Office of Child Development and Early Learning
Program Reach and County Risk Assessment
November 2008

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is committed to providing early childhood services to Pennsylvania’s young children, with special attention to those at risk of school failure. Research consistently shows that children at risk of school failure benefit from quality early learning opportunities, with economic and educational benefits which extend to our families, communities, and the commonwealth. This report provides information about how well the commonwealth is reaching its young children with quality early learning services, with special attention to at-risk children for Fiscal Year End 2007-2008.

 

The report:
  • compiles information on the number of children served through OCDEL programs;
  • shows the funding levels for early childhood programs supported by state and federal investments;
  • includes an analysis of educational and family risk factors; and
  • identifies counties and cities most likely to benefit from early childhood investments, based on these risk factors.

This data can be used to: 1) track progress in reaching all children; 2) help communities better understand their early childhood programming needs, particularly in counties where there are high risks; and 3) inform future decisions regarding early care and education investments. This information is also used to inform OCDEL’s policies and practices.

 

There are several new additions to the OCDEL Risk and Reach Report this year, including analysis of risk and reach factors by the 27 largest cities in Pennsylvania. As the OCDEL continuum of early childhood education programs has expanded, this report also now includes for the first time, all OCDEL early childhood programs that are part of the definition of quality early childhood education in Pennsylvania: Nurse-Family Partnership, Parent-Child Home Program, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, Head Start, Keystone STARS, School Based Pre-K, and Early Intervention. Also highlighted for the first time, is the reach within the commonwealth for the population of preschool children, ages 3 and 4.

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