From Pre-K for PA (http://www.prekforpa.org/):
In every type of community across Pennsylvania a majority of children are missing out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop and learn by participating in a high-quality publicly funded pre-k program. The need is not concentrated in one geographic area of Pennsylvania and the state lacks the infrastructure to meet the existing needs, according to a recent report by our partner organization Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC).
The report also introduced a new, first of its kind in PA, mapping tool that allows users to drill down to street level and search for their legislative and school districts to learn the number of local children served, unmet need, local providers, and the current capacity. It’s an excellent tool to see the true disparity felt across the state and even by neighboring communities.
According to the report, there are more than 112,900 eligible preschool children or 64 percent statewide, who qualify for high-quality, publicly funded pre-k but remain unserved. The report also shows that in Pennsylvania need crosses geographic boundaries in all types of communities:
- 74 percent in suburban school districts;
- 68 percent of eligible children in rural districts; and,
- 51 percent of eligible children in urban districts don’t have the opportunity to attend high-quality publicly funded pre-k.
Each year we talk about how these kids don’t get ‘do-overs,’ and then watch as their chance to attend high-quality pre-k passes them by. This year we’re encouraging leaders in Harrisburg to make an investment at a scale reflective of the challenges outlined in this report.
The report set a Path Forward for Pennsylvania with the following recommendations:
- Expand state investments to reach more eligible children by investing $85 million in FY 2017-18 and growing the investment to an additional $340 million by FY 2020-21 to serve all eligible children; invest an additional $100 million by FY 2022-23 to begin to serve children living in families with incomes over 300 percent of federal poverty income guidelines (FPIG).
- Increase investments that will create an expanded pool of child care providers who achieve Keystone STAR 3 or 4 by improving state child care payment rates to reflect the true cost of providing high-quality child care.
- Take steps to ensure that more eligible pre-kindergarten providers such as local education agencies and private academic nursery schools participate in Pre-K Counts; especially in communities where there are few, if any, child care centers.
- Align and expand investments in Keystone STARS, guided by the STARS Revisioning process, to help providers achieve STAR 3 and 4.
We encourage you to take a moment to read through the report and play around with the new mapping tool. It’s a real eye-opener to the unmet need in your own backyard.
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