[Senate Hearing 111-1132]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 111-1132
PARTNERING TO PREPARE: EXPANDING
ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
=======================================================================
FIELD HEARING
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION,
LABOR, AND PENSIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
EXAMINING PARTNERING TO PREPARE OUR CHILDREN, FOCUSING ON EXPANDING
ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
__________
APRIL 6, 2010 (Morrisville, PA)
__________
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Pensions
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COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS
TOM HARKIN, Iowa, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming
BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee
PATTY MURRAY, Washington RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
JACK REED, Rhode Island JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia
BERNARD SANDERS (I), Vermont JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., Pennsylvania LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
KAY R. HAGAN, North Carolina TOM COBURN, M.D., Oklahoma
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon PAT ROBERTS, Kansas
AL FRANKEN, Minnesota
MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado
Daniel Smith, Staff Director
Pamela Smith, Deputy Staff Director
Frank Macchiarola, Republican Staff Director and Chief Counsel
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
__________
STATEMENTS
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2010
Page
Casey, Hon. Robert P., Jr., a U.S. Senator from the State of
Pennsylvania................................................... 1
Yonson, Elizabeth, Superintendent, Morrisville School District,
Morrisville, PA................................................ 3
Bowman, Melissa, Kindergarten Teacher, Morrisville School
District, Morrisville, PA...................................... 5
Fina, Michele, Branch Director, Morrisville YMCA, Morrisville, PA 8
Prepared statement........................................... 10
Ackerman, Debra J., Associate Director for Research, National
Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers, the State
University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ.................... 12
Prepared statement........................................... 14
Benso, Joan L., President and CEO, Pennsylvania Partnerships for
Children, Harrisburg, PA....................................... 20
Prepared statement........................................... 22
Klunk, Todd, Acting Deputy Secretary, Office of Child Development
and Early Learning, Pennsylvania Departments of Public Welfare
and Education, Harrisburg, PA.................................. 25
Prepared statement........................................... 27
(iii)
PARTNERING TO PREPARE: EXPANDING
ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
----------
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2010
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions,
Morrisville, PA.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:42 a.m. at
Morrisville School District, 550 West Palmer Street,
Morrisville, PA, Hon. Robert Casey, Jr., presiding.
Present: Senator Casey.
Opening Statement of Senator Casey
Senator Casey. Well, good afternoon, almost.
First of all, I want to thank everyone for being here and
call to order this hearing, which is the Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee of the U.S. Senate. And in
particular today we're going to be examining a number of
questions, but here's the overall theme for today, which is,
``Partnering to Prepare: Expanding Access to High Quality Early
Childhood Education.''
I do want to thank everyone for taking the time to be with
us. I thank our witnesses, that I will be introducing
individually, thank them for their presence, their testimony;
in many cases, their scholarship and work in this field for
many, many years. I want to thank the students, who are in the
back of the room, for their presence here and listening to this
testimony, which is about our future and about the kind of
country we want to create because of the investments we should
be making in early childhood education.
I do want to thank the Morrisville School District and all
those who made this possible, especially in light of the time
change.
I'm not going to provide a long opening statement. I just
want to make a couple of comments, so we can get right to our
witnesses. I was saying to our witnesses, a couple of minutes
ago, one of the best parts about this hearing is that you'll
hear from them and not from me. I'll have some questions and
some comments, but I think it's very important that you hear
from people that are in the trenches, so to speak, people who
have substantial experience in education and, in particular,
experience in early education and what it means to a child,
what it means to that child's family, and, of course, what it
means to our society and our economy.
The way I look at these issues is very simple but, I think,
very direct, and it is this, that every child born in America--
every single child born in America--has a light inside them.
And for some children, that light will burn so brightly you
won't be able to see it, it'll be so bright. It'll be blinding,
because that child has advantages of one kind or another, the
advantages of their circumstances, their family background, the
condition into which they're born, and their own ability and
aptitude. So, for some children, that light is so bright it's
hard to even imagine.
For other children, the light inside them burns a little
less brightly because of circumstances beyond their control or
because of other reasons.
Our job, especially those who are elected to public
office--no matter what office, no matter what level of
government, one of the basic and fundamental obligations you
have is to do everything possible to make sure that that light
inside a child burns brightly to its full potential. For some,
that potential will be boundless. For others, that potential
will be more limited. But, whatever the limit of that
potential, whatever the reach of that light, we have to make
sure that that child is achieving that, and that that child's
potential is realized.
One of the best ways to do that is to make sure that we
make investments in early education. I believe if we do at
least three things to help our children, no matter who they
are--and this is not limited to age or circumstance or income,
but especially for low income children--if we give them early
learning opportunities, like we're here to discuss today, if we
make sure they have enough to eat and have nutrition, and
third, if we give all the best that we can when it comes to
healthcare.
Fortunately, we've made dramatic advancements in the last
10 to 15 years in healthcare; the Children's Health Insurance
Program being the main example in that part of our strategy.
Obviously, on nutrition and food security we've got a long
way to go for a lot of children; too many of them don't have
enough to eat.
The issue that brings us together today, which is early
education. We have tremendous examples, that you'll hear about
today, in local communities across Pennsylvania and across the
country. But, candidly, we're not doing enough. We don't have a
national strategy for early education. It doesn't mean you
won't recognize and be faithful to local control and local
traditions and local designing of early education programs.
But, we need a strategy that is national in scope, so that we
can work with and reward States like Pennsylvania that are
making tremendous advancements in early education.
So, to that end, focusing on early education, I am honored
to be able to join this panel of witnesses. And what I'll do is
provide a very brief introduction of each witness, one after
another, and then go to their testimony, so you'll be
introduced to all of them at one time.
First of all, I want to thank and commend Dr. Elizabeth
Hammond Yonson, the superintendent here at Morrisville School
District. Her testimony offers a background on the school
district here in Morrisville, and an overview of the efforts to
provide high quality pre-Kindergarten education.
Next, we'll have Melissa Bowman. Melissa currently teaches
kindergarten at Morrisville and has taught pre-K in both
Philadelphia and Morrisville.
Next, we'll have--Michele Fina, branch director of the
Morrisville YMCA, which runs a pre-K program there. She'll be
third.
And then, fourth, Dr. Ackerman will provide a perspective
on research, and we'll go to Dr. Ackerman's presentation in
PowerPoint in front of us here.
Next, Joan Benso, President and CEO of Pennsylvania
Partnerships for Children, someone I've known a long, long
time, someone who's been laboring in this vineyard, so to
speak--I'll use a scriptural reference there--for many, many
years, and she has been a tremendous leader, and recognized
around the country for her leadership, in child advocacy,
especially on the issues that we're talking about today.
And, finally, Todd Klunk, the acting deputy secretary of
the Office of Child Development and Early Learning. The office
is headed by Harriet Dichter, another person I've known a long
time, who has given us great leadership on these issues at the
Department of Public Welfare and prior to her service in State
government.
So, that is our list of witnesses. And I'll make sure that
we try to keep within our 5-minute rule. We'll be close to that
rule. I have a gavel; I'll try not to use it. Our witnesses
have promised to be true to that admonition.
So, we'll start with Dr. Yonson, and then we'll go from
there to our other witnesses.
Doctor.
ELIZABETH YONSON, SUPERINTENDENT, MORRISVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT,
MORRISVILLE, PA
Ms. Yonson. Thank you, Senator Casey, and welcome.
My name is Dr. Elizabeth Hammond Yonson. I am the
superintendent of the Morrisville Borough School District in
Bucks County. I have been the superintendent for 6 years.
Additionally, I serve as the co-chair of Pennsylvania's Pre-K
Counts Advisory Council, as a member of Pennsylvania's Early
Learning Council, and the United Way's Success by Six Council.
As a superintendent, I believe early childhood education is
critically important and helps us better educate the children
in my district as well as the children throughout Pennsylvania
and across our Nation.
When people think of Bucks County, they often think of
bucolic pastures and wealthy school districts, but that is not
the case in the southern part of our county. In my school
district, 52 percent of our children receive free or reduced
school lunch. People sometimes believe our Commonwealth's poor
only live in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh; that simply isn't
true. There are plenty of children living in poverty across
Pennsylvania. Some of our children are the epitome of ``at
risk.'' Our special education enrollment is 20 percent, well
above the State average.
The PSSA scores in our primary grades have improved
significantly in the past few years. I credit this to our full-
day kindergarten program, which began 4 years ago, and our 4-
year-old pre-K program, which began 3 years ago. Nearly 40
percent of our students in 11th grade scored below proficient
on their PSSA reading test in 2008 and 2009. I can't help but
wonder, if these 11th-grade students had had a quality pre-K
experience, whether the scores on these assessments would have
been higher.
Nearly 50 percent of children under 5 in my district live
in families earning 200 percent or less of the Federal poverty
level. These families cannot afford quality pre-Kindergarten,
and many of them do not receive the kind of developmentally
appropriate learning activities they need to build the
vocabulary, pre-academic, and social skills they will need in
kindergarten. When they get to kindergarten they are behind
their peers, and often stay behind throughout their school
careers. If we can reach these children early with quality pre-
Kindergarten, they would never get behind.
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts provides a quality pre-
Kindergarten experience at no cost to their families. These
families have the option of half day or full-day pre-
Kindergarten in schools, Head Start, or child care programs, or
nursery schools. A part of this quality experience includes
parent involvement so the child's learning can continue at
home. That is exactly the sort of program our families need.
Prior to opening our pre-K, my kindergarten teachers told
me they could identify the children who did not have a
preschool experience. They also told me that they could
identify the children who had a quality pre-K experience and
children who did not attend a quality preschool. I believed
strongly that children needed a quality preschool program
because of what our teachers were telling us, but also because
studies show that at least half of the eventual achievement gap
already exists in kindergarten. Students who start behind are
at a higher risk of staying behind, dropping out, and
eventually getting into trouble with the law.
When I became superintendent of Morrisville, 6 years ago,
one of my goals was to improve the quality of the early
education our students received. All of our Accountability
Block Grant funds were invested into full-day kindergarten so
that all of our students would be able to have a full-day
kindergarten experience. Before ABG, only one of our
kindergarten classes was full-day. Now, all four offer full-day
kindergarten. I would have loved to begin a quality pre-
Kindergarten program with our ABG funds, but there was no money
left.
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is a godsend for districts like
mine who want to invest in quality pre-Kindergarten but do not
have the resources. Using these funds for a dedicated funding
stream for pre-K is more valuable to us than adding it to the
rest of the Accountability Block Grant because, through
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, these resources go where they're
really needed rather than swallowed up by other programs or
operating supports.
Because Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is fully funded by the
State, I don't have to pull from our budget. I can serve
children who can most benefit from pre-Kindergarten. Now they
don't have to start behind.
Four years ago, Morrisville Borough, Bristol Borough, and
Bristol Township School Districts collaborated to write a Pre-K
Counts Public-Private Partnership Grant. We used the grant,
from the public-private partnership, to invest in our pre-
Kindergarten partners through coaching, professional
development, and parent literacy activities. The public-private
partnership helped me build relationships with our community-
based programs, such as Head Start, child care, and early
intervention, that I never had before. Because of these
relationships, we developed transition activities between our
elementary schools and community pre-K providers so that, when
children come to kindergarten, they're comfortable in the
school environment.
Three years ago, our school district applied for
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, in partnership with the Morrisville
YMCA and Head Start, and in cooperation with the Bucks County
Intermediate Unit. We have served 76 3-year-olds at YMCA and 61
4-year-olds in our primary elementary school building in the
past 3 years. Ten percent of these slots are dedicated to
children with special needs, and priority enrollment has been
given to children who are on the waiting list for Head Start
services. I am delighted to think of the great start we have
given these children because of Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts.
I asked my kindergarten and first-grade teachers to reflect
on the progress of their students who attend our pre-K program.
The following are comments they shared with me.
A first-grade teacher told me,
``The six students I currently have who attended our
pre-K are doing very well. Their overall performance is
great. They not only pick up material quickly, but I
find that I usually need to find more challenging
activities for them. They are above level in math and
reading. When I think back to the first few weeks of
school, these students, for the most part, seemed
easily acclimated to the school environment and
routine. Three of the students are reading at third-
grade reading levels, two are reading at second-grade
levels, and one is on level.''
A kindergarten teacher said the following: ``K''--I'm only
going to use initials.
``K is a true leader and an enthusiastic learner who
works hard to complete tasks neatly and on time. J is a
very mature student who loves learning. He was well
prepared for kindergarten compared to his peers. He is
the best-behaved and most-focused student in my class.
Y enjoys writing stories. He has excellent spelling and
Kid Writing skills. They are all above level in
reading, writing, and math.''
Another kindergarten teacher told me that,
``It is really wonderful to have students in
kindergarten who were part of our pre-K program. They
begin the year with excitement and fantastic readiness
skills. They understand the general expectations of
playing and working together in small groups. They have
practice with sitting on the carpet quietly and
listening to books read aloud. These skills can be even
more important than academic skills, because they set
the stage for learning. Providing this experience for
children, who would otherwise be unable to participate,
is truly a gift in preparing them for a successful
school experience.
