PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The seventh year of PHLpreK has begun in the city. Mayor Jim Kenney commemorated the program by reading a book and doing arts and crafts with children Friday at Wonderspring Early Learning Center in Powelton Village, West Philadelphia.
They and 179 other locations offer free pre-k education programs to over 4,300 3- and 4-year-olds this year, with 300 seats added from 2021. A significant portion of the city’s beverage tax funds the program run by the Office of Children and Families.
Kenney said this program helps to level the academic playing field.
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"If you can afford to send your child to quality pre-k, that's terrific and I’m happy for you. But if you can't afford to send your child or grandchild to a quality pre-k, that small amount of beverage tax can get those children in that room and that's wonderful,” said Kenney.
"How we change the dynamic of violence in our city and other cities [is] by giving them that kind of start, and staying with them through their whole career so they make good choices when they're young adults.”
The program added more locations this year. PHLpreK Director Denise Bermudez says the program's success points to studies that show early learning is the foundation for academic achievement.
"They're learning about their emotions. They're learning about physical and gross motor skills, all the things that you need to develop in order to be successful in elementary school and in kindergarten when they go,” Bermudez said. “It's just key."
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Bermudez says this recent expansion was needed, and they will continue to look for areas where the demand is highest.
"There are areas that we can be doing more work, and our plan is to continue to expand as much as possible within limits and expand to those areas as well," said Bermudez.
PHLpreK has served more than 13,000 children since its inception in 2017.