1Designating the month of April 2014 as "The Month of the Young
2Child" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, There are approximately 724,000 children from birth
4to five years of age in Pennsylvania today; and

5WHEREAS, A young child's brain forms 700 neural synapses a
6second, and the circuits for key functions such as vision,
7hearing, language and higher cognitive function develop the most
8in the first five years of life; and

9WHEREAS, The creation of these circuits is affected by a
10child's early learning environment; and

11WHEREAS, Young children learn best when they have proper
12health and nutrition, a safe and stable family and home life and
13activities that stimulate creativity, curiosity and all the
14skills they will need to succeed in school and in life; and

15WHEREAS, High-quality early learning and child development

1play a major role in a child's future success in school and in
2life; and

3WHEREAS, Talking, reading and playing with children from
4birth builds the language, math and social skills they need to
5be ready for kindergarten; and

6WHEREAS, Forty years of research show that children receiving
7high-quality early education are more likely to be prepared for
8and do better in school, graduate high school, attend college or
9participate in job training; and

10WHEREAS, Children attending high-quality early learning
11programs are better prepared for whichever career path they
12choose in the competitive work force, including opportunities in
13law enforcement and the military; and

14WHEREAS, High-quality early learning is especially beneficial
15to children whose educational opportunities are hindered by
16poverty or other circumstances; and

17WHEREAS, Parents and guardians are able to be productive,
18engaged and focused employees when they have stable, affordable
19and high-quality early learning settings for their children; and

20WHEREAS, Research demonstrates high-quality early learning
21saves taxpayer money by reducing the need for special education
22and remedial instruction and decreases drop-out rates, crime and
23incarceration; and

24WHEREAS, High-quality early learning programs in Pennsylvania
25such as Pre-K Counts, Head Start Supplemental Assistance
26Program, Keystone STARS, Early Intervention and evidence-based
27home visiting are sound investments that are preparing our
28youngest children for success in school and in life; and

29WHEREAS, Supporting and retaining a well-trained, early
30learning staff is critical because a highly qualified work force

1is an essential element of a high-quality program; and

2WHEREAS, Unfortunately, there is still far too much unmet
3need for high-quality learning programs in Pennsylvania; and

4WHEREAS, Only 1 in 6 children are able to access high-
5quality, publicly funded pre-k and only 4.8% of child care
6openings for children birth to four years of age are in the
7highest quality STAR 4 or accredited programs; and

8WHEREAS, Children only have one early childhood experience,
9and delayed investments are lost opportunities; therefore be it

10RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
11month of April 2014 as "The Month of the Young Child" in
12Pennsylvania and recognize that every child in Pennsylvania
13deserves access to high-quality early learning opportunities.