Additionally, my students have strong academic skills. They
are able to make, label, and extend patterns. They can count
objects and write and order numbers. They can create graphs
when given data. They identify coins by name, and can count to
100, and beyond, independently. They can recognize all the
sight words that have been taught. They use these words
regularly in their Kid Writing Journals. Some of the children
can even identify words that have not been introduced, applying
phonetic skills that have been taught.''
One of the first-grade teachers told me that one of her
students who attended our pre-K has already met the end-of-the-
year first-grade goals, last marking period, which was at the
end of January.
Seventy-one percent of our students who attended our pre-K
program are above level in reading; 14 percent are on level;
and 14 percent are slightly below. These youngsters have been
receiving additional supports and are making excellent
progress. The pre-K teacher alerted the kindergarten teachers
of the needs of these few youngsters, which allowed the teacher
to begin the process having the children screened, upon
entering kindergarten, so that they could receive their needed
services. Students have also worked with our gifted teacher for
enrichment purposes and are being evaluated for the gifted
program.
I received an e-mail, just this morning, to let me know one
of the teachers--one of the first-grade teachers noted--wanted
to ask if we had noticed that a very high number of children
are being tested for our enrichment program. So, I thought that
that was wonderful--that was a wonderful testament.
Morrisville School District's pre-K program has proven that
providing a quality pre-Kindergarten experience for at-risk
children allows them to begin school on the same level playing
field as their peers from more privileged backgrounds. I urge
Congress to support funding early childhood programs as they
reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Our
children deserve early childhood programs so that they can
start school ready to learn and ready to succeed.
Senator Casey. Thanks very much, Doctor.
Melissa Bowman.
STATEMENT OF MELISSA BOWMAN, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, MORRISVILLE
SCHOOL DISTRICT, MORRISVILLE, PA
Ms. Bowman. My name is Melissa Bowman. I have had the
privilege of teaching in several early childhood classrooms
over the past 11 years. It is extremely rewarding to work with
young children. I am always amazed by how much progress a young
child can make in one short school year.
My first teaching experience was in a first-grade class in
a Philadelphia public school. A few children in my class
attended a Head Start program that was housed in the same
school. The program definitely made a positive difference for
the students who were lucky enough to attend. However, most of
the children in my class did not attend any type of preschool
program. They had missed that ideal window for learning. Many
came into my first-grade class without the simple knowledge of
letters or sounds. Several children showed frustration, and
behavior problems ensued. Unfortunately the challenge of
catching up for these children was a near impossible task.
My next teaching experience was as a kindergarten teacher
in a wonderful and very high-quality childcare center. The
children in this school often had several years of preschool
experience before coming to my kindergarten classroom. The
children in this program flourished. Parents often came back
with reports of how their children were showing advanced
achievement in their elementary schools.
Three years I ago, I came to Morrisville as the pre-K
teacher. I was given the wonderful opportunity and resources to
help build an exceptional high-quality Pre-K Counts program in
Morrisville. Parents were thrilled to have this program
available. Several parents expressed that if it had not been
for this program, their child would not have attended pre-K,
because of the great cost. For many of the children in my pre-K
class, this was their first school experience. I set high goals
for my class, and the students exceeded my expectations. The
children learned letters, numbers, and sight words, as well as
how to listen attentively and work cooperatively with others.
By the end of the year, they had not only made a huge amount of
progress cognitively, but also socially. They left my class
ready to be the leaders and role models in their new
kindergarten classrooms.
At the end of the school year last year, there was a great
amount of uncertainty about whether or not the pre-K program
would have funding to continue in Morrisville. For that reason,
I requested a change to a kindergarten position. This year in
my kindergarten class, I am lucky enough to have four students
who were in my pre-K class last year. All four students are
reading and performing above the expected level, with two of
the students reading on a third-grade reading level.
After talking with the three other kindergarten teachers in
the district, we all agree that children who attend a quality
pre-K program are very easy to spot. They come to school with
the understanding of how a classroom works and with the
knowledge needed to thrive with our fast-paced kindergarten
curriculum.
It is well known that the first 5 years of a child's life
are critical for learning and brain development. What a child
learns during these early years will directly impact what he or
she is capable of learning in the future. The benefit of
quality pre-K programs has been clearly evident to me
throughout my teaching. Young children are capable of learning
an extraordinary amount, if given the opportunity. Pre-K
programs are essential in assuring school success for all
children.
Senator Casey. Melissa, thank you very much.
Ms. Bowman. Thank you.
Senator Casey. And next, we have Michele Fina. Did I
pronounce ``Fina'' correctly?
Ms. Fina. You did.
Senator Casey. OK.
Ms. Fina. Thank you.
Senator Casey. Twice, or once?
Ms. Fina. No, you did it twice, both perfectly.
Senator Casey. Thank you very much.
[Laughter.]
Good staff work.
STATEMENT OF MICHELE FINA, BRANCH DIRECTOR, MORRISVILLE YMCA,
MORRISVILLE, PA
Ms. Fina. My name is Michele Fina. I'm the branch director
of the Morrisville YMCA, a childcare center located here in
Morrisville Borough. I have been with the Morrisville Y since
1992. I currently serve as board president for the Bucks County
Quality Child Care Coalition, our local community engagement
group. I also serve on the Bucks County Pre-K Counts Grantees
workgroup, and I am a member of the Morrisville Rotary Club.
The YMCA has been involved with Pre-K Counts since the original
public-private partnership, and we continue to partner with the
Morrisville Borough School District in Pre-K Counts.
Our current center enrollment is 125. Approximately 64
percent of our children are subsidized by Child Care Works.
Another 5 to 10 percent receive YMCA scholarships. We have 18
full-day preschool children funded by the Pennsylvania Pre-K
Counts program.
For the past several years, we applied for an expansion
grant to provide half day services to approximately 10 children
that were on our waiting list. Unfortunately, there weren't
resources in Pennsylvania for that grant.
Many of the children in our community have identified risk
factors, including poverty, English as a second language, and
special needs.
To participate in Pre-K Counts, childcare programs must
meet the criteria of STAR 3 or 4 in Pennsylvania's voluntary,
quality improvement and recognition system, known as Keystone
STARS. I am very proud to say that our center earned a STAR 4
on March 24.
[Applause.]
Reaching this level of quality helps ensure that all of our
children will have a high quality pre-Kindergarten experience,
with competent teachers and assistants in an environment that
includes positive relationships, small class size, and a
curriculum that aligns with the Pennsylvania early learning
standards. Centers are required annually to complete self-
assessments using the Environmental Rating Scale, better known
as ERS, and then independent ERS assessors determine if the
site has met the 5.5 to 7.0 scores necessary. My staff can tell
you how absolutely nerve-wracking it is to have a stranger
enter your room and scrutinize everything, including your space
and furnishings, your personal care routines, language and
reasoning, the classroom activities, the staff-and-children and
staff-and-parent interactions, schedules, and staff
development. I'm also very proud to say that our Pre-K Counts
classroom scored 6.07 out of a possible 7 during our December
2009 independent ERS evaluation.
Our center has been involved in Keystone STARS since its
inception, and for most of those years we were a STAR 1 or 2,
but then we realized that, in order to provide a high quality
program and continue to participate in the PA Pre-K Counts
program, we would have to move to STAR 3, which is the most
involved and hardest step in the Keystone STARS program. Most
staff needed higher education, and for some, it meant returning
to school, 20 years after graduating from high school; little
scary for some people. I decided if teachers needed to be role
models for the children in their care, then I needed to inspire
staff to pursue higher education, so I returned to school for
my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education.
The majority of our teachers and assistants have been with
us for 5 to 23 years, our staff attrition rate is very low. We
lose and add approximately one or two employees each year.
Nearly 50 percent of our employees are pursuing certificates
and degrees, and several others already hold associate or
bachelor degrees. Four years ago, we didn't have staff as
competent or educated.
So, what does this mean for us? It means that the PA Pre-K
Counts and Keystone STARS improve, and continue to improve, our
entire program, and everyone has benefited from our
participation. Both programs provide dedicated resources and a
support system with technical assistance and funding for
everything from supplies to professional development. The
children, their families, my staff, and all of our community
stakeholders have gained. The bottom line is, the children
enter school prepared to learn.
Many of the children who enter our Pre-K Counts program as
3-year-olds transition to Morrisville School District's pre-K
program when they're 4. I believe we share a unique and
supportive relationship with the school district, and we work
very closely to assure that our programs are aligned.
Sixteen months ago, when the school district closed one of
their elementary schools due to a mechanical failure, Dr.
Yonson called me on a Sunday and asked if the PA Pre-K Counts
class could move to our building. Of course my answer was yes,
and their class was housed in our building from December to
June, with Miss Melissa Bowman as the teacher. That's the kind
of partnership that we share.
The strength in the Pre-K Counts program rests in the fact
that we work together to achieve these goals. We use the same
standards, staff qualifications, and curriculum as school
district classrooms, other childcare centers, Head Start
programs, and private kindergartens. This diverse delivery
system supports families and communities and gives families
choices. Ultimately, it is the early learning standards which
connect to the K through 12th-grade curriculum, providing a
seamless path from infancy through high school.
Why is quality early education important? Research
indicates that 90 percent of the brain is developed by the time
the child is 5 years old. We know that the early years are
crucial for development. Quality programs that participate in
PA Pre-K Counts and Keystone STARS follow stringent standards
every day.
And just to give you an example: One evening I was walking
through my center, checking to make sure that all the lights
were turned out, and I heard this whispering in one of the
classrooms and thought, ``Oh my goodness, someone left a child
in the classroom.'' I walked into the classroom and saw a dad
sitting on the floor in the reading corner, with his son
between his legs, reading a book to his child. And as he read
the book, he was following the words with his fingers. He got
up quietly after he was done, and he said to me, ``My son just
wanted me to read his favorite book to him, because he wants me
to buy it for him for Christmas.'' If we could get through to
that parent and that child, not a parent that you would ever
expect to be doing this, then we've gotten through to many,
many more families.
What we need, though, is more funding. Childcare centers
need Keystone STARS. And families need programs like PA Pre-K
Counts. Strong State and Federal funding partnerships are
needed to provide programs that help children to be ready to
learn and succeed in school.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Fina follows:]
Prepared Statement of Michele Fina
Welcome Senator Casey. My name is Michele Fina and I am the branch
director of the Morrisville YMCA, a child care center located in
Morrisville Borough. I have been with the Morrisville Y since 1992. I
currently serve as board president of the Bucks County Quality Child
Care Coalition, our local community engagement group. I serve on the
Bucks County Pre-K Grantees Work Group. In addition, I am a member of
the Morrisville Rotary Club. The Morrisville YMCA has been involved
with Pre-K Counts since the original Public Private Partnership and we
continue to partner with the Morrisville Borough School District in PA
Pre-K Counts.
Our current enrollment is 125. Approximately 64 percent of our
children are subsidized by Child Care Works. Another 5-10 percent
receives YMCA scholarships. We have 18 full-day preschool children
funded through Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts. For the past several years we
have applied for an expansion grant to provide half day services to
approximately 10 children on our waiting list. Unfortunately, there
weren't enough resources in Pennsylvania for that grant. Many of the
children in our community have identified risk factors including
poverty, English as a second language, and special needs.
To participate in PA Pre-K Counts, child care programs must meet
the criteria of STAR 3 or 4 in Pennsylvania's voluntary, quality
improvement and recognition system Keystone STARS. I am proud to say
that our center earned a STAR 4 on March 24.
Reaching this level of quality helps insure that all of our
children will have a high quality pre-kindergarten experience with
competent teachers and assistants in an environment that includes
positive relationships, small class size, and a curriculum that aligns
with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. Centers are required
annually to complete self-assessments using the Environmental Rating
Scale (ERS) and then independent ERS assessors determine if the site
has met the 5.5 to 7 point scores necessary. My staff can tell you how
nerve wracking it is to have a stranger enter your room and scrutinize
space and furnishings, personal care routines, language and reasoning,
classroom activities, staff and children and staff and parent
interactions, schedules, and staff development. I am proud to say that
our Pre-K Counts classroom scored 6.07 out of a possible 7.0 during our
December 2009 independent ERS evaluations.
Our center has been involved in Keystone STARS for at least 10
years. For many of the first 6 years, we were a STAR 2, but we realized
that in order to insure that we were providing high quality programming
and to continue to participate in PA Pre-K Counts program we would need
to move to STAR 3, which is the most involved and hardest step in the
Keystone STARS program.
More staff needed higher education and for some, it meant returning
to school more than 20 years after graduating from high school. I
decided if teachers need to be role models for the children in their
care, then I needed to inspire staff to pursue higher education. So I
returned to school for my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education.
