Thursday, March 18, 2010

Governor to Vote On Budget

House to vote on Governor’s budget proposal as early as Monday
• Contact your state representative today - ask for continued investment in early education
Last week, the House Appropriations committee brought the House floor HB 2279, which is the Governor’s budget proposal, which would provide funding to serve additional families in Early Intervention, sustain progress in Child Care Works, Keystone STARS, Nurse-Family Partnership and Parent-Child Home Program, but REDUCE services to children in PA Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental (see details below). The House may vote on this bill as early as Monday (March 22).
Please contact your state representative and ask them to support continued investment in early education programs.
If you would like our legislators to provide funding to continue services for all of PA's early education programs, ask your representative to vote no to HB 2279, as this bill would cut services for PA Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental.
Begin the conversation with your representative now to show that early education is a priority for you and should be a priority for them!
Tips on making your voice heard: Legislators get hundreds of emails, letters and phone calls a day. Make your message stand out:
• Write your message in your own words. Talk about your personal experiences and views.
• Share specific examples in your community of children and families who benefit from early education.
• Invite them to learn more. You may invite them to a program, or to meet your family. This helps them make a personal connection.
• Thank them for anything they’ve done that you appreciate. Legislators like to hear thank you, it helps motivate them to continue to do the right thing.
If you'd rather send a letter over your own email, click here to find contact information for your legislators and download a sample letter to customize
We will keep you posted on developments. If you received this email from a friend, sign up for PA Promise alerts to receive real-time updates.
Thanks.
Details on HB 2279 – proposes early education funding to:
Serve additional families in:
• Early Intervention – Expanding to reach 81,696 children (34,384 infants and toddlers and 47,312 preschoolers) by adding 1,172 infants and toddlers and 1,229 preschoolers.
Sustain progress in:
• Child Care Works Subsidized Child Care Program – Sustaining to reach approximately 134,400 children (monthly average).
• Keystone STARS – Sustaining higher quality early learning opportunities for over 177,000 children and making it possible for programs to achieve higher STAR levels.
• Nurse-Family Partnership –Sustaining to reach more than 4,200 children and families.
• Parent-Child Home Program – Sustaining to reach approximately 1,500 children and families.
Reduce services to children in:
• Head Start Supplemental – Services to 117 children will be removed, which would lower the children served from 5,743 to approximately 5,626 children.
• Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts – Services to 68 children will be removed, which would lower the children from 11,800 to approximately 11,732 children.