Introduction
the multi-generational benefits of early education, including stronger family units, economic self- sufficiency, and improved health outcomes. 3 Children participating in Head Start are more likely to be covered by health insurance and receive hearing and vision screenings and dental care. 4 Access to high-quality pre-k through other programs, such as Pennsylvania’s Pre-K Counts program, also yields significant benefits. A report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids found that Pre-K Counts reduced the percentage of children more likely to experience social and self-control behaviors to just 4%, down from 22% for those without access to high-quality pre-k. 5 These outcomes benefit all children, regardless of family income, indicating high-quality education systems provide an equitable starting line for children to succeed. 6 Access to a high-quality early care and education system can help reduce achievement gaps often seen between children from low- and high-income families. 7 The growth and development of young children in high-quality early care and education is the start of a continuum with benefits that last into adulthood. While the K-12 public school system builds academic skills for post-secondary success, children entering kindergarten as active and attentive learners will build the foundation for a lifetime of achievement. Providing every child—regardless of race, ethnicity, geography or income—access to high- quality early care and education programs ensures an equitable start to their academic careers, a goal Pennsylvania (and every state) should strive to achieve.
Introduction Pennsylvania’s high-quality early care and education system for children includes child care for infants and toddlers and pre-kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds. High-quality early care and education provide the foundation to ensure infants and toddlers receive the resources necessary to succeed. A coordinated system is vital to the economy, allowing parents to work while knowing their children are safe and learning in high-quality care. The science behind the first five years of life shows children’s brains develop quickly. It is the fastest period of cerebral growth at any point in development, with roughly 1 million neural connections formed every second. Early cognitive development is the basis for learning and skill development later in life, including everything from academic learning to emotion regulation and decision-making. 1 The rapid brain growth during the first few years of life underscores the need to build an early, solid foundation for future success. Research shows that access to high-quality early care and education allows children to learn positive behaviors and develop social and problem-solving skills. It also reduces their risk of criminal behavior. It saves taxpayer dollars by minimizing the need for more costly interventions in the K-12 public school system, such as grade repetition or remediation. Participation in high-quality early education also impacts children’s health, reducing heart disease, depression, substance use, and diabetes. 2 In programs like Head Start, which serves low- income children and their families, research shows
August 2023
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