Philadelphia Magazine: PA Business Leaders: We Need More Money for Pre-k
While the soda tax battle finally ended on Monday when Mayor Jim Kenney signed the long-contested sugary drinks tax into law, local business leaders are saying more needs to be done.
They’re calling on the state to to pump an additional $90 million into funding for high-quality pre-K, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
Representatives from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Main Line Chamber of Commerce, the African American Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. military say the investment would bridge the STEM workforce skills gap beginning in the formative pre-K years. The money would expand pre-K access for 7,400 more children and extend the school year for 6,200 students, CBS Philly reports.
To back this position up, the leaders have cited STEM and Early Childhood — When Skills Take Root, a report released on Friday by Mission:Readiness, an education advocacy organization run by retired military leaders and Washington D.C.-based education advocacy group, ReadyNation.
The report says that STEM (science, technology, education, and math) jobs, like those in healthcare and computer science will drive the economy, growing by as much as 20 to 37 percent nationwide, but in Pennsylvania, the pipeline to these professions is weak — nearly two-thirds of eighth graders aren’t proficient in math and science and more than a quarter of students moving into higher education in the state require remediation in math and English.
The report also highlighted recent findings from the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry that show that companies spend over $188 million per year on retraining employees and that 52 percent of employers face difficulty hiring people with adequate skills, training, and education.
“Our future’s success and our nation’s technological advantage depend upon the constant supply of highly trained, highly capable technical talent,” Jim Waddington, director of strategic marketing solutions at Lockheed Martin told the Business Journal.
Read the full article here.
Philadelphia Business Journal: Local business leaders call for $90M increase in pre-K funding from state
Pennsylvania businesses and military leaders are calling on state policymakers to put an additional $90 million towards quality pre-K, an investment they say will eventually help bridge a STEM workforce skills gap in the state.
Nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvania eighth graders are not proficient in math and science and more than a quarter of students entering the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education require remedial education in math and English, according to STEM and Early Childhood – When Skills Take Root, a report released Friday by Mission: Readiness and ReadyNation.
The two nonprofits, with officials from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Main Line Chamber of Commerce and the African American Chamber of Commerce, said the report’s findings show Pennsylvania lawmakers must address the long-term STEM needs in the workforce.
“You don’t need a businessperson to tell you that the United States is facing changing workforce demands,” said Jim Waddington, the director of strategic marketing solutions at Lockheed Martin.
“Just take a look around,” he said. “Under the hood of your car to the hospital operating rooms to defense systems of our industry, the 21st century workforce is operating technology that one could only dream of just a generation or even a year or two ago.”
The report found more 52 percent of the state’s employers had difficulty hiring people with adequate skills, training or education – especially in technical and skilled trade jobs.
Steven Bradley, of the African-American Chamber added “economic empowerment is crucial to the growth of the African-American chamber,” pointing out the report shows African-American and Hispanic kindergartners’ math scores lag behind white and Asian children.
“Our future’s success and our nation’s technological advantage depend upon the constant supply of highly trained, highly capable technical talent,” Waddington said.
About 40,000 children between the ages of 3 and 4 live in Philadelphia, but 59 percent do not have access to publicly funded, high quality pre-K, according to Kids Count Data Center.
Efforts to correct this issue in the city are already underway as Mayor Jim Kenney signed Monday the sugary drinks tax into law, the funds of which are mostly dedicated to funding pre-K and adding more community schools.
Outside the city, thousands of other children are also in need of more quality pre-K options, according to the chambers.
In Delaware County, 77 percent of the municipality’s 13,856 children do not have access to pre-K. Eighty-three percent of Chester County’s 13,163 children, 82 percent of Bucks County’s 14,384 children and 85 percent Montgomery County’s of 19,320 children also do not have access to pre-K, according to the report.
The call by the business leaders to up the state’s pre-K funding on Friday echoes previous statements made by other officials throughout the state.
Read the full article here.
