Talking points when meeting with policymakers and other leaders – DO NOT LEAVE AT MTG updated: 2/18/10
Making the case for early education when meeting with legislators, policymakers and other leaders – NOT FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION – DO NOT LEAVE AT MEETING
Please note that these talking points are simply a tool to help you make the case to policymakers and other leaders. Please use your OWN words, beliefs, and experiences
Budget fact sheet, powerpoint and other materials online at http://paprom.convio.net/Community_Education
Your primary goals when meeting with your legislators/policymakers/leaders are:
1. Ask them about their involvement in or views on early education.
It is incredibly helpful to start your conversation with policymakers and other leaders by finding out what they know about early education, their experience, and their opinions. You may ask them if they have young children or grandchildren that are participating in early education programs. Ask them if they’ve visited an early learning program and what they thought about it, etc.
2. Help them understand how Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) programs affect children and families in their communities.
When you explain to policymakers and other leaders different OCDEL programs, they will want to know how this affects their constituents. Remember to use personal examples and local data to show how these programs work together to help children and families in your community.
3. Talk specifically about the value of OCDEL programs in the policymaker’s district. Mention programs by name and explain how they work together:
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Talking points when meeting with policymakers and other leaders – DO NOT LEAVE AT MTG updated: 2/18/10
· PA Pre-K Counts
· Keystone STARS
· Child Care Works
· Early Intervention
· Head Start Supplemental (state-funded Head Start)
· Nurse-Family Partnership
· Parent-Child Home Program
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Talking points when meeting with policymakers and other leaders – DO NOT LEAVE AT MTG updated: 2/18/10
4. Key points to make (more talking points are attached)
1. Our economy depends on quality early education; it is essential to our economy today and our economic growth in the future.
2. Pennsylvania’s early education system is working and we have outcomes to prove it.
3. Pennsylvania’s early education continuum is working, but there are not enough resources to serve all the children who could benefit.
5. Ask them if they support early education and continue the conversation
· If they support early education, ask them to share their support with their colleagues and constituents. They can:
· Legislators can write a letter to their caucus leadership saying that they support making programs such as PA Pre-K Counts, Keystone STARS and Child Care Works a priority;
· Author a letter to the editor or op-ed;
· Share their support with their fellow legislators; and/or
· Include information in their district newsletter.
· If they are neutral or not supportive, address any concerns they have.
· If you do not know the answers to their questions, tell them you will find out the answers and get back to them.
· Offer to take them to a quality early education program to show them first hand what happens. Afterwards, schedule a follow-up meeting in their district office to continue to discuss.
Note: OCDEL’s Reach and Risk report includes local information on numbers of children at risk and percentage of children served by early education programs. The report and charts are available at http://www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=EarlyLearning_Reach
Tip: Read through these talking points and pick out the arguments that you feel will resonate the most with the legislator/policymaker/leader. You can bring these points with you to meetings to refer to, but do not share them with the legislator/policymaker/leader. You can also copy language from these points for letters and other communication.
Point One: 1. Our economy depends on quality early education; it is essential to our economy today and our economic growth in the future.
Helps keep parents working and saves taxes today:
· Families with access to child care assistance like Child Care Works are up to 15 percent more likely to be employed, be more productive at work, stay off welfare, and have higher earnings.
· Children who would otherwise enter kindergarten developmentally behind their peers now enter kindergarten ready to learn; require less remediation or special education services; and do better in school. This saves our school districts on special education costs almost immediately.
Early education is vital to our communities’ health and infrastructure:
· Just as roads, sewer and water are needed for housing and business development, so too is child care. 97% of community planners surveyed said that families are important to community growth, sustainability and diversity. To attract families, you need access to quality, reliable early education. (Source: Planning for Family-Friendly Communities, American Planning Association, November/December 2008, http://www.economicdevelopmentandchildcare.org/documents/publications/121.pdf)
Investing in early childhood programs creates more economic stimulus than any other sector in the state according to a recent Cornell study.
