On Tuesday, September 16 at 10am, Pre-K for PA and DVAEYC are planning a children’s rally at Philadelphia’s Franklin Square to advocate expanded investment in high-quality pre-k. Click here for more info and to register.
| Montco County Commissioner Castor Visits Local Preschool, Highlights the Need for Access to Pre-KMontgomery County Leaders Join Pre-K for PA in Stressing Importance of Being Ready for the First Day of Kindergarten
Philadelphia, PA—Friday, September 5, Pre-K for PA was joined by County Commissioner Bruce Castor and other Montgomery County leaders, educators and preschoolers at Play & Learn Providence Pointe in Royersford, PA, a STAR 3 pre-k program, to highlight the importance of high-quality pre-k in preparing children for kindergarten and beyond.
As teachers and educators welcome kids to the first day of kindergarten this week, Pre-K for PA is holding a series of “Back to School” events at preschools across Pennsylvania to underscore the need for every 3- and 4-year-old in the commonwealth to be ready for kindergarten through access to high-quality pre-k.
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. |
The Phoenix:PHOTOS: Castor reads to local preschoolers at Pre-K for PA event Montgomery County Commissioner BruceCastor reads “The Little Engine That Could” to children at Play & Learn Providence Pointe in Upper Providence on Friday, Sept. 5, 2014. Castor‘s visit was part of a series of back to school events held by Pre-K for PA to support quality preschool access throughout the state. Photo courtesy of Pre-K for PA. Upper Providence — Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor visited Play & Learn Providence Pointe Friday to show his support for Pre-K for PA. During his visit, Castor read “The Little Engine That Could” to the children and spoke with parents, Pre-K for PA representatives and Play & Learn Program Coordinator Melanie Godhania about the importance of quality preschool education for Pennsylvania children. Pre-K for PA is a statewide group that campaigns for access to quality preschool education in Pennsylvania. Castor’s visit was one of a series of back to school events the organization is holding at preschools across the state, according to a press release from Pre-K for PA. |
This Labor Day, Pre-K for PA supports the great teachers who form the core of our high-quality pre-k programs.
Low wages for preschool staff are all too common in the industry, often resulting in high turnover rates and missed opportunities for professional development. If Pennsylvania is to provide access to high-quality pre-k for all children, then our early education professionals must be well-supported and adequately compensated for their work.
Thank a teacher for their hard work in preparing our youngest learners for success. And share the below graphic on Facebook and Twitter.
| Support Our Teachers (Facebook)
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Lorena, an early childhood educator from Mt. Pocono, shares her story as part of #100Stories100Days:“Last year, I had a young girl in my class who was born in the United States, but her parents are Asian and spoke only Chinese at home. Her mother thought it would be a good idea for her to socialize and interact with other children, so she enrolled her in my preschool classroom. “When she first arrived, she was very shy and couldn’t understand the other children, who spoke English. She cried for her mother, didn’t mingle or play with the other kids and just stood in the corner with her stuffed animal. At circle time, I told the other children that we have a new friend in our class. I asked them to look around at everyone in the circle and asked a question: ‘Are we all the same, or are we different?’ “The kids pointed out that we have different eye and hair colors. They said to me: ‘You are different too because you are Spanish and you teach us Spanish words.’ I told them that we have a new friend learning how to speak our language – and that is when one of my students suggested doing a poster of words and pictures like dog, cat, bird and pizza. “‘We’ll help teach her,’ they told me. “I gathered magazines, scissors, and glue sticks, and they cut out pictures and glued it onto the poster to make a word chart. They showed her the pictures, said the words and pointed to the objects. I then asked her parents to make a word chart in Chinese – they included 20 words, like hello, good-bye, boy and girl – and they came in to demonstrate how to pronounce each word. The kids loved learning Chinese, and were so excited to learn three languages at once. “Within three weeks, she started saying words in English to the other children in the class, and even began speaking in sentences. She will be going to kindergarten this September.” |
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Today, Delaware County Leaders hosted Pre-K for PA at a local preschool, stressing the need for expanded access to high-quality pre-k in preparing children for kindergarten.
Drexel Hill, PA— Tuesday, August 19, Pre-K for PA joined Upper Darby School District Superintendent Dr. Richard Dunlap and other Delaware County leaders and early childhood educators at the Sonshine Christian Academy, a STAR 4 pre-k program, to highlight the importance of high-quality pre-k in preparing children for kindergarten and beyond.
As parents and educators prepare for the first day of kindergarten, Pre-K for PA is holding a series of “Back to School” events at preschools across Pennsylvania to underscore the need for every 3- and 4-year-old in the commonwealth to be ready for kindergarten through access to high-quality pre-k.
WHO:
Superintendent Dr. Richard Dunlap, Upper Darby School District
Patrice Scanlon, Upper Darby Kindergarten Center
Margie Sebastiani, Co-owner, Sonshine Christian Academy
Representatives from Pre-K for PA
WHEN:
Tuesday, August 19, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE:
Sonshine Christian Academy
3601 Garrett Road
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
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.
Part of our #100days100stories countdown to Election Day. Share your story at prekforpa.org/join.
| SONJA CLAXTON, PHILADELPHIA, PA “I graduated in 2008, during the Great Recession, and was expecting my first child two months later. Each night, I put my baby, Lailah, to bed and stayed up for hours looking for work. I had no job prospects and decided instead to focus on caring for my newborn. We spent most of our days between the park and the library. She got her first library card at 6 months old, and almost every day we stopped in for new books. “The economic strains were too much to bear for my husband, so we split and my daughter and I would soon find ourselves homeless and penniless. Despite the circumstances, we were always able to locate our closest library. But there were only so many trips to the library one could take. After spending a year at home with me, I recognized my daughter needed something more – to socialize with other children. I enrolled her in daycare, only to hear teachers screaming at children to go to the potty and watch children propped in front of the TV. “I stumbled upon the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Early Head Start program, a home visitation program for low-income parents of children ages 0-3. During our time at the Early Head Start program, Lailah and I participated in socialization activities for families and children – including messy activities with paper and glue, sing-alongs and story time. “I was soon employed but didn’t make enough to cover the cost of full-time pre-k. My counselors at Early Head Start encouraged me to apply for the federal Head Start program as well as Bright Futures and Pre-K Counts. Through Early Head Start, I learned about Keystone STARS and attended the region’s early childcare conference, hosted by the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC). I received an email in the summer of 2011 that Lailah had been accepted into the Pre-K Counts classroom at Parent Infant Center – an email I still have to this day. “She was quiet and timid at the time, but I would soon find pictures of her in the PIC newsletter engaged in activities. She became a voracious reader. On weekends, she would gather our family together for circle time to share and explain the pages of her favorite books. She learned about countries around the world, how to manage her emotions and even how to count in Mandarin. More than anything else, she and I were relieved. She was free to explore, examine and question the world around her, and I was able to go back to work with ease knowing that she was getting the education and care she needed. “When she graduated kindergarten, she was comfortable with the course work, passionate about being in the classroom and open to learning more. In just a few weeks, Lailah will enter the first grade – I could not be more proud or excited to see my daughter blossom – thanks in large part to high-quality pre-k and the power of reading.” |
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