Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance Programs: Access, Quality, and Workforce
The next step in the academic continuum for children is access to high-quality pre-k programs to build upon the skills learned in high-quality child care to prepare Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds to enter kindergarten with the skills needed to succeed. While the benefits of accessing a high- quality pre-k system are substantial for children, far too many children do not have access in Pennsylvania. Access to Pre-K Programs in Pennsylvania Across the commonwealth, roughly 282,000 children ages 3-4 years are getting ready to enter kindergarten. A little over 153,000 of those children are eligible to participate in high-quality, publicly funded pre-k. Yet less than half, only 43%, of eligible children can attend a high-quality program. Over 87,000 income-eligible children cannot access a high-quality pre-k program, leaving many Pennsylvania children and families with a missed opportunity to prepare for grade school—the state needs an additional 4,364 classrooms to serve the remaining eligible children. And those additional classrooms only account for the 3- and 4-year-olds eligible based on the criteria mentioned earlier. If the state wants to provide high-quality pre-k for all 3- and 4-year-olds across Pennsylvania, an additional 6,451 classrooms are needed. 53 This lack of access can place some children behind their peers, with the challenge of catching up once they enter the K-12 system. Further, expanding access to high-quality pre-k provides a more equitable opportunity for early learning. In a recent report that looked at the Pre-K Counts and Child Care Works programs, researchers at Penn State University found white preschoolers accounted for the majority
of program participants in Pre-K Counts, and white children were increasingly more likely to be enrolled in a high-quality pre-k program compared to Black children. 54 Recommendations from the report specifically called for Pennsylvania to increase funding for pre-k access and to serve more Black children from urban and high-poverty communities. 55 And, as mentioned, while research has shown that all children benefit from pre-k, the impacts are much more significant for children at risk of falling behind due to economic and social factors. 56 In March 2023, only 23% of all children
Pre-K Counts and Head Start supplemental enrollment by race, March 2023
<1%
23%
41%
4%
20%
<1%
12%
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic Asian
Non-Hispanic Black
Other/Unknown
Non-Hospanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Hispanic or Latinx
Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaskan Native
Hispanic includes 42% other, 34% white, 13% unknown, 9% black, <1% American Indian or Alaskan Native, <1% Asian and <1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander.
August 2023
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