Mom’s Rising: Pre-K in PA Crosses Party Lines
by Mary E. Mannix
Former Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and Former Gov. Mark Schweiker (R) toured the state from Erie to Philadelphia to encourage their state leaders to commit to pre-k for all Pennsylvania 3 & 4 year olds by 2018. Convening in Philadelphia at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Governor Mark Schweiker noted how the investment makes solid business sense.
“I have seen the benefits of investment in pre-k to the economy in Oklahoma and Georgia. I am lifelong Pennsylvania resident. I won’t see the benefits of that investment [here]. Pennsylvania needs to invest in Pennsylvania – not only for the academic benefits but also the economic growth and opportunity,” he shared.
Read more at the source.
GoErie.com: Rendell, Schweiker to stop Monday in Erie
Former Pennsylvania Govs. Ed Rendell and Mark Schweiker will visit Erie on Monday to urge more access to quality prekindergarten education for children ages 3 and 4.
They also will urge leaders in Harrisburg to expand access to early childhood learning to give children a better chance to succeed in school and to improve the state’s economic competitiveness.
The Pre-K for PA rally will include Erie educators, administrators, community leaders and preschool children. The event is scheduled at 9 a.m. at the United Way of Erie County, 420 W. Sixth St.
Read the full story on GoErie.com.
LevittownNow: 72% of Bucks Children Will Not Be Ready for Kindergarten in the Fall
By Amanda Kuehnle
…only 28% of children in Bucks have access to high-quality Pre-K, only 6% of which is publicly funded. That means majority of the counties children will enter Kindergarten without some of the necessary skills to survive there.
While there are some opportunities for families to get their child enrolled in a high-quality Pre-K program, of the 14,384 three and four year old children in Bucks, 37% of them live in families 300% below the poverty line. Despite its benefits, far too many families cannot afford to enroll their kids in high-quality Pre-K programs and often resort to programs that lack elements essential to their child’s success out of dire necessity.
Read the full column here.
Petition Deliveries to Gubernatorial Candidates Highlight Growing Support for Pre-K
340 Organizations and Thousands of Pennsylvanians Have Signed on in Support of Access to High-Quality, State-Funded Early Learning Programs
Philadelphia, PA –Pre-K for PA grassroots organizers and supporters today delivered a petition signed by 340 supporting organizations from across the Commonwealth and 5,500 Pennsylvanians to the campaign of gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf, highlighting the rapidly growing support for access to high-quality pre-k for every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania. The same petition, which demonstrates the vast and diverse bipartisan support for this issue, will also be delivered to Governor Tom Corbett’s campaign next week. Support for access to high-quality pre-k has grown throughout the Commonwealth since the launch of the Pre-K for PA campaign in late January – just four months ago.
Organizers and supporters – including local parents and children – delivered the petition this morning to Tom Wolf’s South Philadelphia campaign office on Castle Avenue. Among them was South Philadelphia mom and Pre-K for PA supporter Jen Devor, who said “I am proud to help deliver this message to the candidates because Pennsylvania’s children deserve better. The next governor of Pennsylvania should make investing in high-quality pre-k a priority to help ensure that pre-k is accessible to all 3- and 4-years-olds, not just the privileged few.”
Between now and the general election, Pre-K for PA is aggressively expanding its leadership and grassroots support. While the campaign will not endorse, the goal is to reach more and more voters who will want the gubernatorial candidates to make a clear and convincing case that, if elected, he will make access to high-quality pre-k a reality for every 3- and 4-year-old in the Commonwealth by 2018.
In a recent open letter to the gubernatorial candidates, Pre-K for PA expressed a sincere willingness to work with each of the candidates to offer ideas for how that can happen. Polling shows this issue has broad bi-partisan support and that the Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly support increasing funding to ensure all children have access to high quality pre-k programs – even if it means raising their taxes.
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.
News Coverage:
NBC 10: Pre-K for PA Evening News Report
NBC 10’s evening news covers Pre-K for PA’s delivery of signed petitions to Governor Tom Corbett and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf.
Watch the full report here.
Generocity: Pre-K for PA Sends Open Letter to Gubernatorial Candidates
“Last week, after the Democratic primary winner was announced, Pre-K for PA and its 10 founding members sent an open letter to gubernatorial candidates. Pre-K for PA is an issue-based campaign started in January advocating for expanded, high quality pre-K.
Surveys show that this effort has bipartisan support, according to the letter. Read Generocity.org’s story The Fight for Expanded Prekindergarten Gains Force in PA to see where the candidates stand.
The letter also mentioned how Pennsylvania ranks 30th out of 41 states in the quality of its pre-K access for 4-year-old children (down from 28th last year) and currently only enrolls 12 percent of 4-year-olds.”
Read the full story here.
