Want to guarantee a kid a sound future? Invest in early childhood education: Ed Rendell and Mark Schweiker
“There are few occasions when two former governors from opposing parties find themselves in total agreement, but investing in early learning is one issue where we see eye-to-eye.
“By increasing access to early learning opportunities for all children, we will improve our state’s economic future and most certainly better the life chances of each child who is given this important head start.
“We are not newcomers to this issue. We both took very seriously the need to boost the skills of all students, even those as young as three and four years old. It all starts with great parents and well-prepared teachers.”
Read the full op-ed at:
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2014/06/want_to_guarantee_a_kid_a_soun.html
On Monday, June 9 at 2pm:
Please join Pre-K for PA for a live webcast with former Pennsylvania Governors Edward G. Rendell and Mark S. Schweiker for a special event about investment in high-quality pre-kindergarten to grow Pennsylvania’s economy, with introductory remarks by Rob Wonderling, President & CEO, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
Members of the media can click here for more information about the tour.
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.
by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children:
In case you missed it, hundreds of early learning advocates rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday as part of Early Childhood Action Day. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children was proud to be among those speaking up for stronger investments in our youngest learners.
Action day participants included members of two statewide, non-partisan coalitions that PPC helped found.
The Pre-K for PA coalition launched in January with 10 founding organizations and has grown in just four months to include 340 supporting organizations and more than 5,500 individual supporters. The campaign has a presence in every corner of the commonwealth as it works to ensure every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania has access to high-quality pre-k.
PPC also is a founding partner of the new Early Learning PA coalition, which formally launched as part of the action day activities. The campaign is advocating for a comprehensive early childhood system that ensures that Pennsylvania’s children, particularly its most vulnerable, have access to the education and support they need to enter school ready to learn.
We’re committed to these campaigns and their goals because we know our children only get one chance to benefit from quality early learning programs – and it’s a chance we can’t afford to squander. Study after study shows the long-term benefits of high-quality early learning opportunities, from increased high school graduation rates to lower crime rates to a stronger Pennsylvania overall.
If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to join these campaigns and help us elevate the public policy discussion about early learning and its importance to our kids and our commonwealth. If you’ve already joined, please share this message with others and ask them to lend their voices, too.
by Brandon Phillips
I spent June 3 in our Capitol championing for high-quality pre-k.
The atmosphere was exciting – parents and advocates from around the state came together to demand that our legislators take action now!
Far too many children attend pre-k programs that lack the key elements to ensure they are ready for kindergarten. Only 1 in 6 of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds have access to high-quality, publicly funded pre-k. Those remaining 5 in 6 can be at a significant disadvantage when they start kindergarten – less likely to read at grade-level, less likely to graduate from high school, less likely to find employment later in life.
Investment in early childhood education must happen now. It is time our elected officials understand they are allowing an achievement gap to widen and it will be very costly to overcome. Each year that passes without meaningful access to high-quality pre-k means another group of young learners is losing this opportunity.
Take Action Now! Demand from our elected officials that they do what’s right and provide our 3 & 4 year olds with access to high quality pre-k!
Brandon Phillips
Parent & Family Services Specialist
Pittsburgh Public Schools
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.
