York Daily Record: Make high-quality prekindergarten a 2017 priority
January 11, 2017 by Chris Reilly York County Commissioner
Movements gain their strength when many people from differing walks of life unite for a single cause. Over the past three years, I have supported an effort known as Pre-K for PA, which is urging meaningful state investments in high-quality prekindergarten.
Why high-quality pre-K? Because it works, and because all children, especially those who start life at disadvantages due to no fault of their own, deserve a chance to succeed. For these kids, high-quality early learning helps to build the foundation for academics, proper social behavior and emotional health.
Neuroscientists have proved that the human brain develops most rapidly from birth to 5, and most effectively with the proper kind of enrichment. Those findings have influenced state policy makers and resulted in high-quality, enriching prekindergarten being available to thousands more eligible children. However, new data show there’s much more work to be done.
Statewide, 112,900 3- and 4-year-olds who qualify for publicly funded, high-quality prekindergarten are not served. That’s more than 64 percent of eligible children, according to “A Path Forward: Publicly Funded High-Quality Pre-K in Pennsylvania,” from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. In 11 out of the 16 school districts in York County, fewer than 20 percent of qualifying prekindergarten children were served. In Red Lion Area School District there is only one high-quality publicly funded classroom – despite nearly 600 eligible children in the district. And while 245 children qualify in the Spring Grove Area School District, there are no publicly funded high-quality pre-k providers.
The unmet need, here and statewide, is fueling more voices to support the goals of the Pre-K for PA Campaign. In 2016, some of those voices included United Way affiliates (including the United Way of York County), mayors (including Mayor Bracey), pediatricians, chamber of commerce leaders, prominent athletes, military and law enforcement leaders, and most importantly parents of young children.
All these people from varied spheres agree that investments in high-quality prekindergarten make a difference in the lives of children. Research reveals that children from high-quality prekindergarten are:
- More likely to advance grades in school and have improved social skills.
- Less likely to need special education placements.
- More likely to graduate from high school and enroll in college, amping up their employment possibilities and lifetime earning potential.
- Less likely to commit crimes later in life.
For our communities, the need for less special education and criminal justice intervention saves taxpayer money. Plus, our workforce and economy are strengthened with educated people equipped with the communications and teamwork skills that employers value. In fact, every dollar invested returns $17 in long-term savings and benefits.
All these benefits help explain this groundswell of support for high-quality pre-K.
Clearly, this is the time to keep the pre-k momentum going and help all children fulfill their promise. We believe that Gov. Wolf will, once again, prioritize new investments for pre-k in his upcoming budget proposal for 2017-18. The Pre-K for PA movement is calling for an $85 million investment to serve an additional 10,000 children. That investment should grow in future years, to reach all eligible children and help address affordability issues for hard-working middle-class families who deserve the benefits of high-quality prekindergarten but find it financially out of reach.
By uniting to make these investments a top priority, we assure that our children, families and communities reap the benefits of preparedness for school and life promised by high-quality prekindergarten.
Christopher B. Reilly is a York County commissioner.
Read the column here.
Philly.com: Commentary: Let Pa’s resolution for 2017 be expanded access to pre-k
January 3, 2017 by Pedro Ramos, Jim Cawley, and Sharmain Matlock-Turner
Resolutions – proactive measurable goals that pave the way for future success – help us launch the new year with purpose and direction.
Let’s resolve to build on the growing consensus for the wisdom of quality universal pre-K in Pennsylvania.
For our children, it’s essential to propel their path to learning through programs that lay solid foundations for achievement in education and in life.
A child’s brain is 90 percent developed by age 5. Falling behind during this critical time could mean a lifetime of having to run faster to try to catch up – or worse, never catching up.
A person who has a preschool education is less likely to drop out of high school, get arrested, repeat grades, and require remediation services. Research shows that children enrolled in pre-K programs can go on to earn incomes as much as 23 percent higher than what they’d earn had they not participated.
The benefits for our society as a whole also have been documented. Pre-K programs lead to a more competitive workforce. As such, they constitute an economic development program – the educational equal of business-tax incentives, property-tax abatements, and job-creation tax credits. A high-quality workforce is a key driver of job creation, as well as higher community earnings per capita, something that in turn enhances overall regional growth.
