Generocity: The Fight for Expanded Prekindergarten Gains Force in PA
“If Pennsylvania funded prekindergarten for all three and four-year-olds, according to a report by ReadyNation/America’s Edge, the investment would generate $800 million in additional goods and services and create almost 28,000 new jobs statewide.
Most importantly, it would benefit children across the state. Several studies show high quality pre-K has been shown to improve graduation rates and increase overall quality of life, according to the same report.
In this first part of a two-part series, Generocity looks at how the push for expanded, quality pre-K is gaining force as politicians and business and nonprofit leaders express their support for some kind of reform.”
Read the full story here.
WCGPHL: States Lead on Early Childhood Education
“Under Rendell’s leadership, Pennsylvania established both the Early Learning Investment Commission (ELIC) and PA Pre-K Counts. ELIC engages business leaders to advocate for access to high-quality early learning; Pre-K Counts provides quality pre-k opportunities to low- and moderate-income kids. Over the last decade, these initiatives have helped thousands of youngsters be ready to learn when they enter kindergarten. Today, 53,000 three- and four-year olds attend high-quality, state and federally funded pre-k programs in the Commonwealth.
However, advocates will tell you that it’s foolhardy to think this is good enough. Across the Commonwealth, just three out of ten kids are in high-quality pre-k programs. And just 18 percent of these kids are in publicly funded programs. In all, there are more than 125,000 three- and four-year olds eligible for state programs who aren’t being served. The impact of this shaky start plays out down the road.”
Read the full story here.
