State of the State: Early Learning in Pennsylvania Today

1. Building Our Worlds: Creating a System for Effective Family Engagement State of the State:Early Learning in Pennsylvania Today Barbara Minzenberg, Ph.D. Deputy Secretary Office of Child Development and Early Learning

2. Helping children be safe and healthy

3. Children making progress, entering Kindergarten ready to succeed

4. Children succeeding in kindergarten and beyond Nearly half (42%) of children in Pottstown SD live in economically at-risk families earning up to 300% of poverty.

5. 2012-13 2011-12 Approximately 83% of children in Erie SD live in economically at-risk families earning up to 300% of poverty.

6. 76% of children under age five in Philadelphia live in families earning up to 300% of poverty.

7. Rising STARS initiative • Restructured grants and awards (July 2012) • Increased subsidy add-on rates (January & August 2013) • STARS mentoring (October 2013) • Tuition Assistance Program (October 2013)

8. Promoting STEM skills in early childhood

9. Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant

10. Purpose • Enhance quality early learning practices • Increase access to quality early childhood education • Focus on at-risk children

11. Early Childhood Education Community Innovation Zone GrantsTargeting supports for at-risk communities

12. Pennsylvania’s Kindergarten Entry InventoryUnderstanding children’s proficiency when they enter kindergarten to better support their academic success

13. Measuring Outcomes and Progress Embracing accountability for results

14. Governor’s Institutes for Educators Pre-K to Grade 3Promoting P-3 alignment

15. Governor’s Budget Proposal for 2014-15 • Total Budget Amount $29.4 billion • 3.3% increase

16. Governor’s Budget Proposal for 2014-15 • Serve additional families in Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts – Expanding services to reach approximately 13,697 children in full- and half-day slots, an addition of 1,670 children, with another 2,000 slots for Summer Kindergarten Readiness Programs. • Sustain services for children in Head Start Supplemental – Sustaining services to reach 5,590 children, 808 of these slots are for Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program.

17. Governor’s Budget Proposal for 2014-15Serve additional families in: • Child Care Certification – 22 additional child care certification licensing staff • Child Care Works Subsidized Child Care Program – Expanding services to 119,650 children (monthly average), removing approximately 2,895 children from low-income waiting list. • Early Intervention – Expanding to reach 90,144 children (37,800 infants and toddlers and 52,344 preschoolers) by adding 1,500 preschoolers.

18. Governor’s Budget Proposal for 2014-15 Sustain services for children in: • Keystone STARS – • Sustaining investment in Rising STARS initiative, making it possible for programs to achieve higher STAR levelsand serve more at-risk children. • Expectation to expand Keystone STARS to all regulated child care programs as part of Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Grant

19. Governor’s Budget Proposal for 2014-15 Sustain services for children in: • Nurse-Family Partnership – Sustaining to reach 9,870 children and families.* • Parent-Child Home Program – Sustaining services to reach approximately 200 children and families. *Additional children served through federal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visitation (MIECHV) funding

20. Proposed “Ready to Learn” block grant • Pre-k to grade three curriculum alignment • Training to support early literacy and STEM • Pre-k to Grade 3 extended day learning opportunities • Pre-kindergarten • Full-day kindergarten

21. Thank you!