PRESS RELEASES & ADVISORIES

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.

In the final FY 2019-20 budget agreement, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania continued to make progress on behalf of its youngest learners by prioritizing expanded access to high-quality pre-k. 

The Pre-K for PA Campaign today released Ready to Succeed: Kindergarten Teachers Support Investments in High-Quality Pre-k, a report based on findings of a survey conducted with campaign partner the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), seeking the perceptions of kindergarten members about the role that access to high-quality, publicly funded pre-k plays in school readiness.

Governor Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf today hosted pre-school classes from across the commonwealth at the annual Easter Egg Event at the Governor’s Residence. The event was co-sponsored by Pre-K for PA, a non-partisan advocacy group that supports the expansion of publicly funded pre-k. Over 100 pre-school aged children participated.

The Pre-K for PA campaign organized the creation of thousands of original ornaments crafted by pre-k students from all corners of the commonwealth this month to help decorate the Pennsylvania Capitol Christmas tree.  Today, dozens of pre-k students joined Governor Wolf at the tree lighting ceremony to celebrate the start of the holiday season in the Capitol.  

The Pre-K for PA campaign called the additional $25 million investment in pre-kindergarten programs contained in the 2018-19 state budget agreement continued progress toward something that Pennsylvanians universally support – early education.

A new poll commissioned by the Pre-K for PA Campaign and conducted by Harrisburg-based Harper Polling shows 75 percent of likely voters support increasing funding to expand access to high-quality, publicly funded pre-kindergarten.

Former Governors Edward G. Rendell and Mark S. Schweiker led a group of influential business, civic, and law enforcement leaders from across the state today in support of continued investment in pre-k, urging the Pennsylvania legislature and the governor to expand access to thousands of at-risk kids in the final 2018-19 budget.