WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today reintroduced his Prepare All Kids Act (S.839) which would help all children prepare for school by providing high-quality pre-kindergarten education. A summary of the bill is attached.
“The Prepare All Kids Act will invest in the future of our children as well as in the future of our country and our economy,” said Senator Casey. “Research clearly shows that investing in children at an early age will pay dividends in terms of better performance in school and beyond as well as future cost savings to government. President Obama has made clear his commitment to early childhood education. I look forward to working with his Administration on this critical issue.”
“It is so important that we have a strong partner in the federal government in supporting early development and education from the earliest ages and we are grateful for the support of Senator Casey over many years on this issue,” said Harriet Dichter, Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning. “The Prepare All Kids Act goes a long way in striking a balance between the demands for quality, flexibility and accountability that our preschool and early childhood learning programs need for children to get the best start in life.”
“Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children applauds Sen. Casey for re-introducing his Prepare All Kids legislation. When enacted, this legislation will ensure even greater access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs for three- and four-year-old children in Pennsylvania,” said Joan L. Benso, president and CEO, PA Partnerships for Children. “This legislation underscores the importance of a strong state-federal partnership in providing high-quality early learning opportunities for children. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. Research shows that children who attend high-quality pre-K perform better on standardized tests, are less likely to repeat a grade, are more likely to graduate and earn higher wages as adults. It’s a solid investment that reaps rewards for students, schools and communities.”
The Prepare All Kids Act will assist states in providing at least one year of high quality pre-kindergarten to children. The plan calls for a new federal investment to be accompanied by matching funds from the states.
Pre-kindergarten programs will be available to all children but will be free for low income children who need it the most. The bill has a target population of children from families at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (roughly $40,000 for a family of four).
Senator Casey first introduced the Prepare All Kids Act in 2007. In March 2006, then a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Senator Casey introduced an early childhood education plan -- which his bill is based on -- in Philadelphia at a conference of the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children.
While in Pennsylvania state government, Senator Casey helped make child care more affordable. As State Auditor General, he uncovered a $400 million stockpile of child care and other funds for low-income working families.
The Prepare All Kids Act is cosponsored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Ted Kaufman (D-DE) and Mark Begich (D-AK).
The Prepare All Kids Act would:
• Provide at least one year of voluntary high quality prekindergarten, with a focus on children from low income families and children with special needs.
• Ensure high quality learning by requiring pre-kindergarten programs to utilize a research-based curriculum that supports children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development and individual learning styles.
• Ensure a high quality learning environment by limiting classroom size to a maximum of 20 children and children-to-teacher ratios to no more than 10 to 1.
• Ensure high quality teaching by requiring that pre-kindergarten teachers have bachelors’ degrees (within 6 years), with support for teacher educational development.
• Provide designated funding for much-needed programs serving infants and toddlers, ages birth through three.
• Meet the needs of children and working parents by providing specific funding that states can use to expend programs to full-day and year-round.
• Support and reinforce the importance of other early childhood programs such as Head Start and child care programs by maintaining existing funding levels for those programs.
• Ensure continued pre-kindergarten program quality by requiring states to develop and enforce a monitoring plan.
• Support the critical role of parents in the education of their young children by encouraging parental involvement in programs and assisting families in getting the supportive services they may need.
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