A Good Day for Pre-K!
Pre-K for PA, Early Learning PA Supporters Cheer Governor Wolf’s Proposed Investments in Early Learning
HARRISBURG (March 3, 2015)– The Pre-K for PA campaign, along with the Early Learning PA coalition, today applauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal for substantial increases to state investments in high-quality pre-kindergarten and child care – investments that will help Pennsylvania make up lost ground and increase access to high-quality early learning programs for more children.
Gov. Wolf’s proposed budget for fiscal 2015-16 calls for:
- Increasing funding for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts by $100 million, which will nearly double the commonwealth’s current annual investment of $97.3 million.
- A $20 million increase in state funding for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, which would bring total funding to $59 million.
- Investing nearly $36 million in available federal funds to increase the availability of high-quality child care programs.
Despite the proven benefits of high-quality early learning, too few Pennsylvania children have access to these programs.
Only about 1 in 6 of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds is enrolled in publicly funded, high-quality pre-k – a statistic that has remain unchanged in recent years due to sluggish state investments. If the governor’s proposal is enacted, access would increase to about 1 in 4 of the commonwealth’s 3- and 4-year-olds.
While this is a laudable first step, it still leaves a majority of young learners missing out on the once-in-a-lifetime benefits high-quality pre-k provides. Pennsylvania will need multiple years of similarly substantial investments to reach Gov. Wolf’s stated goal of making high-quality pre-k universally accessible.
Among children age 0-4 in need of child care, only about 1 in 13 benefit from high-quality care. The governor’s proposal means child care access will be improved, but the commonwealth needs more aggressive investments in the years ahead to increase child care access.
The principal partners of the Pre-K for PA campaign (listed below) issued the following statement in response the Gov. Wolf’s spending plan:
“Today is a good day for pre-k! Governor Wolf’s proposed $120 million investment in early learning programs is a solid first step toward increasing access to high-quality pre-k, and on behalf of the more than 11,000 supporters of the Pre-K for PA campaign, we thank the governor for his vision.
“Early learning investments pay off for the entire commonwealth. Based on economic models created by Ready Nation, the governor’s proposed $120 million increase in pre-k funding would have a short-term economic impact for the commonwealth of nearly $215 million and long-term economic benefits of about $840 million. Nearly 3,400 new jobs would be created as a result of this increased pre-k investment. Similarly, every dollar invested in high-quality child care generates up to $1.79 in short-term economic benefits and up to $7 in long-term benefits.
“As the budget process unfolds, legislative leaders who support pre-k can work with Gov. Wolf to ensure these proposed new investments happen in fiscal year 2015-16 and continue to grow in the years ahead.”
Pre-K for PA was launched in 2014 with the vision that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. This statewide coalition includes: Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children; Economy League of Greater Philadelphia; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Mission: Readiness; Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Pennsylvania Head Start Association; Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children; Public Citizens for Children and Youth; and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
Early Learning PA also was launched in 2014 with the vision that, by 2020, all Pennsylvania children will have access to high-quality early learning opportunities. Its founding members include: the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Mission: Readiness; Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Pennsylvania Child Care Association; Pennsylvania Head Start Association; Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children; and Public Citizens for Children and Youth.
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Pre-K Teams Up with Rep. Adolph and The Cat in the Hat in Celebration of ‘Read Across America’
Capitol Caravan Rolls in From Pittsburgh
HARRISBURG (March 2, 2015)– Pre-K for PA teamed up today with Rep. William Adolph and Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat to celebrate the sixteenth annual National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America Day.
In celebration, Rep. William Adolph joined The Cat in the Hat in reading Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham in the Capitol Rotunda to a group of preschool students from Harrisburg’s Hansel & Gretel Early Learning Center.
“An early love of reading is one of the most important qualities we can impress upon our young learners,” said Rep. Adolph. “Preschoolers, in particular, have the most to gain from being read to both at home and at school. There’s no better way to help a 3- or 4-year old prepare for a successful future than with a solid foundation of reading.”
Research has proven that reading to a young child is an important factor in future academic achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education, children who are read to frequently are more likely to count to 20 or higher, write their own names and read or pretend to read than those who were not.
