HARRISBURG, PA (February 3, 2026) – Today, the principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, expressed appreciation for the Shapiro Administration’s 2026-27 state budget proposal and its continued focus on children and early education workforce investments, while also highlighting the need for additional support in areas like infant and toddler Early Intervention and home visiting. 

ELPA operates issue-based advocacy campaigns, including: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins at Home, and Thriving PA. The partners of ELPA issued the following statements regarding the Governor’s budget proposal:

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By WCED News

Senator Jay Costa and other speakers at the kick-off rally spoke about the importance of putting adequate funding behind early childhood education.

According to the speakers, prioritizing spending on early-learning programs will save the commonwealth long-term costs because children are better prepared to graduate school on time and are well positioned to enter the workforce with good paying jobs.

Start Strong PA observed the 2019-20 PA budget as an important down payment to ensure all infants and toddlers learn, grow, and succeed. The following statement was issued by the ten principal partners leading Start Strong PA, a campaign to ensure that children across the state can access affordable, high-quality child care programs during the most critical period of brain development, the first three years of life.