The following resolution was passed on April 28, 2014:
Whereas, the Lower Merion School District’s Board of School directors is aware that respected research shows that children who have had access to high quality Pre-K experiences perform well in school and further in life, and rigorous national efforts to estimate benefit-cost ratios of preschool have suggested that early childhood education can be a wise financial investment, and
Whereas, child care centers, nursery schools and Pre-K centers in our community offer high quality Pre-K programs to children of families and the school district successfully collaborates and engages with local pre-school programs to help
ensure readiness for school through a variety of thoughtful approaches to child development, and
Whereas, these programs are not available to all families in our community due to economic circumstances, and an increasing number of our District’s families are finding it difficult to meet the costs of high quality Pre-K,
Therefore, be it resolved, the Lower Merion School District’s Board of School Directors supports the adoption of state funding policies that ensure every three and four year old child in Pennsylvania can access high quality Pre-K programs through a variety of service providers and as a result will more likely be ready for academic and lifelong success.
Pocono Record: Invest in success with quality preschool
Letter to the Editor from Joan Benso, CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children:
“If we could invest tax dollars in a way that reduces public-school costs, increases graduation rates, lowers spending on crime and social services, and helps build a more competitive workforce with stronger earning power, would you get behind it?
That investment opportunity already exists in Monroe County in the form of high-quality pre-kindergarten, but we aren’t doing enough to take full advantage of it — and that means lost savings for taxpayers and missed opportunities for kids.
Research shows children who attend high-quality pre-K head to kindergarten better prepared to learn. They tend to perform better academically and need fewer special education and remedial learning services. As a result, taxpayers and society benefit in all those ways I mentioned earlier.”
Read the full letter here.
Central Penn Business Journal: Study: Expanding pre-K in Pa. could generate $800M in spending
“Statewide, the study says, investing about $700 million in expanding pre-K to all children whose families earn less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level would reach more than 88,000 children, generate an additional $550 million in total new economic activity in Pennsylvania businesses and create more than 19,000 new jobs, including 3,800 jobs outside the early-learning sector.
Expanding access to all children regardless of income, the report says, would require an estimated additional public investment of $326 million to enroll another 80,000 children, and would support an additional $255 million in spending and 8,900 jobs, including more than 1,700 outside the early-learning sector.
In the Lancaster-York region, the study says, a $90 million investment would generate $161 million in new spending, including $71 million outside of the early education sector — $16 million in services, $12 million in real estate and construction, $13 million in insurance and finance, and $9 million in retail and wholesale trade.”
Read the full story here.
Lancaster Online: Report predicts economic benefits to expanding Pre-K
“Advocates for early childhood education usually point to its economic benefits down the road: Children who enter school ready to learn end up as more productive, higher earning adults.
A study released last week makes a different case: Early childhood education is an effective economic stimulus in real time.
Expanding pre-kindergarten education in Pennsylvania would create “a significant, immediate economic boost for local businesses,” said the report authored by ReadyNation/America’s Edge on behalf of the Pre-K for PA campaign.”
Read the full story here.
The Patriot-News: Preschool investment creates jobs and generates new spending, study finds
By Jan Murphy, April 25, 2014
“Investing in preschool not only helps young children’s school readiness, it reaps benefits for the economy as well in terms of creating jobs and helping local businesses, according to a study released today by a national business leaders’ group.”
“A new study about the economic impact of investing in preschool says every dollar invested in early education yields $1.79 in new spending in Pennsylvania.”
“The organization, ReadyNation/America’s Edge, estimates that every dollar invested in pre-kindergarten programs generates $1.79 in new spending in Pennsylvania.”
“Based on that, if quality preschool was available to all 3- and 4-year-olds, it would inject $800 million into the economy and create nearly 28,000 jobs, according to the report Strengthening Pennsylvania Businesses through Investments in Pre-Kindergarten.”
Read the full story at: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/04/preschool_investment_produces.html
Philadelphia Business Journal: EXCLUSIVE: Report shows investments in pre-k pay big economic dividends
“For every $1 invested in high-quality pre-kindergarten education, Pennsylvania’s economy would see a $1.79 return.
To put that number into perspective, the same investment in major sectors such as manufacturing, retail trade and wholesale trade, bring in less of a return ($1.68, $1.77 and $1.75, respectively).
That’s according to a new report from Ready Nation/America’s Edge, a national organization that aims to strengthen business through better policies for children. The analysis shows that access to high-quality preschool has both short-term and long-term economic benefits.
And, these aren’t dollars that just stay in early childhood sectors, Steven Wray, executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, said. “These dollars get spent throughout the entire economy.””
Read the full story here.