Pre-K for PA supporters from partner organization Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (PAEYC) hit the halls of the Capitol today to kick off a three-day Capitol Caravan. As part of the ongoing statewide Caravan effort, parents and early childhood educators deliver Pre-K for PA Education Kits to members of the legislature in support of its mission to expand access to high-quality pre-k for all of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds.
Read Across America Day, which celebrates Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the joys of reading, expects more than 45 million readers, both young and old, to pick up a book and read today.
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. For more information www.prekforpa.org.
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Capitol Caravan Parks in Harrisburg; 253 Pre-K for PA Education Kits Delivered to Legislators
HARRISBURG (February 2, 2015)– Pre-K for PA supporters hit the halls of the Capitol today to kick off a two-day Capitol Caravan. Parents and early childhood educators delivered Pre-K for PA Education Kits to members of the legislature as part of an ongoing effort in support of Governor Wolf’s campaign commitment to expand access to high-quality pre-k for all of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds.
“I joined the Pre-K for PA campaign because I believe that when parents raise their voice together, Harrisburg listens,” said Patricia Hunter Executive Director of Spring Garden Children’s Center in Easton. “I hope that traveling to Harrisburg will send a message that there is no more urgent issue than access to quality early learning facing our legislature and Governor in the 2015-16 session.
“As an early childhood educator it breaks my heart that not all young learners get the opportunity to enter kindergarten with an equal and solid foundation,” Hunter continued.
“I am encouraged by Governor Wolf’s campaign promise to expand access to high-quality early education and hope that the legislature will work with him to accomplish this laudable goal.”
Parents and early learning educators traveling to Harrisburg were among our nearly 11,000 supporters statewide. The Pre-K for PA campaign has successfully engaged communities and citizens throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to influence the platforms of the gubernatorial and legislative campaigns. In just one year, we have gained nearly 11,000 individual supporters, 550 organizations, and over 100 civic and business leaders in our Leadership Council.
In recent years, about 53,000 Pennsylvania children benefitted from high-quality pre-k funded through state or federal sources. But that represents only about 18 percent of the nearly 300,000 3- and 4-year-olds in the state. It means about 244,000 children lack access to publicly funded, high-quality pre-k every year.
The Pre-K for PA Capitol Caravan will consist of a series of journeys from all corners of Pennsylvania to help establish Pre-K for PA as a persistent presence in Harrisburg during legislative session days.
The Pre-K for PA Campaign was launched by a statewide coalition including: Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Mission: Readiness, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, Pennsylvania Head Start Association, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children, Public Citizens for Children and Youth, and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
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. For more information www.prekforpa.org.
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Pre-K for PA Partners Push for Greater Access to Pre-K at Philadelphia Mayor’s Event
PA’s Missed Opportunity for Federal Grant Would Have Served 2,300 PA Kids
Philadelphia, PA – Several founding members of the statewide Pre-K for PA campaign led an early learning summit today hosted by Mayor Michael Nutter, including The United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, and Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC).
The event, an opportunity for business and civic leaders to discuss the importance of expanding local access to higher quality pre-k, comes a day after federal grants were awarded to 18 states for the development or expansion of pre-k. Pennsylvania had applied for a share of the federal funding, but missed out on a $20 million, 4-year federal grant that could have provided high-quality pre-k for an additional 2,314 Pennsylvania 4-year-olds each year.
“Thinking about more than 2,000 kids missing out on an opportunity to begin early learning, we can’t help being disappointed,” said Steve Wray, Executive Director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. “The missed opportunity for these kids also placed a spotlight on the enormous unmet needs among early learners in Pennsylvania. Today, 70% of Pennsylvania 3-and 4-year olds don’t have access to quality pre-k.
“The time has come for Pennsylvania to take action on behalf of its future leaders,” Wray continued. “Pre-K for PA and its thousands of supporters are calling on Gov.-elect Tom Wolf and the legislature to make this the top legislative priority in 2015. Each year Pennsylvania lawmakers delay making a serious investment in early learning, more than 200,000 kids are starting school behind their classmates.”
The federal government did announce on Wednesday $11.5 million in Head Start funding for six Pennsylvania grantees. This funding will serve infant/toddler populations up to age 3.