· For every dollar Pennsylvania invests in early childhood programs, more than two dollars is circulated throughout our local economies through employment and purchasing of goods and services. Early childhood education programs hire staff locally, buy food and supplies locally, thus stimulating the economy locally. (Source: Zhilin Liu, Rosaria Ribeiro & Mildred Warner. “Comparing Child Care Multipliers in the Regional Economy: Analysis from 50 States,” 2004 http://government.cce.cornell.edu/doc/reports/childcare/reports.asp)
Helps our economic growth tomorrow by developing productive citizens and a competitive workforce.
· The success of our economy depends on the education of our children.
o 70% of jobs created in the next 10 years will require a college degree or some education beyond high school. (http://www.paworkforce.state.pa.us/youth/lib/youth/pdf/pa_long_term_labor_consequences.pdf)
o The unemployment rate for Pennsylvanians without a college degree is 4 times higher than for workers who graduated from college.
o A high school graduate earns 37% more in a lifetime than a high school dropout.
o A Pennsylvanian with a bachelor’s degree will earn twice as much in a lifetime as a person who only has a high school diploma.
· Too many of our children are leaving school without the skills to compete in a global marketplace.
o Out of the 30 countries taking part in the 2003 Program for International Student Assessment, the average score of US students was only higher than students in five other countries. Source: Education Week, “Losing Global Ground,” January 2007
o Six out of ten of Pennsylvania’s 12th graders do not have the science skills to compete in a high-tech economy. Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education
· The achievement gap begins as early as 18 months of age - quality early education is essential to healthy brain development and is the necessary first step in a child’s education. The circuits for key functions such as vision/hearing, language, and higher cognitive function develop most in the first five years of life. The creation of these circuits is affected by a child’s early learning environment. Bad experiences actually chew away at brain connections, while good quality experiences spur healthy development. After age five, the number of new connections slows, making it more difficult to build the necessary cognitive and social skills. (Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University)
· Children who participate in quality early education programs are more likely to do well in school and on academic achievement tests, graduate high school and attend college.
Source: Abecedarian Project, (www.fpg.unc.edu/~abc/)
· As adults, children from quality early education programs are less likely to commit crimes or require public assistance; and are more likely to retain good jobs and have higher earnings. Source: Perry Preschool Project, http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=219
· Businesses can obtain higher skilled employees, requiring less training time and gaining higher productivity.
· Communities save tax dollars on special education, remediation, crime control and public assistance; earn more tax revenue, attract quality jobs.
o Pennsylvania investment in quality pre-k programs could save Pennsylvania $100 million in special education costs. Source: “The Cost Savings to Special Education from Pre-Schooling in Pennsylvania," October 2005, the Pennsylvania Build Initiative www.pde.state.pa.us/early_childhood/lib/early_childhood/BELFIELD_PA_REPORT_FINAL.Oct05.pdf
o Every $1 spent on high quality early education saves $7 in reduced future expenditures for special education, delinquency, crime control, welfare, and lost taxes. Source: Reynolds AJ, Temple JA, Robertson DL, and EA Mann. 2002. Age 21 cost-benefit analysis of the Title I Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 24, 267-303
· Today’s 45-54 year olds outnumber children from birth-5 in Pennsylvania more than 2:1. When today’s young children are entering the workforce, twice as many people could be retiring. If we don’t prepare our young children now, how can they help fill these jobs in the future?
Point 2: Pennsylvania’s early education system is working and we have the results to prove it. (You can also share information local data on children served and specific examples of children doing well in OCDEL programs from your communities. Local reach and risk data available online at www.pakeys.org/pages/get.aspx?page=EarlyLearning_Reach.)
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts provides high quality pre-kindergarten opportunities to three and four year olds at no cost to families. Children from age three until the entry age for kindergarten are eligible to apply. PA Pre-K Counts is targeted to children at risk of school failure, either because of income, language (English is not the first language), or special needs.
· Serving nearly 12,000 children in more than programs in 2009-2010.
· Children in 62 counties and nearly 400 school districts participate in PA Pre-K Counts.
· Nearly every child (99 percent) showed age-appropriate or emerging age-appropriate proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and social skills after attending the PA Pre-K Counts program in 2008-2009. Approximately four times as many children were proficient in language and literacy and mathematical thinking by the end of the school year than upon entry.
