Whatever the results and regardless what lever you choose to pull on November 7, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) asks you to consider the impact of your vote on children and be sure that you help to elect kidfriendly candidates. This election-themed issue of Partnerships highlights the problems kids face and potential policy solutions of five key areas under PPC’s advocacy umbrella:

• High-quality public education;
• Early care and education/school readiness;
• Health coverage;
• Youth development and afterschool; and
• Family support

Stop and consider some key issues that impact the quality of life for children in our state and their prospects for a successful adulthood before you vote. Ask yourself some simple questions such as:

“How many kids don’t have health insurance in Pennsylvania and what do candidates for office intend to do to address that problem?”

“What percentage of children in PA fail to graduate from high school in four years and what will those seeking office do to assure that more kids graduate on time and possess the skills they need to be ready for college, work and life?”

“Has Pennsylvania done enough to assure that every child will enter school ready to learn and have an equal opportunity to succeed in school?”

These are just a few examples of the questions far too many of us fail to stop and consider before Election Day. This issue of Partnerships focuses on some critical challenges facing children in our state and solutions that will help assure that Pennsylvania becomes one of the top 10 states in the nation to be a child and to raise a child. Since kids can’t vote, our advocacy gives them a voice. You can help give kids a voice, too, by asking candidates where they stand on these key children’s issues and then voting for candidates who pledge to work for kids.

See you at the polls!

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The Importance of Early Care and Education on School Readiness
A child’s brain develops most rapidly before the age of 5. Young children truly are like sponges, soaking up knowledge, their environments and experiences at an amazing rate. As adults, we have the power to cultivate this thirst for knowledge and ensure young children get the most out of their encounters before they enter kindergarten. Pre-kindergarten and child care programs can create high-quality early learning experiences to help children be ready for school.

Pennsylvania has significantly increased its investment in early education and care in the last four years and implemented numerous new strategies to support quality improvements, but more work needs to be done to provide children access to quality programs that stimulate positive learning and the developmental skills necessary for school readiness.

The Problem: The Picture in PA
While early education initiatives are gaining steam in Pennsylvania, in many respects the Commonwealth still lags behind other states. Though the percent of children attending fullday kindergarten increased from 51 percent to 54 percent this year, the national average is about 60 percent. And while the number of children attending pre-K in public schools in Pennsylvania rose to about 12,023 this year from 10,271 last year, that number reflects a tiny fraction of the state’s 4-year-olds. One notable improvement to the pre-K participation rate is the inclusion of funding for Head Start in the state budget which now equals $40 million helping nearly 70 percent of the children eligible for Head Start to receive services.

Only 16.3 percent of students in pre-K through third grade are in classes of 17 or fewer students. Research shows that children who are in classes of 17 or fewer students in kindergarten through third grade score better on standardized achievement tests than their peers in larger classes.

A great number of low-income children still wait to receive child care assistance and Keystone STARS has a long road ahead to keep up with increasing demand.

Pennsylvania’s low-income working families need access to quality child care as they move toward self-sufficiency, and children need care that meets their developmental needs. With more than 65 percent of all available parents working outside the home, the role child care can play in preparing children to make the transition to school is increasingly important. But high-quality, affordable child care still remains out of reach for many Pennsylvania families.

The cost of child care for two children at a private facility in Pennsylvania costs more than $16,000 per year, exceeding the annual salary of a parent earning the minimum wage even with the anticipated increase to $6.25 per hour on January 1, 2007.

Child care providers play an important role in the school readiness of their young charges. Helping providers enhance service delivery is Keystone STARS, the state’s quality improvement system. The voluntary program helps providers increase their “star rating” through technical assistance and various professional development opportunities. When the program began in 2002/03, there were 868 child care providers participating. In May 2006, there were 4,203 providers in the program.

While the number of high-quality spaces for young children in child care settings is still quite low as compared to demand — only 4.8 percent of the slots for our youngest children — the pipeline to increase quality has exploded. Keystone STARS is an important initiative in establishing and rewarding providers that meet the highest in quality care of the Commonwealth’s children.

Even though Pennsylvania has expanded its investment in Child Care Works over the last four years, more than 6,500 children are on the waiting list for subsidized child care. In addition, while Pennsylvania optimistically anticipates reaching the 50 percent work participation required by changes in the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) by October, it will be a challenging task. The impact on the subsidized child care demand in Pennsylvania could be substantial. Funds from Congress are not enough to meet the increased work participation rate and demand.

The Solution
Pre-K Access
The Department of Education’s Accountability Block Grant provides funding for pre-K programs, but only 40 school districts (out of 501) have chosen to use their funding for this purpose. Those seeking office must propose continued increases in the Accountability Block Grant to support expanded pre-K, smaller class sizes and full-day kindergarten until they are appropriately financed through a more general school finance reform. Pennsylvania finally joined the ranks of the vast majority of states in the nation who fund pre-K with these block grant dollars as well as funding for Head Start, but more needs to be done to assure that all young children have the quality preschool experience that will ready them for school.

