PHILADELPHIA – Mayor Kenney visited pre-K students at Elwyn Early Learning Services in South Philadelphia this morning, to celebrate the beginning of a new school year for thousands of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in PHLpreK, the City’s free, quality pre-K program.

This school year marks the fourth program cycle for PHLpreK, which began in January 2017. This year, the program will serve 3,300 students in 140 pre-K centers.

“I’m excited to kick off our fourth and biggest year of PHLpreK,” said Mayor Kenney. “At the end of this year, over 6,000 children will have built a strong foundation for academic achievement thanks to PHLpreK. We also know that this program helps Philadelphia families by making quality pre-K affordable and accessible. Every child deserves a great pre-K experience, which is why we’re investing in quality and committed to growing this program.”

This morning, the Mayor joined Elwyn students for classroom activities and spoke with some pre-K parents. Elwyn Early Learning Services’ South Philadelphia location is one of the new centers to join PHLpreK this year, and 29 students attend for free thanks to the City’s pre-K funding. PHLpreK has partnered with other Elwyn sites since 2017.

“We are honored to continue expanding our partnership with the City and thrilled to welcome 29 students to our South Philadelphia location. It is a privilege to be able to provide these vital services to Philadelphia families,” said Charles S. McLister, President and CEO of Elwyn.

“My older son also attended Elwyn and it helped his development immensely, so I’m glad that their South Philadelphia center is now part of PHLpreK,” said parent Sarath Sieng. “I am happy that my younger son can have the same opportunity thanks to the City’s pre-K program, and that this opportunity exists for thousands of other children and families throughout the city.”

In addition to connecting students with free and affordable quality pre-K, PHLpreK has expanded access to quality pre-K for thousands of children by helping pre-K programs improve their staffing, classrooms, and instruction. Since 2017, 35 PHLpreK providers have significantly improved their state-evaluated Keystone STARS rating thanks to the City’s investment.

This year, PHLpreK will provide instructional coaching as well as curriculum materials and training to all participating centers. The program will also increase the reimbursement rate to providers to $8,750 per student per year, which matches Pennsylvania’s Pre-K Counts reimbursement rate.

Some PHLpreK centers still have seats available for the current school year. Interested families can reach out directly to participating centers, or call 844-PHL-PREK (844-745-7735) to find a program.