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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Click to download PDF for State of Pennsylvania
Young children get one chance to benefit from high-quality pre-k, and delayed investments mean not only lost opportunities, but higher costs to our children and our society for missing those opportunities. Pennsylvania should put the needs of our children first by making high-quality pre-k accessible to every 3- and 4-year-old in the commonwealth. Use the profiles below to learn about the need for greater high-quality pre-k opportunities in your county. Let’s make sure all children in your county and across the commonwealth are ready to succeed.
Below is a list of the counties with download links for PDF Fact Sheets.
| Each fact sheet includes data points from “School Readiness Report: Pennsylvania’s Youngest Learners Have Waited Long Enough” county-level data tables found at http://www.papartnerships.org/publication_files/school-readiness-data-sheets-feb-2015.pdf. High-quality pre-k includes: an unduplicated count of PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, and Keystone STARS 3 and 4 enrollments; Head Start; public school pre-k; accredited or PDE licensed nursery school; and providers accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association for Family Child Care, National Early Childhood Program Accreditation, and Council On Accreditation. Publicly funded, high-quality pre-k includes: the unduplicated count of PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program and Child Care Works enrollments in Keystone STARS 3 and 4; Head Start; and public school pre-k. |
Citizens’ Voice: Letter to the Editor: United Way Advocating for Early Learning through Success by Six Initiative
Dear Editor,
The path to educational success for Pennsylvania’s children begins even before the doors open on the first day of kindergarten. That is why the United Way has been advocating for early learning through our Success by Six initiative. There is already strong agreement across party and geographic lines that expanding access to high-quality Pre-K is a smart, cost-effective way to ensure all children enter school ready to learn, now the time has come for action.
Parents and educators see high-quality Pre-K as an effective tool to improve school readiness and long-term student success. Law enforcement officials see it as a strategy to help at-risk youth avoid the criminal justice system. Business leaders see evidence of the proven benefits and know quality pre-k is a smart investment.
And yet, despite all of this support, 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 statewide, including more than 13,000 here in NEPA. We need to improve on this sad statistic.
We are among those who believe if we want to build a stronger Pennsylvania, increased access to high-quality Pre-K must be a building block for that foundation. That’s why we have joined the statewide Pre-K for PA Leadership Council made up of more than 100 leading voices in Pennsylvania business, education, law enforcement, civic engagement and even the military, all of whom recognize the many benefits of high-quality Pre-K. Pre-K for PA is a nonpartisan, issue-focused campaign that is working to make high-quality Pre-K accessible to every 3- and 4-year-old in the state.
High-quality Pre-K is an educational, moral and societal imperative essential to our economic success. A fiscal analysis found if Pennsylvania funded pre-k for all 3- and 4-year olds, the commonwealth’s investment would generate $800 million in additional goods and services and create nearly 28,000 jobs statewide in the short term. The long-term benefits are even greater, with every dollar invested in pre-k returning up to $17 in savings and benefits to the commonwealth.
As support for Pre-K for PA’s vision grows in this region and in communities across Pennsylvania, it is encouraging to see that so many of the state’s newly elected and re-elected leaders are committed to strengthening our schools and early learning facilities as a way to elevate our workforce and communities. Now that commitment needs to turn into action.
With a new democratic Governor and Republican-led majority in the state legislature getting to work on the 2015-16 budget, we hope they work together to ensure an investment in high-quality Pre-K is at the top of Pennsylvania’s priorities. We know it’s a smart investment that pays off for every Pennsylvanian, and we can’t defer such an important investment any longer.
Bill Jones, President and CEO, United Way of Wyoming Valley.
Gary Drapek, President and CEO, United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties.
Pat Ward, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Hazleton.
Click here to read the Letter to the Editor on the Citizens’ Voice site.
Times Leader: Letter to the Editor: Ensure Pre-Kindergarten Programs among State’s top Priorities, say United Way Chiefs
By: Bill Jones, President and CEO United Way of Wyoming Valley
Gary Drapek, President and CEO United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties
Pat Ward, President and CEO United Way of Greater Hazelton
The path to educational success for Pennsylvania’s children begins even before the doors open on the first day of kindergarten.
That is why the United Way has been advocating for early learning through our Success by Six initiative. There is already strong agreement across party and geographic lines that expanding access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs is a smart, cost-effective way to ensure all children enter school ready to learn; now the time has come for action.
