MAKING EVERY DOLLAR COUNT

Judging by the sticker shock many families face when enrolling their child into high-quality pre-k, you would think the best of the best providers would be rolling in the dough. Well, they’re not. In fact, they’re barely getting by according to a study released this week by the Nonprofit Finance Fund. The study also found that state subsidies for early care and education programs fall far short of covering the full cost of care.

STATE COMES UP SHORT

Educating children in their early years isn’t cheap. The study found the average cost for a year of high-quality early learning is about $12,000, but the state provides subsidy that maxes out at $9,000 for working families. Providers serving these families struggle to make up the difference through grants or by charging fees so high that parents can’t afford the cost of care.

Limited state funding for early learning also makes high-quality pre-k hard to come by. An estimated 68,000 3-and 4-year olds in Southeastern Pennsylvania do not have access to high-quality pre-k. That’s more children than all the seats in Lincoln Financial Field.

WHAT’S THE ANSWER?

The Pre-K for PA Campaign crunched the numbers and found out how much it will cost to make high-quality pre-k available for every 3-and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania. кликните сюда to read the findings.

MAKE THE CALL

Call you legislators and tell them to get back to work and pass a budget that includes $120 million for pre-k. кликните сюда to take action.