Office of Child Development and Early Learning

1. Office of Child Developmentand Early Learning Because every child is Pennsylvania’s future

2. Where We Stand “Out of the 30 countries taking part in the 2003 Program for International Student Assessment, the average score of US students was only higher than students in five other countries.” Source: Education Week, “Losing Global Ground,” January 2007 “China produced nearly 3 times more engineering and computer science graduates than the U.S. in 2004.” Source: Duke University “There were 540,382 public school students who dropped out of grades 9–12 in school year 2004–05 in the 50 states.” Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences

3. Mathematics Literacy Scores

4. Science Literacy Scores

5. Problem Solving Scores

6. Things must change “The growth in the quality of the workforce, which was a mainstay of economic growth until recently, has diminished. This trend must change or America’s economy will be undermined,” James Heckman, University of Chicago, press release, 11/15/06

7. Early Childhood Education = Future Economic Success • “The skills employers look for in quality employees, such as being team-oriented, literate and numerate, are capacities that are essentially shaped by age five. • A child’s early years provide a small window of opportunity for development. Once that window closes, it is much more difficult for children who are behind in their development to catch up.” • Robert Dugger, Tudor Investment Corporation Managing Director and co-founder of the Partnership for America’s Economic Success

8. Six out of 10 Pennsylvania 11th graders fail state science test • “We are sending the large majority of our students to college or into the workforce without the tools to compete in our science-rich world. This is further evidence that local high school graduation requirements and local assessments, which are currently under the control of school boards, are not ensuring that our graduates are ready for college or careers.” • State Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak in a press release about the test results.

9. Why quality early learning matters: A snapshot of PA • In 2008: • Nearly 20% of 3rd graders not proficient in math (More than 44% of 11th graders not proficient). • More than 23% of 3rd graders not proficient in reading (Over 35% of 11th graders not proficient). • Children in nearly 70% of Pennsylvania’s counties are at moderate-high to high risk of school failure. • Approximately 20% of high school students fail to graduate.

10. Investment in Pre-K Reduces Special Education Needs • Over 270,000children in K-12 require special education services in 2005-2006. • Pennsylvania investment in quality pre-k programs could save Pennsylvania $100 million in special education costs. • The cost-savings study, initiated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, concluded that if pre-kindergarten was made available to all children, approximately 76,000 - or 50 percent - would participate, ultimately reducing the number of students requiring special education services by 2,380 and saving Pennsylvania taxpayers $102 million. • "For every $1 invested [in pre-k], 16-31 cents will be saved elsewhere in the school system." • “The Cost Savings to Special Education from Pre-Schooling in Pennsylvania," October 2005, the Pennsylvania Build Initiative http://www.pde.state.pa.us/early_childhood/lib/early_childhood/BELFIELD_PA_REPORT_FINAL.Oct05.pdf

11. Snapshot of PA’s investment in early educationBirth to Five • Pennsylvania falls around the middle among U.S. states in investment in a quality early education system. • About 38% of Pennsylvania’s children birth to age five are participating in publicly-funded early education.

12. Snapshot of PA’s investment in early educationThree to Five • More children*, in high quality programs overall: • 2002-2003: 18% • 2005-2006: 25% • 2006-2007: 28% • 2007-2008: 35% *based on the percentage of 3 and 4 year olds with access to Head Start, STAR 3 & 4 programs, Preschool Early Intervention and state-funded pre-k.

13. Benefits of quality early learning • Quality early learning: • Promotes positive brain development; • Promotes school readiness; • Strengthens families; • Supports today’s workforce; • Prepares today’s children for tomorrow’s competitive workforce; • Saves tax dollars; and • Contributes to long-term economic growth.

15. Quality early learning promotes positive brain development • "The brain undergoes its most rapid development in the first three years of life, and in this development the environment plays a central role. Nerve connections that are associated with specific skills such as language are developed during this critical period." • American Academy of Pediatrics

16. Neglect hurts brain development • “The systems in the human brain that allow us to form and maintain emotional relationships develop during infancy and the first years of life… with severe emotional neglect in early childhood the impact can be devastating.” • Perry, B.D. (2002) Bonding and attachment in maltreated children: consequences of emotional neglect in childhood. Child Trauma Academy Press, 3, 1-30.

