playing field for high- and low-income students.”
Wolf, a Democrat, said the investment pays off in the long run because the societal costs of not preparing children for school far exceed the upfront costs of preschool programs.
It was a point backed up by Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed, a Republican.
Freed said that he won’t suggest the state should increase its total budget spending, but he thinks that the government ought to put its money on efforts that are worth the investment.
About half the inmates in Pennsylvania’s prison system dropped out of school, he said.
“That’s the reason so many in law enforcement support this,” he said. “Studies show the programs work.”
In Wolf’s first two years in office, the state upped spending on early childhood education by $60 million to $147 million for Pre-K and $49 million for a Head Start program. Wolf has proposed a $75 million boost for early childhood education in the coming year.
The additional spending would allow the program to add 8,400 children, the governor’s office estimated.
A budget passed by the state House would also boost spending on early childhood education, but provides $50 million less than Wolf has proposed.
House Republican caucus spokesman Stephen Miskin said there’s a consensus at the Capitol that the state should spend more on early childhood education. Republicans aren’t sure that the amount the governor is proposing is appropriate because it’s unclear that even if the state releases $75 million in funding that preschools would be able to ramp up quickly enough.
“We felt like a measured approach is the way to go,” he said.
There are a total of just over 20,000 children already enrolled in Pre-K counts programs using state funding.
That includes children enrolled in Pre-K programs and the Head Start supplemental assistance program. The Pre-K programs include families with income of less than 300 percent of the poverty line, said Casey Smith, a spokeswoman the Department of Education. For a family of 4, that eligibility limit is about $72,900, according to Education Department guidelines. The Head Start initiative is targeted at poor families, those with incomes at or below 100 percent of the poverty line.
Pennsylvania doesn’t spend as much on early childhood education as many other states, said Joan Benso, chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, an advocacy group working to boost early childhood education.
“Pennsylvania is lagging behind,” Benso said.
On a per capita basis, New Jersey spends about $3,000 on early childhood education, four times as much as Pennsylvania does, about $682, she said.
“Seventy-five million dollars is a lot,” Benso said. But, the added spending is reasonable when compared to the amount of investment being made in other states, she said. When examining nearby states with similar standards for preschool programs, all of them, except Delaware, spend more per capita on early childhood education than Pennsylvania, she said.
Benso said that while Pennsylvania lawmakers are grappling with difficult decisions in crafting the budget, they shouldn’t delay help for the state’s preschoolers.
“It’s been a long time since people around here said ‘It’s going to be an easy budget,’ “ she said. “Our preschool children don’t have time to wait for the Pennsylvania budget situation to get better. They don’t get a do-over.”
Read the article here.
