Early Childhood Education in Pennsylvania: A Golden Opportunity

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Early Childhood Education in Pennsylvania A
Golden Opportunity
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Early Childhood Education

• The state of school readiness in Pennsylvania
• Early years are prime time for learning
• Enriching experiences spark brain to develop
  learning capabilities
• Critical to literacy and numeracy
• Childs future depends on todays learning
  opportunities
• BUT . . . Pennsylvania is one of nine states
  without a prekindergarten investment

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Early Childhood Education

• Early childhood education Three components to
  build learning foundation
• Prekindergarten
• Full-day kindergarten
• Small class sizes in early elementary years
• Continuum to enhance education achievement and
  accountability
• Proven results from proven efforts

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Early Childhood Education

• Early childhood education assures accountability
  by helping children
• Develop their minds in their first years
• Get better test scores and grades in school
• Graduate from high school
• Avoid trouble as teens
• Mature into better citizens, with desirable job
  skills

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Early Childhood Education

• Early childhood education yields value for the
  education dollar
• At least 2 saved for every 1 invested
• Fewer special education and remediation referrals
  (RAND Corp.)
• Most conservative estimate
• Other studies show a return on investment ranging
  from 4 saved for 1 invested, to 7 to 1

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Early Childhood Education

• Early childhood education is used by
  stay-at-home moms and two-income families

Source W. Steven Barnett, National Institute for
Early Education Research (www.nieer.org)
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Early Childhood Education

• The Pennsylvania picture
• PA is one of 9 states without pre-K funding
• 153,000 4-year-olds
• Head Start serves half of 58,000 eligible kids
• 2,550 children in K-4, in 35 districts
• Districts can use state funds but get no
  additional funds for K-4
• 32,000 children in private nursery schools
• Child care Part of pre-K delivery system
• Quality not integral to state oversight

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Early Childhood Education

• PA funds half-day kindergarten, with no extra
  funds for full-day K
• Only one kindergartner in three in full-day
  program
• 25 states offer direct funding
• Small class sizes in the early grades
• Pennsylvania has no class-size policies
• Large classes a problem 20 of elementary
  students in highest-poverty districts in classes
  of 30 or more
• Education Week D- grade for equity

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Early Childhood Education

• 2002 poll Voters stand behind a kids-focused
  legislative agenda, and three-quarters support
  policy proposals for the well-being of
  Pennsylvanias children

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Early Childhood Education

• Federal No Child Left Behind Act
• PA schools must achieve 100 reading and math
  proficiency by 2014
• 43 of fifth graders below proficient in reading
• 47 of fifth graders below proficient in math

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Early Childhood Education

• Quality pre-K The great leveler
• Study of the Early Childhood Initiative,
  Allegheny Countys quality preschool effort for
  at-risk children
• School readiness 86 percent of children started
  at high risk of falling behind but improved
  rapidly
• Fewer grade retentions Only 2 held back a grade
  in districts averaging 23 retention rates
• Less need for special education 1 referred to
  special education, compared to 21 district
  average
• Better behavioral and social skills

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Early Childhood Education

• Pre-K Principles for proven benefits
• Voluntary parent involvement choice
• Keystone of governors proposal
• Parent education, and health and other social
  services
• Connections to community services required
• Governor would create Family Resource Networks in
  the poorest districts
• Diverse array of settings
• Licensed child care, Head Start, and licensed
  nursery schools in governors proposal

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Early Childhood Education

• Consider needs of families
• Coordinate for full-day, full-year services
• Highly competent professionals
• Teachers with bachelors degrees
• Department of Education oversight
• Interagency coordination
• School districts as fiscal managers, with local
  planning
• Local planning panels of diverse community
  leaders, including child care, education, pre-K,
  faith
• 65 and 75 community participation, NJ and NY
• Primarily state-funded

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Early Childhood Education

• Full-day kindergarten
• Full-day funding for a full day of kindergarten
• Governors plan All districts
• Small class sizes
• Voluntarily reduce to average of 17 students per
  kindergarten through third-grade class
• All districts

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Early Childhood Education

• Strategizing for prekindergarten
• Key piece of education reform
• Cost-effective investment in accountability and
  achievement
• Longstanding legislative support
• Most legislative leaders and many members
  represent districts that benefit

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Early Childhood Education

• Key messages for ECE
• Kids who start school behind, stay behind.
• When kids do better in school, schools do better.
  
• PA remains one of nine states that fail to invest
  in prekindergarten.
• This is our chance to do more than change the way
  we pay for education. We can give children the
  keys to school success.
• Pennsylvanians future economic vitality depends
  on its ability to produce a capable, skilled
  workforce something that quality early
  childhood education can assure.

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Early Childhood Education

• What can you do?
• Contact your state Senator and Representative
• Express support for early childhood education
  funding
• Ask legislators to tell their leaders to support
  early childhood education
• Keep up the pressure!