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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | November 26, 2013 11:26 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator James R. Brewster |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Prepare All Kids Program |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to create the Prepare All Kids program. The measure would establish a program to ensure that eligible children have increased access to high-quality early education. The bill would create a partnership vehicle to accept federal funds from a proposal now being pursued on the federal level by Sen. Bob Casey to expand pre-Kindergarten opportunities for children. The program development on the state level is contingent on passage of the federal law. The Prepare All Kids program would use federal dollars to provide grants to enhance voluntary, high-quality full day pre-kindergarten programs. The grants will be awarded on a per-student basis and priority will be given to the approved providers who are serving children from low-income families or children with special needs. The qualified provider will use the grant to establish, expand or enhance pre-Kindergarten programs. This includes extending pre-Kindergarten programs from part-day to full-day, professional development and transportation. Under the program guidelines, the maximum number of students per class is 20, each classroom shall have one teacher and the ratio of children to pre-Kindergarten teacher and teacher aides cannot exceed ten-to-one. According to media reports, only about one in every six 3 to 4 year olds have access to quality preschool. The federal legislation noted that one study showed that prior to entering Kindergarten, the average cognitive scores for pre-school children in the highest socioeconomic group is 60 percent above scores in the lowest socioeconomic group. Thank you for your consideration. |
Introduced as SB1203