Raymond, who attended the pre-kindergarten Head Start program located within my urban, low soci–economic school the previous year, entered my kindergarten class excited and confident. He followed directions with ease, participated independently in all activities — including writing his name — and the baseline data showed he could recognize 18 letters with accuracy and fluency. Frank, on the other hand, was timid and unsure of what to do. He needed follow-through support with verbal directions, struggled to learn how to write his name independently, often hesitated to participate in academic activities, and was only able to recognize two letters of the alphabet.
I could immediately tell which child had the advantage of attending pre-K and which one was stepping into a classroom for the first time. The difference between Raymond’s and Frank’s skills was evident in all our daily classroom tasks and it was also measurable in the academic data I collected.
I have learned over a 20-year early childhood education (ECE) career that, when children enter kindergarten with stronger foundational skills, they have greater confidence and more positive feelings about school. So, how do we ensure ALL Pennsylvania children have the emotional and academic foundational skills needed for future school success? We can start by providing more access to high-quality pre-K programs, and by attracting and retaining highly qualified ECE educators.
Universal federal or state-funded pre-K is one way to provide more access to eligible children. As of May 2024, six states and the District of Columbia have adopted universal pre-K, with more states working toward this initiative. Yet, Pennsylvania lags behind, despite evidence that suggests expanding access to pre-K is good for the economy, high school graduation rates, and college enrollment. According to the 2024 State of Early Care and Education report published by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, 46 percent of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds participate in high-quality, publicly funded pre-K, leading to more than half of children not receiving opportunities they deserve — many of whom are starting at a socio-economic disadvantage, like Frank who could have greatly benefitted from pre-K to boost his confidence and social skills and begin to build his literacy skills, setting him up for kindergarten success.
We also need to attract and retain high-quality educators to accommodate all students in pre-K. Educators with degrees, certifications, and training are needed for this specialized field, because 90 percent of a child’s brain develops within the first five years of life. ECE is not just play: It’s the foundation for all schooling that comes later. And, our degreed, certified, and trained professionals in this field deserve a wage equal to their K-12 teaching counterparts with similar credentials and expertise. Yet in Pennsylvania, early childhood educators are consistently paid far less, according to the 2024 State of Early Care and Education Report, the average annual salary for preschool teachers in Pennsylvania is $34,430, compared to $68,250 for kindergarten teachers. Closing the pay disparity gap for ECE professionals will not happen overnight, but this year’s budget proposal from Governor Shapiro offers the first critical step in trying to level the playing field for the ECE workforce.
READ: Head Start May Have Gotten a Reprieve, but It’s Not Out of the Woods
Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal includes a $55 million investment in child care workforce recruitment and retention grants. This investment would provide our ECE workforce with a salary increase of $1,000 per eligible educator – money that can help them pay for things like utilities and groceries – in turn, helping us keep our experienced teachers, who lay the foundation for our childrens’ school success in the field instead of losing them to higher-paying positions. That’s why I’m urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to support this critical investment. We must pay early childhood educators more and keep them in the classrooms where they’re needed most.
In the end, Raymond left my kindergarten classroom prepared for 1st grade. He recognized all letters and sounds of the alphabet, was able to independently read and write simple sentences with ease. Frank, meanwhile, only recognized 15 letters and a handful of sounds, and struggled to read and write simple sentences. He wasn’t as prepared for his 1st grade year as Raymond, and I fear he will forever be playing “catch-up” in school. But, imagine the different story I could tell, if only Frank had the same opportunities that Raymond had to attend a pre-K where he could have had more time to build his foundational and interpersonal skills? My hope is that we can be the catalyst to change the narrative for all of the “Franks” in the Keystone State. Their success is our success.
