New Pittsburgh Courier: Letter to the Editor
By Esther Bush 04/04/2019
Dear Editor:
With the state budget looming, interest in the state investment in public education is higher than ever. While Governor Wolf and the PA legislature have increased education funding over the past several budget cycles, more continued investments —like the governor’s proposed additional $50 million for high quality Pre-K programs—are sorely needed. Pennsylvania still ranks 18th of 30 states investing in high-quality pre-K, and children around the state are left without a high-quality public pre-K option. More than 700 eligible children in Pittsburgh are not being served. We must do more to provide access to these children.
It’s a matter of justice. As studies have shown, Pittsburgh has a racial equity problem. Our Black students disproportionately face suspensions, and it’s been proven that the city schools have a persistent racial gap in student achievement. While Pittsburgh City Schools aims to eliminate racial disparity in achievement levels of African American students by increasing proficiency in literacy and math, it is a slow-moving target.
A new study, “Pre-K works for Pittsburgh,” prepared by the Economy League, shows that high-quality pre-K programs are an important tool to further remedy the racial disparities in the city’s public education system. The study looked at the more than 3,200 eligible 3- and 4 year-olds who live in the City of Pittsburgh who are enrolled in public high quality pre-K, and found that investments in pre-K have contributed to a narrowing of the persistent racial achievement gap in literacy and math in the Kindergarten year.
Specifically, the study found a one-percent or smaller difference between White and African American children’s school readiness. Narrowing the racial gap in a city where 30 percent of children live in poverty is a huge achievement towards racial equity in Pittsburgh. With Pittsburgh Public Schools and community-based providers working closely together, they have improved the quality of early learning programs, allowing for smoother transitions into the K-12 system. Additionally, under the guidelines of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), there is renewed attention to the role all school districts must play to ensure alignment and collaboration with educators in the birth through third grade continuum.
In a city where these racial disparities are difficult to eradicate, any program that puts all of our children on equal footing from the start should be supported and encouraged.
Esther L. Bush
President & CEO
Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Letter to the Editor: Investing in Pre-k is a Big Win for PA Children
March 22, 2019
In Gov. Tom Wolf’s recent budget 2019-2020 proposal, education was again a focus. As an elected school board member, I am glad to see our evolving understanding of the importance of funding the full continuum of high-quality early childhood education for all children. Specifically, the governor’s proposed investment of $50 million for high-quality pre-K is a big win for thousands of Pennsylvania’s youngest children.
In this current school year, Pittsburgh Public Schools was able to serve 74 additional pre-K children thanks to increases in last year’s state budget. We especially appreciated our local legislators who attended a classroom opening celebration with us, including Sen. Jay Costa, Rep. Ed Gainey and Rep. Dan Frankel.
As we look to next year’s budget, there are still over 500 income-eligible children in Pittsburgh who are missing out on the opportunity to attend high-quality pre-K. Statewide, there are nearly 98,000 children missing out. Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania must keep pushing until access reaches all at-risk children, and I hope that in this budget cycle our legislators push to continue to expand access to thousands more kids next year.
Finally, we must remember that many pre-K classrooms are located in STAR 3 and 4 child care providers, including dozens that Pittsburgh Public Schools partners with in order to meet the needs of families in our district. The proposed $50 million investment in pre-K programs should be celebrated, and we must also invest $50 million in child care as we know that learning begins long before children turn 3 years old. I am excited that the conversation around pre-K investment has elevated the focus on early learning, and I hope the legislature will invest accordingly.
LYNDA WRENN
Point Breeze
The writer is the president of the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education
See the letter to the editor here.
Morning Call: Letter to the Editor: Fully Fund Pre-k Programs in PA
August 16, 2018
As an educator, I often am forced to battle in my gut between what children should have access to and what they can have access to.
Of this I’m certain: Pre-K education is a valuable experience all Pennsylvania children should have access to for its proven social, emotional and developmental benefits.
I’m not alone. When it comes to the benefits of high-quality pre-K, 94 percent of Pennsylvanians agree that it is necessary for children to learn the appropriate behaviors and social skills to succeed in school. I’m writing to encourage the governor and Legislature to fully fund pre-K.