The majority of our teachers and assistants have been with us for
5-23 years. Our staff attrition rate is low and we lose and add
approximately one or two employees each year. Nearly 50 percent of our
employees are pursuing certificates and degrees and several others
already hold associate or bachelor degrees. Four years ago, we did not
have staff as competent or educated.
What does this mean for us? PA Pre-K Counts and Keystone STARS
improve and continue to improve our entire program and everyone has
benefited from our participation. Both programs provide dedicated
resources and a support system with technical assistance and funding
for everything from supplies to professional development. The children
and their families, my staff, and all our community stakeholders have
gained. Children enter school prepared to learn.
Many of the children who enter our PA Pre-K Counts program as 3-
year-olds, transition to Morrisville School District's pre-kindergarten
PA Pre-K Counts program. I believe we share a unique and supportive
relationship with the school district and we work very closely to
assure that our programs are aligned. Sixteen months ago, when the
school district closed one of the elementary schools due to a
mechanical failure, Dr. Yonson called me on a Sunday and asked if the
PA Pre-K Counts class could move to our building. Of course, my answer
was yes and their class was housed in our building from December to
June. That is the kind of partnership we share.
The strength in the PA Pre-K Counts Program rests in the fact that
we work together to achieve the same goals. We use the same standards,
staff qualifications, and curriculum as school district classroom,
other child care centers, Head Start programs and private
kindergartens. This diverse delivery system supports families and
communities and gives families choices. Ultimately, it is the early
learning standards which connect to the K-12th grade curriculum
providing a seamless path from infancy through high school.
Why is quality early education important? Research indicates that
90 percent of the brain is developed by the time a child is 5 years
old. We know the early years are crucial for development. Quality
programs that participate in PA Pre-K Counts and Keystone STARS,
especially those at STAR 3 and 4 levels, follow stringent standards
every day. Programs strive to provide developmentally appropriate
activities to help children learn. ERS assessments provide valuable
information for child care sites on professional development or
programmatic changes that need to be made. And in turn we use child
assessments like Work Sampling to determine if a child needs support in
a particular area, if a child is making progress, and what we may need
to work on next.
We work hard to create a family atmosphere within our center. Our
goal is to help families feel comfortable entrusting their children to
our care. Families are encouraged to participate in our events, to
belong to our Family Group, and to become involved in their child's
education.
I was walking through our center early one evening, checking to
make sure that lights were turned off and I heard whispers coming from
one of the empty rooms. Immediately, I thought, someone left a child
alone in the room. I walked into the room and saw one of our fathers
sitting in front of a child-sized sofa in the library/reading corner
with his son in front of him. It was obvious the dad couldn't fit on
the furniture. Dad read the book to him, using his finger to follow the
print on the page while his son listened to every word. I wouldn't have
expected this dad to be taking the time to sit on the floor and read.
When dad was finished, he quietly stood up and said, ``My son wanted me
to read his favorite book to him because he wants me to buy it for him
for Christmas.'' This is only one story, but if we reached this child
and father, I know we reached many, many more. We read with our
children many times each day and hope that they will grow to love the
words and stories and develop the skills that are necessary for
literacy.
We need both State and Federal support to continue providing
quality early care and education for our youngest and most vulnerable
citizens. Child care centers need Keystone STARS. Families need
programs like PA Pre-K Counts. Without these programs, children may not
reach their potential. The opportunity to participate in high quality,
community-based early care and education programs and strong
partnerships between programs and schools helps smooth transitions to
kindergarten. Child care centers work hard to uphold and maintain
quality through Keystone STARS 3 or 4 designations or accreditation
through the National Association for the Education of the Young
Children (NAEYC). Strong State and Federal funding partnerships are
needed to provide programs that help children to be ready to learn and
succeed in school.
Thank you.
Senator Casey. Thanks so much. And I want to thank Michele
for adjusting to the time.
I want her to know, and I want all the witnesses to know,
something I should have said at the beginning, is that your
full testimony will be in the record. So, if for some reason
you don't cover a section, it'll still be in the record.
Thank you very much.
Ms. Ackerman.
STATEMENT OF DEBRA J. ACKERMAN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR
RESEARCH, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR EARLY EDUCATION RESEARCH,
RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ
Ms. Ackerman. Before I start, I apologize to all of you in
the audience. I have a PowerPoint presentation to talk about
the research I'm going to be sharing, but it is, unfortunately,
behind all of you. So, if you want to turn around, and for the
students, in particular, I don't know how many of you are going
to be able to see it, but even if you want to come forward this
way, that would be just fine.
Good afternoon. My name is Debra Ackerman, and I am the
associate director for research at the National Institute for
Early Education Research, at Rutgers University, which is in
New Jersey. Thank you for inviting me to testify today.
What I would like to share with you today is a brief
overview of the compelling research based on the benefits of
high-quality pre-K programs, particularly for disadvantaged
children. I will do this by highlighting the significant
outcomes from research on four pre-K programs. In addition, to
help inform future Federal efforts in expanding access to pre-K
to additional low-income children, I'll focus on the critical
program elements that contributed to the quality of these
programs.
The evidence we have on the short- and long-term outcomes
of high-quality pre-K come from a variety of rigorous research
studies. However, the three most famous studies are those of
the Abecedarian, Chicago Child-Parent Center, and High/Scope
Perry Preschool programs.
Each of these programs served children who were considered
to be at risk for school failure. As you can see from the
slide, the Abecedarian and Perry Programs were very small in
comparison to the Child-Parent Center Program, which was
offered by the Chicago Public Schools. The programs also
differed in terms of the ages served and whether they had a
half- or a full-day program.
However, all three programs were similar, in that they used
highly qualified teachers. In addition, because classrooms were
staffed by a teacher and assistant, their staff-child ratios
were 1 to 8.5, or better. Despite the differences in schedule,
each program has demonstrated remarkable academic benefits for
enrollees in comparison to the outcomes for children who did
not participate in the program.
We're going to begin with the small Abecedarian program. As
you can see from the slide, if you look at the top, just one-
third of enrollees were subsequently placed in special
education, versus about half of the no-program group. In terms
of grade repetition, which means you're left back and you need
to repeat a grade, again, about one-third of enrollees repeated
a grade, in comparison to 65 percent of those who did not
participate in the program. Next we look at high school
graduation rates. The difference in those rates were 67 percent
versus 51 percent. Finally, while a full third of participants
went on to a 4-year college, only 13 percent of the no-program
group had a similar outcome.
We see similar results when comparing academic outcomes for
those enrolled in the Chicago Child-Parent Center program. Half
of the program enrollees graduated from high school, versus
only 39 percent of the no-program group. Special education
placement and the rate of in-grade repetition also were lower
for those who participated. Enrollment in the CPC program has
also had an effect on non-academic social outcomes. For
example, we see that just 17 percent of enrollees experienced a
juvenile arrest, versus one-quarter of the no-program group.
For the Perry Preschool Project, we see rates of special
education placement that are half as high for the program
group, in comparison to the no-program group. In addition,
close to half of the Perry enrollees had standardized test
achievement levels that were at the 10th percentile or higher,
versus only 15 percent of the non-enrollees. And finally, a
larger percentage of the program group graduated from high
school on time, as well.
The slides you just viewed are brief examples of the
individual school-age outcomes one might expect from access to
a high-quality pre-K program. However, it's also important to
talk about the outcomes children experience as adults. For the
student that are in the back, what happens after you finish
high school. When we examine economic variables for 27-year-
olds who had previously participated in the Perry Preschool
program, we see that their rates of earning at least $2,000 a
month, owning their own home, or never having been on welfare
as an adult are significantly better, in comparison to the no-
program group. By age 40, we still see differences in terms of
income, employment rates, and such characteristics as having a
savings account.
When we talk about the potential outcomes from enrollment
in pre-K programs, we tend to focus solely on, ``OK, are
children ready for kindergarten?'' or how much better do they
do when they hit a kindergarten classroom, in terms of knowing
their letters and that kind of thing. But, it also is important
to understand the economic returns to the larger community when
schools have lower rates of special education placement and
grade repetition, as well as higher high school graduation
rates. And of course post-secondary employment and income rates
also contribute to the larger community.
Each of these programs had different per-child costs. And
the programs were admittedly----
Oh. I'm sorry. I'm missing the rest of my slide. There we
go.
These programs were not cheap at all, as you can see, if
you look at the per-child cost. But, perhaps the most
compelling evidence for why high-quality pre-K is a wise
investment is the benefit/cost ratio for each program. So, we
see that, the Abecedarian program, realized a 2.5 to 1 rate of
return. That means for every dollar that was spent initially,
2\1/2\ dollars came back to the community. The rate of return
for the Chicago Child-Parent Center and High/Scope Perry
programs were even higher. For every dollar invested in these
programs, there was a $10 and $16 rate of return, respectively.
I would like to ask all of you, Who has stuck a dollar in their
bank recently and can earn a 16-percent rate of return?
I'm now wanting to share with you recent research on the
effects of New Jersey's Abbott Pre-K program for children
living in its most disadvantaged urban districts. In comparison
to children who did not attend, second graders experienced
higher language, literacy, and math gains. But, if you look at
this slide, this is just the retention in grade 2. And you'll
see that, again, if children attended at age 3 and 4, versus
none at all, their grade retention was cut in half.
So, one thing that I would really like to emphasize to you
is that, within all four of these programs, while they were all
different, they all had an emphasis on quality, in that they
had teachers who were credentialed, they had a 4-year bachelor
degree, as a minimum, teacher certification, small class sizes,
lots of support for teachers, in terms of ongoing professional
development and supervision. In that, for me, the takeaway
message from this research, it is not so much that we want to
expand access to pre-K to children for the sake of expanding
access; we, at the same time, want to ensure that the programs
young children have access to are of the highest quality, so
that you will realize the returns that were demonstrated in
these other research studies.
And I would conclude by saying that I realize that this
type of program is not inexpensive, but that, to me, the cost
of not providing a high-quality program is even more expensive
than that.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Ackerman follows:]
Prepared Statement of Debra Ackerman
Good afternoon. My name is Debra Ackerman and I am the associate
director for research at the National Institute for Early Education
Research, which is part of Rutgers University. Thank you for inviting
me to testify today.
What I would like to share with you today is a brief overview of
the compelling research base on the benefits of high-quality early
learning programs. I will do this by highlighting the significant
outcomes from research on four model early childhood education
programs. In addition, outcomes are defined here as the effects on
children and the economic returns to the larger communities they live
in.
The evidence we have on the short- and long-term outcomes of high
quality early childhood education come from a variety of rigorous
research studies. However, the three most famous studies are those of
the Abecedarian, Chicago Child-Parent Center, and High/Scope Perry
Preschool programs.
Each of these programs served children who were considered to be
at-risk for school failure. The Abecedarian and Perry Programs were
very small in comparison to the Child-Parent Center Program, which was
offered by the Chicago Public School. The programs also differed in
terms of the ages served and whether they had a half- or full-day
program. However, all three programs used highly qualified teachers. In
addition, because classrooms were staffed by a teacher and assistant,
their staff-child ratios were 1 to 8.5 or better.
Despite the differences in schedule, each program has demonstrated
remarkable academic benefits for enrollees in comparison to the
outcomes for children who did not participate in the program. We begin
with the small Abecedarian program. As can be seen from the slide, just
one-third of enrollees were subsequently placed in a special education
classroom, versus about half of the no-program group. In terms of grade
repetition, again, about one third of enrollees repeated a grade in
comparison to 65 percent of those who did not participate in the
program.
The difference in high school graduation rates was 67 versus 51
percent. Finally, while a full third of participants went on to a 4-
year college, only 13 percent of the no-program group had a similar
outcome.
We see similar results when comparing academic outcomes for those
enrolled in the large-scale Chicago Child-Parent Center program. Half
of the program enrollees graduated from high school, versus 39 percent
of the no-program group.
Special education placement and the rate of in-grade repetition
also were lower for those who participated in the program.
Participation in the CPC program also had an effect on non-academic
social outcomes. For example, we see that just 17 percent of enrollees
experienced a juvenile arrest, versus one-quarter of the no-
program group.
For the Perry Preschool Project, when looking at outcomes at age
19, we see rates of special education placement that are half as high
for the program group in comparison to the no-program group.
In addition, close to half of Perry enrollees had standardized test
achievement levels that were at the 10th percentile or higher, versus
only 15 percent of the non-enrollees. Finally, a larger percentage of
the program group graduated from high school on time, as well.
The three slides I just showed are just brief examples of the
individual school-age outcomes education stakeholders might expect for
from access to high quality early childhood education programs.
However, it's also important to talk about outcomes once children
become adults.
For example, when examining several economic variables for 27-year
olds who had previously participated in the Perry Pre-school program,
we see that their rates of earning at least $2,000 per month, owning
their own home, or never having been on welfare as an adult are
significantly higher in comparison to the no-program group.
By age 40, we still see differences in terms of income, employment
rates, and such characteristics as having a savings account.