17. The impact of neglect on brain development

18. How many words does a child hear? • The average 4-year old hears how many spoken words?

19. Quality Early Learning promotes school readiness • Pre-K Counts Public-Private Partnership – Child Outcomes, Interim Report 2005-2007 • Pre-K Counts children, particularly those at risk of school failure, showed significant progress in acquiring early learning skills during their participation, particularly those who were at risk of school failure. • The total number of children with at-risk or delayed development were reduced by 50% after participation in Pre-K Counts. www.prekcounts.org

20. Impacting a child’s developmental growth through Public-Private Partnership

21. Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts – First year results (June 2008) • Nearly 70 percent of children showed age-appropriate skills and behavior after attending the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program • A 62 percent increase in the number of children showing age-appropriate positive social/emotional skills (from 4,810 children upon entry to 7,782 at end of program year). • A 58 percent increase in the number of children showing age-appropriate acquisition of knowledge and skills, including early language and literacy (from 5,039 children upon entry to 7,979 at end of program year). • A 51 percent increase in the number of children showing age-appropriate use of behaviors to meet needs (from 5,299 children upon entry to 7,979 at end of program year). • June 2008

22. Perry Preschool Project

23. Quality early learning strengthens families • “I’ve noticed that the parents of children from pre-kindergarten programs are more supportive of their children’s education. I have noticed that those parents have followed through on all work sent home this year and often went past what I asked for because they had ideas of what to do and knew that working with their child helped their child.” • Susan Straley, kindergarten teacher, Bellefonte Elementary School

24. Quality early learning strengthens families “Parents have been so impressed with what their children are learning that they are eager to join in the classroom at every opportunity. They arrive early for dismissal and readily volunteer to assist in the classroom.” Staff, Morrisville Borough School District, Bucks County

25. Strengthens families, cont’d • “High quality in-home parent coaching services that begin when the mother is pregnant, such as Pennsylvania’s Nurse Family Partnership, can cut cases of child abuse and neglect nearly in half.” • “Protect Kids: Reduce Crime: Save Money: Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect in Pennsylvania,” • Fight Crime Invest in Kids, December 2006

26. EDUCATION AND HEALTH: Percentage of the population age 25 and above who reported being in excellent or very good health, by educational attainment and family income: 2001

27. Quality early education supports Pennsylvania’s workforce – today and tomorrow • Tomorrow: • Skills needed by Employers • Higher education (Technical school/College degree) • Ability to work with others • Work hard and act responsibly to influence the future. • Take initiative and make choices • Communication Skills • Mathematical and Written Abilities • Today: • Skills learned in Pre-K • Strengthen commitment to and attitude toward school. • Social and emotional development • Understand that there are consequences to actions and be responsible for what happens. • Language Development • Math & Reading Children who have quality early education are more likely to have higher earnings.

28. The impact of accessible and reliable child care • Research has shown that families with access to child care assistance are up to 15 percent more likely to be employed, stay off welfare, and have higher earnings. • When families are not able to access child care assistance, they may go into debt, return to public assistance, choose lower quality, less stable child care, or face untenable choices in their household budgets. • Child care costs are extraordinarily high for working, low-income families - comparable with their housing costs. • Affordable and reliable child care can be the difference between self-sufficiency and improving a family’s quality of life or depending on public assistance and supports just to make ends meet.  

29. Quality early learning saves tax dollars • “Every $1 spent on high quality early education saves $7 in reduced future expenditures for special education, delinquency, crime control, welfare, and lost taxes.” • Reynolds AJ, Temple JA, Robertson DL, and EA Mann. 2002. Age 21 cost-benefit analysis of the Title I Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 24, 267-303

30. Quality early education contributes to long-term economic growth • “Children who attend quality pre-kindergarten are more likely to be employed and have higher earnings, thus positively contributing to the tax base. Annual rates of return on preschool investments are estimated at 10 percent or higher each year over the students’ lifetimes, exceeding the 6 to 7 percent average rate of return typically expected of government programs and the stock market.” • Committee for Economic Development, “The Economic Promise of Investing in High Quality Preschool,” 2006

31. Benefit Cost Analysis for Preschool Programs The Economic Promise of Investing in High Quality Preschool,” Committee for Economic Development, 2006, pp 25-26

32. Importance of public investment in quality early education • Quality early education provides public benefits: • Quality early education supports today’s workforce • Higher academic achievement; • Greater tax base; • Minimize risk factors like child abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency or criminal behavior. • Quality early education is workforce development • Early childhood education can provide a lifetime return on investment greater than the stock market. • A quality early education system cannot develop without public investment

33. “The best investment in economic development that government and the private sector can make is in the healthy development of children.” Art Rolnick, Ph.D, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

34. ANNUAL EARNINGS: Median annual earnings of full-time, full-year wage and salary workers ages 25–34, by educational attainment: 1995–2006

35. “Although education and the acquisition of skills is a lifelong process, starting early in life is crucial. Recent research 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.”Ben S. Bernanke, The Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, 2007

36. "On the margin, if we're going to invest the next dollar in education and workforce development, we're going to see the highest return if that dollar's invested before children reach kindergarten." Rob Grunewald, associate economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 2007

37. Office of Child Development and Early Learning The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) promotes opportunities for all Pennsylvania children and families by building systems and providing supports that help ensure access to high quality child and family services.

