Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts
(last updated: 7/15/08)
If we want a good quality of life, high quality jobs and a strong economy for Pennsylvania,
we need to provide opportunities to every Pennsylvanian. Early education can open
the doors of opportunity for every child to do well in school, in the workforce,
and in life.
Quality pre-kindergarten benefits children and families today and tomorrow,
and greatly benefits Pennsylvania in the future.
The Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts pre-kindergarten
program, established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, will make quality
pre-kindergarten opportunities available to children and families across the Commonwealth.
Governor Rendell’s proposed investment of $75 million in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts,
as a new component of the Accountability Block Grant, will provide funding for more
than 11,000 of our 3- and 4-year olds to attend quality half- and full-day pre-kindergarten
in schools, Head Start, child care centers and nursery schools in the 2007-2008
school year.
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program:
- is based on the quality components
adopted for pre-kindergarten by the State Board of Education;
- provides families
in participating communities with a choice of quality pre-kindergarten options –
in a school, child care center, Head Start, or nursery school;
- increases access
to quality pre-kindergarten to children and families throughout the Commonwealth
with a priority in at-risk communities;
- builds on the work of the Pre K Counts
Public-Private Partnership for Educational Success, a three-year project funded
by leading Pennsylvania foundations and supported by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Early results from this public-private initiative find that children’s early learning
improves when all early learning programs in a community share resources to improve
quality and coordinate early learning experiences in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten
and beyond.
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts at a glance:
What can I expect from a PA Pre-K Counts classroom? Pennsylvania
Pre-K Counts classrooms will:
- have teachers with the education and expertise to teach young children;
- use a curriculum that will help your child grow, academically and socially;
- regularly review your child’s progress and choose teaching and learning activities
that are best for your child;
- help you and your child adjust to pre-kindergarten and smoothly move on to kindergarten;
- offer a small class size (20 students per one teacher and one aide) so that your
child can have plenty of one-on-one time with the teachers.
By enrolling your child in PA Pre-K Counts, you can give your child a great start
to a bright future.
Who is eligible for PA Pre-K Counts? Each program offering PA Pre-K
Counts classrooms will have their own guidelines, but PA Pre-K Counts is designed
for children who
- are between age 3 and younger than the entry age for kindergarten;
- are at risk of school failure, either because of income (300% of the federal poverty level, or a family of four earning $63,600, language (English is not your first
language), cultural or special needs issues. If your child falls into these categories,
you may be eligible to apply.
How much does PA Pre-K Counts cost? PA Pre-K Counts is free to
families.*
* The portion of the day that is funded through Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is free
to families; the program may charge for additional portions of the day (wrap-around
care, etc.)
How can I enroll my child in a PA Pre-K Counts classroom? There
are PA Pre-K Counts classrooms in 57 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Please note: Many grantees have partnered
with other early learning programs to provide services and may be serving nearby
cities as well as the ones listed for the lead agency. Contact the lead agency for
more information. Click
HERE for a list of grantees for the 2008-2009 school
year.
Estimated
number of children served: In 2008-2009, approximately 11,800 3 and 4 year
olds are being served.
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Showing Results
for Pennsylvania’s Children
- click
HERE to download fact sheet (PDF)
A Department of Education study shows that the inaugural year of Pennsylvania Pre-K
Counts is working. Year-end assessments show a 58 percent increase in the number
of children meeting targets for early language and literacy skills.
First-year reports on children’s progress also show nearly 70 percent of Pennsylvania
Pre-K Counts children have achieved age-appropriate skills and behaviors after participating
in the program, including:
- A 62 percent increase in the number of children showing age-appropriate positive
social/emotional skills (from 4,810 children upon entry to 7,782 now).
- A 58 percent increase in the number of children showing age-appropriate acquisition
of knowledge and skills, including early language and literacy (from 5,039 children
upon entry to 7,979 now).
- A 51 percent increase in the number of children showing age-appropriate use of behaviors
to meet needs (from 5,299 children upon entry to 7,979 now).
Another 25 percent demonstrate emerging age-appropriate skills and behaviors. At
least 21 percent of children progressed from having no age appropriate skills upon
enrollment in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts to having emerging or age-appropriate skills
after participating in the program.
Outcomes for PA Pre-K Counts students compare positively to outcomes in other states
that have had pre-K programs in place for as long as 20 years.
“Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is a resounding success for children, families and the
commonwealth,” said Education Secretary Dr. Gerald Zahorchak. “The children who
participated in a Pre-K Counts program will enter kindergarten with the skills they
need to succeed and will carry this success throughout school and into their careers.”
Governor Rendell’s 2008-09 budget proposes an additional investment of $12.55 million
to provide quality pre-kindergarten services to an additional 1,000 children. Requests
from parents and pre-K providers puts demand four times higher than the proposed
budget increase. Approximately 11,000 three- and four-year-olds in most counties
across the state participated in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts in the 2007-08 school
year.
Grantees used multiple sources to rate the child’s progress on the seven point scale.
Sources included child observations, portfolio collection, staff and parent input
as well as a valid and reliable assessment tool. In future years, grantees will
use the Work Sampling assessment tool.
PA Pre-K Counts Mid-Year Report
As per statute, OCDEL submitted its mid year report on Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts
to the General Assembly today. The report highlights the amazing progress our 146
grantees with 179 partners have made to offer quality pre-kindergarten to 10,980
children in 845 classrooms.
According to the report:
- Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is serving three and four year olds in every region of
the state in a mix of settings (school-based and community-based programs). (pp
9-10)
- In a comparison of PA Pre-K Counts quality expectations to the National Institute
for Early Education Research’s (NIEER) benchmarks for a quality early education
program, PA Pre-K Counts meets or exceeds nearly every benchmark (p. 12)
- Of the 827 lead teachers in PA Pre-K Counts classrooms, 86% have their Bachelor’s
degree, and 72% either have earned their ECE teaching certificate or are pursuing
ECE certification.* (p 13)
- Average class size of a PA Pre-K Counts classroom is 15 children, which is fewer
than the PA Pre-K Counts expectation of no more than 20 students and provides even
greater one-on-one time between the teacher and students.
The report also highlights the extremely positive feedback from school administrators,
teachers and parents about how Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is changing the lives of
thousands of our young children and their families.
*as per the State Board of Education regulations, lead teachers in Head Start and
child care programs have until December 2011 to meet ECE certification requirements,
but now must have an associate’s degree or higher in early childhood education.
Licensed nursery schools must have a BA and private teaching license.
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Applications are not being accepted at this time. However, programs interested in
applying for the 2009-2010 school year may want to review the guidance and application
from this past year to prepare.
For FY 2008-2009, the Guidance and application for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is available on the Pennsylvania
Department of Education website, www.pde.state.pa.us.
To access the Guidance, letter of intent and resource materials,
go to
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/early_childhood/ and click on “Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts.”
To access the application, you will go to the
e-Grants
portion of the PDE website. If you have used the e-Grants system before, you may
log in using your e-Grants username and password. If you have not used the e-Grants
system before, you will need to register for a username and password.
- To register
for a username and password, go to
www.pde.state.pa.us and click on the e-Grants
button in the left menu column. Then click on “Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts” and “Sign
up your agency.” Once you’ve submitted your form, you will be emailed a confirmation
within one business day.
- If you already have a username and password, go to www.pde.state.pa.us
and click on the e-Grants button in the left menu column. Then click on “Pennsylvania
Pre-K Counts” and click on the flashing “Login to e-Grants” button in the upper
left corner of the page to enter your username and password.