Governor Wolf: PA Reaches New Milestone by Expanding Early Learning to More Children and Acts to Stabilize Child Care Industry

September 30, 2021

After reaching another milestone that expands early education to more than 3,200 additional young children, Governor Tom Wolf ​today visited Community Services for Children’s Learning Hub in Allentown. During the visit, the governor highlighted the $30 million increase in state funding so more children can attend a quality pre-k program and the $655 million in federal funding available to help child care providers stabilize during the pandemic, allowing more parents to return to work.

“Studies show that children who learn in high-quality pre-k programs perform better in school and are more likely to graduate,” said. Gov. Wolf. “We know that early childhood learning programs are good for children, especially those affected by socioeconomic risk factors, but they’re also good for families and our economy, too. Parents and caregivers rely on affordable, accessible child care to go to work every day. When we ensure high-quality learning programs are available for children, we are making an economic investment to our communities.”

Since taking office, Gov. Wolf has increased funding for Pre-K Counts by 149% and for the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (Head Start) by 77%. Both state programs ensure access to high-quality early learning programs for low-income families with children.

The $25 million increase this year allows Pre-K counts to serve an additional 2,900 children, while the additional $5 million for Head Start will serve 300 more children and their families.  

Read full press release here.

The full virtual visit can be found here.