· School districts report that children who participated in PA Pre-K Counts in 2007-2008 who entered kindergarten in 2008-2009 entered kindergarten with age-appropriate skills were more prepared for kindergarten than their peers, and are meeting development expectations throughout kindergarten.
· Governor’s 2010-2011 budget proposes $85.9 million, which will reduce services by 68 children to reach 11,732 children, and carries forward mid-year budget freeze from FY 09-10 of $475,000.
· Appropriation: Department of Education
Keystone STARS promotes quality in child care and Head Start programs. Programs that participate in Keystone STARS earn a STAR 1 to STAR 4 level based on quality standards.
· Serving over 177,000 children in nearly 5,000 programs, and is the largest school readiness initiative in Pennsylvania.
· Found in an independent study to have reversed the negative trend in declining quality in child care, and improved the quality of child care across Pennsylvania.
· The number of STAR 3 and 4 programs has increased by one-third in 2008-2009.
· Nearly one-third (32%) of STARS programs moved up at least one STAR level in 2008-2009.
· Governor’s 2010-2011 budget proposes $67.3 million, sustaining higher quality early learning opportunities for over 177,000 children and making it possible for programs to achieve higher STAR levels.
· Appropriation: Department of Public Welfare (Child Care Services)
Child Care Works subsidized child care program provides financial help to pay for child care for families who meet work and income requirements. To be eligible, families must earn 200% of the federal poverty level or less. Parents can apply online or at their Child Care Information Services (CCIS) agency. CCIS agencies also offer parents a wealth of resources on how to find the best care for their child.
· More than 127,000 families each month can continue to work and build job skills because they have access to Child Care Works subsidy.
· Families with access to child care assistance like Child Care Works are up to 15 percent more likely to be employed, stay off welfare, and have higher earnings.
· Unified child care services for TANF and low income families under the Child Care Information Services structure; as a result, 70% of TANF children receiving child care assistance are now using regulated child care, a 38% increase since 2006.
· 45% of Child Care Works children are enrolled with Keystone STARS providers.
· Governor’s 2010-2011 budget proposes $818.2 million, sustaining to reach approximately 134,400 children (monthly average).
· Appropriation: Department of Public Welfare (Child Care Services, Child Care Assistance)
Early Intervention provides children from birth to age five with disabilities/developmental delays with services to help promote their development so they are successful in any early education setting. Services may include parent education, developmental therapies and other support services.
· Serving 33,212 infants and toddlers and 46,052 preschoolers in 2009-2010.
· Inclusion of preschool children receiving Early Intervention services in typical early education settings increased to 58% in 2008-2009.
· Child assessment data from infants, toddlers and preschoolers who entered Early Intervention after July 1, 2008 and exited Early Intervention prior to June 30, 2009 shows that nearly every child (99%) made progress from entry to exit.
· Governor’s 2010-2011 budget proposes $442.8 million, expanding to reach 81,696 children (34,384 infants and toddlers and 47,312 preschoolers) by adding 1,172 infants and toddlers and 1,229 preschoolers.
· Appropriation: Birth-3 – Dept. of Public Welfare; 3-5 – Dept. of Education
Nurse-Family Partnership provides registered nurses who work with the expectant mothers to ensure a healthy pregnancy, to engage in activities with the baby that will promote healthy development, and to make plans for the future. Pregnant women who are low-income, first time mothers and enroll by the 28th week of pregnancy are eligible.
· Serving 4,247 children and families in 2009-2010.
· Results from three separate randomized-controlled trials of this program indicate:
· Reduction in child abuse and neglect by 79%
· Reduction in arrests of mothers by 69% and 54% fewer arrests and 69% fewer convictions in 15 year olds whose mothers participated in the program
· Fewer intended subsequent pregnancies and increases in intervals between the first and second births
· Governor’s 2010-2011 budget proposes $14.5 million, sustaining to reach more than 4,200 children and families.
· Appropriation: Dept. of Public Welfare
Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program provides comprehensive early learning services to children and families who are most at risk of academic failure. Families earning up to 100% of the federal poverty level are eligible to apply.