“The grant is welcome news because it becomes base funding for early Head Start, and Pennsylvania will receive that amount annually,” said Blair Hyatt, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Head Start Association. “But, if pre-k continues to be underfunded in Pennsylvania it means that once these children turn three it is very likely they will not move on to a high-quality pre-k classroom, which would be an enormous loss for them developmentally. In order for these children to continue growing in their healthy development, we need the legislature to invest in pre-k for all 3-and 4-year-olds.”
Pre-K for PA is a nonpartisan issue campaign supported by individuals and organizations across Pennsylvania who believe investing in our children is the right choice and an urgent necessity. The campaign’s vision is that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. Campaign supporters are urging Democratic Gov.-elect Wolf and the Republican-led General Assembly to work together to enact a multi-year plan to accomplish this vision.
Editor’s Note: The following programs would have benefitted under the Federal Expansion Grants:
- Big Beaver Falls Area School District
- Erie City School District
- School District of Lancaster
- Delaware County Intermediate Unit #25
- Bradford Tioga Head Start
- Allegheny Intermediate Unit #3
- Chester County Intermediate Unit #19
- ARIN Intermediate Unit #28
- Seton Hill Child Services, Inc.
- School District of Philadelphia
- Berks Community Action Program
- Community Action Program of Mercer County
- Greater Nanticoke Area School District
- Community Services for Children
- Pittsburgh Board of Education
- Cen-Clear, Inc.
- Pottstown Area School District
- Child Development, Inc.
- Keystone Human Service, aka Capital Area Head Start
- STEP, Inc. aka Lycoming-Clinton Head Start
- Erie City School District
- Pocono Service for Families and Children
- School District of the City of York
- McKeesport Area School District
- Kings College
- Wilkinsburg Borough School District
- PIC of Fayette & Westmoreland Counties
- Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries
- Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit #13
- Chester-Upland School District
- Pathone Inc.
- Scranton Lackawanna Human Development
For more information please visit www.prekforpa.org.
Founding Member of ‘Pre-K for PA’ Attends White House Summit on Early Education
WASHINGTON D.C.: The executive director of the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (PAEYC), Michelle Figlar, traveled to Washington D.C. alongside Mayor William Peduto today to attend a White House Summit on early education.
“Each day I work alongside many of the commonwealth’s early education advocates fighting to ensure that our children are given the necessary tools to succeed, so to represent them at such an historic event is an indescribable honor,” said Figlar, who also serves as co-chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Early Education. “The summit is a significant opportunity to discuss the lifelong benefits of early learning and I am optimistic the work done today will help precipitate stronger public investments in early learning.”
At the summit, President Obama announced several grant awards to help 18 states develop or expand pre-k programs. Pennsylvania had applied for a pre-k expansion grant, but was not among today’s grant recipients, further underscoring the need for stronger investments in high-quality pre-k at the state level.
“Currently, only about 1 in 6 of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds has access to publicly funded, high-quality pre-k, despite its many proven benefits to kids, schools and communities,” Figlar said. “If we want to make the most of all that high-quality pre-k offers, we need to boost public investments in it – and if there isn’t funding available at the federal level, we need to make sure the state prioritizes it as part of Pennsylvania’s budget.”
Mayor Peduto praised Figlar for her organization’s commitment to early learning programs.
“Michelle’s experience and expertise advocating for increased early education makes her the perfect choice to attend this important national summit,” Mayor Peduto said. “The evidence is clear that for every dollar we invest in early childhood education, we see a rate of return of $7 or more through a reduced need for spending on other services, such as remedial education, grade repetition, and special education, as well as increased productivity and earnings for these children as adults.”
The White House Summit brought together a broad array of stakeholders from the philanthropic community, business leaders, elected officials and education advocates committed to expanding access to high-quality early education. The summit builds on the president’s call in his 2013 State of the Union address to expand access to high-quality early childhood education to every child in America.
As part of that effort, the president proposed a series of new investments that will establish a continuum of high-quality early learning for a child – beginning at birth and continuing to age 5. The proposal includes extending and expanding evidence-based, voluntary home visiting, growing the supply of effective early learning opportunities for young children through Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, and increasing access to high-quality pre-k.
