August 1, 2018 Celebrate National School Success Month in September In September, Pennsylvania will celebrate National School Success Month in recognition of Governor Tom Wolf’s strong commitment to high-quality early learning programs. PA Promise for Children is looking for families who would like to share what their child has learned or likes to do that makes them a great student. Early care and education professionals and school district staff are being asked to share what makes them successful or their favorite part of their profession. Photos including the subject’s name, county, success, and program/school may be sent to marhal@pakeys.org.
July 18, 2018 Pilot Launches This Fall for Infant/Toddler Child Care Beginning September 2018, OCDEL will use $2 million of the increased Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funding to pilot contracting for slots for infants and toddlers participating in Child Care Works (CCW). OCDEL will leverage the PA Pre-K Counts model to pilot contracting with STAR 3 and STAR 4 programs to serve infants and toddlers in high-quality settings. This pilot will improve access to, and continued enrollment of, children 0-36 months in high-quality early care and education programs and is supported by the results of Pennsylvania’s Infant/Toddler policy scan (a tool developed by Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Child Care). Shared via The PA Key.
June 25, 2018 $25MIL Increase for Pre-K Classes Leaders in Harrisburg recently aproved a $25 million investment in pre-k programs in the 2018-19 Pennsylvania state budget. As part of the budget agreement, Governor Wolf, along with Republican and Democrat legislators made a wise investment in Pennsylvania’s early education system and prioritized the state’s youngest learners. While the 2018-19 Pennsylvania state budget grew by just 1.7%, leaders in Harrisburg grew high-quality pre-k funding by 11%, high-quality child care services grew by 4%, and home visiting by an impressive, and much needed, 33%. The 2018-19 spending plan included the following expanded investments in early learning: Increases in Pre-K Counts investment: $20 million Increases investment in Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program: $5 million Increases investment in Child Care Services: $6.8 million New investment in home visiting programs: $6.735 million Still more than 106,000 eligible children do not have access to high-quality, publicly funded pre-k due to limited state funding. This budget increase will allow access to thousands of 3- and 4-year-old students in the upcoming school year. It is a step in the right direction, but we still have much work to be done as Pennsylvania lags far behind neighboring states. Today, Pennsylvania ranks 18th of the 30 states investing in high-quality, publicly funded pre-k. New Jersey is spending five times more per capita than PA, and West Virginia has had universal access for pre-k aged kids since 2012. This year’s budget is testament to the fact that Governor Wolf, along with Republican and Democrat legislators, understand their constituents’ priorities.
June 8, 2018 Pennsylvania Voter Consensus on Importance of Early Education A recent poll confirms what Pre-K for PA partners have been hearing across the Commonwealth: Pennsylvanians are in lockstep when it comes to support for pre-k! Support for pre-k has swelled to near consensus, as 94% of likely voters now think that early education is important. Harrisburg-based Harper Polling conducted a poll on May 22-23, which indicates that three-quarters (75%) of likely voters support increasing funding to expand access to high-quality programs, and that support cuts across age, party, geographic and socioeconomic lines. Every single voting demographic in the state favors expanded access to pre-k by at least a two-to-one margin. And it doesn’t end there. It turns out that Pennsylvanians value pre-k education for its proven benefits to the child and the commonwealth, and they’re willing to dig a little deeper to support it. In fact, two-thirds of likely Pennsylvania voters polled said they would support a tax increase to expand pre-k access. The poll results speak for themselves. Now, it’s up to voters to ensure our legislators are listening. Last week, Pre-K for PA partners Harrisburg heard that the $40 million proposed for new pre-k funding is on the negotiating table and it’s getting cut! PLEASE, pick up the phone or send a quick email to tell legislators, “I am part of the pre-k majority!” It’s time for all PA children to have access to high-quality pre-k. No child should be missing out when nearly all PA residents agree.
