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.