Pennsylvania’s lagging commitment to universal pre-K puts our population at an increasingly competitive disadvantage, even among our next-door neighbors. Nationally, Pennsylvania has dropped from number 11 to 15 for pre-K access for 3-year-olds, and ranks 30th in pre-K access for 4-year-olds. We serve only 26 percent of our 4-year-old population, compared with 35 percent in New Jersey, 42 percent in Maryland, 54 percent in New York, and 94 percent in West Virginia. Only one in six Pennsylvania young learners is enrolled in pre-K programs.
Just offering a pre-K program is not enough. The curriculum needs to be focused on the cognitive, physical, and social skills expected in today’s kindergarten, which no longer centers just on socialization.
Sadly, the amount of public funds available for pre-K in Pennsylvania provides less than 20 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds with access to high-quality programs. Since the annual cost of pre-K can rival a family’s rent or mortgage expense, on average amounting to $8,800 per year, it’s often far out of reach for children who would benefit most.
Additional funding could produce life-changing results. With $370 million in funding, pre-K would be available to the more than 47,000 3- and 4-year-olds in Pennsylvania who are at the greatest risk of academic failure. With an additional $100 million, 23,500 students in middle-income households could benefit. Those targeted investments could reach 125,000 children by 2019 – providing pre-K access to more than 40 percent of our 3- and 4-year-olds.
We simply cannot continue to withhold this opportunity for our children. As representatives of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, we ask you to join us in resolving not to accept anything less.
Pedro Ramos is president and CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation. president@philafound.org
Jim Cawley is president and CEO of United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. jcawley@uwgpsnj.org
Sharmain Matlock-Turner is president and CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition. sharmain@uac.org
Times Leader: Report: No publicly funded pre-school for 70 percent of eligible students
December 15, 2016 by Mark Guydish
An online map released Wednesday allows anyone with a computer and internet connection to check preschool availability throughout Pennsylvania, and the news is grim locally.
According to data on the map, 70 percent of children ages 3 and 4 in Luzerne County school districts who are eligible for publicly funded preschool can’t get into a program for one simple reason: There aren’t nearly enough slots available.
The map, posted by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children at papartnerships.maps.arcgis.com, provides data for state Senate districts, state House districts, or school districts.
In each case, it shows the number of children ages 3 and 4, the number and percent of those who are economically eligible for “high quality, publicly funded pre-k,” and the percent of those eligible but “unserved. It also shows locations of pre-k services, both publicly funded and private.
Children are eligible if family income is at or below 300 percent of federal poverty level (or $72,900 for a family of four).
A persistent proponent of early childhood education, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children repeatedly has pushed for increased state funding for programs. The map was released as part of “A Path Forward,” an effort to get Harrisburg lawmakers to increase pre-kindergarten spending by $85 million next year, providing service to another 10,000 children.
While the organization does not specify where the money would come from, it routinely cites studies saying such investments pay up to 17-fold in savings because children who get solid educational support early on are less likely to require more costly special education services later, end up in the justice system, or end up on welfare.
During a web-based presentation, Partnerships President Joan Benso said the ultimate goal is to “ensure that every child eligible for publicly funded pre-k gets the opportunity.”
Benso conceded there are problems with rapid expansion. Existing providers might need support in scaling up for a big surge in enrollment, and pay for employees generally has been flat for nearly a decade. “There has been no child care pay increase from the state since 2007 for most providers,” Benso said.
Partnerships has a suggested four-step “path forward,” with the first step being the most costly: Along with an increase of $85 million in state spending on pre-k next year, it calls for “growing the investment to an additional $340 million by 2020-21.
It calls for another $100 million by 2022-23 to begin serving children in families with incomes above the 300 percent-of-poverty threshold.
Read the full article here.
Lancaster Online: Study: Thousands of Lancaster County children eligible for free preschool aren’t getting it
December 15, 2016 by Heather Stauffer
Thousands of Lancaster County children eligible for publicly-funded preschool are not enrolled in any programs because of insufficient state funding and dearth of quality pre-K programs, a new study says.