Main Line Times: Groups join to promote quality pre-K education
By Linda Stein June 20, 2016
Narberth >> A group of business leaders and retired military leaders joined with a state representative and educators at a press conference to garner support for $90 million in additional funding for quality preschool education to improve Pennsylvania children’s math and science learning.
The group cited a new report “STEM and Early Childhood—When Skills Take Root” from Mission: Readiness and ReadyNation that highlights some alarming statistics, including that 52 percent of Pennsylvania employers say they have trouble hiring people with adequate skills, training and education and 56 percent of employers expect that problem to get worse. Also, some $188.9 million is spent on retraining employees yearly in the state and 2/3 of Penn. 8th graders are not proficient in math and science. And 28 percent of students who enter the state university system need remedial courses. The rate for low income students is 40 percent.
James Waddington, director of strategic marketing solutions with Lockheed Martin and member of the PA Early Learning Investment Commission, said his corporation, and many others need people with good STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills. And with 90 percent of the human brain developing by age 5, kids can’t wait until kindergarten to learn those skills.
“The bottom line is, these investments in pre-K are investments in the future workforce,” said Waddington, noting that some 120,000 children ages 3 and 4 do not have access to pre-K in Pennsylvania.
“Our state must do better,” he said
Bernard Dagenais, president and CEO of the Main Line Chamber of Commerce, said local companies need tech savvy employees and the lack of those people is a topic that often comes up. Trained workers are needed for the region to compete, he said. So they either spend money training their employees or bringing workers in from out-of-state, he said. And STEM-based jobs, such as computer science and healthcare, are expected to grow by 20 to 37 percent nationally.
Steven Bradley, chairman of the African American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ and DE, also spoke, saying it was necessary to start early to “address deficiencies.”
“The first three to five years are crucial in children’s development,” said Bradley. The young brain is building neural synapses at 700 per second.
“Social factors and lack of pre-K (leave) disadvantaged children 18 months behind at kindergarten,” said Bradley. “It’s hard for them to catch up.”
He added, “It is important that we empower our children to achieve success.”
Retired Major General Wesley Craig, former commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard, said that Mission: Readiness began when the military learned that so many young people did not have the education needed to enlist.
Some 72 percent of 17 to 24 year olds in Pennsylvania are not able to enlist because they can’t meet the military standards, he said.
“That’s a terrible, terrible thing when you think about it,” he said. “We are increasingly reliant on technology.” Craig then cited a long list of sophisticated weapons now employed, from laser-guided weapons to drones.
“It’s not your father’s tank,” Craig said.
Thomas Wilson, retired rear admiral, said that while the military provides quality childcare more children in civilian life need access to quality pre-K programs and that Pennsylvania lags behind neighboring states in this area. In Montgomery County, 85 percent of children whose families are income eligible or 6,300 children do not have access to quality pre-K, he said. Also, about 120,000 children in the state are in the same situation.
While some people question the cost, “failing to invest in these children will have a far higher long-term cost than sending them to these programs…What we can’t afford is the price tag of these children failing to reach their full potential.”
Wilson added, “Mission: Readiness is supporting the governor’s request for $90 million more for pre-K in the 2016-17 budget.”
State Rep. Mary Jo Daley, D-148, also spoke. She said the $90 million is “absolutely essential” and would fund pre-kindergarten for some 7,400 more children. Another 6,200 would be able to go to pre-K for a full year instead of a half year.
Democratic women in the state House wrote a letter in support and as mothers and grandmothers they know how important early childhood education is, she said.
Read the full story here.
CBS 3: Group Makes Case for Increased Funding for Pre-k Education
By Jim Melwert June 17, 2016
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Armed with a new report that ties high-quality Pre-K education to developing future STEM skills, military leaders joined members of regional business chambers to urge state lawmakers to increase funding for pre-K education in Pennsylvania.
Retired Army Major General Wes Craig oversaw the Pennsylvania National Guard. He says he joined other military leaders in advocating for better early education.
“When we became aware that some 70-percent cannot make the standards to join the United States military.”
