The Daily Item: Editorial: Funding Early Childhood Education is Always Money Well Spent
February 25, 2023
New analysis from the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children presents a lot of the same conclusions and data stakeholders have long known about the impact of funding early childhood education. Essentially, you can never go wrong putting money into programs that boost high-quality programs and make them more accessible to more people.
The number of families with access is slowly returning after they cratered early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The new polling also shows near unanimous support for increased funding in the next budget, the first under new governor Josh Shapiro. According to the poll conducted in the first week of February, 98 percent of those who responded said early childhood education is important.
In that same poll, 78 percent supported spending more to increase public funding for the programs.
The list of things 98 percent of Pennsylvanians agree on is incredibly small.
There is clearly a want, perhaps only topped by availability.
It is incredibly troubling to read that more than 60 percent of Pennsylvanians ages 3 and 5 had no access to proven programs like Pre-K Counts or Head Start. To fill that need, an additional 5,075 additional classrooms are needed to serve those children, the study found.
In that same poll, 78 percent supported spending more to increase public funding for the programs.
As we have noted time and again in this space, it is money well spent.
According to the National Education Association, the benefits from a solid foundation built on programs like Pre-K Counts are immense. Consider:
Children in high-quality programs are projected to make roughly $143,000 more over their lifetimes than those who didn’t take part in such a program.
School districts can expect to save more than $11,000 per child because participants are less likely to require special or remedial education.
Read the full editorial here.
Tribune-Democrat: Pa. poll finds voters overwhelmingly support early childhood education investments
February 23, 2023 by Eric Scicchitano
HARRISBURG. Pa. – New polling of Pennsylvania voters shows near unanimity on the value of early childhood education, results advocates hope will lead to increased funding in the commonwealth’s next budget.
An estimated 101,500 children ages 3 and 4 in the commonwealth, or 61% of those eligible, had no access to high-quality, publicly funded pre-kindergarten such as Head Start and Pre-K Counts in October 2021, according to a data analysis by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
An additional 5,075 classrooms are needed to serve those children, the study found.
Partners of the Early Learning PA Coalition are seeking support for building out pre-kindergarten and high-quality child care. They point to the polling data as evidence that they have backing from the public and they hope it translates to support within the state legislature and the governor’s office.
In a poll of 800 voters conducted Feb. 1-7 by Susquehanna Polling and Research, 98% of respondents said early childhood education is important. Asked about state funding, 78% supported spending more to increase access to pre-kindergarten programs. And, 78% supported increasing funds for working low-income families to afford child care.
“Even more amazing is that this level of support is consistent across all age brackets, education levels, ethnicity, and gender. There is also no discernable difference between the views of Republicans or Democrats, conservative or liberal – they are all at or above 98% in agreement. The same goes for voters in different regions of the state,” Steve Doster, state director of Mission: Readiness, said during a press conference Tuesday at the state Capitol.
“Gov. Shapiro knows high-quality early childhood education and child care are essential for putting Pennsylvania children and families on the path to success from an early age. The governor strongly supports efforts to improve access to early childhood education and child care in our Commonwealth – and we are reviewing all options ahead of sharing more information soon,” said Emily Roderick, the governor’s director of press operations.
Staffing shortages and program closures following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic are blamed, in part, for the limited access to pre-kindergarten and child care, though challenges already pre-dated the pandemic.
A survey from March by Start Strong PA found that 91% of programs had staffing shortages, with low wages and lack of benefits cited for nearly 7,000 job openings.
Read the full article here.
Erie News Now: New Poll Suggests Increased Support Among Pa Voters for Child Care Investments
February 21, 2023 by Brendan Scanland
Erie News Now | WICU & WSEE in Erie, PA
HARRISBURG, Pa. (ErieNewsNow) – Today at the state Capitol, a coalition of early education advocates held a press conference to highlight findings from a new poll that shows increased support for investments in early childhood education.
