Too many families face the painful choice between paying their bills and providing their child an early education.
This week, Pre-K for PA introduces a new report laying out options for our elected leaders to solve this problem.
Kevin is a dad from Chester County who could not manage the cost of sending his son to a good-quality pre-k. Now, his 6-year-old has had trouble socializing and getting used to the kindergarten classroom environment. He firmly believes that his son missed out on valuable learning and growing opportunities that could have better prepared him for school.
In Pittsburgh, Walter struggled but made it work for his daughter. “There are very few high-quality, public preschools available in Pittsburgh,” he described to Pre-K for PA. “We had to put her in a private preschool, which costs us $500 per month. Although we did get financial aid, it has been a struggle to pay this amount every month. Fortunately, it is a NAEYC-accredited school and we all love it. My daughter loves going to school.”
High-quality pre-k is out of reach for too many of Pennsylvania’s families.
New Pre-K for PA Report: Financing Access to High-Quality Pre-k
In a single year, nearly a quarter-million Pennsylvania children are left without the opportunity to benefit from high-quality, publicly funded pre-k. To learn how Pennsylvania can close its early learning gap, read “Financing Access to High-Quality Pre-k,” our third and final issue brief in a recent series.
Kevin’s second child is now 1-year-old. Let’s make sure that as she approaches kindergarten, a stronger system is in place for our families, schools and communities to thrive.
Let’s make high-quality pre-k a priority during these final days leading to Election Day. Ask your friends to sign our petition at www.prekforpa.org/join. To go further, download our new “Take Action from Home” toolkit.
Thanks for everything you do for Pennsylvania’s children.
– The Pre-K for PA team
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