NEWS ROOM
Pennsylvania’s Working Families Need Greater Investment in Early Learning Services
The principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, are calling on the General Assembly to go beyond Governor Wolf’s budget proposal and prioritize greater state investments in high-quality pre-k, child care and evidence-based home visiting services to help Pennsylvania’s working families. ELPA operates three issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, and Childhood Begins at Home. Reaction statements from these respective campaigns regarding Governor Tom Wolf’s 2020-21 budget proposal follow.
Pennsylvania’s Ranking Stagnant Among States Investing in High-Quality Pre-K
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC), in its role as a principal partner of the Pre-K for PA Campaign, today released the Campaign’s third report comparing Pennsylvania’s per-capita investments in pre-k. The report shows states with similar political compositions and quality standards are making stronger per capita investments, putting their early learners on the road to success in school and in life at a faster pace than Pennsylvania.
Observer-Reporter: Editorial: Pennsylvania needs to increase pre-K funding
Well, 12 months have marched by, and the headlines remain depressing and so familiar they make you feel like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day” – Pennsylvania is falling behind the rest of the nation when it comes to pre-K education.
Lancaster Online: Editorial: Hope for a Budget, with K-12 Funding
The “framework” budget agreement being negotiated between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican legislative leaders includes $350 million more for basic education and $50 million more for special education.
PennLive: Editorial: Legislature, Wolf should act responsibly on funding for pre-k programs
As lawmakers run a fine-toothed comb through hundreds of line items in those laborious talks that will result in a final spending plan for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, we’d ask them to keep one worthy cause at the front of their minds.
And that’s state support for early childhood education, those critical programs that can have such an impact on a child’s future success or failure as a student.
York Daily Record: Op-Ed: Early Childhood Education: An Investment Worth Making
The Republican budget that has passed the House and been forwarded to the Senate – a budget crafted without Democratic input or support – would dramatically reduce the early learning funding increases proposed by Wolf. It is my hope that we’ll be able to find a way to put those increases back in a final budget.
MEDIA CONTACT
Jodi Askins
272-444-1860
jodiaskins@gmail.com
EARLY EDUCATION EXPERTS
If you are a reporter looking for comment or background from one of our early education experts, please contact Jodi using info above.
LOGO FILES
FOX 43: Majority of youth are not qualified to serve in U.S. military, retired service members push for more education funding
A report released Tuesday details how the majority of today’s youth are not qualified to service in the military. Retired generals and admirals with Mission Readiness, joined by Governor Tom Wolf, and several lawmakers unveiled their ‘Workforce Readiness – The National Security Threat from Within’ report.