When talking about the potential outcomes from enrollment in early
childhood education programs, it also is important to understand the
economic returns of the larger community when schools have lower rates
of special education placement and grade repetition, as well as higher
high school graduation rates. Higher post-secondary employment and
income rates also contribute to the larger community.
Each of these three programs had different per-child costs and
benefits. But, perhaps the most compelling evidence for why high
quality early childhood programs are a wise investment is the benefit/
cost ratio from these programs.
The Abecedarian Program realized a 2.5 to 1 rate of return. The
rate of return for the Chicago Child-Parent Center and High/Scope Perry
programs are even higher. For every dollar invested in these programs,
there was a $10 and $16 dollar return, respectively.
To share with you a more recent example, research on the effects of
New Jersey's Abbott Pre-K Program through Grade 2 is showing similar
promise for these types of academic outcomes.
In comparison to children who did not attend, we have found that
enrollees experienced higher language, literacy, and math gains. By
Grade 2, grade repetition is cut in half for children who attended at
age 3 and 4 versus no enrollment at all.
We do not yet have the same type of longitudinal data for NJ's
program to demonstrate the type of returns on the state's investment.
However, what is important to note is that NJ's Abbott Pre-K shares
many of the same high-quality program elements found in the
Abecedarian, Chicago Child-Parent Center, and High/Scope Perry
programs.
Program Quality Matters
Well-designed;
Balanced practices & curriculum;
Implemented as designed;
Strong staff;
Strong supervision and monitoring; and
Use data to inform policy & practice.
More specifically, the teachers in the program all have a minimum
of a BA and a specialized early child education certification. The
program uses a full-day schedule and also provides before- and after-
school care, which results in higher participation rates. Class size is
capped at 15 students. Teachers need to use a research-based,
intentional curriculum, and their practice is guided by State program
standards and expectations for what children should learn. In addition,
both children and teachers have access to a variety of key supports.
Teachers, in particular, have access to ongoing training and
supervision, as well.
In summary, rigorous research demonstrates the potential outcomes
of access to high-quality early childhood education programs. These
outcomes include higher learning gains for children and lower rates of
grade repetition and special education placement. Children have a
better shot at graduating from high school and going on to become
productive members of society, as well.
All of these outcomes benefit the larger community and present the
potential to realize an economic return that beats what I'm currently
getting at my local bank. However, we must also keep in mind the
importance of program quality. It is not enough to merely identify
classroom space and staff and begin to offer a program that serves
young children. Instead, early education stakeholders must ensure that
programs offer children the experiences and support they need to
realize the short- and long-term outcomes highlighted today.
Thank you and I would be happy to answer any questions.
Senator Casey. Thanks, Dr. Ackerman.
Joan Benso is next.
STATEMENT OF JOAN L. BENSO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, PENNSYLVANIA
PARTNERSHIPS FOR CHILDREN, HARRISBURG, PA
Ms. Benso. Thank you, Senator.
It's a pleasure to have the opportunity today to testify
before this field hearing of the Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee.
I'm Joan Benso. I'm the president of Pennsylvania
Partnerships for Children. We're a statewide, independent,
data-driven child advocacy organization, whose vision is to
advance Pennsylvania's position as being one of the top 10
States in the Nation to be a child and to raise a child.
We, fundamentally, believe that what happens in early
childhood, and the opportunities children have for enrichment
and education in those years, will help us get there.
Candidly, I can't say any of it close to as well as Dr.
Ackerman did. Her research findings, and her articulation of
the importance of high-quality program characteristics to yield
an astonishingly high return on the public's investment in pre-
K, are simply the driving messages behind this.
But, let me share with you a little bit of Pennsylvania
homegrown research on our own Pre-K Counts program or on our
own investments in pre-K. A recent Pennsylvania study showed
that school districts would recoup as much as 78 percent of
their spending on pre-K--on reduced costs in special education
in the immediate years to follow. You heard Dr. Yonson speak of
the changes in the characteristics of her early elementary
population. We can see a reduction in special education savings
of at least 8 percent annually, in Pennsylvania, with a
correlated investment in pre-K.
The study of our own Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program
shows that 75 percent of the children--these are individual
child assessments that have demonstrated this--end a year in
Pre-K Counts fully ready for the rigors of kindergarten--75
percent of them. We've seen other data in Pennsylvania that
shows very marked reduced placement in special education
classes.
We know that pre-K programs, though, don't all produce the
same outcomes. And Dr. Ackerman spoke, particularly at the end,
about the core components of pre-K programs that will reduce
the high quality of return on investment. There are programs
that are driven by early learning standards that are connected
to State's K to 12 academic standards.
So, as the committee is considering, in the reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, really thinking
about systems of learning from pre-K through post-secondary
completion, that's the model. But, these programs that work,
that return that $16, are indeed programs that comply with what
the research tells us it works. It's not ``pre-K light,'' it's
not some watered-down program, it's not someone else's rules.
And I will tell you, much of that gets discussed, both in
Washington and in Harrisburg.
They are programs that use a research-based curriculum
that's aligned with the early learning standards. They are
programs that used degreed and credentialed teachers, that have
an opportunity for ongoing professional development, and that
specialize in early childhood education. They are programs that
assure that group sizes and adult/child ratios are small. They
are programs that insist upon a developmental approach to
meeting the needs of children, and assuring that their physical
health, hearing, vision is all well cared for and in place, and
that engaged parents, and, as Senator Casey said in the
beginning, and that proper nutrition is available for children.
Those are the pre-K programs that are driven by our Pre-K
Counts rules in Pennsylvania. Those are the programs that yield
this rich return on investment. And those are the programs
that, in the long run, save us, as taxpayers, money.
Now, as a taxpayer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and
of this country, I will tell you that all of us need to be more
cognizant about investments of public dollars that yield these
results.
Pennsylvania children enjoy the benefits of publicly funded
pre-K, but the numbers of them that do are woefully small. We
provide pre-K to children through Federal funding steams; Head
Start, about 27,000 kids. Some children in Pennsylvania--
indeed, under ESEA--districts use title I funding to provide
pre-K to some small group of children. Our Pre-K Counts program
serves about 12,000 kids. We have a State funding stream for
Head Start that serves about another 4,500. Our Education
Accountability Block Grant serves another 3,000. And it's true
that the school district we're sitting in could use its basic
education funding to provide pre-K, if it chose to. But, no one
would give them any more for 7th-graders if they did, so let's
not fool ourselves on that notion.
It's a lot of different pots, and it's a lot of different
opportunity, but when you add it all up and you look at the 3-
and 4-year-olds in Pennsylvania, of which there are about
300,000, less than 18 percent of our 3- and 4-year-olds--less
than one in five--benefit from the value of a high-quality
publicly funded pre-K education that indeed readies them for
school. And if you drive deeper into that data and look at the
children who are most vulnerable, particularly due to poverty,
if you look at the income guidelines for our Pre-K Counts
program, which is families living under 300 percent of poverty,
only 30 percent--less than one in three of them--have this
opportunity.
We built a world-class early learning system in
Pennsylvania over the last 7 years. And much of what we need
now is a Federal/State partnership to expand its reach.
Senator Casey has been an enormous leader for children and
healthcare in Washington, and we, at Pennsylvania Partnerships,
have really valued our partnership with him on that.
But, we sit at a moment that is almost identical to where
we stood in CHIP in 1997. Pennsylvania had its State law; we
had 45,000 kids in service, in healthcare. There was no Federal
support for health insurance for other than the poorest of poor
families, and indeed the Federal Government took a step to pass
the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and we got to
clear our waiting list. Today we serve well over 200,000
children in that program. We have a universal health insurance
program in Pennsylvania, but only because of that State/Federal
partnership.
We would urge the committee to consider the model that was
in play in SCHIP, which is very much like the parameters that
were in the Early Learning Challenge Fund, and very much like
the parameters that are in Senator Casey's ``Prepare All Kids''
bill.
So, with a few more specifics, in wrapping up, we would
urge the committee to create a dedicated pool of resources in
ESEA reauthorization for pre-K, but only--and I underscore
this--only if the base of financial support for ESEA is going
to grow; otherwise, we're an organization that works on birth-
to-adulthood issues and the whole education continuum. If we
only say we're going to spend the same amount of money, but now
we're going to take this pot over here for pre-K, we're going
to take resources away from school districts and communities to
use for disadvantaged 5th graders, and 7th graders, and 11th
graders, and that simply doesn't make sense.
We would urge Congress to create a new and increased pot of
money for early learning, and, if not, to at least create
incentives in ESEA to spur States and LEA's investments in pre-
Kindergarten; designate pre-Kindergarten as an option for
turning around low-performing schools; go further than,
potentially, the Administration's Blueprint for Reform has
suggested; include 3- and 4-year-olds in the funding formulas
to States for grants authorized on title I and title V;
absolutely include the students in States' pre-K programs in
their State's longitudinal data systems that are required;
include pre-K as part of all early literacy initiatives; and
give pre-K teachers the opportunity to participate in
professional development opportunities that are offered for
other early childhood education teachers, particularly in K-
through-3.
There's a big way to go about this, and more modest way to
go about it. We urge Congress to just go about it.
Thank you, Senator.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Benso follows:]
Prepared Statement of Joan Benso
Good afternoon Senator Casey. Thank you for the opportunity to
appear today before this field hearing of the Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee: Partnering to Prepare-Expanding Access
to High Quality Early Childhood Education.
I am Joan Benso, President & CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for
Children (PPC). PPC is a statewide, independent, non-partisan, data-
driven child advocacy organization. We seek to improve the health,
education and well-being of the Commonwealth's children. Our vision is
that by 2014, PPC will have helped Pennsylvania move into position as
one of the top 10 States in the Nation to be a child and to raise a
child. Providing children access to high-quality pre-K and assuring
that every Pennsylvania child benefits from a K-12 education that
prepares them for college and careers are core strategies as we strive
to achieve our vision for the Commonwealth.
What happens in early childhood can influence a lifetime of
learning and earnings for every child. Research supports high-quality
pre-K as an effective strategy to improve education achievement.
Studies show that children who attend high-quality pre-K programs enter
kindergarten with better language, reading, math and social skills.\1\
They have fewer grade retentions, less remediation, higher standardized
test scores, and higher graduation rates.\2\
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\1\ Peisner-Feinberg, E.S., Burchinal, M.R. Clifford, R.M., Culkin,
M.L., Howes, C., Kagan, S.L., Yazejian, N., Byler, P., Rustici, J., &
Zelazo, J (2000). The children of the cost, quality and outcomes study
go to school: Technical report. Chapel Hill; University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center.
\2\ National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2000) From
neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development.
Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development.
Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, eds. Board on Children,
Youth, and Families, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and
Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
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Many studies show a positive return for children, schools and
communities by investing in high quality pre-K. Today you will hear
from a researcher from the National Institute on Early Education
Research who will provide you with much great insight into the
literature than I can. But, let me share a little bit of home-grown
Pennsylvania evidence that supports investments in high quality pre-K.
A recent study in Pennsylvania showed school districts could recoup as
much as 78 percent of pre-K spending in education savings and special
education costs could be reduced statewide by at least 8 percent
annually.\3\ A review of the PA Pre-K Counts program shows it is
achieving great results; 75 percent of the children who entered at risk
of education failure completed the most recent school year with age-
appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy and social skills and
headed off to kindergarten ready to learn.\4\
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\3\ Pennsylvania Build Initiative. (2006). Invest now or pay more
later: Early childhood education promises savings to Pennsylvania
school districts.
\4\ Office of Child Development and Early Learning. (2009).
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts: End of year report 2008-9. Harrisburg, PA:
Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Public Welfare.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
But we know that all pre-K programs don't produce the same
outcomes. Quality matters. It is high-quality that produces the
positive academic results for children and the tremendous return on
investments. High-quality in pre-K programs are driven by early
learning standards that are part of a p-16 academic standards
continuum. They are programs that use a research-based curriculum,
employee degreed teachers who engage in continued professional
development and specialize in early learning, assure that group size
and adult-child ratios remain low, provide for health, vision and
hearing screenings as well as family support services to name a few.
Pre-K programs that don't conform to the research based program
parameters are a poor use of the taxpayers' money.
Pennsylvania children enjoy the benefits of publicly funded pre-K
through a number of programs and funding streams. They have access to
pre-K through Federal programs including Head Start, which provides
pre-K to more than 27,000 low-
income children \5\ and title I. Until a few short years ago,
Pennsylvania held the distinction of being one of a handful of States
that did not support high-quality pre-K with State funds. In recent
years, the Commonwealth has established several funding streams for
pre-K including:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 2009-10 enrollment.
