Opinion: Pa. must increase its commitment to pre-K education
The Morning Call by Cereta Johnson
September 22, 2023
As the new school year begins, I feel hopeful and energized. This year, we are able to open more Pre-K Counts classrooms serving an additional 38 full-time and 21 part-time students thanks to funding provided in the 2022-23 Pennsylvania state budget. That’s 59 more children who will be leaving Children of Joy Christian Academy ready to begin kindergarten next year.
Studies have proven that students coming into kindergarten from quality pre-K programs have an advantage over their peers who didn’t get the same opportunities. A recent report, “Kindergarten Impacts of the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Program: A Statewide Evaluation” by Ellen Peisner-Feinberg of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, shows that children who attended one of Pennsylvania’s Pre-K Counts programs outperformed the other students who did not have this early learning experience — an advantage that equated to four to five months of learning gains, which is a substantial difference in development at that age.
Children who didn’t get pre-K education are usually not as prepared for learning and less confident when they walk in on that first day of kindergarten. They are more hesitant to make friends, less confident to ask or answer a question, are less willing to share, and aren’t as ready to learn.
The investment Pennsylvania already made into publicly funded pre-K is making an impact on the children who participate in pre-K programs. I personally get to see this each day as I watch our students grow.
As a provider of infant and toddler care as well as pre-K, I fully appreciate the impact high-quality early care and learning opportunities have on children and families. According to the Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University, brains are built over time, from the bottom up. The basic architecture of the brain is constructed through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues into adulthood. Simpler neural connections and skills form first, followed by more complex circuits and skills. In the first few years of life, more than 1 million neural connections form every second.
Most parents understand the importance of these early, formative years and seek out these experiences for their children while they go to work. Unfortunately, according to a recent survey done by the Start Strong PA campaign, child care and early learning opportunities are becoming more out of reach for working parents as child care centers are closing, staffing for classrooms are at a crisis low, and costs continue to increase.
In our own area, I have seen the continued need as families struggle to find early care and learning opportunities for their children. I started my business in 2007 to provide care for three families. With the increased need, I have been able to grow my business to serve 120 children. And yet, according to the Pre-K for PA: All Children Ready to Succeed Lehigh County fact sheet, there are still waiting lists and many families without affordable, care in Allentown.
Without early care and learning opportunities, families are not able to join the workforce. Without employees, businesses will continue to struggle, and Pennsylvania’s economy will be unable to recover. Long-term solutions need to be made so that the tens of thousands of families who are struggling to find child care can return to work. Strides have been made to alleviate the high cost of these opportunities, but much more must be done.
We must address Pennsylvania’s devastating child care crisis — thousands of open staffing positions and more than 1,600 closed classrooms. A survey conducted by the Start Strong PA Campaign quantifies Pennsylvania’s child care crisis. According to the survey, there are more than 30,000 children on waiting lists across Pennsylvania for child care, and the industry has a staffing shortage of 7,000.
We must prioritize our children, especially in the first five years. We must hold our policymakers accountable to help solve the early care and learning crisis that we have in Pennsylvania. What better way to prioritize our children than to ensure that they have every opportunity for success, including high-quality, affordable early care and learning?
I’d like to thank state Reps. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, and Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, and state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, who have continued to prioritize early care and education in Harrisburg, especially the significant increase of $79 million for pre-K in this year’s state budget. Also included was a $25 million increase allowing families enrolled in Child Care Works to continue receiving their child care subsidy even if their earnings increase to 300% of the federal poverty level. This investment in young children and their families is one of the most important the commonwealth can make. My hope is that this commitment to our youngest Pennsylvanians is one that continues in Harrisburg for many years to come.
Cereta Johnson is the owner of Children of Joy Christian Academy, Allentown. She started in the early care and education field in 2008 when she became a licensed family care provider.
See the full opinion piece here.
The Children’s Center Welcomes Governor Wolf and Local Leaders
Wolf, Local Leaders Mark 2021-22 Pre-K Expansion
ERIE, PA (September 9, 2022) – Pre-K Counts provider The Children’s Center/Volunteers of America welcomed Governor Tom Wolf and local leaders today to mark the $79 million pre-k expansion included in the final 2022–23 Pennsylvania budget.
Governor Wolf discussed the importance of the continued investment in high-quality pre-k in PA with community leaders and visited with the students and teachers at the center. The historic $79 million increase included in the final 2022-23 state budget will afford more than 2,300 additional children to attend pre-k in the upcoming school year.
“Early childhood learning programs are good for children, but they’re also good for families and our economy, too,” said Governor Wolf. “Think about it – parents and caregivers rely on affordable, accessible childcare so they can go to work. When we ensure that high-quality early learning programs are available for children, we are making a direct investment in our communities and our commonwealth’s economy. At a time of record inflation and families feeling the pinch of soaring costs for childcare, these investments are even more critically important.”
Joining Governor Wolf in discussion was Senator Pat Browne; Representative Mike Schlossberg; Representative Peter Schweyer; Betty Druckenmiller, director of The Children’s Center/Volunteers of America; Kari King, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; and Rasbell Espiritu, the parent of a pre-k child.
“Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and the Pre-K for PA campaign deeply appreciate the bipartisan support for pre-k programs in the state, including the leadership of Governor Wolf, Senator Browne, Representative Schlossberg and Representative Schweyer,” said Kari King, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. “Their support shows that policymakers understand these programs’ value and efficacy: a recent study of Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts showed enrolled children outperformed their kindergarten peers who did not have access.
“It’s clear that high-quality, publicly funded pre-k pays dividends and is a smart return on investment.”
“I’m thrilled that Governor Wolf and our local state officials are visiting our program today to mark the $79 million increase for more of Pennsylvania’s three- and four-year-olds to attend Pre-K Counts and Head Start,” said Betty Druckenmiller, director of The Children’s Center/Volunteers of America. “This is an important investment in our community as we continue to see a high demand for high-quality early learning programs.”
A study by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill confirmed that the Commonwealth’s investment in pre-k is paying dividends for the children fortunate enough to access pre-k through Pennsylvania’s Pre-K Counts program. In language and math skills, the study showed that these kids outperformed their kindergarten peers who did not enjoy access – an advantage that equated to four to five months of learning gains, which is a substantial difference in development at that age.
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. For more information www.prekforpa.org.
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Gov. Wolf visits Allentown’s Volunteers of America Children’s Center
On Friday, Sept. 9, Governor Tom Wolf joined childhood advocates and state lawmakers to highlight his accomplishments in increased funding for early childhood education during a visit to the Volunteers of America Children’s Center in Allentown.
In this year’s budget alone, the Wolf Administration has secured a $79 million increase in early childhood education, providing more children and families in Pennsylvania with access to high-quality early learning programs through Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP).
“Early childhood learning programs are good for children, but they’re also good for families and our economy, too,” said Gov. Wolf. “Think about it – parents and caregivers rely on affordable, accessible childcare so they can go to work. When we ensure that high-quality early learning programs are available for children, we are making a direct investment in our communities and our commonwealth’s economy. At a time of record inflation and families feeling the pinch of soaring costs for childcare, these investments are even more critically important.”
Over his two terms in office, Gov. Wolf has helped to increase early childhood funding by $254 million, which has allowed more than 21,000 new slots to open up for Pennsylvania children in Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance programs across the commonwealth.
Read the full article here.
NPR: In Allentown, Gov. Wolf celebrates early learning funding, unveils free breakfast program
September 9, 2022 by Sarah Mueller
Gov. Tom Wolf visited the Volunteers of America Children’s Center in Allentown to celebrate increased state funding for early education in this year’s budget.
He also came with a big announcement: free breakfast for every child enrolled in school this academic year. It takes effect Oct. 1 and will benefit more than 1.7 million children at a cost of about $21.5 million.
Wolf briefly played parachute with a group of small children at The Children’s Center before holding a news conference.
Lawmakers approved an additional $79 million in this year’s state budget, targeted for high-quality preschool programs through Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
Wolf says it’s OK to celebrate all of the strides his administration has made on this issue over his eight years of leadership.
“But as soon as we finish patting ourselves on the back, I think we also need to understand we need to get back to work,” he said. “We need to recommit ourselves to doing more.”
Children’s Center Director Betty Druckenmiller says the facility is only at 60 percent capacity because she can’t find qualified staff to fill vacant positions.
“I have an empty classroom and shortened hours and we would absolutely add more people if we had the qualified teachers to do it,” she said.
Read or listen to the full story here.
WFMZ: Wolf visits Allentown to highlight early childhood education funding
September 9, 2022
Gov. Tom Wolf stopped in our area Friday to highlight a big funding boost for early childhood education.
Wolf visited the Volunteers of America Children’s Center in Allentown.
This year’s budget included a $79 million increase for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
Read the full article
here.
Letter to the Editor: Pa. budget gets it right on Pre-K funding, but more must be done to avert crisis
Express-Times
July 29,2022
I was relieved to see that the 2022-23 Pennsylvania state budget includes additional funding for child care and Pre-K.
My child care program has never had the staffing challenges we have today in the five years we have been in operation. While there are other businesses also struggling to recruit and retain staff, our industry supports the workforce of every other industry. If a family doesn’t have access to early care and education, they cannot work. And when families can’t work, businesses can’t hire.
We are struggling to recruit and retain staff because we are unable to compete with rising wages and benefits offered by companies requiring less specialized skills. With the average child care wage at less than $11 per hour, our teachers don’t have to look far to find higher pay and even benefits.
I am thankful that Pennsylvania lawmakers like state Rep. Mike Schlossberg prioritized federal resources to offer child care teachers a one-time bonus. The state budget also grew the availability of Pre-K to more eligible kids and increased Pre-K rates to help providers like me deal with historic inflation and rising wages.
If child care and Pre-K providers continue struggling to recruit and retain staff to keep classrooms open, more families are going to suffer. We need to continue investing in our early care and education system, paying teachers and providers adequately and ensuring that all kids have access to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Monae Rivera is director of Elevation Child Care Center in Allentown.
Read the Letter to the Editor here.
