Childcare Budget Update as of April 15, 2010

April 15, 2010
DPW Improves the Lives of Pennsylvania’s Children:
The DPW budget invests in proven programs for children with accountable results.
Reducing Child Abuse
By supporting families with programs that prevent abuse, Pennsylvania has achieved a 10% reduction in substantiated child abuse cases since 2003.
Providing At-Risk Children with Safe, Permanent Homes
Our focus on creating safe, permanent homes for all Pennsylvania’s children has resulted in an almost 60% decrease in the number of children entering foster care since 2003.
Improving Children’s Early Learning, School and Life Success
Our continuum of early learning programs, including Keystone STARS, Nurse Family Partnership, Child Care Works, and PA Pre-K Counts, is producing gains. In 2002-2003, fewer than one in five Pennsylvania children had access to a quality early education; now, one in three children access quality early education.
Assuring Children Receive Financial Support from Non-Custodial Parents
Our child support program leads the country in assuring that children receive financial support from their non-custodial parent. In 2009, Pennsylvania was the nation’s best in the collection of support orders at 81.3%, which is higher than the national average of 61.9%.
Improving Children’s Health
The Pennsylvania Medical Assistance program covers over 1.1 million children, with a focus on preventative health care. 94% of children in the first 15 months of life see a doctor as often as recommended. Children three to six years of age are 3 to 4% above the national average in terms of seeing their primary care provider when they should.
The mission of the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) is to protect and serve Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens, to promote, improve and sustain the quality of family life, and to break the cycle of dependency, while managing our resources effectively and promoting respect for employees.
The focus for the DPW FY10-11 Budget is sustainability—preserving services for those who need them, quality and results—ensuring services improve the lives of those who receive them, and accountability— ensuring efficient use of tax dollars.
For more information about the DPW budget visit www.dpw.state.pa.us. For information on how to support funding for this critical program visit the non-partisan Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center at www.pennbpc.org