Meadville Tribune: Crawford, Erie Officials Make Push for Pre-k Funding
May 9, 2018 by Lorri Drumm
Before a backdrop of towering fences intertwined with barbed wire, a group of officials from Erie and Crawford counties joined forces Tuesday to support the time and resources needed to prevent today’s children from ending up behind similar fences.
Pennsylvania Corrections Secretary John Wetzel and law enforcement leaders met outside the State Correctional Institution at Albion to support a report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids that says spending $40 million on pre-K education could save the state nearly $150 million and reduce the number of people in jail.
“We have a prison behind us,” Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri told those gathered Tuesday. “People must be wondering why all these law enforcement officials are here asking that something different be done.”
Daneri said everyone who works in law enforcement enjoys keeping people safe but does not enjoy putting them behind bars. Daneri, and others gathered on Tuesday, believe investing in children at a young age can not only prevent the chances of imprisonment down the road but also provide them a better chance in life.
Statistics in the 2015 Pennsylvania Youth Survey show that there’s a fork in the road from third grade on, according to Daneri.
“We have to get to them early so there’s a better chance they won’t end up here,” he said as he pointed toward the fences.
The report shows how an increased $40 million state investment for expanding high-quality pre-kindergarten programs — as included in Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2017-18 budget — would boost high school graduation rates, reduce the number of people who are incarcerated in the state and lead to about $150 million in corrections and other cost savings.
Crawford County Sheriff Nick Hoke pointed out statistics in the report that indicate problems for youth years before they get to graduation.
“No child is born predestined for a life of crime,” Hoke said. In the report, a survey showed that 53 percent of students who were suspended in elementary school ended up being placed in a residential juvenile system when they got older, he said.
Bruce Clash, director of Pre-K for PA, told those gathered a few of the statistics compiled in the report that have speared an initiative to direct more funding to early childhood education.
“Only 39 percent of three-to-four- year olds in the state have access to high-quality Pre-K education,” Clash said. “Too many families can’t afford it.”
The report also shows that 40 percent of inmates in state prisons did not graduate from high school, according to Clash.
Building on the shared belief that all children should have the opportunity to enter school ready to succeed, a broad coalition of organizations launched the Pre-K for PA campaign in 2014. The campaign set out to make pre-K a priority issue in the gubernatorial and legislative elections, advocating increased access to high-quality pre-kindergarten for all Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year olds.
State Sen. Dan Laughlin, who serves part of Erie County, agrees that investing in Pre-K will reap benefits in the future, but he also wants to address the needs of those in prison now.
“Prison needs to be an education system,” Laughlin said. “Those in prison now should not leave without at least a GED and possibly a career path.”
“We spend $100 million to advertise liquor in this state,” Laughlin said. “We need to spend that on education.”
Read the full article here.
Erie Times: Erie County officials advocate for pre-K funding
May 9, 2018 by Madeleine O’Neill
ALBION — Spending $40 million on pre-K education could save Pennsylvania nearly $150 million and reduce the number of people incarcerated in the long run, according to a new report.
A group of local legislators and law enforcement officials gathered at the State Correctional Institution at Albion with state Corrections Secretary John Wetzel on Tuesday to release the report and to voice their support for additional state funding for early childhood education.
“We know from years of experience that we can’t simply arrest, prosecute and incarcerate our way out of the crime problems,” Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny said. “We also need to implement strategies that keep people from turning to crime in the first place. Education needs to be the focal point of that strategy.”
The report, which was prepared by the national anti-crime organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, found that Pennsylvania could see economic benefits of $34,000 per child who receives pre-k services.
Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed $40 million in additional funding for early childhood education in the 2018-19 state budget. The report concluded that the funding would serve 4,400 children and reap long-term savings of $150 million. The savings would include reductions in corrections costs and increases in the children’s future wages, according to the report.
“We’re not going to get an immediate return on investment a year from now,” Wetzel said. “We’re going to get a return on investment a generation from now. Our responsibility to them and to our communities is to have the guts to make a real investment.”
