Click to download PDF for State of Pennsylvania
Young children get one chance to benefit from high-quality pre-k, and delayed investments mean not only lost opportunities, but higher costs to our children and our society for missing those opportunities. Pennsylvania should put the needs of our children first by making high-quality pre-k accessible to every 3- and 4-year-old in the commonwealth. Use the profiles below to learn about the need for greater high-quality pre-k opportunities in your county. Let’s make sure all children in your county and across the commonwealth are ready to succeed.
Below is a list of the counties with download links for PDF Fact Sheets.
| Each fact sheet includes data points from “School Readiness Report: Pennsylvania’s Youngest Learners Have Waited Long Enough” county-level data tables found at http://www.papartnerships.org/publication_files/school-readiness-data-sheets-feb-2015.pdf. High-quality pre-k includes: an unduplicated count of PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, and Keystone STARS 3 and 4 enrollments; Head Start; public school pre-k; accredited or PDE licensed nursery school; and providers accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association for Family Child Care, National Early Childhood Program Accreditation, and Council On Accreditation. Publicly funded, high-quality pre-k includes: the unduplicated count of PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program and Child Care Works enrollments in Keystone STARS 3 and 4; Head Start; and public school pre-k. |
Capitol Caravan Parks in Harrisburg; 253 Pre-K for PA Education Kits Delivered to Legislators
HARRISBURG (February 2, 2015)– Pre-K for PA supporters hit the halls of the Capitol today to kick off a two-day Capitol Caravan. Parents and early childhood educators delivered Pre-K for PA Education Kits to members of the legislature as part of an ongoing effort in support of Governor Wolf’s campaign commitment to expand access to high-quality pre-k for all of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds.
“I joined the Pre-K for PA campaign because I believe that when parents raise their voice together, Harrisburg listens,” said Patricia Hunter Executive Director of Spring Garden Children’s Center in Easton. “I hope that traveling to Harrisburg will send a message that there is no more urgent issue than access to quality early learning facing our legislature and Governor in the 2015-16 session.
“As an early childhood educator it breaks my heart that not all young learners get the opportunity to enter kindergarten with an equal and solid foundation,” Hunter continued.
“I am encouraged by Governor Wolf’s campaign promise to expand access to high-quality early education and hope that the legislature will work with him to accomplish this laudable goal.”
Parents and early learning educators traveling to Harrisburg were among our nearly 11,000 supporters statewide. The Pre-K for PA campaign has successfully engaged communities and citizens throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to influence the platforms of the gubernatorial and legislative campaigns. In just one year, we have gained nearly 11,000 individual supporters, 550 organizations, and over 100 civic and business leaders in our Leadership Council.
In recent years, about 53,000 Pennsylvania children benefitted from high-quality pre-k funded through state or federal sources. But that represents only about 18 percent of the nearly 300,000 3- and 4-year-olds in the state. It means about 244,000 children lack access to publicly funded, high-quality pre-k every year.
The Pre-K for PA Capitol Caravan will consist of a series of journeys from all corners of Pennsylvania to help establish Pre-K for PA as a persistent presence in Harrisburg during legislative session days.
The Pre-K for PA Campaign was launched by a statewide coalition including: Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Mission: Readiness, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, Pennsylvania Head Start Association, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children, Public Citizens for Children and Youth, and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
Pre-K for PA is an issue campaign supported by individuals and organizations across Pennsylvania who believe that investing in our children is the right choice and an urgent necessity. Our vision is that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. We will not endorse nor oppose candidates, but rather we will advocate on behalf of this vision for Pennsylvania’s children, schools and communities. For more information www.prekforpa.org.
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It’s #GivingTuesday!
Why Give?
Please join us today on this National Day of Giving and make your Annual Fund donation in support of our students, teachers and school.
Know that your gift will also help promote the expansion of Pre K for all 3- and 4-year-olds in Pennsylvania. Together we can celebrate Giving Tuesday and make a difference to young learners.
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High-quality pre-k “has just done amazing things” for my son.
We wanted to share a quick story with you from a parent who has seen the benefits of high-quality pre-k.
On Tuesday morning, representatives from the Pre-K for PA campaign were the featured guests on a central Pennsylvania talk show, making the case for why Pennsylvania needs to drastically expand access to high-quality pre-k for the commonwealth’s 3- and 4-year-olds. A mom named Julie from York County called in to share how she found an affordable Pre-K Counts program for her son, who she feared might not be prepared to succeed in kindergarten. In Julie’s own words …
“It has just done amazing things. I was against (enrolling him in) kindergarten because I just knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle being in a classroom that long. And now, no worries whatsoever after him being able to be in this program. He didn’t need it for the academics. He needed it for the social, he needed it for the emotional stuff. … He has just succeeded so well in this program that I wish it was available more.”
We wish it were more available too, Julie. That’s why we’re working hard to make the case for increasing state investments in high-quality pre-k programs like Pre-K Counts and Head Start.
And that’s why we needed voices like Julie’s – and yours – to tell Gov.-elect Tom Wolf and the General Assembly that investments in high-quality pre-k need to be a priority for 2015.
Military strengthened by early learning
BY DAVID W. KUNKEL AND THOMAS J. WILSON III
Centre Daily Times Op-Ed
November 10, 2014
On this Veterans Day, we honor the fewer than 1 percent of Americans who are ready, willing and able to serve our nation in the armed forces.
This figure may be surprising to some, but it is better understood when you consider that 72 percent of today’s young Pennsylvanians are not eligible for military service because they lack adequate education, are medically or physically unfit or have disqualifying criminal records.
This shocking reality is concerning because it undermines the military’s efforts to recruit high-quality individuals.
We must strategically invest to help young Americans grow up to be educated, healthy and fit to do the work of our nation — as soldiers or civilians.
While trends in education reform come and go, decades of research have shown that high-quality pre-K programs can help to better prepare our children by boosting graduation rates, deterring youth from crime and even reducing obesity rates, all while providing a significant return on investment.
Recognizing the tremendous benefits of early education, the armed forces have developed and invested in exemplary prekindergarten programs.
These high-quality programs emphasize school readiness and are part of a larger comprehensive early-care and education system that all active-duty military families have voluntary access to.
This system has been recognized as a model for the nation in terms of quality and access.
Through the actions of Republicans and Democrats, Pennsylvania has made progress in recent years by expanding funding for high-quality early-learning programs such as Pre-K Counts and Head Start.
Unfortunately, access to these high-quality early-learning programs remains very limited. More than 200,000 — 70 percent — of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds do not have access.
We urge Gov.-elect Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled General Assembly to work together and follow the military’s lead to enact a multi-year funding plan that better ensures voluntarily access to high-quality pre-K for all of the commonwealth’s 3- and 4-year-olds — starting with the children most in need.
The knowledge and skill base demanded of the young people who join the armed services is great. High-quality pre-kindergarten plays a critical role in ensuring that our next generation is academically fit and citizen ready.
Increasing access to Pennsylvania’s high-quality pre-kindergarten programs is not just an essential investment in a 21st century education system — it is also an essential investment in our future national security.
Rear Admiral David W. Kunkel, U.S. Coast Guard (retired) and Rear Admiral Thomas J. “T.J.” Wilson III, U.S. Navy (retired) are members of Mission: Readiness, a nonpartisan national security organization of retired senior military officials that works to reverse the high percentage of American youth who are ineligible for military service.
