NEWS ROOM
State Budget Fails to Significantly Invest in Early Care and Education Amid Historic Labor Shortage
Today, the principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, issued the following statements regarding House Bill 611 that still awaits the signature of the Senate President Pro Tempore and finally Governor Shapiro to become the enacted 2023-24 Pennsylvania state budget. ELPA operates four issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins at Home and Thriving PA.
PA Senate Passes Budget with NO Funding to Address Early Learning Workforce Shortage
Pottstown Mercury: Pre-K important for child’s development
Quality pre-K doesn’t just teach children their letters and numbers, but also how to share, take turns, and learn to self-regulate their behavior during the critical developmental years before kindergarten. Without those things, they are not going to be successful in kindergarten. Once you hit age five, a lot of characteristics are in place, and it’s hard to have children relearn things.
Erie Times: Op-ed: PA children, employers need quality pre-k
Erie County employers, like ATG, require an educated, motivated workforce to be successful and competitive. There’s widespread recognition that workforce development starts with high quality pre-K that puts our children on the path to reading proficiency and success in school and life.
Express-Times: LTE: Closed child-care services need support to get through COVID-19 crisis
My business partner and I have owned and operated The Children’s Garden for 16 years. Since this time we’ve achieved and maintained a Star 3 rating, which designates high-quality child care in Pennsylvania. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, like so many of my colleagues in early learning who are also small business owners, we’ve had to close our child care center.
Penn Capital Star: OpEd: Veterans Day honors those who served. Now we need to look to the next generation of warriors.
MEDIA CONTACT
Kate Philips
215-850-4647
kphilips@prekforpa.org
EARLY EDUCATION EXPERTS
If you are a reporter looking for comment or background from one of our early education experts, please Kate Philips at kphilips@prekforpa.org.
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