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts--delivers high-quality pre-K to
children at risk of education failure through a mixed delivery system
of school districts, Head Start providers, certain licensed child care
providers, and private academic nursery schools. Under the program, 115
grantees served 11,841 children in fiscal year 2008-9.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Office of Child Development and Early Learning. (2009). Program
Reach and Risk Assessment. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Departments of
Education and Public Welfare.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program--expands Head
Start services to more children in the Commonwealth. The State funds
are being used to provide Head Start services to nearly 4,500 children
(in addition to the 27,000 that are supported only by Federal
funds).\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 2009-10 enrollment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Education Accountability Block Grant--enables school
districts to invest in education programs that are proven to help
children's academic achievement. Establishing, maintaining or expanding
a quality pre-Kindergarten program aligned with the State's current
academic standards is an allowable use of grant funds. Districts are
using a portion of the block grant to provide pre-K to 3,100
children.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ Office of Child Development and Early Learning. (2009). Program
Reach and Risk Assessment. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Departments of
Education and Public Welfare.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Education Funding Formula--while very few did,
school districts have been allowed to use basic education funding for
pre-K. Our new school funding formula requires school districts that
receive increases greater than an inflation index to invest the funds
greater than the index in student achievement strategies. Pre-K is one
of the allowable student achievement strategies.
I am proud to have supported the creation of these Pennsylvania
programs. Unfortunately, not all children who could benefit from these
programs have access to them. There are about 295,000 3- and 4-year-
olds in Pennsylvania. Less than 18 percent of these children have
access to high-quality public funded pre-K.\9\ If we dig a little
deeper into the data, we see that more than 57 percent of all 3- and 4-
year-olds live in families with incomes below 300 percent of the
Federal poverty level. But only 30 percent of children from these
families have access to high-quality public funded pre-K.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ (2009). School readiness in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, PA:
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
\10\ Ibid.
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We have a good system here in Pennsylvania that only reaches some
of our children who are at risk of education failure with high-quality
public funded pre-K. More can and must be done to reach more of our
youngest learners in order to improve young learners' school readiness
and long-term academic and life outcomes.
The status of publicly funded high-quality pre-K in Pennsylvania
bears a striking resemblance to where we stood with CHIP (Children's
Health Insurance Program) in 1997. Then, we had a strong program that
provided access to health insurance to a small percentage of
Pennsylvania's uninsured children. As you well know, Senator Casey, it
was one of a few State programs in existence at that time. State
resources only took the program so far; enrollment was a little more
than 45,000 and there was a very long waiting list.
The Federal Government took a bold step to help children's access
to health care in 1997 and enacted a Federal counterpart to
Pennsylvania's CHIP that was based on our successful, but limited
program. The State-Federal partnership provided much-needed financing
in Federal matching funds as well as rigorous program requirements.
Pennsylvania was immediately able to clear our CHIP waiting list and
continue to serve every eligible child applying for coverage. The
elimination of a waiting list and the comfort that low-income families
enjoyed--knowing they could turn to CHIP to assure their children would
have insurance coverage--gave hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania
parents' peace of mind. In 2006, Pennsylvania took the monumental step
to make insurance coverage available to all children in the
Commonwealth whose families do not have access to or cannot afford
health insurance. This could have never happened without a strong
State-Federal financing partnership.
Pennsylvania needs a strong partnership with the Federal Government
to expand access to high-quality pre-K to more children, and eventually
to reach all children. Senator Casey, your Prepare All Kids legislation
(S. 839) provides a solid foundation for such a partnership. The
legislation provides matching Federal resources for State pre-K
programs. It ensures that the public funded pre-K programs would be of
high quality and utilize a research-based curriculum that supports
children's cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.
Prepare All Kids would also establish strong teacher credential
requirements as well as provide for accountability for State programs.
Importantly, the program does not seek to divert funds from other
education programs.
The Federal Early Learning Challenge Fund proposal could also help
improve access to high-quality pre-K. The proposal would create a
framework for States to guide them in establishing and growing a
comprehensive system of high-quality early learning environments. It
would set a clear and important goal of increasing the number of
disadvantaged children in high quality programs. We were disappointed
that the Fund provisions were not included in the final version of the
reconciliation bill that accompanied health care reform, but we were
greatly encouraged by your support for it.
The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) presents a unique and timely opportunity to establish a strong
State-Federal partnership to expand access to high-quality pre-K in
Pennsylvania and in States nationwide. Pennsylvania Partnerships for
Children believes that government has a responsibility for educational
opportunities for children and young adults from birth to age 25 or
through completion of a post-secondary education program that prepares
a young adult for an individual and family sustaining wage job.
I respectfully urge this committee to make pre-K a part of the
education continuum in ESEA and include provisions in ESEA to ensure
that public-funded pre-K is of high quality. But, let me offer a
serious caution. While inclusion of pre-K is a laudable goal, it cannot
happen without significantly expanding Federal financial support for
the base of ESEA first, and then augmenting that enhanced based with
additional resources to fund pre-K. The goal of ESEA in the past--to
assure that every American child achieves to world class academic
standards--has been on target. But the problem has been that it has
been a hollow promise--a mandate without the resources to implement our
common vision that every child can and should achieve. Pennsylvania
Partnerships for Children works on the full education continuum and we
will not support ESEA reauthorization that is driven by a ``rob Peter
to pay Paul'' mentality. If resources can be made available, adding an
explicit initiative to promote pre-K will help provide a solid
foundation in ESEA which can multiply the impact of other reforms in
the act. If additional resources are not found, the very least that
should occur during reauthorization is more guidance and incentives to
encourage States and local education agencies to expand pre-K.
The Prepare All Kids Act and provisions similar to the Early
Learning Challenge Fund would be good additions to ESEA with a new pot
of funding. Some additional ideas are present in The U.S. Department of
Education's Blueprint for Reform for the reauthorization of ESEA. We
urge the committee, at the very least, to consider pre-K as you develop
the legislation in the following areas:
Designate high-quality pre-kindergarten as an option for
turning around low-performing schools.
Include children ages 3 and 4 in the ESEA funding formulas
including grants authorized in titles I and V.
Include students enrolled in publicly funded pre-K in
State longitudinal data system.
Include pre-K as part of literacy initiatives.
Include pre-K teachers in professional development
opportunities.
These are but a few recommendations for promoting high-quality pre-
K and enhancing access to pre-K through ESEA. Reauthorization of the
Act is a tremendous opportunity to create a strong State-Federal
partnership on pre-K and create a continuum of learning from early
childhood to post-secondary completion.
Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you today and
thank you for everything you do for Pennsylvania's children.
Senator Casey. Joan, thank you very much.
Todd Klunk.
STATEMENT OF TODD KLUNK, ACTING DEPUTY SECRETARY, OFFICE OF
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND EARLY LEARNING, PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENTS
OF PUBLIC WELFARE AND EDUCATION, HARRISBURG, PA
Mr. Klunk. Thank you, Senator.
I am Todd Klunk. I represent the Office of Child
Development; I'm the acting deputy secretary. The Office of
Child Development and Early Learning is an office with roots in
both the Education Department as well as the Department of
Public Welfare.
We did hear from the witnesses today why an investment in
early education is important. I'm not going to go into depth or
rehash that, but I do want to say that, as we urge Congress to
look at the facts, we do have two interesting groups that are
supporting the investment into early childhood, that I want to
share with you.
In Pennsylvania, we commissioned--it's called the Early
Learning Investment Commission. It's a group of 26 business
leaders--CEOs and business leaders of Pennsylvania companies.
They are supporting our investment, and we're utilizing them to
help us make the case. I was just co-speaking with one of our
commission members who said we have three options when we talk
about staffing. We can either export the job, we can import the
talent, or we can develop that talent right here in
Pennsylvania. And so, that's the vision of the Investment
Commission--to develop that talent here in Pennsylvania.
As well as, recently, the Central Bank, or the Federal
Reserve, had a lot of positive things to say about early
childhood. And I have that on the record. The Federal Reserve
Bank in Minneapolis actually is doing a lot of national
discussion about the importance of investing in early
childhood, and those payoffs.
So, given the compelling research, the return on
investment, and school readiness aspects of early education,
does beg the question, ``Why aren't we reaching all children
who are either at risk or potentially all children in the
Commonwealth?'' And that is one of capacity. All right?
I want to talk, briefly, two points on capacity, where we
are now, and a call to action for Congress. Some of these stats
are similar to Joan's, so I'm not going to dwell too much on
the stats.
But, again, Pennsylvania has seen remarkable growth in the
last 7 years. We went from only one of nine States in the
country not to have a publicly-funded pre-K program, to
national leader. We have increased access to 3- and 4-year-
olds. We are now serving 35,000 more 3- and 4-year-olds over
the last 7 years, with State funding streams, such as the
Accountability Block Grant, Pre-K Counts, the Head Start State
supplemental, as well as increases in the basic education
funding.
As a result of these efforts, we have doubled the
participation and the percentage of Keystone STARS, or
providers that participate in Keystone STARS. In 2002-3, we
were at 32 percent, and today we're well over 75 percent. We've
also doubled the percent of 3- and 4-year-olds participating in
high-quality early education programs. And to date, about 36
percent of our young children participate in publicly funded
quality education programs.
That's the good news. However, as everybody knows, States
are struggling with State revenue. We proposed a budget for
2010-11 that has--even with our strong commitment to early
education, two of our early childhood programs are receiving a
slight reduction in the proposed budget. In addition, just this
week, Pennsylvania announced a $720-million projected deficit
for this fiscal year. These reductions obviously are coming at
a bad time for families who are impacted by the recession.
Those families that receive less wages or less hours per week
really don't have the financial means to send their children to
high-quality pre-K programs.
I will point out that the State, too, is faced with limited
resources, as well. At the beginning of this preschool--or Pre-
K Counts year, 7,800 children applied, and were determined
eligible, for the program that did not receive services--7,800.
And that's a conservative estimate, because, as we all know,
Pre-K Counts is only in pockets around the Commonwealth. We're
not everywhere in the Commonwealth. So, when you consider all
the eligibles, we would be a lot higher than 7,800 children. As
well as the low-income childcare waiting list--about 4,000
children to date, as of today, are on that low income. That's
another means of getting children into quality pre-K
opportunities.
So, we do--we also, here at the Commonwealth, agree that
there needs to be a Federal funding source. Such a dedicated
funding source for early childhood would show a commitment by
the feds to the importance of early childhood, and it would
lessen the demand on State revenues. Whether it's title I or
the Challenge Grants or Prepare All Kids legislation or the
Elementary or Secondary Education Act, as we talk about serious
education reform and improving student achievement, we do make
a case that early childhood education answers that call.
I looked over the President's Blueprint for the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act, talked about preparing kids for
college and career readiness. And as we talked about earlier
today, early childhood has compelling research that we do
prepare. Our kids that attend quality early learning programs
are more likely to graduate and attend college. His other two
points were to focus on English language learners as well as
children with disabilities. And, again, we have great research,
from our first 2 years in Pre-K Counts, where we actually are
closing the gap on English language learners.
So, just to quickly end here, we would urge Congress,
again, that the funding--a dedicated early childhood funding
stream should be flexible. We believe it should be granted to
States so that they can work with their local school district
and their community partners to really move their childhood
continuum to the next level. And Pennsylvania's called upon, in
a lot of different ways, to share our lessons learned and how
we developed our system with other States. So, States are at
different points in their continuum, and the development of
that continuum, so if we had a flexible funding stream, that
would help States make those independent decisions on what's
next; what they need to take their system to the next level.
I'll just end on this. You know, as we think about
reauthorization or a Federal funding stream--staggering fact
here, that 85 percent of the foundation for communications,
critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork is developed
by age 5. So, many times by kindergarten, it's too late. And
with just this fact alone, a Federal funding stream could be a
real change vehicle to improve the lives of children and
prepare them for school and life success.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Klunk follows:]
Prepared Statement of Todd Klunk
Good morning. I am Todd Klunk, Acting Deputy Secretary for the
Office of Child Development and Early Learning of the Pennsylvania
Departments of Education and Public Welfare, and co-chair of the
Pennsylvania Early Learning Council.
We have heard (or will hear) from many different speakers today why
an investment in early childhood education is important. To highlight a
few key points:
There is a real return on investment--up to a $16 return
on every dollar invested in early education.
Early education helps our economic growth tomorrow by
developing productive citizens and a competitive workforce.
Early education is vital to our communities' health and
infrastructure.
Investing in early education creates more economic
stimulus than any other sector according to a recent study at Cornell
University.
To see a real return on investment in early education, a commitment
at the Federal, State and local levels are essential.
The positive outcomes of investing in early education are supported
by decades of research and are being endorsed by business leaders and
economists. In Pennsylvania, the Early Learning Investment Commission
is composed of 26 business leaders who were appointed by Governor
Rendell from across the commonwealth. The purpose of the Commission is
to secure public investment in early learning programs that are
educationally, economically and scientifically sound by means of
increasing business, civic and public awareness of the importance of
early childhood education. The support of our business leaders is
flourishing as we now have six regional business coalitions working in
different parts of the States.