Continued growth in the Accountability Block Grant and Head Start are wise investments but ultimately, the Commonwealth must create a dedicated state-funded pre-K stream.

Child Care Quality
To move both staff and child care providers up the STARS ladder, programs need increased financial support. The Commonwealth must expand resources to ensure high-quality care of Pennsylvania’s children. High-quality child care costs more money than lower quality care, but low-quality child care can have negative effects on children.

Child Care Subsidy
The current waiting list includes more than 6,500 children and reflects an artificially
low estimate of need. Many families need child care on an immediate basis and
oftentimes will not go through the application process to wait for services. The
Commonwealth must increase the child care subsidy by at least 3,000 slots to help
tackle the waiting list.

Child Care Subsidy
The current waiting list includes more than 6,500 children and reflects an artificially low estimate of need. Many families need child care on an immediate basis and oftentimes will not go through the application process to wait for services. The Commonwealth must increase the child care subsidy by at least 3,000 slots to help tackle the waiting list.

The success of the Commonwealth’s early care and education efforts is heavily dependent on federal funding of key programs including CCDBG, SSBG, and TANF. Without sufficient federal funds to partner with state funds, the social, academic, and economic benefits of quality affordable early care and education will not be achieved.

Those seeking federal elected office must commit to reauthorizing Head Start next year and providing the necessary resources to make sure children enter school active, curious, eager and ready to learn. The children will be the direct beneficiaries of this investment, but many others — families, employers, and all of Pennsylvania’s citizens — will benefit as well.

Before you Vote
Consider the following questions on early care and education initiatives before voting for candidates this fall:

For Governor:
1. What are your specific proposals for child care, Head Start and other early care and education programs designed to help prepare children to enter school ready to learn?

2. What strategies will you promote as Governor to assure that children have a strong educational experience in the critical foundation years from prekindergarten through 3rd grade?

For U.S. Senate:
1. What will you do as our U.S. Senator to help families who need child care?

2. What will you do as our U.S. Senator to ensure the reauthorization of Head Start?

Education is the Foundation
Not saddled with the demands of paying the electric bill or buying groceries, a young person’s responsibility is to learn: to soak up information and expand knowledge that will lead to a lifetime love of learning. Education — and a high-quality one at that — is the cornerstone that enables children to reach for the stars and transition successfully to adulthood in this complex, knowledge-based economy. It is our responsibility as parents, teachers and policymakers to ensure all children receive equal access to a high-quality education that gives them the key to the future.

The Problem: The Picture in PA
With the enactment of the fiscal year 2006-2007 state budget, the Commonwealth is making unprecedented investments in children and youth. While the investments have been laudable, considerable challenges remain. Our youth are still dropping out of school at an alarming rate forcing our education system to continue changing to meet the academic and employment challenges of the 21st century. And though more children than ever before are moving toward proficiency in reading and math each year, problems still plague Pennsylvania’s education system.

A critical issue is the way in which schools are funded. Because the Commonwealth lacks a state aid formula to finance its schools, disparities in per-pupil funding arise creating vast inequity among the school districts. The chasm between the “haves and the have-nots” is wide. Furthermore, as covered in the previous Early Education section, there is no consistency in early learning initiatives across the state. While schools are working hard to improve their early education outreach, again, the lack of a finance formula and no dedicated pre-K line item further complicates matters. (Solutions were noted in the prior section.)

As will be covered in the Youth Development section, Pennsylvania, like most states, struggles to graduate all of its students. Every year in Pennsylvania, one out of five high school students fails to graduate from the high school where they began four years earlier. This is not just an issue in urban areas — it also impacts our rural and suburban areas. Dropouts face a future full of economic problems and have few opportunities to advance skills or knowledge. Not receiving a high school diploma creates a variety of problems for a young person that can resonate throughout adulthood.

We must find ways to help youth stay in school as well as help them reconnect to education once they’ve dropped out or drifted away. Furthermore, many students find their high school experiences to be less than sufficiently challenging. This is true of academically successful students as well as those who are struggling in school. If students have difficulty engaging in their academic lives, we must find ways to create more engaging environments conducive to instilling a lifetime love of learning.

The Solution
Restructure Finance System
Those seeking public office must pledge to create a sound school finance system that is focused on equitable and adequate funding of the education provided all Pennsylvania students.

High School Reform
In order for Pennsylvania to compete and thrive in a 21st century economy, it needs a highly-educated and proficient workforce. It’s critical that the Commonwealth take the necessary steps to ensure that all of its young people have the academic background needed to succeed. This goes well beyond basic reading, writing and computing skills. Students today need rigorous academic courses and career exploration opportunities to prepare them for postsecondary education and 21st century occupations.