38. Creating an effective early education system

39. Standards for Programs and Practitioners • Child Care Certification • Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards • Infant/Toddler • Pre-Kindergarten • Kindergarten • 1st & 2nd Grade • Environment Rating Scales • Early Intervention Standards • Head Start Performance Standards • Keystone STARS Standards • State Board of Education Regulations • ECE Career Lattice • PA Pre-K Counts Performance Standards • Child Care Information Services Program Performance Standards

40. Support to meet and maintain standards • PA Early Learning Keys to Quality • Early Intervention Technical Assistance • Head Start Collaboration Office • Preschool Program Specialists

41. Systems Planning, Monitoring, and Accountability • OCDEL Accountability • OCDEL Finance, Administration & Planning • Uniform Provider Monitoring Tools • Provider and Practitioner Accountability • Certification • Environmental Rating Scales (ERS) assessors • Keystone STARS Designators • Preschool Program Specialists • PELICAN Data System • Early Learning Network

42. Financial Supports • Federal • State • Public-Private Partnerships

43. Engagement & Outreach • OCDEL Community Education Supports: • Early Childhood Community Engagement Groups • Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children • Early Learning Investment Commission • Early Learning Council • Early Learning Council Committees • Program Committees • Child Care Works • Full Day Kindergarten • Keystone STARS • PA Pre-K Counts • State ICC • Cross Sector Committees • Birth to Three Committee • Early Childhood Mental Health • Early Learning Career Preparation and Development • Early Learning Network • Infant Toddler Systems • Linkages and Alignment for Children’s Education • Parent Council

44. What does an effective early education system contain? • Quality program design and implementation • Accountability • Documenting positive outcomes for children • Meeting the diverse needs of families • Maximizing resources • Leadership at all levels

45. Quality program design & implementation • Teacher quality: ECE professional standards (Career Lattice, Director and School-Age credentials) • Learning environment: Program quality standards (STARS, EI, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts) • Curriculum and learning activities: Pennsylvania early education programs align with Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards (infant – 2nd grade) • Observation & Assessment of children’s progress: Certification requires child observation; Early Intervention and Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts reporting child progress

46. Accountability • OCDEL Accountability • OCDEL Finance, Administration & Planning • Bureau Monitoring Tools • Provider and Practitioner Accountability • Certification • Environmental Rating Scales (ERS) assessors • Keystone STARS Designators • Preschool Program Specialists • PELICAN Data System • Early Learning Network

47. Documenting positive outcomes for children • Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts • Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is focused on providing 3 and 4 year olds with a high quality pre-kindergarten educational experience, either for 2.5 hours or five hours a day. Approximately 11,800 children will be served in 2008-2009. • RESULTS: Ninety-four percent of Pre-K Counts children finished the school year with age-appropriate skills and behavior or emerging age-appropriate skills and behavior – a stunning success rate.

48. Documenting positive outcomes for children • Keystone STARS • Keystone STARS serves children from birth – 12 and makes it possible for child care programs to increase the quality of care and education they provide. Approximately 170,000 children will be served in 2008-2009. • RESULTS: A December 2006 study found that Keystone STARS is increasing the overall quality of child care centers, with a sharp increase in quality for participating programs. • RESULTS: In 2007-2008, nearly 20% of child care programs participating in STARS moved up at least one STAR level, increasing the quality early learning opportunities for children in their programs.

49. Documenting positive outcomes for children • Child Care Works • Keeps working families working, while making it possible for child care programs to serve children whose families could not otherwise afford care. • In 2008-2009, approximately 127,840 children will receive Child Care Works subsidy (monthly average). • RESULTS: More families receiving TANF are choosing regulated care. Thirty percent more families receiving child care assistance are choosing child care regulated by Pennsylvania’s certification bureau than last year. • RESULTS: According to national studies, families with access to child care assistance are up to 15 percent more likely to be employed, stay off welfare, and have higher earnings.

50. Documenting positive outcomes for children • Early Intervention • Early Intervention serves children from birth to age five with disabilities/ developmental delays and their families. • Approximately 32,700 infants and toddlers and 45,000 preschoolers will receive Early Intervention Services in 2008-2009. • RESULTS:Based on assessments of more than 3,000 children who entered EI after July 1, 2007 and exited prior to June 30, 2008, nearly every child (99%), showed progress during the 2007-2008 year. More than half (57%) were at age-appropriate levels at the time they left Early Intervention. • RESULTS: After four years of no increase, OCDEL has observed a 9% increase over the last two years in the number of children included in typical early childhood programs, resulting in a total of 58% of all children in Early Intervention receiving their services in these settings (e.g. child care, Head Start, preschool).