Muy pocos niños tienen acceso a programas de educación infantil de alta calidad
PHILADELPHIA (February, 12th, 2013) – PCCY’s latest report “The Bottom Line is children: Early Care and Education in Delaware County” finds that because of a lack of state investment, only 37 percent of low-and-moderate income children have access to high quality early learning programs. About 8,500 additional seats are needed to fill the gap.
El informe también señala:
- Of all licensed programs, less than 15% are rated as high quality.
- The number of high quality child care seats has tripled since 2008
- These high quality programs can serve only 4% of al young children under five.
- Más de dos tercios de todas las familias con niños tienen a ambos padres en la fuerza laboral, mientras que un tercio de las familias trabajadoras reciben ayuda para pagar el cuidado infantil.
Las investigaciones muestran que los niños de bajos ingresos y clase media que participan en programas de educación infantil de alta calidad tienen más probabilidades de graduarse de la escuela secundaria y obtener trabajos bien remunerados.
“High quality early learning programs go a long way in ensuring all children are ready to succeed in life. Delaware County has taken a huge step forward in this regard by nearly tripling the number of high quality seats in private care programs,” said Shawn Towey, Child Care Policy Coordinator for PCCY. “Unfortunately, even with those gains, only four percent of Delaware County children under five would be able to enroll in a high quality private program.”
State budget cuts have made it difficult for a majority of low-and-moderate to enroll their children in high quality programs. PCCY’s report finds that due to state budget cuts since 2010, 356 fewer children from working families can be enrolled in subsidized care. That’s a nine percent reduction in access. Today, only an estimated four in ten eligible families are receiving any financial assistance in meeting the high cost of child care, down dramatically from five years ago when two-thirds of eligible families were able to get financial assistance.
“Delaware County effectively uses the resources available to us in order to provide high quality early education for our children,” said Dr. Lawrence O’Shea, Executive Director of the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. “There is a need, however, to increase significantly our resources so that all children in the County have access to high quality preschool services.”
For Delaware County families who are not eligible for child care subsidy, the costs associated with child care can make up a considerable amount of the family budget. The median cost of child care for a typical family of four with two young children is $22,100. A high quality center can cost significantly more. The median cost of care is similar across southeastern Pennsylvania, but there are more children growing up in poverty and near-poverty in Delaware County than the other suburban counties.
“All children should have the opportunity to enroll in high quali ty early care programs,” said Doreen Yeremian, Director of Delco Early Learning Centers. “Failing to properly invest in these programs sends a negative message to parents and their children.”
Due to limited investment, the number of available seats in Pennsylvania’s Pre -K Counts program has not been able to keep up with the demand. More than half of Delaware County pre-school children are eligible for Pre-K Counts; however there are only 349 seats for the entire county this year, leaving more than 7,000 eligible children unable to enroll.
“We have a growing need here in Delaware County for more seats in high quality early learning programs,” said Joseph Flynn, Director of Head Start, Family Services and Pre-K Counts for the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. “For those of us who are life-long County residents and have reaped the benefits of the opportunities that exist here, it’s time to consider what our children will inherit. Strong communities require strong schools.
Thoughtful investment of resources to expand greater educational opportunities for families of preschool children is a meaningful step forward in preserving a better quality of life for all county residents.”
To improve early care and education for Delaware County children, PCCY recommends County leaders:
- Apoye la campaña Pre-K for PA con el objetivo final de proporcionar un preescolar de alta calidad para cada niño de 3 y 4 años en Pennsylvania.
- Cree una campaña en todo el condado para mejorar la calidad del programa que ayude a los proveedores a cubrir los costos únicos y a largo plazo de las mejoras de calidad.
- Brindar incentivos a los colegios comunitarios y otros programas para impulsar las ofertas para los adultos que trabajan en campos de atención infantil para mejorar la calidad.
- Crear un fondo común de subvenciones / préstamos a partir de los recursos de desarrollo económico del condado para ayudar a las instalaciones de cuidado infantil con gastos de capital para ayudarles a mejorar la calidad de los servicios para los niños.
- Forjar una sociedad con otros condados para abogar por que el estado aumente el subsidio de cuidado infantil para todas las familias trabajadoras elegibles y reduzca los tiempos de espera a 30 días o menos.
PCCY’s report, “The Bottom Line is Children: Early Care and Education in Delaware County,” is the final report in a four-part series looking at issues affecting children in each of Philadelphia’s suburban counties. PCCY’s previous reports on education, family economic security, and child health can be viewed at
www.childrenfirstpa.org/bottomlinecountyreports