School Readiness
The Need...
According to the Governor's 2002 Early Childhood Care and Education Report, the general quality of Pennsylvania's early childhood education services was below average, yet 65% of children under age 6 were in some form of out-of-home care. Studies have shown that the first six years of a child's life are critically important to establishing a positive trajectory for learning and life. PA's children were not getting the support to succeed.
Key Facts
80% of child care in PA met only minimal standards or was "adequate" at best.
Only 58% of PA's preschool and child care teachers had college degrees and most of this workforce were paid minimal wages with few or no benefits.
Only a handful of Westmoreland County child care or preschool programs were nationally accredited for their high standards of quality. |
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Bridging the Gap
The School Readiness role is to help schools, care givers, parents and childen create a smooth and seamless transition from home to school and beyond. It serves as a facilitator in building linkages between stakeholders through grants, events, materials, and higher quality standards for all providers. Solutions include:
• Establish Transition Teams by district throughout the area to build better connections and solutions for schools and care givers
• Provide funding for individual early learning and care programs
• Encourage participation in PA's quality improvement system, Keystone STARS or the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) accreditation
• Target funding for early childhood education teachers for professional training
Our Results
• 13 school districts in our county have a transition teams operating or under development.
• 64% (93) of child care and preschool programs now participate in the Keystone STARS program.
• Over 145 early childhood education representatives from 20 school districts now attend the annual transition team retreat.
Resources:
School Readiness 2007 Report 
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