Pennsylvania's pint-sized future voters and taxpayers are being shortchanged, according to a new report from the Pew Center on the States. Pennsylvania is one of only 10 states that has cut funding for the coming year for pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs that prepare poor children for school.

Marci Young, the Pre-K Now campaign director for Pew, says the 4-percent decrease adds up to more than $5 million.

"The quality is critical. We need to have teachers who have appropriate education and skill and training in early childhood education, and we need to have a rigorous curriculum that's age appropriate."

Young says a wealth of research in recent years has shown that pre-kindergarten is a smart investment for states because it pays big dividends in the long run.

"Pre-k helps reduce grade repetition and special education placement, increases high school graduation rates, reduces crime and delinquency, and leads to greater employment and higher earnings as adults."

The Pew report says 26 states managed to either hang onto their current funding levels or increase them, no matter which political party was in power. Young calls that a clear message that early learning is seen as a valued strategy for education reform.

The report is available online at www.preknow.org.

Tom Joseph, Public News Service - PA