1Designating October 2013 as "Pennsylvania's Promise for Children
2Month" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, There are approximately 730,000 children from birth
4to five years of age in Pennsylvania today; and

5WHEREAS, A young child's brain forms 700 neural synapses a
6second, and the circuits for key functions such as vision,
7hearing, language and higher cognitive function develop most in
8the first five years of life; and

9WHEREAS, The creation of these circuits is affected by a
10child's early learning environment; and

11WHEREAS, Quality early learning and child development play a
12major role in a child's future success in school and in life;
13and

14WHEREAS, Young children learn best when they have proper
15health and nutrition, a safe and stable family and home life and
16activities that stimulate creativity, curiosity and all the
17skills they will need to succeed in school and in life; and

1WHEREAS, Forty years of research show that children receiving
2high quality early education are more likely to be prepared for
3and do better in school, graduate high school, attend college or
4job training and be better prepared for a competitive work
5force; and

6WHEREAS, Talking, reading and playing with children from
7birth builds the language, math and social skills they need to
8be ready for kindergarten; and

9WHEREAS, Choosing quality early learning programs like
10Keystone STARS, Pre-K Counts, Head Start, Early Intervention,
11Nurse-Family Partnership and Parent-Child Home Program which
12partner with families and provide children with good teachers
13and learning activities sparks creativity and a love for
14learning so they can grow and develop; and

15WHEREAS, Every $1 invested in quality early education saves
16at least $7 in special education, public assistance, corrections
17and lost taxes; therefore be it

18RESOLVED, That the Senate designate October 2013 as
19"Pennsylvania's Promise for Children Month," recognizing that
20every child in Pennsylvania deserves access to quality early
21learning opportunities and that it is the responsibility of
22every citizen of this Commonwealth to help our children reach
23their promise.