Policymakers should lead the charge to more closely align high school standards with postsecondary education expectations; develop voluntary model core curricula aligned with the PA academic standards for use by school districts; and develop and mandate uniform interim assessments (akin to end-of-course exams utilized in other states) as a means to assure that all young people have a quality and common high school experience.

Pennsylvania’s high school reform initiative, Project 720 is an important program that is helping to transform the Commonwealth’s high schools to ensure that every student succeeds and is ready to transition to postsecondary education or the workforce. Project 720 makes grants to a limited number of school districts to increase the rigor of the high school curriculum, establish smaller and more personalized high school learning environments, integrate career planning activities, work collaboratively with career and technical education and improve counseling services. The Commonwealth must expand Project 720 from approximately 105 schools to 250 schools as soon as possible and move toward statewide implementation for all districts that choose to participate over the coming years.

Spark Knowledge through Dual Enrollment
Dual enrollment — which offers college courses that award both high school and college credits- creates opportunities for high school students to reignite their interest in learning and to understand the relationship of their high school studies to the work that lies ahead in college. Candidates for office should assure that we take our current initiatives to scale by fully funding dual enrollment so that every high school student can participate.

Identify Students who are Struggling and Provide Stronger Career Guidance to All
Research indicates that waiting until young people get to high school to guarantee their success is too late. Policymakers should spearhead the development and implementation of an early identification and support system for struggling students beginning in sixth grade. This should be coupled with enhanced counseling for middle school and high school students. Each student should receive individualized academic and career counseling that links their future plans with a more focused and rigorous secondary school experience.

Support Career and Technical Education
Continuous and rapid changes in technology and communications have increased the need for workers with the high-level skills required to compete in a global economy. Pennsylvania must take the steps necessary to assure that all youth have sound academic backgrounds and highly-developed soft skills essential for postsecondary education and 21st century occupations. During the coming years it will be critical to improve the quality and increase the relevance of career and technical education and to increase the state’s financial support for it.

Federal Role
While public education is primarily a state and local government issue, the role of the federal government is equally important. The No Child Left Behind Act has moved states and school districts to an enhanced level of accountability, but along with this increased federal oversight must come appropriate resources to assure that every student has an equal chance to succeed. Funding for NCLB, Title I and vocational education are all important issues for our representatives in Washington to consider.

Before you Vote
Consider the following questions on education matters before voting for candidates this fall:

For Governor:
1. What will you do as Governor to assure that all children have equal access to a high-quality public education regardless of where they live?

For U.S. Senate:
1. The U.S. Congress will consider the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2007. What would be your priorities in this reauthorization?

We are Moving
PPC will move into its new offices in mid-October. Though our phone numbers and e-mail addresses will stay the same, we will have a new mailing address. As of Octobter 25th, the new address will be 116 Pine St., Harrisburg, PA 17101.

Clearing Roadblocks for Successful Transitions to Adulthood
Pennsylvania is home to nearly 1.7 million young people ages 12-21. One in seven Pennsylvanians (about 1.7 million) is a young person between the ages of 12 and 21. One in three lives in a low-income family; more than 10,000 are in foster care; and more than 42,000 had a juvenile court disposition in 2004.

The road is bumpy for all young people at some point in time, but for some the challenges they face each day are exacerbated by the conditions of their personal lives, families, schools and communities.

It is critical that Pennsylvania adopt a strategy to help its youth avoid risky behaviors and transition into healthy adults with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in postsecondary education, in the workplace, and in life.

The Problem: The Picture in PA
Every year in Pennsylvania, one out of five high school students fails to graduate on time. Dropouts earn less than high school graduates — and low-wage, highturnover jobs lead to family instability when these young people marry and have children. The Commonwealth needs a strategy to re-engage those youth who already have left school, and for those who are marginally attending and/or struggling.

Nearly 90 percent of a child’s time is spent outside of school. Many of these young people are unsupervised for 20 to 25 hours per week.i Research clearly shows that afterschool programs keep our young people safe and out of trouble. It’s important that every young person in the Commonwealth have access to high-quality afterschool and youth development opportunities.

The Solution
Support Afterschool Programs
Pennsylvania has a rich variety of afterschool programs that serve children and youth before school, after school, and/or in the summer and during other school breaks. Afterschool programs feature activities including academic support, career exploration, organized sports, homework help and more. Afterschool programs are offered by a variety of providers, including school districts and other academic institutions, non-profit and community-based organizations, child care organizations, libraries, recreation centers and others.

There is growing evidence that quality afterschool programs matter — that they complement environments created by schools and families and provide important supports that deter failure and promote success — and that they matter in ways that are observable and measurable.ii

Afterschool programs in Pennsylvania are funded by a myriad of public and private sources, including municipal, state and federal governments, corporations, foundations, non-profit organizations and parent fees.