The speakers included Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri, Erie County Sheriff John Loomis, state Sen. Dan Laughlin, and state Rep. Pat Harkins, D-1st Dist., among others.
“Finding the funding is always the struggle for anything that you want to do, but there seems to always be a way to fund the things that people deem important,” said Laughlin, of Millcreek Township, R-49th Dist. “I’m a strong supporter of educating our kids, so the funding for this is very important to me.”
Read the full article here.
West Chester Daily Local: Local officials advocate for pre-K funding to prevent crime
April 3, 2018 by Bill Rettew
WEST CHESTER >> The consensus around the county commissioner’s board room table was that you can pay now or pay later when it comes to preventing crime.
About two dozen law enforcement leaders and members of the Chester County state legislative delegation talked Tuesday about the benefits of funding pre-K education for three- and four-year-olds.
The law enforcement leaders are members of “Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.”
A new report, “Pre-K Key to Cutting Pennsylvania Prison Costs and Boosting School Success,” was recently released.
The report cites “state and national research studies showing that quality early learning programs have been proven to reduce disadvantages resulting in fewer behavior problems, better school outcomes, increased high school graduation rates, and ultimately less criminal activity.”
District Attorney Tom Hogan said that providing a solid Pre-K education serves as an “inoculation and antibiotic” to keep kids from ending up in prison.
“Crime doesn’t pay, but like it or not, we do pay for crime,” West Chester Police Chief Scott Bohn said. “The investment saves us far more than the cost.”
“No child is destined at birth to end up in jail,” Sherriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh said. “If you are bad, we will be waiting for you with expensive solutions.”
Law enforcement leaders urged the state lawmakers to prioritize a $40 million expansion for high-quality Pre-Kindergarten within the 2018-2019 budget.
Additional funding would allow 4,400 more eligible children to get the schooling.
About 106,000 eligible three- and four-year-olds statewide, along with about 3,500 youngsters in Chester County, lack access to a good Pre-K education.
State Rep. Duane Milne, R-167, released the following statement:“The connection between well-funding early education initiatives and the later effects on reducing the likelihood of someone engaging in criminal activity and becoming a ‘regular’ of the criminal justice system is clear, convincing and compelling.
“Strategic investments of public dollars into education can save taxpayers billions of dollars in the longer run, by decreasing levels of welfare, crime and other challenges facing our society.
“This is a classic (policy) case that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound (and then some) in cure.”
State Sen. John Rafferty, R-44, said that in the long run the added funding would save money.
State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-156, asked her fellow elected officials how to best push for the funding and subsequently not “pay out down the road.
“For a while, it’s going to cost more.”
Veteran state Rep. Becky Corbin, R-155, said that in the end increasing funding will pay off.
“You just have to make your case,” Corbin told Comitta.
Moderator and state director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Bruce R. Clash, noted that 40 percent of first-time prison inmates have no high school degree.
Hogan said that many inmates never learned to read.
“If you can’t read, you can take the pipeline straight into prison,” Hogan said. Hogan also said that with a simple investment in education, many more of the youngest will live “productive, happy, and free lives.”
State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, talked about the trauma for many three- and four-year-olds growing up in a negative environment.
“It doesn’t matter what your party is,” Dinniman said. “And we can’t give up on middle school or high school kids either.”
County Commissioner Michelle Kichline said that lawmakers are often tasked with making choices. She said that public officials need to look at how to best spend the dollars.
Christine Fox, curriculum director for Warwick Child Care Center said that the child care provider was able to expand from 90 to 110 students because of expanded funding.
“High quality early childhood educators provide an atmosphere where children feel safe and eager to learn new things through hands-on learning experiences,” Fox said. “Children who attend high-quality learning programs will enter kindergarten ready to learn, do better in school, are more likely to graduate high school and college and become thriving citizens within the community.
“It takes a community to raise a child and we need everyone’s help to do this well.”
Read the full article here.
WFMZ TV: Berks pre-K students invited to Pa. governor’s Easter event
April 3, 2018
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pre-school students from across Pennsylvania, including some from Berks County, traveled to Harrisburg on Tuesday for an Easter event with the state’s first couple.
