5 Major Wins That Belie a Very Rough Year

It has been a rough year. Political dysfunction in Washington and Harrisburg has lowered our expectations of our political leaders and our government. But PCCY is raising the bar for children and in very important ways we are winning!

By helping to spread the word about actions to take or petitions to sign, sharing our social media posts, you’ve helped us make a difference. But it’s only with your financial support that we will be able to continue to make progress like this:

Lots more children in pre-K –PCCY led successful local and state-level campaigns to dedicate more funding for pre-K. As a result, 5,000 more children are enrolled in great pre-K programs that will prepare them for school success.

State cuts to schools were restored – It took years of perseverance but this year we finally marked the restoration of the $1 billion Corbett cut to schools. Finally, our schools were made whole in the new state budget, but they are still far short what is needed for student success.

Thousands of children are healthier – 1,200 children can see better, literally, through our one-of-a-kind day of service with major eye care providers. Another 800 children turned to PCCY and we helped them get health insurance coverage, and 600 more children are smiling proudly due to PCCY’s network of generous dentists.

Arts are back in the schools – Since 2002, PCCY’s Picasso Project has invested $700,000 in arts instruction to needy schools. These grants intentionally demonstrate that by tapping students’ creativity a school can thrive. The Philadelphia School District’s new commitment to put an art or music teacher in every school is clear evidence that our strategy is working. PCCY’s drumbeat must continue to remind us of how much more must be done.

Better places for kids to play and learn — PCCY asked candidate for Mayor Jim Kenney to promise to rebuild the recreation centers. He said yes! Then we rallied public support for the funds to make that possible and won that battle too.

We are buoyed by our wins, but remain laser-focused on the landmines ahead. Congress has failed to keep the CHIP program operating and as a result, the health care of more than 177,000 Pennsylvania children is at risk. Millions in budget cuts that will fall the heaviest on the poorest families will be inevitable, should the President’s tax plan become law.

If these threats come to pass, it won’t be good news and it won’t be fake news, as the consequences for the next generation will be all too real. PCCY will continue to raise the bar for children, but only with your generous support will we be able to clear it.

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