Download Letter to Editor: Sample
MS Word | PDF

Dear Editor:

As a member of this community, I encourage everyone to support the Governor's FY 2009-2010 budget proposal to increase funding for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts by $8.641 million to serve an additional 1,050 children

Additionally, another critical investment proposed by the Governor is increased access to child care subsidies through Child Care Works which would remove 2,000 children from the waiting list. Additionally, we encourage the support of the members of the General Assembly to use federal funds made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to cut the child care waiting list in half from the 16,000 children who are waiting today.

Research shows that young children who are exposed to high-quality pre-K experience greater behavioral, emotional and cognitive development that increases their school readiness. They score better on standardized tests, have greater academic success, experience fewer grade retentions, need less special education remediation and are more likely to graduate from high school. Once they graduate from high school, they are likelier to earn family-sustaining wages, contribute to the tax base and require less welfare involvement than their peers who did not attend pre-K.

Without a doubt pre-K and other early childhood education investments positively impact students, schools and communities in our area as well as across Pennsylvania. Let's support pre-K.

Sample #2
MS Word | PDF

Dear Editor:

Because 90 percent of a child's brain development occurs before age 5, kids at this age are like little sponges - they love to learn!! So helping very young children harness this quest for knowledge is a wonderful thing: We can help our children get off to the right start through high-quality pre-K programs that foster a child's desire to learn.

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts serves nearly 12,000 3-and-4-year-olds at risk of education failure in high quality preschool programs this school year. Pre-K enhances the social, emotional, and cognitive readiness of tomorrow's students.

But, just 35% of our most vulnerable 3- and 4-year olds have access to high quality pre-K.  I am urging our policymakers to support the governor's request for an additional $8.641 million for Pre-K Counts and other early childhood education programs. We know pre-K works. There's landmark research to back it up. It's good for kids, schools and communities. Let's do the right thing.