Pre-K Roundtable “just the beginning”–November 4, 2016

Pre-k Roundtable “just the beginning”

House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi, Governor Tom Wolf, Mayor Jim Kenney and State Rep. Dwight Evans, stood shoulder-to-shoulder at a press conference following a roundtable discussion on pre-k.

“What you’re seeing up here? It’s never happened before,” Evans told reporters on Monday.

Evans said such a discussion involving high level local, state and federal officials united over the need for pre-k was unprecendented and that it was “just the beginning.”

“Nothing brings more money to the treasury of a locality, state or the federal government than investing in education,” Pelosi said at the press conference.

“When somebody says we cannot spend this money in the budget because it’s going to increase the deficit, that is a false economy,” she added. An excited crowd of pre-k advocates, educators and civic leaders, including Councilwomen Cherelle Parker, Helen Gym and Councilman Mark Squilla, surrounded the roundtable panel as they discussed the challenges and solutions to get more toddlers into quality pre-k.

Governor Wolf reiterated his long-standing commitment to expanding pre-k across the state, saying his budget proposal to the legislature will include “an ambitious” pre-k plan to increase the number of affordable, high quality pre-k seats. Last year he asked the legislature for $60 million–he got half.

“Sooner or later,” Wolf said, “I think the people in Harrisburg will understand … it’s the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do, and if we don’t do it we’re going to pay for it three or four times over in incarceration.”

In addition to government officials, the panel also featured local luminaries, including: Dr. William Hite, Superintendent, Philadelphia Public Schools; Otis Bullock, Executive Director, Diversified Community Services; Jim Cawley, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey; Janet Haas, Board Chair, The William Penn Foundation; Sharmain Matlock-Turner, President & CEO, Urban Affairs Coalition; Joe Meterchick, Regional President, PNC Bank; Carol Wong, Director, Chinatown Learning Center.

(From left) State Rep. Dwight Evans, Gov. Tom Wolf, House Dem Leader Nancy Peolosi, Mayor Jim Kenney, PCCY Exec. Dir. Donna Cooper, SDP Superintendent Bill Hite.

 

One week until Picasso Project applications due!

Could your school use a $5k ARTS GRANT? The Picasso Project supports under-resourced Philly schools through vital arts education mini-grants.

PLEASE RETWEET: Picasso Deadline: Nov 11, 2016!

 

Heard at Give Kids Sight Day:

Volunteer: “Okay, now you’re going to get your eyes screened.”

Excited child: “We get ICE CREAM?!!”

Thank you to the 500 volunteers who made GKSD ’16 a huge success. We reached over 1000 kids, many of whom had no health insurance.

PHOTOS: ‘Metro: Give Kids Sight Day 2016

 

 

In Philadelphia, 130,800 children live in poverty, far exceeding the number at the start of the recession. That’s nearly the number of all the students enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia.

This week, PCCY released Left Out: Philadelphia. Read the top findings of the report. And check out the coverage of PCCY’s sold-out roundtable on child poverty.

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“Spend the money before they get to us. Isn’t America about giving people a fair shot? If we can make significant investments in kids to really give them a fair shot, why shouldn’t we do that?” John Wetzel, Secretary, PA Department of Corrections READ: Outside Prison Walls‘