In Saturday’s edition of The Daily Herald, an article ran on early childhood programs offered by the Tyrone Area School District.
Governor Rendell proposed an investment of $75 million to provide funding for approximately 11,000 preschool children to voluntary attend quality half-day or full-day programs in school Head Start, child care centers and nursery schools in the 2007-2008 school year.
All eligible programs may apply, but programs in school districts serving 30 percent or more children participating in the free or reduced lunch program, or individual programs focusing on services to at-risk children will receive priority in funding.
The Tyrone Area School District is hoping for additional funding to maintain and build on the quality preschool programs they already offer. Additional funding will also help their kindergarten program. Currently, the state provides funding for just six of the seven full-day kindergarten programs in the district. If the state increases funding for all seven full-day kindergarten classes, the district can use the money they currently use to fund the seventh full-day kindergarten class for other programs.
The school district is asking for your help in writing to local legislators to encourage them to support Governor Rendell’s proposal.
Members of the community who would like to write to local legislators may write a letter of their own. However, the school district has compiled a letter requesting local legislators to support Rendell’s proposal, and all community members have to do is sign and mail it.
To contact local legislators, members of the community may send letters to the following legislators:
• Senator John Eichelberger, Senate Box 203030, Harrisburg, PA 17120
• Rep. Jerry Stern, 315A Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120
• Rep. Mike Fleck, 159A East Wing, PO Box 202081, Harrisburg, PA 17120
• Rep. Scott Conklin, 101B East Wing, PO Box 202077, Harrisburg, PA 17120
• Sen. Jake Corman, Senate Box 203034, Harrisburg, PA 17120
If anyone has any questions on this letter writing campaign or questions on early childhood programs offered by the school district, call the Tyrone Area Elementary School at 684-1342.