May 9, 2018 Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Report Shows Impact of Pre-K $3.2 BIL is spent each year in Pennsylvania on state corrections. The message is clear: pay now or pay much more later. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids released a report that outlines the consequences lack of access to high-quality early learning environments has long-term. The report entitled, Pre-K Key to Cutting Pennsylvania Prison Costs and Boosting School Success recommends sufficient investment in pre-kindergarten to curb law enforcement expenses and negative outcomes for children, adults, and communities. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is also urging the General Assembly to support proposed increases of $30 MIL for Pre-K Counts and $1o MIL for Head Start so an additional 4,400 children can be served by high-quality, publicly funded pre-k in Pennsylvania. To learn more visit StrongNation.org/fightcrime.
March 6, 2018 Pre-k and Kindergarten Transition Pre-k to Kindergarten: Access to High Quality Pre-k and a Strong Transition to Kindergarten Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-k) The early childhood learning continuum begins at birth and continues through age nine. Research shows that access to even one additional year of high quality pre-k learning has been shown to improve learning and life outcomes for children, including strengthening kindergarten readiness. Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (Pre-K Counts) provides high-quality, no-cost pre-kindergarten to eligible three- and four-year-olds in Pennsylvania. Pre-K Counts is designed for children: who are residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania whose families meet the income eligibility requirements of at or below 300% of the federal poverty level for their family size are between the age of 3 and younger than the Kindergarten entry age for the district in which they reside Once these eligibility requirements are met, enrollment procedures are based on local community needs. These procedures may contain other considerations for enrollment, such as; diagnosed disabilities or developmental delays, English as a second language, or any other factor that the program deems as a priority to ensure that their communities’ needs are being served. If you’re looking for a Pre-K Counts program in Allegheny County, Trying Together is pleased to work with our partners to provide the following list of open Pre-K Counts enrollment opportunities. Learn more about Pre-K Counts and eligibility requirements. See more information about the following 2025-26 school year programs: Woodland Hills School District’s PA Pre-K Counts Program Kindergarten Transition The transition to kindergarten marks an exciting and critical point in the lives of children and families. Students who are ready for kindergarten and attend the first day of school are more likely to read on grade-level by third grade, regularly attend school, make friends, and are less likely to drop out of high school. Early and on-time registration allows schools and districts to plan for classroom materials, resources, and staff as they prepare to welcome a new group of students. It also enables families to establish relationships with teachers and administrators that are so important for easing the stress and anxiety of children (and their families) as they begin elementary school. Learn more about the importance of Kindergarten Transition with Trying Together’s Kindergarten Transition Whitepaper (PDF). Register for Kindergarten Kindergarten Registration Information for the 2025-26 School Year: Allegheny County Kindergarten Registration Information for Fayette, Westmoreland, Greene, Armstrong, Butler Countries Top 10 Kindergarten Readiness Skills Hi5! collaborated with a group of pre-k and kindergarten teachers to develop a list of academic, social, emotional, and physical skills for children entering kindergarten based on the PA Early Learning Standards. A list of more than 30 skills was sent to educators in school districts, child care programs, and Head Start programs throughout the region—including Allegheny, Butler, Fayette, Greene, and Westmoreland counties. View the checklist (PDF). Translated versions: Spanish (PDF) Arabic (PDF) Swahili (PDF) Pashto (PDF) Dari (PDF) About the Hi5! Partnership Hi5! Kindergarten transition efforts are led in partnership with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit 3 (AIU3), Trying Together, and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania (who generously fund the project). We have a leadership team that consists of community and state partners, principals, Head Start administrators, and early learning program directors. The Hi5! Partnership focuses on engaging all 43 public school districts in Allegheny County and supports each district to: develop and implement their own kindergarten transition plans; build awareness with families that when “your child reaches five years of age, it’s time to register” them for kindergarten; network and share best practices between pre-k teachers, kindergarten teachers, early childhood program directors, and school administrators; and gather community resources throughout the county. These efforts align with the Every Student Succeeds Act, the new federal law passed in 2015 which required states to have a plan that includes thinking about the transition to kindergarten and how districts connect with early learning programs. For more information about the project, transition teams, and activities, please email hi5@tryingtogether.org, or view the Hi5! overview (PDF). Additional Resources Transitioning to Kindergarten | NAEYC Transition To Kindergarten – The Pennsylvania Key Kindergarten Life Skills Checklist from Evan-Moore
