Lehigh Times

Gov. Tom Wolf announced that $384 million in grant funding for early childhood education will provide children and their families with high quality early learning programs from the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program and Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts.

The funding is through the Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Child Development and Early Learning, a press release from Wolf’s office said this week. It opens up 2,960 PA Pre-K Count slots and also allows grantees to address increased operation costs.

“Education investment has been my top priority since I first considered running for this office,” Wolf said in the release. “That priority, commitment and investment is nowhere more important than in its impact on Pennsylvania’s youngest citizens. Early childhood education makes a vast difference in a child’s path to a bright future and to realizing their full potential.”

The Pre-K Counts Grant Program awarded more than $297 million in grants to 89 applicants for high quality pre-kindergarten care for eligible children based on age and income, the release said. More than 37,213 children will receive services through Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP). Also, more than $87 million in HSSAP Grants were awarded to 41 applicants. 

Wolf’s new budget has $1.8 billion in funding, including a $79 million increase for early education through Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs, the release said. Since Wolf took office in 2015, his administration has increased education funding by $3.7 billion, and early childhood increases amount to $254 million.

“Investing in early childhood education and expanding access to high-quality programs like Pre-K Counts and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program positively impacts families and children across the commonwealth,” Acting Secretary of Education Eric Hagarty said in the release. “Increasing the number of slots available for these programs means more children will have access to the early learning that will benefit them and their families now and throughout their lives.”