HARRISBURG, Pa., (PRNewswire) – Pennsylvania is using $260,000 to invest in the health and safety of young children to help them succeed in school.
“We want our children to achieve education excellence,” Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle B. Richman said. “These grants will help us reach that goal.
Richman said the commonwealth has received two grants totaling $263,000 from the BUILD Initiative, which is a multi-state partnership that helps states develop early care and learning systems to ensure young children are safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in school.
The grants will support the overall early care and education system development at the state and local level through coordinated leadership, early learning standards development, professional development and finance.
The grants will also be used to support community-based efforts to create or expand an advocacy base for state-level education reforms and investments. And, the money will help to develop innovative ways to change early learning, and foster improved communication between DPW’s Office of Child Development and stakeholders.
Additionally, the grants will help all 58 community engagement groups – local partnerships that develop community-based solutions to improve child care services – representing all counties with funding. It will also mobilize early providers to enroll in Keystone STARS.
Keystone STARS is the state’s quality improvement initiative for child care facilities that works to improve learning environments for children and increase social and emotional development, learning skills and school readiness. A voluntary program for child care providers, Keystone STARS has received national recognition for having the highest voluntary enrollment of 62 percent.
The Department of Public Welfare helps people meet their basic needs by providing health care and other critical support services for children, the elderly, people with chronic diseases, persons with disabilities and low income families and adults in Pennsylvania. DPW is dedicated to promoting, improving, and sustaining the quality of family life; breaking the cycle of dependency while protecting and serving Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens. Visit DPW on the Internet at: http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/.