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Early Education Program Growth + Waiting Lists = Mixed Results
October 7, 2009Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) today released its annual report on School Readiness in Pennsylvania, showing steady growth in early education programs including pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten. The state also has improved on child well-being indicators including births to mothers with less than a high school degree and babies born at low birth weight. Yet greater reliance on public programs, including child care subsidy and health coverage, points to an escalation of families turning to the government for help in lean economic times. Full-day kindergarten enrollment grew seven percent from 2008 to 2009 to its current level of nearly 66 percent. And the expansion in pre-K is a strong sign of the state's continuing commitment to early education. When public resources are made available to improve achievement, public schools and other programs are taking advantage, and it is making a difference. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, nearly every child (99 percent) showed age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and social skills after attending a PA Pre-K Counts program in the 2008/09 school year. Full release.