High-quality pre-k “has just done amazing things” for my son.
We wanted to share a quick story with you from a parent who has seen the benefits of high-quality pre-k.
On Tuesday morning, representatives from the Pre-K for PA campaign were the featured guests on a central Pennsylvania talk show, making the case for why Pennsylvania needs to drastically expand access to high-quality pre-k for the commonwealth’s 3- and 4-year-olds. A mom named Julie from York County called in to share how she found an affordable Pre-K Counts program for her son, who she feared might not be prepared to succeed in kindergarten. In Julie’s own words …
“It has just done amazing things. I was against (enrolling him in) kindergarten because I just knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle being in a classroom that long. And now, no worries whatsoever after him being able to be in this program. He didn’t need it for the academics. He needed it for the social, he needed it for the emotional stuff. … He has just succeeded so well in this program that I wish it was available more.”
We wish it were more available too, Julie. That’s why we’re working hard to make the case for increasing state investments in high-quality pre-k programs like Pre-K Counts and Head Start.
And that’s why we needed voices like Julie’s – and yours – to tell Gov.-elect Tom Wolf and the General Assembly that investments in high-quality pre-k need to be a priority for 2015.
Military strengthened by early learning
BY DAVID W. KUNKEL AND THOMAS J. WILSON III
Centre Daily Times Op-Ed
November 10, 2014
On this Veterans Day, we honor the fewer than 1 percent of Americans who are ready, willing and able to serve our nation in the armed forces.
This figure may be surprising to some, but it is better understood when you consider that 72 percent of today’s young Pennsylvanians are not eligible for military service because they lack adequate education, are medically or physically unfit or have disqualifying criminal records.
This shocking reality is concerning because it undermines the military’s efforts to recruit high-quality individuals.
We must strategically invest to help young Americans grow up to be educated, healthy and fit to do the work of our nation — as soldiers or civilians.
While trends in education reform come and go, decades of research have shown that high-quality pre-K programs can help to better prepare our children by boosting graduation rates, deterring youth from crime and even reducing obesity rates, all while providing a significant return on investment.
Recognizing the tremendous benefits of early education, the armed forces have developed and invested in exemplary prekindergarten programs.
These high-quality programs emphasize school readiness and are part of a larger comprehensive early-care and education system that all active-duty military families have voluntary access to.
This system has been recognized as a model for the nation in terms of quality and access.
Through the actions of Republicans and Democrats, Pennsylvania has made progress in recent years by expanding funding for high-quality early-learning programs such as Pre-K Counts and Head Start.
Unfortunately, access to these high-quality early-learning programs remains very limited. More than 200,000 — 70 percent — of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds do not have access.
We urge Gov.-elect Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled General Assembly to work together and follow the military’s lead to enact a multi-year funding plan that better ensures voluntarily access to high-quality pre-K for all of the commonwealth’s 3- and 4-year-olds — starting with the children most in need.
The knowledge and skill base demanded of the young people who join the armed services is great. High-quality pre-kindergarten plays a critical role in ensuring that our next generation is academically fit and citizen ready.
Increasing access to Pennsylvania’s high-quality pre-kindergarten programs is not just an essential investment in a 21st century education system — it is also an essential investment in our future national security.
Rear Admiral David W. Kunkel, U.S. Coast Guard (retired) and Rear Admiral Thomas J. “T.J.” Wilson III, U.S. Navy (retired) are members of Mission: Readiness, a nonpartisan national security organization of retired senior military officials that works to reverse the high percentage of American youth who are ineligible for military service.
It helps kids, fights crime, and strengthens the military, so let’s have more of it: Editorial
by the PennLive/ Patriot-News editorial board, September 21, 2014
“Nearly everybody in this country thinks government should do what it can to reduce crime.
“Nearly everybody thinks our country should have a strong military whose ranks are well-trained and professional.
“And absolutely everybody believes all children should be able to get a good education.
“If government could do one thing that would help advance all three of those goals, it should be a no-brainer.
“And that explains why there is such widespread support for making more children have access to a high-quality pre-kindergarten education — especially disadvantaged children.”
Read the full editorial at:
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2014/09/pennsylvania_should_embrace_un.html
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Today, Delaware County Leaders hosted Pre-K for PA at a local preschool, stressing the need for expanded access to high-quality pre-k in preparing children for kindergarten.
Drexel Hill, PA— Tuesday, August 19, Pre-K for PA joined Upper Darby School District Superintendent Dr. Richard Dunlap and other Delaware County leaders and early childhood educators at the Sonshine Christian Academy, a STAR 4 pre-k program, to highlight the importance of high-quality pre-k in preparing children for kindergarten and beyond.
As parents and educators prepare for the first day of kindergarten, Pre-K for PA is holding a series of “Back to School” events at preschools across Pennsylvania to underscore the need for every 3- and 4-year-old in the commonwealth to be ready for kindergarten through access to high-quality pre-k.
WHO:
Superintendent Dr. Richard Dunlap, Upper Darby School District
Patrice Scanlon, Upper Darby Kindergarten Center
Margie Sebastiani, Co-owner, Sonshine Christian Academy
Representatives from Pre-K for PA
WHEN:
Tuesday, August 19, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE:
Sonshine Christian Academy
3601 Garrett Road
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
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.
