Calling for the creation of a Special Committee on Early Childhood Development to evaluate, support, and strengthen Philadelphia's early childhood care and education systems, with the goal of improving outcomes for children from birth through age five and addressing the broader issues of poverty, equity, and economic opportunity.

Calling for the creation of a Special Committee on Early Childhood Development to evaluate, support, and strengthen Philadelphia’s early childhood care and education systems, with the goal of improving outcomes for children from birth through age five and addressing the broader issues of poverty, equity, and economic opportunity. WHEREAS, Philadelphia has a large and diverse population of young children, with more than 90,000 children under the age of five residing in the City according to the 2023 American Community Survey; and WHEREAS, Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Pre-K programs are vital to addressing childhood poverty and promoting future academic success by providing children with a strong foundation of academic, social, and emotional skills; and WHEREAS, Children from low-income families often begin school with fewer resources and experiences than their more affluent peers, contributing to an achievement gap that can have long-term consequences such as lower academic performance, higher dropout rates, and reduced economic opportunities; and WHEREAS, Fully funding and supporting ECE and Pre-K programs helps close this gap by offering quality educational experiences that level the playing field and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed. Participation in ECE and Pre-K programs support the development of critical social-emotional and cognitive skills; such as self-regulation, communication, problem-solving, letter recognition, counting, and pre-reading ab…