Additionally the central bank of the United States had this to say
about early childhood education:
``Although education and the acquisition of skills is a
lifelong process, starting early in life is crucial. Recent
research--some sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of
Minneapolis in collaboration with the University of Minnesota--
has documented the high returns that early childhood programs
can pay in terms of subsequent educational attainment and in
lower rates of social problems, such as teenage pregnancy and
welfare dependency.''
(Remarks by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, Before the
Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, February 6, 2007)
With this high rate of return, why are not all at-risk children
being served and efforts being made to serve all children in high
quality early learning programs?
Pennsylvania's early learning programs have seen remarkable growth,
but we still cannot reach all children who can benefit. Since 2003,
Pennsylvania has moved from one of nine States to offer no publicly
funded pre-kindergarten to one of the Nation's leaders in early
education. We have made good progress over the last 7 years adding
funding to serve 3- and 4-year-olds through the Accountability Block
Grant, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, Head Start Supplemental and increases
to basic education subsidies. Through these efforts we are serving an
additional 35,000 children.
In addition, Pennsylvania is one of the first States to:
Establish learning standards for early childhood from
birth through third grade and commission an independent study to ensure
alignment of all standards;
Establish a State-funded quality pre-kindergarten system
that includes both school-based and community-based early education
programs (Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts);
Create a cohesive Office of Child Development and Early
Learning (OCDEL) that brings together the resources and expertise for
early education, spanning across State agencies; and
Develop a common set of child outcomes assessments for all
State-funded early learning programs and a system to report outcomes
(Early Learning Network).
As a result of these efforts to build a quality early education
continuum:
the percentage of child care centers participating in
Keystone STARS has more than doubled (from 32 percent in 2002-3 to 75
percent in 2008-9);
the percentage of school districts offering pre-
kindergarten programs has quadrupled (from 6 percent in 2003-4 to 26
percent in 2008-9); and
the percentage of Pennsylvania's 3- and 4-year olds
participating in high quality early education programs has doubled
(from 18 percent in 2002-3 to 35 percent in 2008-9).
Pennsylvania has increased its commitment to early education for
several years so that approximately 36 percent of our young children
participate in publicly funded quality early education programs.
However, Pennsylvania has been struggling with State revenues, as
are all States. Even with our high commitment to early education, the
fiscal year 2010-11 State budget calls for cuts to some early education
services to children because State funds are simply not available.
Recently, Pennsylvania announced an estimated $720 million State
deficit for the current fiscal year. If revenue does not begin to
balance with our proposed budgets, additional reductions are imminent.
These reductions to early childhood programs are coming at a time
when families impacted by the economic recession do not have sufficient
funds to place their children in a quality pre-kindergarten program and
State programs are faced with waiting lists. At the beginning of this
school year, there were 7,800 eligible children who applied for PA Pre-
K Counts who could not be enrolled because of a lack of resources. This
is twice the number of children on waiting lists at the start of the
2008-9 school year. Considering that PA Pre-K Counts classrooms are
targeted to serve areas with the highest percent of children in low-
income families, there are many other areas with eligible low-income
children that are not included in the wait list count.
New Federal funding is needed to help close the national gap
between children who are at-risk of school failure and not in quality
early learning programs. Such an effort would show a serious commitment
by the Federal Government to early childhood education and a better
balance of public investment--lessening the demand on State revenues.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides an opportunity
for an appropriate public funding base for early education. As the
Nation works to reform education to improve student achievement so that
all students are college- and
career-ready, now is the time. Early education, supported by research,
will meet many of the President's Blueprint Goals for the ESEA. We know
that children who participate in quality early education programs are
more likely to do well in school and graduate high school and attend
college. Quality early education is the most effective and cost-
efficient way to prepare all children for school--especially those at
risk of school failure. For children enrolled in PA Pre-K Counts last
year, for example, progress was made in closing achievement gaps for
English Language Learners and children with developmental delays or
disabilities. For instance, Spanish-speaking children were three times
more likely than English-speaking children to begin the year without
age-expected language and literacy skills. By the end of the year,
Spanish-speaking children participating in Pre-K Counts had closed the
gap--ending the year with less than 2 percent of children still without
age-expected skills. It is more costly and less effective to wait and
try to remediate problems later.
The ESEA could afford States an opportunity to strategically
restructure their entire birth to five continuum of services. The ESEA
should provide a dedicated early childhood education funding stream
directly to States with flexibility to allow all States an opportunity
for systemic changes across the birth--five continuum. By providing a
dedicated early education funding stream to the States--not directly to
the local education agencies--States could work with their State
advisory committees and other early education stakeholders to determine
how best to move their early childhood continuum to the next level. The
ESEA could allow States to implement or expand pre-kindergarten
opportunities, continuous quality improvement systems, infant and
toddler initiatives, home visiting models, and/or build better
infrastructures such as information technology solutions to improve
accountability, monitoring and instruction.
Serious education reform must include early education. As the
Nation begins reauthorization, we need to remember the research studies
that document more than 85 percent of the foundation for
communications, critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork is
developed by age 5. With just this fact alone, the ESEA could be a
change vehicle that improves the lives of young children across the
Nation and prepares them for school and life success.
I thank you for this opportunity.
______
Appendix 1.--PA Office of Child Development & Early Learning
Selected Programs
Child Care Certification--certification and inspection of
approximately 9,000 regulated child care programs serving 350,000
children.
Child Care Works--tuition assistance for 130,000 children (monthly
average) of low-income working families.
Children's Trust Fund--initiatives to prevent child abuse as
determined by the Trust Fund board, a mixed group of legislators and
gubernatorial appointees, and staffed by OCDEL.
Community Engagement--local groups to work on community education
on early childhood education and to focus on the transition between
community early childhood education programs and school district K-12
programs.
Early Childhood Mental Health Initiative--early childhood mental
health specialists who consult with Keystone STARS programs about
program and child needs and interventions when behavioral issues with
children arise.
Early Learning Network--To use technology to collect indicators of
child outcomes so that the analysis of this information can be used to
better manage State investments for early learning programs.
Pennsylvania's goal is to use the information to manage its finances
more effectively by targeting resources to those programs and services
that bring about good progress while considering individual
circumstances and demographics that also may affect results. This
information will also be available to local teachers and administrators
and provide them with real time data so that they may continuously
improve their performance to better meet the needs of the children they
serve. The objectives are:
1. To know if Pennsylvania's early education programs are making a
difference,
2. To understand how financial resource levels relate to child
outcomes,
3. To meet State and Federal reporting requirements related to
child progress,
4. To compare programs serving similar types of children on ability
to enhance child progress,
5. To tailor professional development and technical assistance to
address most pressing early learning needs, and
6. To understand how program factors work together to impact
children.
Full Day Kindergarten (through Accountability Block Grant)--
dedicated resources for school districts to implement research-based
interventions that improve student performance, with nearly \2/3\ of
the money invested in Full-Day Kindergarten now serving 65 percent of
PA children and with OCDEL providing on-site observations and
professional development for teachers and administrators.
Early Intervention Birth to Five--Infant/Toddler and Preschool
Early Intervention (under IDEA) for approximately 80,000 children with
developmental delays and disabilities.
Early Intervention Technical Assistance--professional development
and technical assistance for sound implementation of Early Intervention
services, including new communications certification.
Head Start State Supplemental Assistance Program--State resources
to enroll over 4,000 more children in Head Start.
Keystone Babies--Keystone Babies is a voluntary, center-based
program offered to Pennsylvania Keystone STAR 3 or 4 programs applying
for a classroom of infants and toddlers who are enrolled in the Child
Care Works program. Pilot to serve approximately 200 children in 2010-
11.
Keystone STARS--a quality rating and improvement system serving
over 170,000 children enrolled in thousands of child care programs with
a combination of standards, financial and professional supports, and
third party monitoring on accountability.
Nurse Family Partnership--evidence-based nurse based home visiting
model for very high risk first-time mothers and their young children.
Parent Child Home Literacy Program--evidence-based play and
literacy based home visiting program for at-risk young children with a
focus on toddlers.
PA Early Learning Keys to Quality-regionalized approach to improved
professional development of early education teachers, aides and
administrators, offering a career lattice with resources to obtain
early childhood degrees and credentials, and technical assistance to
support program quality improvement. Statewide, support for the
T.E.A.C.H. educational scholarship program, a voucher program for
practitioners in Keystone STARS and PA Pre-K Counts earning college
credits, an articulation project with the Pennsylvania State System of
Higher Education to bring 2- and 4-year colleges together to assure
program to program articulation and transfer in early childhood
education; an oversight system for certifying instructors and technical
assistance staff to deliver professional development; support for PA
certification programs in early childhood, including director's
credential and school-age credential. Additional statewide and regional
supports are also in place, all linked to the programs engaged in
quality through STARS, EI, Pre-K Counts, etc.
PA Pre-K Counts-preschool program of 2.5 or 5 hours a day, 180 days
a year, for at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds, with high standards, offered by
a diverse array of school districts, Keystone STARS, Head Start, and
licensed nursery school programs.
PA's Promise for Children--public information resources to inform
and educate parents, business leaders and others in the general
community about early childhood education.
Public-Private Partnerships--These are partnerships with
foundations and the research community and include Pennsylvania's
participation in the national BUILD initiative, a financial investment
by foundations in the Early Learning Network, the Early Learning
Investment Commission, community engagement, and continued development
of the capacity of higher education to assist community-based teachers
earn early childhood teacher certification by responding to their
unique needs.
Appendix 2.--Children Served Over Time
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2009- FY 2010-
Program FY 2002-3 10\1\ 11\1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class Size Reduction:
K-3rd Grade................. Did not exist 16,705\2\ 16,705\2\
Child Care Works:
TANF........................ 33,939 34,743 37,012
Former TANF:................ 20.000 33,223 32,746
Low income.................. 45,908 59,825 64,614
-----------------------------------------
Total (monthly average)... 99,847 127,791 134,372
Early Intervention:
Birth to 3 program.......... 22,020 33,212 34,384
3 to 5 program.............. 33,726 46,052 47,312
Full Day Kindergarten: 42,015 80,454 80,454
Head Start:
Total Head Start in PA...... 30,986 35,311\2\ 35,311\2\
Supplemental Assistance Did not exist 5,743\2\ 5,626\1\
Program....................
Keystone STARS:
Estimated children in 45,745 177,530 177,530
Keystone STARS.............
Number of providers in 898 4,464 4,464
Keystone Stars.............
Nurse-Family Partnership...... 3,092 4,247 4,247\2\
Pre-K:
School-based Pre-K and K-4.. 2,682 9,256 14,675
PA Pre-K Counts............. Did not exist 11,800 11,732\1\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Fiscal Year-End Goal or Projection.
\2\ Projection based on previous FY program.
Appendix 3.--Pennsylvania 2008-9 Reach and Risk Executive Summary*
One of the most important ways to help children reach their
potential and succeed is through quality early education. Quality early
education opportunities are especially important for children affected
by conditions that make them at risk to fail in school. When children
affected by risk factors such as living in low-income families or low
education level of the mother have access to quality early education
before age 5, these children can often make up for setbacks in their
development, enabling them to enter kindergarten on par with their
peers.
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* http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=EarlyLearning_Reach.
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Children who are encouraged and supported through quality early
childhood education demonstrate significant progress in acquiring early
learning skills and may save schools money for special education and
remediation costs. These children are more likely to graduate from high
school, to attend college or quality job training programs, and be
valuable members of the workforce. The benefits of quality early
education to children and families translate into a more competitive
workforce and greater tax base, while reducing public expenses in
special education costs, public assistance, crime control and lost
taxes.
It is in Pennsylvania's best interest to invest in quality early
education because it will provide our communities with benefits for
years to come, but it is important that these investments are
strategically made to provide the greatest return possible for the
commonwealth with our limited resources.
In order to support sound programmatic and investment decisions
regarding the distribution of early education services, the
Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL)
annually compiles the Program Reach and Risk Report. This report
provides county--as well as city--specific information on the level of
risk for school failure for children (based on seven risk factors) and
the availability, or reach, of most OCDEL programs to children in each
county and in the 27 largest cities in Pennsylvania. This is the third
year of the report.
To enhance the Reach and Risk report, OCDEL includes a breakdown of
reach of programs by infant/toddlers (birth--2 years); preschool (ages
three and four; and all children under age five served.
OCDEL's Program Reach and Risk Assessment for fiscal year 2008-9
shows that Pennsylvania continues to make progress serving young
children, but still experiences gaps in serving children who could
benefit the most from a quality early education experience, especially
serving infants and toddlers.
risk
Children are at risk of school failure throughout the
commonwealth. Of the 67 counties, children in 51 (76 percent) counties
are at moderate-high or high risk of school failure; of the 27 largest
cities, children in 24 (89 percent) are at moderate-high or high risk
of school failure. Every community has children affected by risk
factors for school failure. For example, approximately one-third of
children in Pennsylvania (37 percent) under age 5 are living in low-
income families; each county has at least 15 percent of its children
under age five living in low-income families. In 20 of our 27 largest
cities, more than half of the children under age 5 live in low-income
families.
reach
Approximately one-third (36 percent) of children under age
five participate in State and/or federally funded quality early
childhood education programs. In the commonwealth's 27 largest cities,
more than half (56 percent) of children under age 5 participate in
State and/or federally funded quality early childhood programs. Quality
programs are defined as: Nurse-Family Partnership, Parent Child Home
Program, Head Start State and Federal, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, PA
Pact for Pre-K, School-Based Pre-K, Early Intervention, and Keystone
STARS.
