Local Foundation Helping To Fund Universal Pre-K Research
by Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The William Penn Foundation will bankroll almost $2 million worth of research evaluating Philadelphia's effort to provide universal pre-K.
The program has enrolled nearly 1600 students in its first month.
The city added the first 2000 seats in its ambitious expansion plan on January 4th. Director Mary Strasser says more than 2000 families applied, but many are still looking for the right program.
That's complicated by a recent re-organization of where the seats are being offered after an early audit of the program.
"Some of the providers were overly ambitious about what they thought they could handle, and we're trying to redistribute these seats to preserve the integrity of our distribution around the city, but recognizing that some providers have more capacity than they indicated and others have less," Strasser said.
The William Penn Foundation's $1.8 million grant will go to studying the design and implementation of the program and its impact on children's learning and development.