MEDIA REPORTS

Former Governor Mark Schweiker opened the 2015 Kiwanis Early Education Summit, as part of the Pennsylvania District of Kiwanis International Annual convention at the Erie County Convention Center today with a continued call for significant investment in early learning and a repeated call to action to pre-k supporters.

At a regional legislative breakfast in Erie, PA on May 28th, Major General (Ret.) Michael E. Dunlavey – a member of Mission: Readiness – Military Leaders for Kids, a national nonprofit organization of more than 500 retired generals and admirals touted the need to expand pre-k as part of an effort to better prepare our workforce, particularly in the armed services, which is reporting fewer graduates are ineligible to join. The breakfast featured state legislators, local business and community leaders who are working together to advocate for expanded access to pre-k for the thousands of un-served kids in Erie County.

York County’s local and state leaders seem to agree that early education is a key to reducing future taxpayer expenses, including incarceration, but some are skeptical that Yorker Gov. Tom Wolf will get the increased investment he outlined for the coming year’s budget.

More than a dozen local and state leaders gathered on Friday at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in West Manchester Township to talk about the benefits of high quality pre-K, calling it essential to the future of Pennsylvania.

Pushing investment in early education, county leaders and organizations met Friday to discuss the community benefits of expanding access to preschool.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan and other Southeast Pennsylvania prosecutors came out strong this week to support an initiative to Gov. Tom Wolf to fund pre-kindergarten programs as a long-term way to boost high school graduation and cut crime in the commonwealth.

Spending money on pre-kindergarten programs now will inevitably save the taxpayers of Pennsylvania money in the long run when they are not paying as much to lock up criminals, according to a report by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.

Ronald A. DiNicola and Nick Scott Jr. were honored by the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children at the organization’s annual dinner in Harrisburg on April 17.