Reach by county is greatest for Keystone STARS (15
percent), Early Intervention (11 percent) and Head Start (5 percent).
These programs are the only direct impact programs for children under
the age of 5 to reach children in all 67 counties.
Reach is greatest across the commonwealth for Keystone
STARS. Of all the State investments, most children were reached through
the Keystone STARS program, which provides service to 15 percent of
children from birth to age 5. Three percent of children under age 5 in
Pennsylvania were served in STAR 3 and 4 programs. As of May 2009,
there were 4,282 child care providers within the Keystone STARS system,
covering all counties and reaching an estimated 107,546 children under
age 5.
Less than one-fifth (19 percent) of Pennsylvania's infants
and toddlers participate in quality early education programs. Among
children under age three statewide, approximately 10 percent are served
by Keystone STARS, 0.5 percent are served by Early Head Start, and 7
percent are served by Early Intervention.
Approximately half (55 percent) of Pennsylvania's
preschoolers (3- and 4-year-olds) are served in State and/or federally
funded quality early childhood programs. Twenty-two percent of 3- and
4-year-olds are served by Keystone STARS, 11 percent are served by
State and Federal Head Start, and 10 percent are served by Early
Intervention.
investment in quality early childhood education
Pennsylvania's investment per child served under the age
of 5 is $3,033 annually. Children receiving service in these State and
federally funded early childhood programs are funded at the rate of
approximately $3,033 per child served, an amount which is significantly
less than the cost of providing a quality early education experience
that produces positive outcomes for children, families and communities.
In general, the national cost for a 5-hour day at 180 days a year for a
pre-kindergarten program is $8,700 per child. This represents a gap in
our public investment to achieve the most positive results for
children.
The quality of a child's early education affects their learning for
life. By understanding the needs of our young children across the
commonwealth and the reach of our early childhood programs,
Pennsylvania can make smarter investments in a brighter future.
Appendix 4.--Highlights
1. 2008-9 excerpt from ocdel annual report
In 2008-9 OCDEL focused on creating more quality early learning
opportunities for children, assuring strong implementation and
coordination among programs, building accountability into the system,
and beginning development of a system to document positive outcomes for
children. Here are some highlights from the year:
Strive for Higher Quality and Reach all Children and Families That can
Benefit
Pennsylvania revised its child care regulations for the
first time in 16 years.
OCDEL completed a nine-part series of training videos on
the Learning Standards for Early Childhood to help early learning
directors, teachers and staff make the most of this resource. New
parent companion guides to the learning standards were also released,
including Learning Is Everywhere, a birth-5 activity guide that
provides activities for families to do together in various learning
locations and Kindergarten, Here I Am, a 15-month activity guide that
supports skill-building activities before, during and after
kindergarten.
OCDEL published its second Program Reach and Risk
Assessment Report, including information on risk and reach for each
county and Pennsylvania's 27 largest cities.
OCDEL published its English Language Learner Toolkit to
help early education providers increase their cultural competence and
provide higher quality experiences to English Language Learners and
their families.
OCDEL's Braiding Preschool Funding Task Force provided
tools and professional development to early education programs for
making most efficient use of the various State and Federal funding
streams available for pre-kindergarten.
OCDEL and Early Intervention Technical Assistance piloted
a new professional development series that results in a credential in
Early Intervention Language Special Instruction.
In 2008, Pennsylvania was one of seven States invited to
develop a plan to integrate the Strengthening Families approach into
its programs.
Result
Overall, the alignment study of Pennsylvania's Learning
Standards for Early Childhood found the standards and assessments are
strong and show good alignment across grade levels.
Nearly one-third (32 percent) of Keystone STARS programs
moved up at least one STAR level in 2008-9. There was a 30 percent
increase in the number of STAR 3 and 4 programs between 2007-8 and
2008-9.
Environment Rating Scale scores have increased among
Keystone STARS programs for 2008-9. The overall average score for STAR
3 sites was 5.23 in 2008-9, which is an increase from 2007-8 when the
average score was 5.06. STAR 4 sites scored an overall average of 5.48
in 2008-9, which is an increase from 2007-8 when the average score was
5.31.
More families accessing Child Care Works subsidy are using
regulated care than ever before, with 70 percent of TANF children
receiving child care assistance are using regulated child care in 2008-
9, a 38 percent increase since Child Care Information Services (CCIS)
agencies began providing child care services to TANF families in 2006-
7.
Nearly all (95 percent) children in Pennsylvania Pre-K
Counts classrooms were affected by at least one risk factor for
academic failure, such as living in low-income families, learning
English as a second language, or having disabilities or developmental
delays. Most (77 percent) were affected by two or more risk factors,
making them more likely to struggle in school.
60 percent more bachelor's degree scholarships were
awarded through T.E.A.C.H. than in 2007-8.
There was a 76 percent increase in the number of
Director's Credentials awarded between 2007-8 and 2008-9.
Over the past 2 years, OCDEL has observed a nearly 15
percent increase in the number of children receiving Early Intervention
services included in typical early childhood programs, resulting in a
total of 63 percent of all children in preschool Early Intervention
receiving their services in these settings (e.g. child care, Head
Start, preschool) in 2008-9.
Refine Accountability and Document Positive Outcomes for Children
In 2008-9 Pennsylvania developed the Keystone STARS
Technical Assistance Quality Assurance and Accountability System to
support consistency and quality in technical assistance across the
commonwealth.
OCDEL continued development of Pennsylvania's Enterprise
to Link Information for Children Across Networks (PELICAN). In 2008-9,
PELICAN Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts entered phase two. PELICAN Infant/
Toddler Early Intervention was piloted in four counties and preparation
began for development of PELICAN Preschool Early Intervention.
The next phase of Pennsylvania's Early Learning Network
began with Early Intervention programs and Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts
programs reporting child outcomes online through the Ounce and Work
Sampling online reporting tools.
Results
In 2008-9, ERS assessors conducted approximately 1,680
classroom assessments, a 75 percent increase from 2007-8.
Nearly every child (99 percent) showed age-appropriate or
emerging age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and social
skills after attending the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program.
57 percent of the preschool children who entered Early
Intervention after July 1, 2008 and exited Early Intervention prior to
June 30, 2009 actually function within age expectations.
75 percent of children receiving Early Childhood Mental
Health Consultation services demonstrated that their original issues
had ceased or had significantly decreased or that had been successfully
referred to other support services.
Build Leadership in Our Communities and Among State Decisionmakers to
Champion Quality Early Education as a Priority for Pennsylvania
Governor Rendell created by Executive Order the
Pennsylvania Early Learning Council and Early Learning Investment
Commission as avenues to include the early education and business
communities in policy development and outreach.
Expanded Pennsylvania's Promise for Children campaign with
upgraded Pennsylvania's Promise for Children Web site to include
``Early Education in My County'' and Tell Your Story sections.
Community Engagement Groups reported that over 1.6 million
children, parents and community members throughout the commonwealth
were involved in events such as recognition events, legislative
meetings, Week of the Young Child events, or community fairs.
Results
Between July 2008-June 2009, the number of PA Promise
declarations more than doubled from 4,303 to 9,887 declarations.
Between July 2008-June 2009, the number of Build News
subscribers more than doubled from 3,403 to 8,045 subscribers.
Vision for Tomorrow
Building a quality early education continuum is a marathon, not a
sprint. Each year Pennsylvania has refined a system through continuous
quality improvement and serving more children.
In 2009-10, Pennsylvania will continue its work to create a more
seamless pathway of professional development for early childhood
educators at all levels; increase accountability and documenting
positive outcomes; align the early education system with the full
education continuum; and build leadership at all levels.
2. using the ocdel framework, a high level overview of progress to date
and work in progress
Planning Monitoring and Accountability
Have:
Quantitative and qualitative measures to assess program
quality and performance.
Standards and support to help people and programs meet
standards & expectations.
Ranking of each community of risk to children and reach of
OCDEL programs for all children.
Working on:
Creating the Early Learning Network.
One reporting system for assessment of children in ALL of
our programs.
Comprehensive data system taking into account child's
background and public investment in the program.
Standards & Assistance to Meet Them
Have:
Early Learning standards birth-2d grade that have been
refined to fully mesh with 3rd grade standards in response to the
alignment study we commissioned.
Program quality standards.
Early childhood professional standards.
Early childhood career lattice.
Professional development, technical assistance, and higher
education assistance for building staff and program capacity.
Working on:
Smooth transfer of college credit for practitioners from
2- to 4-year institutions, and across 4-year institutions of higher
learning.
Strengthening Families/Preventing Child Abuse
implementation.
Practices to support administrators and teachers in
responding to the diverse needs of young learners.
Integrating early childhood education into Pennsylvania's
K-12 Standards Aligned System.
Financing
Have:
New funding streams to fill some gaps in building ECE
system.
Strong connections between financing, standards and
accountability.
Help for providers to combine funds from different funding
streams.
Working on:
Help to address additional ``gaps'' in financing to reach
children and to provide sufficient resources.
Parents: Engagement and Outreach
Have:
Counseling: face to face, phone, computer search.
Parent Advisory Council for input and advice.
OCDEL wide parent survey for parents in all OCDEL programs
on satisfaction and ideas for improvement.
``Tip sheets''.
Advocacy training for parents.
Working on:
On-line search for all early childhood programs.
More parent engagement in public policy and outreach.
Partnerships: Engagement and Outreach
Strong commitment to leadership at all levels:
Governor's Early Learning Council.
Governor's Early Learning Investment Commission (CEO
group).
Public awareness campaign on value of quality early
education.
Engaging leaders and communities to become children's
champions.
Strong partnerships with foundations/philanthropy.
Research and data to inform public policy and outreach.
Unified messaging and framework for all to use.
Senator Casey. Todd, thank you very much.
I want to thank all of our witnesses. We've got about 20
minutes for a discussion and some questions. But, I did want to
highlight a couple of points before we get to questions.
First of all, the reason we have field hearings like this
is to inform and, I think, amplify the record on these issues
for when we debate them in Washington. And in this case we're
talking about the reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, which a lot of people know by the
popular name No Child Left Behind. All kinds of debates about
what should change on No Child Left Behind. I'm sure if we went
to every chair in this room, and every space in this room,
someone would have an opinion about what to do. But, suffice it
to say that this is not a hearing for our committee that is
just to throw out theories. We have, as you've heard, a lot of
very compelling evidence, either by way or research and data or
real life experience here in Morrisville and places across the
State, where this is working. And we know it's necessary.
One of the basic reasons to have a hearing like this--and
by the way, it's rare that we have these hearings. We don't
have many of these in the States, because we tend to be in
Washington more. We're doing hearings there and we have the
opportunity to do hearings in the State.
I want you to know also that, as we work on this
reauthorization, despite what you've read and seen on
healthcare, where there's a real partisan and party divide, I
really believe, on a lot of this work, there's going to be
bipartisanship. We hope there's substantial bipartisanship when
it comes to early education, because it's critically important.
This should not be a Democratic or Republican issue only. It
should be a bipartisan issue, and I think it will.
I think we're seeing evidence already--or, I should say,
``good examples'' of bipartisanship, by way of the work of our
two chairmen. The chairman, Chairman Tom Harkin, from Iowa, who
took over for Senator Kennedy, when he passed away, and the
Ranking Member, the Republican on the committee, Mike Enzi,
from Wyoming. You have a Democrat and a Republican, who have
different philosophies, different points of view on a lot of
issues, but on this issue, about education issues in
particular, I think you're going to see some common ground.
I do not underestimate the work that it will take, however,
even with bipartisanship, even with the reauthorization, to get
done what we have to get done on early education. One of the
reasons why we've decided to push forward with this hearing is
because we not only have a reauthorization process, but I have
a bill. And, candidly, it's the best bill in the Senate on this
issue.
[Laughter.]
It's Senate bill 839. It's a bill that I introduced back in
2007 and 2008, and that Congress--as you know we have these
Congresses in 2-year increments--and then I reintroduced it in
2009 for this Congress.
It has a couple of basic elements. First of all, we want to
make sure that any early education program has a curriculum
that's research-based. We want to make sure that the best
teachers are available to those students in those environments.
We want to make sure that if a State implements a plan or a
program, that it's monitored and we see results. We're seeing
good evidence of that in Pennsylvania. We want to make sure
that a program like this doesn't compete with or injure or
diminish the chances for funding and continued investments in
Head Start and other early education or childcare programs. So,
we don't want to have a pre-Kindergarten program replace Head
Start. That's not what we're doing here. We want to have both.