PAEYC is a principal partner in the Pre-K for PA campaign, a nonpartisan issue campaign supported by individuals and organizations across Pennsylvania who believe that investing in our children is the right choice and an urgent necessity. The campaign’s vision is that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. To that end, campaign supporters are urging Democratic Gov.-elect Tom Wolf and the Republican-led General Assembly to work together to enact a multi-year plan to accomplish this vision.
Along with PAEYC, the coalition was created by statewide partners including: the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children; Economy League of Greater Philadelphia; Public Citizens for Children and Youth; United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey; Fight Crime, Invest in Kids; Mission: Readiness; Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Pennsylvania Head Start Association; and Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
For more information please visit www.paeyc.org and www.prekforpa.org.
York Officials Celebrate Expansion of High-Quality Pre-K, Urge State to Continue Investing in Increased Access
YORK, PA (Dec. 2, 2014) – State, county and city officials today helped mark the opening of two pre-kindergarten classrooms at the York YWCA, but noted the new classrooms are just a small step toward serving thousands of young learners in York County who lack access to high-quality pre-k.
The new classrooms were made possible by the infusion of an additional $10 million in funding for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts in the state’s fiscal 2014-15 budget. Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP) are the primary state-level funding sources for high-quality pre-k in Pennsylvania.
York County Commissioner Chris Reilly said the new pre-k classrooms are a step in the right direction, but noted access to high-quality pre-k in York County is still among the worst in state.
“Only 9 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in York County have access to publicly funded, high quality pre-k – leaving more than 9,000 of our county’s 3- and 4-year-olds without access each year,” Reilly said. “This is simply unacceptable.”
Statewide, only 1 in 6 of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds benefit from publicly funded, high-quality pre-k, leaving more than 200,000 young learners missing out. This lack of access to high-quality pre-k is especially troubling considering the proven benefits it has for children, schools and communities. A large body of research shows children who benefit from high-quality pre-k:
- Enter kindergarten with stronger literacy, language, math and social/emotional skills;
- Are less likely to need special education services, less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to graduate and enroll in college.
- Over a lifetime, these young learners will see stronger employment opportunities and increased earning potential, and they will be less likely to end up on the wrong side of the law.
York County District Attorney Thomas Kearney, York City Police Chief Wesley Kahley, and York County Sheriff Richard Keuerleber stressed the benefits high-quality pre-k has in reducing disruptive or anti-social behaviors that, if unaddressed, can lead to delinquent or criminal behavior. All three are members of the statewide anti-crime organization FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS. Kearney noted research has shown kids who attend high-quality early learning programs are dramatically less likely to commit crime and more likely to graduate high school.
“A review of the education statistics of Pennsylvania’s inmate population reveals that more than half of inmates have not graduated high school,” Kearney said. “This is more evidence that there is a clear choice to either educate or incarcerate -and it is imperative that education must start early.”
Chief Kahley added: “The cost-benefit studies regarding high-quality pre-k show that for every dollar we invest in high-quality programs like the York YWCA, we see a resulting long-term savings of about $17. The bulk of these cost savings arise from reductions in criminal justice savings.”
The statewide, nonpartisan Pre-K for PA campaign was launched in January with 10 founding partner organizations and has since grown to more than 500 supporting organizations and about 10,000 individuals who support the goal of expanding access to high-quality pre-k through stronger state-level investments.
In York County, supporters of the Pre-K for PA campaign include: York YWCA; York County United Way; York Community Foundation; various YMCA’s throughout York County; York JCC; York School of Technology; and various early learning providers throughout the York region that share the vision that all 3- and 4-year-olds should have access to high-quality pre-K.
Pre-K for PA is an issue campaign supported by thousands of 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. While the campaign neither endorses nor opposes candidates, it advocates on behalf of this vision for Pennsylvania’s children, schools and communities. For more information, visit prekforpa.org.
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Contact:
Michael Race (Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children), 717-236-5680 or mrace@papartnerships.org
Bruce Clash (FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS), 717-385-5300 or bclash@fightcrime.org
Kate Philips, 215-850-4647