Our leaders in Harrisburg deserve recognition — they prioritized pre-K in the 2018-19 state budget by growing high-quality pre-K funding by 11 percent compared to the full budget, which grew by just 1.7 percent. This is wise investing and good politics.
The $25 million investment in pre-K programs in the 2018-19 state budget will help thousands of kids access high-quality pre-K, but how can they limit funding to some?
Next year, let’s set a course to ramp up our investment because, as we know, the tens of thousands of kids missing out won’t get a do-over.
Elcira Garcia
Allentown
Read the letter to the editor here.
Morning Call: Letter to the Editor: Early Education Funding Critical
August 6, 2018
Kudos to our legislators for coming together across party lines to support young children and their families. By passing the state budget for 2018-2019, which has increased the funding for high quality pre-K programs by 11 percent, they have clearly demonstrated their understanding about the critical role of early experiences for future success in lives of our children.
Research in the field has shown that investment in early education brings positive outcomes for all concerned. A recent poll conducted in the state also demonstrates that 94 percent of Pennsylvanians consider early education as important. The state’s budget reflects the voice of its citizens and is aligned with the wisdom of the experts in the field.
While the increased funding will help many children to access quality pre-K programs and start kindergarten fully prepared for formal schooling, more funds are needed to cover all eligible children. All children have a right to quality preschool experiences and deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential. Legislators must continue to find ways to fund early education for every child in the commonwealth. Our work is not done until we have reached this goal.
Anu Sachdev
Hanover Township, Northampton County
Read the Letter to the Editor here.
Express Times: Letter to the Editor – YMCA Pre-K Count program a boon for families
July 3, 2018
After our fourth child was born, my husband and I focused on working hard in the businesses we owned, trying to keep up with our growing family’s needs. When our youngest was three, I number-crunched, hoping to find an affordable high quality preschool program. I wanted to continue to work and earn for my family while giving her the skills she needed to be kindergarten-ready. We found the Forks YMCA Education Center’s Pre-K Counts program and it was a blessing to our family at a very critical time.
I commend Gov. Tom Wolf and my legislators for their commitment to growth in the state’s expansion of pre-k in the 2018-19 state budget. The $25 million investment in pre-k will serve 2,600 more kids, which represents forward progress.
My daughter thrived in the Pre-K Counts program and is ready for kindergarten in the fall. The two years she has been in the program has afforded her Dad and I time to focus on our respective businesses. We are both back on a track after the economic downturn, and that is enabling us to build our businesses to where they can fully support our family’s current, and hopefully, future needs.
Jennifer Barnett
Forks Township
The Intelligencer: LTE: Educate or Incarcerate Event
June 11, 2018
I want to recognize Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub, Capt. Milligan, Sheriff Milton Warrell and state Rep. Bernie O’Neill for leading an important community meeting on early childhood education.
At this meeting, Mr. Weintraub presented a new report from the anti-crime organization, Fight Crime: Invest In Kids. The report documented that Pennsylvania’s future prison population can be trimmed down considerably — while yielding almost $150 million in societal benefits over students’ lifetimes — if the governor’s $40 million proposed pre-K investment is included in the final 2018-19 state budget. This funding increase would serve 4,440 more at-risk children.
These cost savings are believable when you consider that Pennsylvania’s state and local governments spend roughly $3.2 billion per year incarcerating adults, or about $43,000 per inmate in the state corrections system. Mr. Weintraub noted that education attainment is often the deciding factor between productive, contributing citizens and those that find themselves on the wrong side of the law. He also discussed a new survey conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections of all incoming male inmates during the month of January 2018 that showed nearly 40 percent of incoming state prisoners did not graduate from high school. Nationwide that figure climbs to 60 percent.
Additionally, the survey showed that difficulty reading in elementary school was a substantial indicator of future juvenile criminal behavior. Inmates that experienced this difficulty were 14 percent more likely to be arrested as a juvenile compared to those who said they did not have early reading difficulty. As an early childhood education provider with three centers in three counties, I appreciate the support of law enforcement. Their argument is powerful — we need our youth to be educated, not incarcerated, and that process starts early. I hope the legislature again prioritizes pre-K in the final budget.
Nicole Fetherman, executive director,
LifeSpan School & Day Care
Read the Letter here.