We need both. And I think that's an important point to make. We
want to make sure that we focus in a particular way on low-
income students in those communities across the State and
across the country.
So, there are a lot of elements to that bill that I won't
go through now, but suffice it to say that we've got a
critically important opportunity here, and also, I think, an
opportunity that doesn't come along very often.
I think Joan Benso's analogy is very important, when it
comes to demonstrating that Pennsylvania led the way on
children's health insurance that then became a national
program. And it's important that we recognize how well
Pennsylvania's done in the last 7 years on these issues. We
know, from Joan's testimony and other testimony, Todd and
others, about how well Pennsylvania has done, how far it has
come. But, it cannot continue the journey substantially, cannot
complete the journey, without help from the Federal Government.
I was noting, today, some of the testimony I thought that
leaped off the page. Sometimes as important as the policy and
the data is the evidence from testimony. Melissa Bowman's
testimony, one phrase leaped off the page when I was reading
it. In the fourth paragraph of her testimony, she said, ``These
children''--the children who had benefited from a good
program--``left my class ready to be the leaders and role
models in their new kindergarten classrooms.'' Ready to be the
leaders and role models.
I think there's plenty of evidence to show that those
children will not just be the leaders and the role models for
the next grade level they go into, but, in fact, they can be--
because of a program like this--the leaders and role models for
society. And we know that from the evidence. But, we also
know--and I was looking at Joan's testimony--how challenging
this is. With all the progress that's been made, with all of
the good work and all of the investment that this State has
made, we still have a long way to go. Part of Joan's testimony
said there are about, ``295,000 3- and 4-year-olds in
Pennsylvania''--almost 300,000 kids, just 3 and 4 years old--
``Less than 18 percent of these children have access to high-
quality public-funded pre-K.'' Less than 18 percent; as she
said, one in five.
So, we know the benefits. We know how well it works. But,
we also know the shortfall. And the shortfall--the gap in
funding is commensurate with the gap in achievement. And that's
why the Federal Government has to ramp this up and get directly
involved in a way that we've never done before.
Now, my original version of the bill, 2 years ago, had
funding levels starting at $5 billion, going to $6 billion the
second year, going to $7 billion the third year, and all the
way up to a $9-billion funding level in year 5. I would like to
be able to say my current version of the bill has that; it
doesn't, for a very basic reason. We want to be realistic about
the numbers in the funding, but we also don't want to
shortchange or diminish or scale back our horizons. We have to
do this. And we have to fund it.
The money question, the funding question, will be debated;
whether it's a billion dollars or it's some number higher than
that, we won't know for sure anytime soon. But we have to make
sure that we're committed to doing this as a nation, for a lot
of reasons.
I was reading some testimony from some Pennsylvanians who
sent in letters, and I won't give away identities here, but
this is from central Pennsylvania, where a parent writes about
their son--or one parent, I should say, writes about their son,
that, ``This particular program provided him with new
opportunities of learning and interaction.'' And then goes
teacher by teacher and what those instructors, those teachers
have meant to this child--and this is talking about one
teacher--``She is willing to do whatever it takes to help him
succeed. And she has displayed much patience''--and goes on
from there--``the patience and the skill and the commitment of
that teacher.''
What we've got to do is, do the same, the same commitment
that that teacher brings to that child, doing whatever it
takes. That's the kind of commitment that we need here.
So, I wanted to ask a couple of questions. And the panel
and the witnesses certainly can amplify on what I say, and ask
their own questions. And maybe even, if we have a chance, some
from the audience.
But, I guess I wanted to get a sense of--maybe starting
with Dr. Yonson and Ms. Fina--when it comes to children with
special needs, how do you compensate now for the fact that
sometimes you don't have the resources that you need? And how
do you think that would work, in terms of just getting from
here to there, getting from a point where you don't have enough
of the resources now, to where you'd like to be, with a full
commitment to early education, especially for children that
have special needs? Could you talk to that--speak to that?
Ms. Yonson. Well as you had--as all of the panelists
indicated, this pre-K is funded because we have money from the
State through Pre-K Counts. And Mrs. Bowman also told you that
she is now in kindergarten because the State had not passed
their budget, which meant that perhaps we would not have a pre-
Kindergarten program. We do not have money in our budget to
have that pre-Kindergarten program.
I did a lot of writing to our legislators, and phone calls,
to ensure that that would have been included in the budget.
But, if we had not, we would not have had a pre-K program this
year. And those children, the successes that you have seen,
that I talked about, that my teachers shared with me, they just
would not have been able to be realized in the future, because
this class would not have been. Luckily, the State came through
with the money for pre-K, and so we were able to continue. But,
again, we only have so--there's so many more children that we
could serve if there was more money available.
So, we do the best with what we have right now. Our
teachers are excellent. They do a wonderful job. But, again,
there's only so much in the pot. Now, if the children have not
had a pre-quality experience and they come to us in
kindergarten we identify those children who have special needs.
And maybe it's not in kindergarten, it might be in first grade.
But, the longer it takes to identify, the harder it is to bring
the children up to that level playing field.
So, I think that it really is critical to continue pre-K.
You might--I'm sure you do realize, Senator Casey, that, in
Pennsylvania, kindergarten is not mandated. We do not--luckily,
every single school district has it, but it is not something,
in school code, that we must have a kindergarten. And so, here
we're asking the State, and now the Federal Government, to
assist us, because we know that, as another witness--I think,
was Mrs. Fina--had said, ``90 percent of a child's brain is
formed by the time they're 5 years old.'' So, if we don't reach
them early, we're way behind the eight ball. Way behind.
Ms. Fina. Senator Casey, we have a wonderful relationship
with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. We have children who
were identified before they came to us and children who have
been identified in our program. And I believe we have
therapists that come, probably 4 days a week, who spend time in
our Pre-K Counts classroom. It has been enormously wonderful,
this relationship. And I'm looking right at our IU people,
right there. We have children that we need to identify. We give
the parents the number, the parents call, the IU comes out.
Senator Casey. Well, it's so important to be able to form
those partnerships. And I have to say that the same kind of
spirit, I think, has infused the partnerships that we've seen
across the State. Joan Benso and I were recalling a decade ago,
when this became more than just an issue for educators and for
child advocates, it became an issue for the Pennsylvania
Business Roundtable. You know, those CEOs of big companies, who
are usually talking about taxes and regulation, and taxes and
regulation, and taxes and regulation--that's all they,
sometimes, focus on--were finally talking about investments in
early learning, in terms of developing a stronger and more
skilled workforce to be able to compete with countries around
the world. So, we've gotten strong partnerships from the
business community, working with Governor Rendell and his team,
working with educators and child advocates across the State.
I want to ask Joan and Dr. Ackerman, and Todd--any other
points on the research that you didn't have a chance to make,
or that would provide additional evidence for why we need to
move forward with a Federal commitment here.
Ms. Ackerman. The only thing I would add is that, while the
field does not yet have a precise input formula, in terms of,
``If you do this, this, this, and this for this group of
children, you're guaranteed this particular outcome,'' that
there are no studies to suggest that, by using teachers that
only have a high school degree, or not using a research-based
curriculum, or not aligning your practice with early learning
standards--no study demonstrates that, if you don't do those
things, you're going to get those outcomes. So, for me, my
final takeaway message would be to really focus on the quality
of the program, in terms of all the things that were mentioned
here today: teacher credentials, class size, sufficient funding
so that a room can be equipped properly, access to support
professionals, particularly for children with special needs,
ongoing support and supervision for teachers, alignment with
early learning standards, and very high program standards, as
well.
Ms. Benso. I think, Senator, that there's--in this really
difficult economy that, you know, our communities and our State
and our Nation are facing--I think, well-intentioned
policymakers sometimes approach these matters by saying,
``Well, let's cast the net really wide,'' and we end up going
an inch deep, as opposed to going deep for fewer children. And
I think the literature is extremely clear in early education,
much more so than many other interventions for kids, because
some of the research Dr. Ackerman spoke about today, she and
her colleagues have been studying for more than 30 years. They
didn't decide it last week.
I think what's most important is that, if we are going to
use the taxpayers' dollars in this most difficult economic
time, that we buy what works. And we know what works. So, to
advance additional State funding or Federal funding without
rigorous program guidelines is fool-hearted, and it's a waste
of the taxpayers' money. And to back pedal where we have
already strong State program guidelines, and in some areas
strong Federal guidelines, would be the same.
So, I think the single most important thing I would like to
see you continue to have leadership on is that, exactly as Dr.
Ackerman said, quality matters. You know, it may take us 10
years or 20 more years so all preschoolers in Pennsylvania and
in America benefit from a high-quality program, but giving more
preschoolers a poor-quality program is not going to get us much
of anything. So, deep. Go deep.
Senator Casey. So, we'll make sure we have the adjective
before pre-K, quality or high quality.
Ms. Benso. Right. Right, high quality. And, you know, my
flip humor--you know me too well--is, let's just not do pre-K
light, because pre-K light's not going to work. And it may make
us feel good to deal with how few children we're able to serve
now, but in the long run it's a much more prudent investment of
our taxpayers' hard-earned dollars to invest in very high-
quality programs and get results.
Ms. Ackerman. May I add one more thing?
Senator Casey. Sure.
Ms. Ackerman. One thing that I would add, as well, is that
I am not at all saying that pre-K should only take place in
public schools. In fact, in New Jersey, which has an extremely
high-quality program, 65 percent of the slots are in private
providers and Head Start sites. But, the bottom line with that
is, you need to hold all programs to the same exact high
standards and provide the support for teachers in those other
settings to improve their credentials and improve the program
quality.
Ms. Benso. And for Dr. Ackerman's benefit and the
communities' benefit, that's exactly what we're doing in
Pennsylvania. What, Todd, almost 70 percent of our program
slots in pre-K are in community-based providers.
Senator Casey. Todd, do you have anything to say?
Mr. Klunk. I'd just like to add another group--or another
angle of early childhood that's taken off lately is called
``Mission: Readiness,'' and talk about that for a second. And
it might resonate with some Members of Congress that they're
actually now----
Senator Casey. You said ``Mission: Readiness.''
Mr. Klunk. ``Mission: Readiness.''
Senator Casey. OK.
Mr. Klunk. So, there's some retired generals from the
Military who are making the stance that it's a national
security issue, that 25 percent of our high school graduates
are not eligible to enter the armed services. And that's for a
variety of reasons, but--you know, they could be overweight,
they could have a criminal record, but many of them lack just
the preparedness that our military now requires.
So, I throw that out there, as well, that it could be a
national security issue, as well.
Senator Casey. Well, thank you very much.
I know we're almost out of time. I was going to do
something that never happens in Washington--you can't tell
anyone I did this--but we might have time for one question from
the audience. Anybody? Anybody who wants to ask a question? No
hands are going up.
Ma'am, right here.
Voice. What are the biggest obstacles that you would face
now, as a Senator, in trying to get--I think you said $9-
billion funding?
Senator Casey. Yes. I think--funding is one big obstacle,
for sure, when you have the kind of fiscal situation we have.
Obviously, in Washington, budget balancing isn't always the
order of the day, and we now are in a position of deficits--
substantial deficits. So, it gets harder and harder to fund a
program that would be a new commitment, and that makes it a
challenge.
The kind of year we're in, where you see the Congress
struggling with healthcare, which is finally passed, but--you
have a tough economy, where you have to continue to legislate
on jobs and moving forward. I was noting that, here in Bucks
County, the most recent job number, 8.1 percent unemployed,
28,600 people. That's a lot of people unemployed, even though
the rate might seem a little lower than parts of the country;
the rest of the country's about 9.7. The State is about 8.9, so
Bucks County is a little lower than those numbers. But, having
almost 29,000 people out of work is a compelling reason to keep
our eye on job-creation strategies.
So, you have a number of major initiatives that are making
it difficult for us to spend the kind of time we need to spend
on this reauthorization process. So, that obviously is another
challenge.
But, I think it's mostly a question of funding. I think the
commitment is there, even if Democrats and Republicans would
disagree on the extent of commitment to early education, I
think there's a pretty broad bipartisan belief that we ought to
make these investments in early learning, because a lot of
those CEOs are telling us, ``Invest in early learning and you
get a better GNP. Invest in early learning, you get a better
workforce, you get a better economy.'' The folks saying that
aren't all Democrats. There are a lot of Republican CEOs who
believe that, as well. But, I think it's mostly a funding
question, in terms of an impediment or a challenge, as well as
the kind of year we're in, in a tough economy, with other
issues making it difficult to legislate.
Well, with that, I know we've got to go, but maybe we can
take some questions on the way out, because I know the hour is
coming.
Thank you very much for everyone, not only your presence
here, but for changing the time by half an hour to make a
change in my schedule. Thanks very much, everyone.
This hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:58 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]