Gov. Tom Wolf and his wife, Frances, welcomed the children to the governor’s residence for an event that included the opportunity for them to visit with the Easter Bunny and pet some of his furry friends.
“These are our future, all these kids, and they’re going to determine how Pennsylvania is 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now,” Wolf said. “We got to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to get them the education they need.”
The event was co-sponsored by Pre-K for PA, a nonpartisan group that advocates for the expansion of publicly funded pre-kindergarten.
“Pre-K doesn’t just benefit the children fortunate enough to access a high-quality program, it benefits the entire commonwealth,” Wolf said. “We must get serious about investing in early childhood education to make sure all of Pennsylvania’s children enter kindergarten ready to learn.”
Read the full article here.
WBRE: Governor and First Lady Host Annual Easter Egg Event 2018
April 3, 2018 by Jayne Ann Bugda
HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU-TV) Governor Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf today hosted pre-school classes from across the commonwealth at the annual Easter Egg Event at the Governor’s Residence.
The event was co-sponsored by Pre-K for PA, a non-partisan advocacy group that
supports the expansion of publicly funded pre-k.
In a prepared release from the PA Internet Services, the Governor said “Frances and I are proud that Pennsylvania delivers high-quality, publicly-funded pre-k to many
children, but over 106,000 kids remain unserved and a serious investment must be made to
continue toward the goal of providing access to all at-risk kids,”
In his 2018-19 budget, Governor Wolf proposed an additional $40 million to support high-quality
pre-k programs in the commonwealth. This expansion would mean access to publicly funded,
high-quality pre-k for 4,400 more kids.
Studies show that children who participate in high-quality pre-kindergarten perform better in
school, graduate at higher rates, and earn more throughout their working lives compared to
peers who do not have access to early learning programs. Additionally, children who were
previously enrolled in Pre-K Counts outperform their economically disadvantaged peers in third
grade math and reading.
Governor Wolf’s 2018-19 budget proposal contains education investments at all levels,
including:
• $100 million increase in Basic Education;
• $40 million increase in Pre-K Counts and Head Start;
• $20 million increase for Special Education;
• $15 million increase for the State System of Higher Education; and
• $10 million increase for Career and Technical Education
Watch the video here.
Valley News Dispatch: State Rep. Frank Dermody advocates for more state funding for pre-school education
Emily Balser March 24, 2018
State Rep. Frank Dermody, D-Oakmont, visited New Kensington on Monday to advocate for increased funding so more children can have access to quality pre-kindergarten education.
Dermody spent the morning at All Kids Are Special, a preschool and learning center inside St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The state House minority leader, Dermody helped secure extra grant funding for the preschool last year, which allowed them to offer enrollment for 19 more children.
“They’re doing great things for our kids,” Dermody said.
A roundtable discussion and tour of the facility was planned by nonprofit organization Trying Together, which advocates for quality early child care and education in Pennsylvania.
Representatives from Trying Together, the United Way, private companies and staff from the facility all took part.
State data show 65 percent of eligible children don’t have access to pre-K in Westmoreland County.
That equals a need for 125 additional classrooms.
MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES QUALIFY
Many middle-income families qualify for the state’s Pre-K Counts program, which provides free pre-K education for children from 3 years old until they start kindergarten, but aren’t able to get their children into a preschool to utilize the funds.
For example, a family of four that makes $75,300 or less qualifies for the program but may not have access to a preschool.
Lissa Shulman, public policy director with Trying Together, said families could be saving thousands of dollars a year by qualifying for Pre-K Counts.
“Those extra thousands are more than housing, taking away from saving for college (and) saving for other expenses,” she said.
EARLY ED SEEN AS ESSENTIAL
Cheryl Gartley, director of All Kids Are Special, said having a quality education prior to kindergarten is essential to ensuring children have the skills needed for their K-12 education.
“We have seen such a difference in some kids,” Gartley said. “I think that Representative Dermody seems to understand the need.”
Dermody said he considers supporting early childhood education one of his biggest responsibilities as a state lawmaker.
