CHILD CARE IN CRISIS | Many advocating for ‘high-quality’ early childhood education
Leah Spangler, CEO of The Learning Lamp, is an advocate for early childhood education, especially due to the benefits such programs provide.
“Having access to quality child care and preschool ensures that children build the foundational skills they need to succeed in kindergarten and beyond,” she said. “That includes things like pre-reading and math skills and social-emotional development.”
However, Pennsylvania lacks a sufficient number of programs to match the need, data show. According to advocacy group Start Strong PA, just 42% of the nearly 7,000 providers throughout the commonwealth meet the state’s standards for a high-quality program.
In Pennsylvania, child care organizations are graded using the Keystone STARS (standards, training/professional development, assistance, resources and supports) system, which has been around since 2002.
Through this voluntary system, the facilities are provided with one to four stars, which represent a program’s quality (four being the best rating) based on how safe and respectful the environment is and if the children are learning important lessons or skills “to support their current and future successes in school and in life,” according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Rep. Sonney discusses the importance of investing in early education
May 06, 2021
A panel came together with a local Representative Thursday to discuss the importance of investing in early education.
Representative Curt Sonney met with multiple members of the Erie Community virtually Thursday, including Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri and Michelle Harkins the Executive Director of Early Connections.
All saying it is vital to invest in children early to give them a better future.
First Lady Frances Wolf Celebrates Early Childhood Education During Virtual Visit with Pre-K Classrooms
First Lady Frances Wolf joined the Pre-K for PA campaign in praising the perseverance of educators and students during a virtual visit with pre-k classrooms across the commonwealth.
Mrs. Wolf spoke with pre-k teachers, administrators, and advocates about the benefits of high-quality early-learning programs, how teachers adapted their teaching during the pandemic, how the families of pre-k students are managing, and what education advocates hope to see following the pandemic.
“Early childhood educators have worked tirelessly to support our youngest learners amidst the very challenging circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Tom and I express our deepest gratitude for their dedication to the well-being of our children, their families, and Pennsylvania as a whole,” said First Lady Wolf. “For this, we owe it to them to ensure they have the resources they need to help mold our children into the leaders of tomorrow.”
From the beginning, the Wolf Administration has prioritized increasing Pennsylvania’s educational opportunities. In the past six years, Governor Wolf has secured an additional $1.4 billion in funding for pre-k through college.
Pa.’s free pre-K program provides a meaningful math and language boost, says new study
By: Miles Bryan | December 18, 2020
A new evaluation of Pennsylvania’s state-funded pre-K program finds it consistently gives kids a meaningful boost in some core skills — but has seemingly no effect on others.
Launched in 2007, the state-backed Pre-K Counts initiative provides free pre-Kindergarten instruction to Pennsylvania’s low-income families.
To evaluate the program, researchers with the University of North Carolina tracked the progress of nearly 600 kindergarteners from across the state during the 2018-19 school year. About two-thirds of those kids had spent at least a year in a Pre-K Counts program, while the rest had received no formal early childhood education.
A key finding is that the kids who had been in pre-K had a serious head start on vocabulary and math skills.
Longietti honored for Early Childhood Education Caucus leadership
October 19, 2020
State Rep. Mark Longietti is being honored this evening as a “Legislative Champion” by state education advocates for his work as chairman of Pennsylvania’s bipartisan, bicameral Early Childhood Education Caucus.
Longietti, D-Mercer, said his leadership role with the caucus is focused on ensuring that the interests of Pennsylvania’s at-risk children remain a top legislative priority.
“Early education programs benefit young children a hundred different ways beyond the ABCs,” Longietti said. “They make a huge difference in helping kids develop the skills that determine success later in life, from forming friendships and working with peers to developing creative thinking and sharpening problem-solving skills.
“That’s why it’s so critical to ensure all kids have access to these resources. We need to give them an even playing field from the start, because when they don’t have this during their early formative years, it’s very difficult to make that up later.
Rep. Pat Harkins named 2020 Early Childhood Education Legislative Champion
Oct 19, 2020
State Rep. Pat Harkins has been named a Legislative Champion by state education advocates for his role in founding the bipartisan, bicameral Early Childhood Education Caucus and his decade-long work promoting the caucus’ mission of protecting at-risk children.
Harkins, D-Erie, said he began organizing the caucus 10 years ago.
“I founded the Early Childhood Education Caucus in 2010, with help from former state Representative Phyllis Mundy, because I realized Pennsylvania’s at-risk kids needed a strong, unified voice in Harrisburg to ensure they received the best possible start in life.”
“I was able to get just about every member to participate and become active members in the caucus, which was no small feat at the time, with depleted budgets that often ran months long and provided much uncertainty and tension among members and the administration. That we succeeded is a testament to lawmakers on both sides of aisle, who understood the importance of the cause.”
“I’m extremely honored to be recognized for this achievement. This caucus has lived on and endured, and it provides great support for our state’s most precious resource – the young students who represent our future. We owe it to them to make sure that as they begin their educational experience, they receive every possible opportunity to succeed.”
STATE REP. PAT HARKINS
Harkins added that his wife, Michelle, is deeply involved in Pre-K programs in the Erie region and that he and Michelle are honored to work with the many excellent programs dedicated to giving children the extra boost they need to thrive and excel.