Parents and educators see high-quality pre-k as an effective tool to improve school readiness and long-term student success. Law enforcement officials see it as a strategy to help at-risk youth avoid the criminal justice system. Business leaders see evidence of the proven benefits and know quality pre-k is a smart investment.
And yet, despite all of this support, only one in six of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds benefits from publicly funded, high-quality pre-k, leaving more than 200,000 young learners missing out statewide, including more than 13,000 here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We need to improve on this sad statistic.
We are among those who believe if we want to build a stronger Pennsylvania, increased access to high-quality pre-k must be a building block for that foundation. That’s why we have joined the statewide Pre-K for PA Leadership Council made up of more than 100 leading voices in Pennsylvania business, education, law enforcement, civic engagement and even the military, all of whom recognize the many benefits of high-quality pre-k.
“Pre-K for PA” is a nonpartisan, issue-focused campaign that is working to make high-quality pre-k accessible to every 3- and 4-year-old in the state.
High-quality pre-k is an educational, moral and societal imperative essential to our economic success. A fiscal analysis found if Pennsylvania funded pre-k for all 3- and 4-year-olds, the commonwealth’s investment would generate $800 million in additional goods and services and create nearly 28,000 jobs statewide in the short term. The long-term benefits are even greater, with every dollar invested in pre-k returning up to $17 in savings and benefits to the commonwealth.
As support for Pre-K for PA’s vision grows in this region and in communities across Pennsylvania, it is encouraging to see that so many of the state’s newly elected and re-elected leaders are committed to strengthening our schools and early learning facilities as a way to elevate our workforce and communities. Now that commitment needs to turn into action.
With a new Democratic governor and Republican-led majority in the state Legislature getting to work on the 2015-16 budget, we hope they work together to ensure an investment in high-quality pre-k is at the top of Pennsylvania’s priorities. We know it’s a smart investment that pays off for every Pennsylvanian, and we can’t defer such an important investment any longer.
Click here to read the Letter to the Editor on the Times Leader site.
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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Patriot News Op-ed: We Need to Do All We Can to Ensure Kids Have Access to Quality Pre-K Education: Patricia Hunter
Recognizing colors and learning to play in the sandbox with others are integral components to development, but as a pre-K educator I know that there is so much more.
As executive director of Spring Garden Children’s Center in Easton, Northampton County, I have been immersed in early learning for more than 40 years.
To me, there is no doubt that an early childhood education provides students with a solid foundation for the rest of their educational career and into adulthood.
There is no greater frustration for me and my fellow educators than to see young children pass through those formative years with no access to early childhood education.
The first five years of a child’s life are crucial with 90 percent of brain development occurring. What they learn and experience during those first five years will build the foundation of their emotional, social, and educational success for the rest of their lives.
We should be doing everything we can to ensure that all children have access to a high-quality pre-k education to build that solid foundation. That’s why I support Pre-K for PA.
I believe that preschool not only prepares children for academic success – it also prepares them for social and emotional success.
And the emotional aspects have proven to be infinitely more important than just learning the ABC’s.
In my classrooms I have seen young students struggling with behavioral problems learn coping mechanisms, gain self-confidence, and develop independence. They grow to accept differences amongst their peers and learn to work as part of a team.
In the long-term, I believe that we have altered many children’s paths: curbing bullying tendencies, offering the skills to deal with anger, and providing the confidence to pursue their dreams.
I traveled to Harrisburg this week as part of the Pre-K for PA Capitol Caravan to help educate our leaders in Harrisburg about the value of access to early learning.
If I could, I would show each legislator something that happens in pre-K classrooms across Pennsylvania – a classroom full of 4-year olds working together as a team to build a giant block castle.
Seeing the cooperation, the problem solving and creativity of a young group like this is amazing.
This is an example of integrated learning through structured and free play, which provides reading, writing, science, and math experiences as well as the social and emotional building blocks.
Students gain skills needed to be successful in life and become secure in the knowledge of what is expected of them in school.
The research supporting benefits of a preschool education is staggering. Not only does the student benefit, but ultimately so does the taxpayer and the economy as a whole.
There is huge support and understanding of this important element of a child’s education, yet one in every six 3- and 4-year olds in commonwealth does not have access to a high-quality preschool.
For the sake of our children and a stronger Pennsylvania, the time has come to change that.
Patricia Hunter is the executive director of the Spring Garden Children’s Center in Easton, Pa.
