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Pocono News Section
Rally to Save Pre-K Funding in Lackawanna County
Rally to Save Pre-K Funding in Lackawanna County - Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 5:49PM EST
Reported by: Eric Deabill
Thursday, Sep 3, 2009 @ 05:49pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - The state of Pennsylvania has now been without a budget for 65 days. As lawmakers continue to fight over funding, a group of people came together Thursday morning in Lackawanna County. They highlighted the need to keep money for Pre-K programs.
The group says cuts to Pre-K programs are a threat to public safety. They released a report which showed kids that don't have access to the programs are more likely to be sentenced to prison.
"We've come so far, why go backwards? We need to keep the funding here to keep these programs going," Scranton police chief David Elliott said.
Elliott met with kids at the Treasure House Child Development Center on Ash Street. He's worried that the state's Pre-K programs could be on the chopping block and wants state leaders to make cuts elsewhere.
"All of these programs have proven results and it would be a huge detriment to our Commonwealth and our community if those cuts did go through," Elaine Errico, the director of the Success By 6 Program, said.
Because of the impasse, some kids are already being put at risk. Thirty kids in this facility alone are already not being served.
"The very sad part is two of the classrooms this year are empty, just as this one is empty, because of the non-passage of the budget," Errico said.
Officials say cuts to early childhood education now will only create more crime and violence down the road. They say cutting the Pre-K funding is not cost effective.
"When you look at the difference between spending $35,000 per year to house somebody in prison as opposed to the money it takes to invest in Pre-K education, it's a very simple equation to understand," assistant district attorney Gene Talerico said.
County and city leaders are also urging federal lawmakers to support a new bill that would give one billion dollars a year to states to expand early childhood programs. | | |
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