PRESS RELEASES & ADVISORIES
PA Stimulus Deal Saves Early Learning as Working Families Prepare to Get Back to Work
Passage of Stopgap Budget Demands Immediate, Robust Economic Stimulus to Preserve Capacity of Early Learning Sector
The anticipated five-month stopgap state budget will preserve Pennsylvania’s current investment in publicly-funded, early learning programs. Under the proposed agreement, PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start State Supplemental, and state funding for child care and evidence-based home visiting services will remain level funded for at least the first five months of the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
Pennsylvania’s Child Care System in Urgent Need of Stimulus to Prevent Collapse
Principal partners of the Pre-K for PA and Start Strong PA advocacy campaigns called for swift action by PA policymakers to save the state’s child care system. Advocates touted a recent survey by the Pennsylvania Child Care Association showing that of the 605 child care providers responding (serving more than 44,000 children across the Commonwealth), nearly one-third indicated that they would not be able to reopen if the state mandated closure lasts for longer than one month.
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.
Pre-K for PA Lauds Continued Investment in High-Quality Pre-K
Pre-K for PA Lauds Continued Investment in High-Quality Pre-K
Kindergarten Teachers Survey Backs Research Showing Social-Emotional Benefits of 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 and First Lady Host Annual Easter Egg Event to Highlight Importance of Pre-K Investment
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.
Gov. Wolf Ramps Up Pre-K Investment, Opens Opportunity to Thousands More PA Children
