Advocate

Building on the shared belief that all children should have the opportunity to enter school ready to succeed, a broad coalition of organizations launched the Pre-K for PA campaign in 2014. Pre-K for PA’s goal is to ensure that every at-risk child has access to a high-quality pre-kindergarten program and that middle-income families can more easily afford these services for their children.

Start Strong PA is an initiative of Early Learning PA.  Through a statewide collaboration of partners, Start Strong PA aims to support healthy child development, working families, and the economy by increasing access to and affordability of high-quality child care programs of young children.

An initiative of Early Learning PA, Childhood Begins at Home is a statewide campaign to help policymakers and the public understand the value of evidence-based home visiting and support public investments in the programs. Since 2017, Childhood Begins at Home has helped to more than double state investments. While these increased investments serve many more Pennsylvania families, it represents only a fraction of those who could benefit the most.

Early Learning PA (ELPA) is a broad-based coalition that advocates for access to voluntary, high-quality early learning care and education and healthy development opportunities for all Pennsylvania children. ELPA’s public policy agenda focuses on four-five key components of early learning opportunities: pre-kindergarten, child care, home visitation, perinatal and child health, and early intervention. The ELPA coalition supports targeted campaigns dedicated to advancing its early learning care and education and healthy development agenda

Thriving PA is a non-partisan, statewide campaign that seeks to improve the quality of and increase equitable access to a coordinated system of health supports, including access to comprehensive perinatal health services, children’s health insurance, nutrition supports and lead screening and abatement. Thriving PA’s goal is to ensure each mother and child in Pennsylvania has access to affordable, quality healthcare.

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) advocates for data-driven, research-based investments that support a child’s health, education, family stability, and overall well-being. PPC also leads the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT project in Pennsylvania which provides robust child and family data that can be aggregated by state, county, school district, municipality, city, and congressional district.

United Way of Pennsylvania advocates for high-quality, affordable child care and the health, education, and financial stability of children and families in PA. 211 also offers a referral service for many programs, including child care.

First Up provides technical assistance to child care providers in southeastern PA initiative; leads a statewide grassroots advocacy network to influence ECE public policy.

Trying Together provides advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children and families in southwestern PA.

Children First PA works to improve the lives of our region’s children by developing initiatives and advocating for quality health care, child care, public education and family stability.