The statewide study by the nonprofit Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children found that nearly 113,000 three- and four-year-olds across the state are eligible for publicly-funded preschool education but are missing out.
Quality pre-K education, the study said, can reduce grade repetition, special education placements, and dropout rates. Calling for greater state funding for preschool, researchers said that every $1 invested saves about $17 in the long run.
“The need is great everywhere,” said Joan Benso, CEO of the Harrisburg-based advocacy organization.
The partnership is asking Pennsylvania legislators for an additional $85 million for preschools in next year’s budget, rising to $340 million by 2020.
By contrast, this year’s budget raised preschool funding by $30 million.
In Columbia Borough School District, only 56 percent of preschoolers who qualified for high-quality publicly funded preschool received it, the report said.
In School District of Lancaster, it was only 45 percent.
In four districts — Donegal, Hempfield, Manheim Township and Ephrata — it was less than 40 percent.
And in the rest of the county’s 16 districts, it was less than 20 percent, with Elanco, where only 2 percent of eligible children received preschool education.
Local superintendents said they have been making efforts to reach children who can’t get into preschools, ranging from free videos containing educational tips to special workshops.
Brian Bliss, superintendent of Solanco School District, said it goes as far as mailing all families of three-year-olds a list of all preschool and daycare programs in the area each year.
“We have long desired to increase the number of students who access quality preschools in our area,” he said.
However, he noted the situation may be rosier than the report indicates, because the partnership counted only preschools that have gone through the state’s assessment process.
“We have a number of preschools that are excellent, but they have not gone through the steps required for the ‘high quality’ designation,” he said.
Bob Hollister, who’s serving as superintendent for both Columbia and Elanco districts this year, said this year Elanco is introducing six-week pre-K sessions at each of its elementary schools.
“It’s difficult to argue against pre-K preparation,” he said.
Andrea Heberlein is lead director of community impact for United Way of Lancaster County, which has made school readiness one of its four big goals for this decade.
“It is critical for the well-being of our children, and the entire community, to rally behind the efforts to provide quality pre-K education and ensure that by 2025 all children in Lancaster County will enter kindergarten ready to learn,” she said.
Read the article here.
York Daily Record: Most needy kids in York County aren’t getting pre-k
December 15, 2016 by Angie Mason
When children arrive for kindergarten, they come with a wide range of abilities. Some of them might know the alphabet, nearly able to read. Others might recognize only a few letters.
“It makes it challenging,” said South Western School District Supt. Barbara Rupp. “We work hard to lessen that gap.”
South Western has been meeting with area preschools for a few years to address that need, Rupp said. District educators explain what’s expected of kindergarten students and share training to help the providers better prepare kids.
South Western also changed its kindergarten registration process to help identify early those children who might need more help. The district makes home visits over the summer and takes families books. The district and its foundation also pay for a program that will deliver daily early-childhood activities to a parent’s phone or email.
A state advocacy group says there’s another way to help get those kids started right: Put more state money toward publicly funded, high quality pre-kindergarten programs.
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children released a report this week looking at how many 3- and 4-year-old children who were eligible for such programs were actually enrolled in them. Statewide, the report showed 64 percent of eligible children — those who are low-income or have other special needs — did not have access to programs, and there are gaps everywhere — in rural, suburban and urban areas.
In eight school districts in York County, less than 10 percent of the 3- and 4-year olds who are eligible are actually enrolled in a program. In the South Western and Spring Grove districts, the report showed none of the eligible children were being served.
The report says high quality programs include Pre-K Counts, Head Start, school district programs and child care centers that have earned the higher spots on the Keystone Stars quality ranking system. An online map with the report shows that in many areas of York County there are few or no such programs available.
Good Shepherd Child Care in Glen Rock, which has the highest Keystone Stars rating of 4, is the only program in the Southern York County School District boundaries, according to the report. In order to earn the higher Stars rating, a certain percentage of students must be funded by public subsidies, and there are additional requirements to meet, like more education for staff.
It’s a lot more work, said director Pamela Prowell.