The Early Learning PA Coalition consists of several advocacy organizations with the goal of enhancing and investing in early child care and education. Advocates said today, a recent poll of 800 Pennsylvania voters, indicates an increase in bipartisan support for these investments.
For parents like TaTyana Abreu, childcare and early education are so important for young children, including her daughter.
“Their exposure to early childhood experiences has a lot to do with how they adapt and how they are prepared for future success,” said Abreu. “As a first-time mother back then, that was very reassuring to know that my child was taken care of in a safe environment setting with certified teachers and staff that knew exactly what they were doing,” she added.
Findings from a recent poll conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research shows 98-percent of Pennsylvania voters agree that early education is important.
“The poll shows strong support across the political spectrum,” said Kristen Rotz, President of the United Way PA.
However, child care and early education professionals face several barriers, like low wages. Rotz says increased wages promote more qualified professionals.
“Pennsylvania childcare businesses are experiencing historic shortages in staffing, so they are unable to maximize their potential for open classrooms and capacity to care for children,” said Rotz. “These poll results demonstrate that Pennsylvanians understand that low wages in childcare are threatening the ability of anyone responsible for raising children to engage productively in the workforce,” she added.
With budget season approaching, advocates and lawmakers are highlighting the need for more funding.
“I think it’s critical that we invest in Pre-K, Head Start, early intervention. When you see the work that these agencies and these groups and these people do across the state, it bears out the investment,” said Rep. Pat Harkins (D-Erie). “It’s something that we really, really need to address more funding towards. More than half of Pennsylvania residents live in child care deserts, and less than half of Pennsylvania’s child care is considered high quality,” Harkins added.
Read the full article
here.WBRE: Pennsylvania voters believe early childhood education is important; coalition poll
February 21, 2023
Penn-Capital Star: Ahead of Pa. Gov. Shapiro’s first budget, advocates stress support, funding for early childhood programs
February 21, 2023 by John Micek
With Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first budget address now just two weeks away, advocates and lawmakers pressed the case Tuesday for increased state support for early childhood programs, buttressing their arguments with new polling data showing widespread public support for such efforts.
Nearly eight in 10 respondents to the poll commissioned by a coalition of advocacy groups said they supported additional state funding for pre-kindergarten programs and child care programs. Nearly two-thirds (62%) said they favored additional state support for home visitation programs.
Overall, 98% of respondents said they believe early childhood education programs are important. That support cut across geography and party affiliation, advocates were quick to point out during a news conference in the Capitol rotunda.
“All parents are challenged to meet the needs of their children’s earliest years against the demands of the workforce,” Steve Doster, the Pennsylvania director of the advocacy group Mission Readiness, said. “For more than a decade, Republicans and Democrats have prioritized funding for early childhood [programs].”
The poll, conducted by Susquehanna Polling & Research in Harrisburg, included the opinions of 800 registered voters. It was conducted from Feb. 1 through Feb. 7, with a margin of error of 3.4%.
The 2022-23 state budget approved by lawmakers, and signed into law by former Gov. Tom Wolf, includes $60 million in new state support for the state’s Pre-K Counts program, and $19 million for the state’s Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, according to data compiled by the advocacy group Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
On Tuesday, advocates also stressed the need for competitive wages for childcare workers, who make an average of about $11.26 an hour, up to a maximum of $16.26 an hour. Data show high turnover among those workers, making it harder for parents to count on consistent care.
Read the full article here.
York County teachers celebrate new Pre-K classroom
By James Wesser December 9, 2022
Friday’s hometown heroes are the teachers at Crispus Attaucks Early Learning Center.
State officials joined the staff to celebrate a new pre-k classroom. This was made possible by an extra $79 million in this year’s budget. The new space makes early education accessible to more families.
“That leads to kids experiencing a nurturing and caring and constructive atmosphere that really helps them develop and get a strong foundational start for their academic careers.” State Director Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Bruce Clash said.
In Pennsylvania, nearly 70% of eligible kids do not have pre-k. In York County, that number jumps to 80%.
Watch the video here.