Due to the variety or providers and funding sources, there is a definite need to assess the availability of afterschool programs and plan for the development and expansion of afterschool programs on a community basis in order to better serve our children.

Support High School Reform Initiatives
As reported in the Education section, candidates should support expansion of Project 720 and dual enrollment efforts to address the issue of high school rigor and relevance to current students and support them as an important dropout prevention strategy. But, we also need strategies to support those students who are marginally attending school, and re-engage those who already have dropped out.

Train and Educate Youth for Jobs of Tomorrow
Candidates must develop strategies to re-engage youth and provide them the comprehensive supports they need to complete their high school education and gain the postsecondary education they will need to develop the necessary skills and knowledge that makes them competitive in a 21st century global economy.

Candidates for office should commit to building local partnerships to address out-of-school youth. This partnership should include a wide cross-section of local stakeholders that are involved with out-of-school youth, as well as school districts, career and technical schools and community colleges. Part of this process will need to include a thorough review of current services and programs for out-of-school youth and an integrated data collection system. The partnerships should build an integrated system to identify and provide education and training opportunities for outof-school youth to ensure they transition into productive adults.

Federal elected officials must assist with this effort by making sure that appropriations under the No Child Left Behind Act and the Vocational Education Act as well as Workforce Investment funds are sufficient to enable the Commonwealth to prepare its youth for postsecondary education and careers. Those seeking elected office should pledge to make education and workforce funding a top priority.

Before you Vote
Consider the following questions on youth development issues before voting for candidates this fall:

For Governor:
1. What will you do as Governor to improve high school graduation rates and the readiness of all young people for postsecondary education, work and life?

2. What do you think the state’s role should be in providing afterschool and youth development programs to Pennsylvania children 6-18?

3. What are your plans to keep children safe in their homes, schools and communities?

For U.S. Senate:
1. What do you think is the role of the federal government in supporting after school and youth development programs?

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Strong Families Raise Sound Kids
Parenting skills do not come naturally. Indeed many parents, especially first-time, young parents of infants and toddlers with low education attainment, can benefit greatly from parent education and other supports. Research has shown that parental support programs can have a real, measurable impact on the incidence of child abuse and neglect.

Help in child rearing should be available to all parents, regardless of income, and should take many forms. But in Pennsylvania, adequate support to improve the confidence and competence of parents is often unavailable for many. A wide array of parents could benefit from counseling, mentoring, information and other forms of support that can help prevent long-term social and family problems, saving money — and even lives — in the process.

The Problem: The Picture in PA
The risk factors are clear for our youngest children and a troubling number of Pennsylvania’s infants and toddlers find themselves living at risk of abuse, neglect and later life failure.

Consider the facts:

The Solution
Existing literature and research show that parental and family supports are important to the well-being of children and their families. There is strong evidence that effective parent and family support programs contribute to: vii

Research also has proven that family support programs save taxpayers money. A series of studies in New York, Michigan, Colorado and Pennsylvania found that such prevention programs pay for themselves in reduced government intervention costs, and over time, save money.viii

Pennsylvania’s elected officials must value the approach of implementing an action agenda that finances success for children now instead of paying for costly out-of-home remedies later. A coordinated effort to support parents and families through important programs including nurse home visits, family resource centers, parent-child home programs, and other prevention efforts will help Pennsylvania take the next steps to achieve the goal of safe and sound children. Those representing Pennsylvania in the U.S. House and Senate must make it a priority to expand federal resources for Pennsylvania families by securing additional funding for programs including CCDBG, Medicaid, TANF, and CAPTA. The future success of our children, our families and our Commonwealth is at stake.

Before you Vote
Consider the following questions on family supports before voting for candidates this fall:

For Governor:
1. If elected, what would be your top three priorities designed to support the needs of children and their families?

2. The role of a parent is the most challenging thing any of us will ever do. What steps will you take as Governor to support parents as they raise their children?

3. What will you do as Governor to reduce the rate of child poverty in our state?

4. What are your plans for managing the Pennsylvania budget and meeting the needs of children and families while growing a strong Pennsylvania economy?

For U.S. Senate:
1. What do you think is the role of the federal government in child abuse prevention?

2. What will you do to address the issues of childhood nutrition, obesity and hunger?

3. What will you do as U.S. Senator to reduce the rate of child poverty in our state?

4. What are your plans for managing the federal budget and meeting the needs of children and families while growing a strong Pennsylvania economy?

Please check our web site mid-October for the posting of the results of our survey of candidates for Governor and U.S. Senate.

Visit our site at
http://www.papartnerships.org/elections.asp

This Page Last Modified October 10, 2006