Keystone Today

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) visited Community Services for Children’s Learning Hub in Allentown recently to highlight the $30 million increase in state funding, which will enable children to attend a quality pre-K program, according to the Official Pennsylvania Government Website.

Meanwhile, $655 million in federal funding has helped stabilize child care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing parents to return to work.

“Studies show that children who learn in high-quality pre-K programs perform better in school and are more likely to graduate,” Wolf said, according to the Official Pennsylvania Government Website. “We know that early-childhood learning programs are good for children, especially those affected by socioeconomic risk factors, but they’re also good for families and our economy, too. Parents and caregivers rely on affordable, accessible child care to go to work every day. When we ensure high-quality learning programs are available for children, we are making an economic investment (in) our communities."

Increasing education funding has been a priority since Wolf took office. He increased funding for Pre-K Counts by 149% and for Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program by 77%.  The $25 million increase in pre-K funding helps serve an additional 2,900 children, while the added $5 million in Head Start funding benefits 300 more children and their families.