Praise, concerns voiced at public hearing on Philly pre-K
The Commission on Universal Pre-Kindergarten heard three hours of feedback Monday on its proposed plan for Philadelphia's 3- and 4-year olds.
The Commission on Universal Pre-Kindergarten heard three hours of feedback Monday on its proposed plan for Philadelphia's 3- and 4-year olds.
More than 20 people spoke at the hearing at City Hall, commending the goal of universal pre-K while expressing concern over how to fund the initiative, ensure quality, and prevent the exclusion of smaller neighborhood providers.
Monday's hearing will be followed by 10 community meetings through March 7 and several roundtable discussions around the city through March 23.
The commission will issue a final report with its recommendations April 15.
Several teachers and principals testified that kids who attend pre-K go to school more prepared for kindergarten.
"When we build a house, we lay a strong foundation, and when we build from the bottom up, the house will remain sturdy for years," said Fatima Rogers, principal of Charles W. Henry Elementary School in West Mount Airy.
Rogers said kindergartners at her school who went to pre-K have less separation anxiety and tend to start reading earlier.
The commission's draft report calls for pre-K for all 3- and 4-year-olds, with priority given to children at highest risk. The plan would cost the city $60 million a year for the first three years and would include the School District of Philadelphia, the city's primary pre-K provider, as well as nonprofit and private providers.
To guarantee that the pre-K offers quality education and a safe environment, the commission recommends using Pennsylvania's quality-certification program.
But many smaller early-childhood education centers struggle to reach the state program's benchmarks or do not register because of staffing or cost constraints. Keeping those neighborhood centers also came up at Monday's hearing.
"Families and community must be included in this whole entire process or it will not work," said DeWayne Drummond, president of the Mantua Civic Association. "There's so many cultures in Philadelphia we need to address so everyone can be included."
LeQuyen Vu, president of the Indochinese American Council, said reaching immigrant families was also key.
"I am asking the commission to, as you are designing universal pre-K, think of families of children whose parents don't speak English, whose family values differ, from different cultures," she said. "Think of these parents as a resource for building capacity within the neighborhood and using pre-K as a tool to help them preserve the culture - and to equip parents as teachers."
Other speakers worried about the number of preschool teachers available to support more students. Many early-childhood teachers leave for better-paying jobs in K-12 schools.
The report does not include ideas for how the city would bring in the money. Mayor Kenney is expected to provide more information on funding the initiative during his March 3 budget address.
Any funding formula will include state and federal money, which would require careful monitoring.
"This work comes with a number of strings attached," said Leslie Spina, executive director of Kinder Academy, with four centers in the Northeast.
Spina said it was crucial that the city develop a reliable reporting system to ensure funds are going into the intended programs. She also suggested using existing reporting systems so as not to further complicate things for parents and providers.
"We do not want to spend dollars earmarked for enrichment on administration," Spina said. "Duplication of our work is a waste of the city's money."
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