Child Abuse and Neglect
On any given day 20,000 Pennsylvania children live in the foster care system. Most children spend about 16 months living in foster care. One-third of children re-enter foster care within one year of being re-joined with their families.
- What steps will you take as an elected official to assure that fewer children ever enter the foster care system?
- What steps will you take as an elected official to assure that every child has the benefit of living with a forever family?
Education
Providing a high quality education to every child is one of the most fundamental roles of government. School districts’ spending per student varies greatly from district to district, which can greatly impact students’ education experiences. This past year the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted a school funding formula designed to improve the Commonwealth’s support of local school districts and reduce the disparities of students’ educational opportunities among districts.
- What steps will you take as an elected official to ensure adequate and equitable financing for all public schools?
- What steps will you take as an elected official to further increase student achievement in the Commonwealth’s schools?
Early Childhood Education
Studies show that high-quality early childhood education helps enhance children’s school readiness and later school and life success. Twenty percent of Pennsylvania’s preschoolers have access to high-quality publicly financed pre-kindergarten and our state’s child care system has fewer than 15,000 high-quality spaces available for all children birth to five. In addition, many low-income working families qualify for assistance in paying for child care but can face a wait of two, three and even four months before receiving assistance.
- What steps will you take as an elected official to ensure more children have access to high-quality, publicly financed pre-kindergarten?
- What steps will you take as an elected official to ensure that all children who qualify for child care assistance are assured of a high quality spot?
- What steps will you take as an elected official to ensure that fewer low-income working families who qualify for child care assistance have to wait long periods of time before they can receive child care?
Children’s Health
Pennsylvania has led the nation in providing children’s health insurance through our Cover All Kids program. The Commonwealth receives federal funding to help support the program through the Federal SCHIP program. While Pennsylvania enjoys a low rate of uninsured children, many children lack a health care provider that accepts their insurance or meets their unique medical needs.
- What steps will you take as an elected official to ensure that a strong state/federal partnership is in place to assure the continued success of Cover All Kids?
- What steps will you take as an elected official to ensure that every child enrolled in a public insurance program like Cover All Kids has access to the health care providers they need?
After School and Youth Development
More than 20 percent of students who entered high school this fall in Pennsylvania are not likely to graduate from the same school district four years later leaving them without a diploma to carry them into adulthood.
- What steps will you take as an elected official to help re-engage students who have dropped out of school so they can complete their high school degree and successfully transition to adulthood?
Research shows that children and youth who participate in afterschool programs demonstrate better student achievement levels, classroom behavior and engage in less risky behaviors that could have life-altering consequences.
- What steps will you take as an elected official to ensure more children and youth have access to afterschool programs?