Craig’s Mission Readiness is one of the groups behind the report on STEM and early childhood education.
“Some 90-percent of the brain development occurs before the age of five. Unfortunately, we as a society spend the least amount of publiceducation on this very young population.”
Along with Pre-K for PA, they’re asking state lawmakers to include a 90-million dollar expansion for Pre-K education in the upcoming budget, giving 7,400 more children access while allowing an additional 6,200 to go for a full school-year rather than a half-year.
The group says children who start behind, stay behind, and they don’t just disappear, instead resulting in higher costs down the road in remedial programs, and even incarceration and rehabilitation.
Listen to the coverage here.
Reading Eagle: Campaign seeks $90 million boost for preschool programs
By David Mekeel June 15, 2016
READING, PA – The facts of the matter are fairly straightforward.
Quality pre-kindergarten programs lead to students being more successful. And, in Pennsylvania, there isn’t enough money to make sure every kid has the opportunity.
Not many dispute either of those points. The challenge comes in finding a way, in an increasingly tight state budget, to find the needed cash.
The Pre-K for PA campaign is trying to make sure finding a solution for that problem remains a priority. Representatives from the group have been making the rounds, visiting media outlets across the state to make their case.
Tuesday afternoon, they stopped by Berks County to speak with the Reading Eagle editorial board.
The numbers speak for themselves, said Bruce R. Clash, state director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Pennsylvania.
Across the state, he said, almost 60 percent of at-risk children eligible for publicly funded, high-quality pre-kindergarten are unable to access programs. In Berks, that results in more than 4,800 kids missing out.
“We still have such a population of families and children not getting services,” said Cheri L. Woyurka, director of the office of early childhood and student services at the Berks County Intermediate Unit. “There’s just such an unmet need.”
Woyurka said the BCIU currently operates two Head Start programs, as well as 13 Pre-K Counts programs across the county. Those programs consistently have about 60 students on a wait list, with the BCIU unable to provide services because of a lack of funding.
With similar situations playing out across the state, Pre-K for PA’s goal is to slowly chip away at the funding shortfall.
Clash said the group is looking for a $90 million increase in Pre-K Counts and Head Start funding in the 2016-17 state budget. That number is consistent with what Gov. Tom Wolf is proposing in his budget plan.
The increase would allow for 6,200 students who had half-year funding this year be extended to full-year, and add another 7,400 kids to the rolls for full-year programs, Clash said.
Of course, those increases are dependent on finding new state revenue streams, a task Pre-K for PA members admit isn’t very easy. But, they said, pre-kindergarten should be near the front of the line for new money because of the long-range positive impacts it can have.
And, said Stephen L. Doster, Pennsylvania state director of Mission: Readiness, that’s a view that has wide support.
“If there’s going to be an increase, early education is one of the issues they can get the most bipartisan support for,” he said of the state Legislature. “You will struggle to find another line item that provides the same return on investment.”
Read the full article here.
WBRE: Business, Military Leaders Warn of Skills Gap in Workforce
By Crystal Canmore 6/14/2016
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – The Innovation Center is Wilkes-Barre has played a role in providing jobs in the science, technology, engineering and math fields – known more commonly as “STEM.” As these jobs become more significant in the nation’s workforce…Employers face a glaring problem.
“If you take a look at the students today, they are not necessarily well equipped to get into a STEM type of package,” said Wico van Genderen, the president and CEO of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry.
That has led to a “skills gap” in the workforce in Pennsylvania. Tuesday, business and military leaders released details of a new report that shows nearly two thirds of eighth graders in Pennsylvania aren’t proficient in math and science. That deficiency is hurting employers looking for skilled workers coming out of college and vocational schools. Leaders say closing this gap starts early. They are calling for more investment in pre-K programs.
“If you look at it from a business perspective, the kids are the future of this country and we need to make sure we make that investment in our childhood education,” said van Genderen.
The secretary of the Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry says she’s working hard to close the skills gap.
Read the full article and watch the video here.
