State Profiles

Alabama	Arkansas	California	Connecticut
Florida	Georgia	Illinois	Iowa
Kansas	Kentucky	Louisiana	Maine
Maryland	Massachusetts	New Jersey	New Mexico
New York	North Carolina	Ohio	Oklahoma
Oregon	Pennsylvania	South Carolina	Tennessee
Texas	Vermont	Virginia	Washington
Washington DC	West Virginia	Wisconsin

2002		Pennsylvania Keystone STARS is created to recognize and enhance the quality of child care programs in the state. Resources are provided to assist programs in meeting and maintaining standards. Keystone STARS serves as a model for other states looking to adopt a quality rating system.
2004		The state legislature approves $200 million for a new Education Accountability Block Grant . Two thirds of these monies are used for early childhood initiatives such as pre-k, full-day kindergarten, and reduced class sizes. Additionally, the legislature allocates $15 million to increase enrollment and extend hours for select Head Start programs. The Office of Child Development (OCD), housed in the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, is created to manage the child care subsidy program, regulation of child care facilities, and quality assurance initiatives.  The Department of Education (DOE) administers state pre-k programs, full day kindergarten, and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.  The two governing bodies are linked through one key staff person: the deputy secretary of the OCD also serves as the policy director for the DOE.
2005		Pennsylvania legislators double the state’s investment in Head Start, bringing the total supplemental funding up to $30 million.  An estimated $10 million from ABG is used to provide pre-k. Pennsylvania Early Learning Keys to Quality is created to coordinate professional development initiatives and Keystone STARS quality improvement programs.  Regional Keys are created throughout the state to facilitate local technical assistance, professional development, and community engagement programs. Pre-K Counts, a public-private initiative, is started as a three-year pilot program to promote collaborations between school districts, Head Start, child care, and early-intervention teams, with the ultimate goal of increasing access to high-quality pre-k in diverse settings. The program uses funding from ABG, Head Start, Keystone STARS, and private sponsors and takes hold in approximately 30 communities throughout the state.
2006		ABG receives a $50 million increase for a total appropriation of $250 million, approximately $15.7 million of which is used for pre-k.  Head Start supplemental funding is increased by $10 million for a total of $40 million. The State Board of Education overhauls quality standards for all district sponsored pre-k.  Program standards now include teacher certification requirements, staff ratios, educational requirements for classroom aids, class size limits, curricular standards, and assessment mechanisms. Governor Rendell creates the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).  This new office, a joint effort on behalf of the Departments of Education and Public Welfare, incorporates the governance of state funded pre-k, Head Start, early intervention, child care, some family support services, and other critical programs related to early child development and school readiness.
2007		Governor Rendell proposes $75 million of dedicated pre-k funding within ABG.  The funding will serve an additional 11,000 three- and four-year-olds in a high-quality pre-k program that takes the name of the earlier pilot initiative called Pre-K Counts and follows its diverse delivery model. The legislature approves Rendell's full proposal.

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, under the leadership of Joan Benso, is using successful strategies from previous child health and education campaigns to provide policy, communications and mobilization support to Pre-K Today and a number of local partnerships.

Governor Ed Rendell remains a committed pre-k leader who is focused on expanding access to more chlidren. IHe increased FY07 pre-k investments by 50 percent and has recommended an even larger investment for FY08.

Harriet Dichter serves as the deputy secretary for the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, a joint initiative of the Departments of Education and Public Welfare.  Her unique position within these departments, combined with her tremendous leadership and consensus building skills, has been a critical factor in Pennsylvania’s ability to coordinate its early childhood programs.

Pre-K Today, a statewide non-partisan campaign designed to advance dedicated state financing for voluntary, high-quality pre-k. The campaign is co-chaired by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children and the United Way of Pennsylvania and includes a broad base of coalition partners, including the state child care and Head Start association, the state’s largest teacher’s union and PTA, the state and regional AEYC organization, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, and other regional child advocacy groups.

Advocates will continue to work with Governor Rendell and his administration to build partnerships inside and outside of government to ensure that pre-k is high quality and to push for increases in funding every year.

Pre-K Counts will serve as the foundation for a high-quality pre-k program in Pennsylvania.