“But child outcomes, you can see the difference,” she said. “You’ve got kids that come to you from strong, healthy, functioning families. Then you’ve got kids that come from families that aren’t functioning, aren’t strong. That makes our jobs that much more important so when they get to public school, they’re ready.”
Shirl Quinan, who owns the Kidsville Junction centers in Stewartstown and Fawn Grove, said she thinks there are also parents who don’t want to apply for child care funding because they think it’s a handout. Her centers have 3-star ratings, and it can be costly and difficult to maintain that. At least 10 percent of the centers’ children must be funded by subsidies.
“I feel, in the bottom of my heart, it’s the right thing to do,” she said.
The York City School District has the most children eligible for free programs, nearly twice as many as Red Lion, which has the next largest population. But more children in the city, 69 percent, are being reached than in any other district.
The school district offers free pre-k in all of its buildings, some funded through Pre-K Counts and some paid for out of the district’s budget. The district has been working to expand the programs in recent years, aiming to one day reach all city children.
Other organizations in the city offer programs, too, like the YWCA York, which has Pre-K Counts and a 4-Star rated child care program. Ruby Martin, the YWCA’s chief program officer, cautioned that there is still a huge need in the city, even though things might look good on paper.
At the YWCA alone, “we have 50 kids on a waiting list for pre-k,” Martin said. “It’s a pretty significant need if we want to get kids the start that they need.”
What’s the solution?
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children says there’s a need for more state investment in early childhood programs, specifically: $85 million more in 2017-18, and $340 million more by 2020-21 to serve all eligible children.
Read the full article here.
York Dispatch: New tool maps local pre-K data
December 14, 2016 by Alyssa Pressler
A report and a new online mapping tool from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children highlights the publicly funded pre-K education opportunities, and lack thereof, in local areas.
The report and mapping tool, both titled “A Path Forward,” were released Wednesday to the public. The report, which can be found on the organization’s website, says 112,900 eligible preschool-age children statewide are not served by publicly funded pre-K opportunities.
This data states 68.4 percent of students in rural school districts have an unmet pre-K need, 51.2 percent of students in urban school districts have an unmet need and 74.2 percent of students in suburban school districts have an unmet need.
According to the report, all data was provided by the PA Kids Count Data Center, which is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation that tracks a number of data sets to follow the “well-being” of children in the United States, according to its website.
With the report came the release of an online mapping tool for the state in which users are able to see specific data on pre-K in their school district. Information they can view includes the number of children ages 3 to 4, eligible children for publicly funded pre-K, the percentage of students enrolled in publicly funded pre-K, the percent of students unserved, the number of high-quality pre-K locations and the number of additional pre-K classes that would be needed to serve the entire eligible population.
Past reporting by The York Dispatch has revealed that 84 percent of York County 3- and 4-year-old children do not have access to high-quality pre-K. Families in need are hit the hardest when it comes to access: nearly 60 percent of children without access to high-quality pre-K education are in families with incomes below 300 percent of the poverty line.
York City School District has the lowest population of children not served by publicly funded pre-K, because pre-K classrooms are in each K-8 building in the district. Each of the seven K-8 buildings has at least one pre-K classroom, and many offer several. The district has stated its goal is to have a pre-K spot available in its program for every 4-year-old in the city.
Spring Grove Area School District and South Western School District have the highest rate of children not being served by publicly funded pre-K programs, both at 100 percent, because of the lack of publicly funded pre-K programs in those districts either through the public school or through organizations such as Head Start of York County.
Below, in descending order, are the rates of students not served by high-quality, publicly funded pre-K education in each of York County’s school districts.
South Western School District: 100 percent
Spring Grove Area School District: 100 percent
Red Lion Area School District: 97.2 percent
Dover Area School District: 96.1 percent
Dallastown Area School District: 95.1 percent
West Shore School District: 94 percent
Eastern York School District: 91.8 percent
Southern York County School District: 91.5 percent
Northern York County School District: 90.9 percent
West York Area School District: 89.1 percent
Central York School District: 85.4 percent
Northeastern York School District: 70.6 percent
Hanover Public School District: 70.1 percent
South Eastern School District: 68 percent
York Suburban School District: 67.4 percent
York City School District: 30.9 percent
Read the article here.
