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PPC Releases New Pre-K for PA Report

High-quality, publicly funded pre-k is necessary for preparing our 3- and 4-year-olds to enter kindergarten ready to learn. However, 101,500 children eligible for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity remain unserved. 

The Road to Success Includes High-Quality Pre-K shows Pennsylvania falls in the middle of the pack when looking at a per capita ranking of states with similar quality pre-k programs, ranking 14th out of 27 states. Pennsylvania's per capita spending is $1,103, far less than neighboring New Jersey—which is ranked 1st—and spends nearly $4,000 per capita on high-quality pre-k education.

Along with our campaign partners in the Pre-K for PA campaign, we're calling on policymakers to make an increase of $70 million for Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program in the 2022-23 state budget. Continued investments in high-quality pre-k are essential to ensuring more eligible children are enrolled before beginning their kindergarten year.

Pre-K Fact Sheets & Mapping Available  

Each year we create interactive maps for the Pre-K for PA campaign, and the 2022 maps and fact sheets are now available. 

The maps allow users to see various data points around pre-k, including unmet need and locations of high-quality providers, including the number of children served in the subsidy program or the capacity of providers in the state to meet high-quality standards. After completing your search, you can print fact sheets by county, legislative district, and school district.

Renewal of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

The COVID-19 federal Public Health Emergency is once again extended for another 90 days starting on April 16^th, taking it through July 15^th. Since the Biden Administration intends to provide a 60-day warning before the PHE ends, our next "watch" date is May 16^th. If they do not signal an end of the PHE coming by that date, we will likely see another renewal announcement in July. The PHE renewals are only permitted to be extended for 90 days at a time.

When the PHE ends, so will the continuous coverage in Medicaid for enrollees, including children and their families, provided throughout the pandemic. PPC keeps a close eye on the federal PHE as each state must undertake an unwinding process. And if not done with deliberation and a long enough runway, children are at risk of losing access to health insurance. Look for future updates as we learn more about the state’s plans for the unwinding process. 

House Convenes in Final Session Week Before Primary Election

This week the state House is in session for the final time for either chamber before the upcoming primary election next month—both will reconvene the week of May 23^rd.

This week, various committees considered legislation, including the House Education and Children and Youth Committees.

The Education Committee considered a trio of bills sponsored by Rep. Kaufer focused on mental health in school settings - HBs 2022, 2023, and 2024. HB 2022 would allow for a pilot grant program for school entities to place a behavioral health representative in a facility, while HB 2023 would allow schools to develop an age-appropriate behavioral health education program and incorporate it into existing curriculum for students in grades K-12 for the 2022-23 school year. HB 2024 calls for the State Board of Education to conduct a study on mental health instruction in all school entities. The bills passed out of committee and head to the full House for consideration.

The Children and Youth Committee reported out HB 2426 (Hickernell), which moves the stand-alone Resource Family Act passed in 2005 into Title 67 of the Human Services Code, thereby prompting DHS to promulgate compliance regulations. HB 1155 (Jozwiak) amends the Human Services Code to exempt public municipal preschool recreation programs from the definition of a child care center. The bill stems from constituent feedback that municipal summer programs had to go through the licensing process for child care facilities. It was amended before being reported from committee.

Come late May and looking to regular session weeks scheduled in June, PPC’s focus will be securing key investments for children and families before the state budget is finalized by the June 30^th deadline.

Voter Registration Deadline Approaching

The primary election is less than a month away we want to make sure you're prepared. Up-to-date voter registration is the first step in getting ready to vote on May 17^th, and the deadline to register or update your registration is coming up. The last day to update your registration is May 2^nd. You should update your registration if you have moved, changed your name, or would like to change political party. Your registered political party is important, as Pennsylvania is a closed primary state—meaning that in the primary election, you can only vote for candidates in the party for which you are registered.

Primary cates to remember:

• May 2nd—voter registration deadline
• May 10th—mail-in ballot or absentee ballot application deadline
• May 17th—primary election day (polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm, and all vote-by-mail and absentee ballots must be received by 8 pm)

In Case You Missed It...

• The Pennsylvania School Boards Association and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators released the 2022 State of Education Report covering public schools' biggest challenges during the pandemic, including staffing shortages, charter school payments, and parental perception.
• The Child Welfare Information Gateway released a new brief, Child Welfare Practices to Address Racial Disproportionality and Disparity. The brief outlines how caseworkers, administrators, and agencies can utilize strategies to create more equity in the system.
• PDE and OCDEL announced a Request for Application for the Pre-K Counts Program to support providers enrolling and serving children in September 2022. Letters of Intent must be submitted by 3 pm on May 11^th. Any additional funding secured during the FY 2022-23 budget process will be included in the RFA process.
• Changes continue in the Wolf Administration, with Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter and Secretary of Education Noe Ortega announcing their departures. Klinepeter will be succeeded by current Physician General Denise Johnson, while Ortega will be replaced by Eric Hagarty, currently a deputy chief of staff in the governor’s office.
• Read the latest blogs from our partners at the Georgetown Center for Children and Families related to the impending end of the public health emergency. Tricia Brooks writes about the importance of monitoring call center data in Call Center Statistics: The Canary in the Coalmine when the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Protection is Lifted and Aubrianna Osario discusses enrollment trends for kids in the health insurance marketplace in More Children Enrolled in ACA Marketplace Coverage in 2022, But Marketplaces Still Remain Modest Source of Health Coverage for Children.
• The U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services and the Office of Head Start released an information memorandum giving Head Start and Early Head Start the ability to include SNAP enrollment as an eligibility category for families to participate in the program. The National Head Start Association has been advocating for this change and released a statement in response to the expanded eligibility for food insecure children.