Thursday, June 17, 2010

Tuesday alert 6/15/10

Building block #7: Pennsylvania's early education programs promoting school readiness and school achievement

Please share with your networks. Thanks.

Budget update:

TODAY the House is scheduled to vote on a revised version of HB 325, which would authorize additional revenue streams for the commonwealth that could equal up to $300 million additional revenue for next year's budget. HB 325, as amended would:

• Reduce the sales tax vendor discount to a maximum of $300.
• Impose a tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars
• Impose a severance tax on natural gas produced in Pennsylvania.

With a $1.3 deficit for next year, without additional sources of revenue, there will be deep programs cuts, and early education could be part of those cuts. If you support these additional revenues, please contact your House member today.

Negotiations continue between the Governor and legislative leaders. Senator Corman, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that they are positioning for a speedy approval once budget negotiators reach an agreement. Now is the time to blitz your legislators and the Governor before an agreement is reached.

Today's building block: Pennsylvania's early education programs promoting school readiness, school achievement
• Programs such as PA Pre-K Counts, Keystone STARS, Early Intervention, Nurse-Family Partnership, Parent-Child Home Program, Keystone Babies and Head Start Supplemental are preparing children for kindergarten so they can enter school ready to learn and to succeed.
• 2009-2010 child outcomes for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, Keystone STARS 3&4, and Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program show children are progressing throughout the program year and are coming to school ready to learn:
o Each program is showing a significant increase in the percentage of preschoolers with proficiency in language, numeracy, and social skills from the beginning to end of the program year.
o Each program is meeting the needs of its populations with a variety of services to prepare children for kindergarten, with 65% - 78% of children showing proficiency in language, numeracy and social skills by the end of the 2009-2010 program year:

o PA Pre-K Counts, providing high quality pre-k kindergarten to at-risk three and four year olds: Nearly every child (over 98 percent) showed age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and social skills after attending PA Pre-K Counts in 2009-2010.*
 More than 70 percent of children who attended Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts finished the school year with age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy and social skills.*
o Keystone STARS 3&4, providing high quality early education in child care centers, group and family child care homes for children from birth through school-age: More than 97% of preschoolers in STAR 3 & 4 program showed age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and social skills at the end of the 2009-2010 program year#.
 More than 65 percent finished the program year with age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy and social skills.#
o Head Start Supplemental, providing comprehensive early education and family support services to high-risk three and four year olds: Nearly every child (98 percent) showed age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and social skills after attending Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program in 2009-2010.
 More than 65 percent of preschoolers who attended Head Start Supplemental finished the school year with age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy and social skills.
• These results show that Pennsylvania's early education programs are working. The investments Pennsylvania makes today in early education will produce excellent returns in student achievement, workforce development, and reduction in public costs for special education, public assistance, and corrections.

You can share:
• Examples of child outcomes in your individual programs - children who were delayed when entering the program who are now at age-appropriate development.
• Performance of children who participated in your program who are now in kindergarten, first grade or higher.

Ask parents to share:
• How has your child progressed in an early education program this year? What skills did he/she learn with words/letters, numbers, and getting along with others?


Please take a few minutes to share these fast facts with the Governor, your legislators, and a friend!
• Find contact information for your legislators at http://paprom.convio.net/find
• Email the Governor and your legislators at http://paprom.convio.net/6-15-10

* Based on PA PKC grantee reports for 9,439 children in Work Sampling Online reporting tool
# Based on STARS program reports for 9,804 children in Work Sampling Online reporting tool

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Wow! This is really fantastic. I am so appreciated your post.
fostering children