July 29, 2025 Former PA Governors Tout Importance of Pre-K in Op Ed Five former Pennsylvania governors wrote an op ed that was published this week on Penn Live that extols the virtues of pre-k. Learn More Former governors Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker, Ed Rendell, Tom Corbett, and Tom Wolf wrote the editorial, which was published on Penn Live on July 29. In the editorial, the governors wrote that for years meaningful steps have been taken to grow access to Head Start and Pre-K Counts, and that votes to do so typically crossed party lines. The editorial notes that to let that progress slip away would be a major mistake. “Research has long shown the importance of investing in high-quality pre-k education for young children to improve short- and long-term outcomes in academic achievement and even lifelong success,” the governors wrote. “This is especially true for children in low-income families, children of color, and others facing barriers to achieving academic success throughout their school years.” The governors cite a poll that found that 98% of Pennsylvanians believe that early childhood education is important to help children lead healthy and productive lives. An additional 73% support increasing state funding, so more children can have access to pre-k. “Pennsylvanians should be proud of how far our commonwealth has come in providing pre-k to our youngest learners with more than 66,000 three- and four-year-olds having access,” the governors wrote. “However, this represents only 44% of eligible children, leaving almost 85,000 children on the sidelines each year.” The entire editorial can be read on Penn Live’s website.
May 13, 2024 Nearly Half of Eligible Pennsylvania Children Do Not Have Access to Pre-K A total of 145,010 Pennsylvania children, ages three and four, are eligible for high-quality pre-kindergarten. However, only 46% of them have access, according to 2024 Pre-K for PA fact sheets. Learn More Of the eligible children – who comprise 52% of all children in that age range statewide – a total of 66,839 have access to high-quality pre-kindergarten. But 54% of eligible children – a total of 78,171 – do not have access. An additional 7,817 pre-k staff would be required to serve the remaining eligible children. Pre-K for PA defines high-quality, publicly funded pre-kindergarten as: Head Start (state- and federally-funded) Pre-K Counts School district pre-kindergarten Philadelphia pre-K (PHLpreK) Child care provided in Keystone STAR 3-4 centers and group child care homes participating in the Child Care Works subsidized program for preschool age children. Four types of high-quality providers are eligible to receive Pre-K Counts funding to support a pre-k program: Head Start Keystone STAR 3-4 child care centers or group child care homes Private academic nursery schools School districts Breakdown by County Currently, there are 3,212 eligible pre-k locations in Pennsylvania, of which 74% are receiving public funds for pre-kindergarten. There are also 1,035 Pre-K Counts locations, of which 505 (or 49%) are in high-quality child care programs. Allegheny County has 271 eligible pre-k locations, of which 205 (76%) are receiving public funds for pre-K. It has 88 Pre-K Counts locations, of which 28 (32%) are in high-quality child care. Data in other counties includes: Armstrong: 15 eligible locations (12, or 80% receiving public funds); six Pre-K Counts locations (one, or 17%, in high-quality child care) Beaver: 33 eligible locations (32, or 97%, receiving public funds); 15 Pre-K Counts locations (five, or 33%, in high-quality child care) Butler: 25 eligible locations (18, or 72%, receiving public funds); six Pre-K Counts locations (three, or 50% in high-quality child care) Fayette: 25 eligible locations (20, or 80%, receiving public funds); 15 Pre-K Counts locations (six, or 40%, in high-quality child care) Greene: 10 eligible locations (all receiving public funds); five Pre-K Counts locations (none in high-quality child care) Indiana: 22 eligible locations (18, or 82%, receiving public funds); 12 Pre-K Counts locations (2, or 17%, in high-quality child care) Lawrence: 27 eligible locations (22, or 81%, receiving public funds); 14 Pre-K Counts locations (seven, or 50%, in high-quality child care) Washington: 48 eligible locations (39, or 81%, receiving public funds); 22 Pre-K Counts locations (nine, or 41%, in high-quality child care) Westmoreland: 80 eligible locations (62, or 78%, receiving public funds): 38 Pre-K Counts locations (17, or 45%, in high-quality child care) Addressing the Crisis As part of the 2024-25 state budget, the Pre-K for PA campaign is asking the General Assembly to support an investment of $30 million in Pre-K Counts to increase the per-child rate to address workforce challenges and inflationary pressures. The campaign notes that additional investments would be needed in future years to further prevent teacher shortages as well as provide greater access to eligible children.
