ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown schools Superintendent Carol Birks said she plans to form a task force find ways to enroll more young children into early learning programs.
Birks said families are on wait lists to get into pre-kindergarten programs across the city. She wants to bring together Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk and nonprofit leaders to develop solutions.
- ASD Superintendent Carol Birks is forming a task force to increase access to pre-K programs
- There's a shortage of staff and classrooms across the state
- Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed $33 million for Pre-K Counts and Head Start in his budget proposal
“We have some of our larger providers like Community Services for Children, we also have some smaller homecare providers,” she said. “We want to make sure that the teachers and the professionals that work with them have access to some of the resources that we have.”
“Children who have the benefit of a high-quality early preschool experience enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn."Community Services for Children CEO Deidra Vachier
Community Services for Children offers Head Start and Pre-K Counts preschool programs for Allentown and other Lehigh Valley school districts. CEO Deidra Vachier says students who attend high-quality pre-K outperform those who don’t.
“Children who have the benefit of a high-quality early preschool experience enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn,” she said. “They’re able to demonstrate the aptitudes, behaviors and skills for current and future academic success.”
There’s a statewide shortage of pre-kindergarten and Head Start teachers and classrooms. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal adds $30 million in new funding for Pre-K Counts and $3 million to the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program to increase reimbursement rates. Rates for Pre-K Counts would rise by about $1,000 per child for a full-day program and $500 per child for a part-day program.
“It is hard for Pennsylvanians to get to work in the first place if they don’t have access to affordable childcare,” a news release on Shapiro’s budget proposal said. “Our economy loses nearly $3.5 billion a year because of a lack of childcare options, and that’s holding all of us back.”
Advocates say more is needed to resolve the crisis. Early Learning Pennsylvania, a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young children from birth to age five, put out a statement that said, “The administration’s $66.7 million proposal merely maintains a system already in crisis.”
It cited data that said Pennsylvania’s childcare system has a 4,000-person workforce shortfall which has resulted in more than 35,500 children sitting on wait lists.
One way the Allentown School District may help address the local shortage of seats in Pre-K classrooms is by starting its own program, which it doesn’t currently have. The district is writing a grant for the effort, which could start as a pilot in the fall.
“It’s just another thing that we would like to address and try to remove whatever barriers there may be for families in attending as many early learning opportunities as possible,” said Jen Bryant, Allentown School District’s executive director of elementary schools.
Birks said she envisions ramping up the task force this summer. The city is also offering opportunities to register kids for kindergarten. Locations include the Jackson Early Childhood Center, Central Elementary School, Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School and The Neighborhood Resource Center.
