PHILADELPHIA – Today, Mayor Jim Kenney was joined by dozens of pre-K students and their families at the first PHLpreK Move-Up Celebration, held at Please Touch Museum. Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr., City Representative Sheila Hess, Please Touch Museum CEO Patricia Wellenbach, and the City’s Chief Education Officer Otis Hackney participated in the ceremony, which celebrated the students’ successful completion of quality pre-K, and their readiness for Kindergarten this fall.
The students represented PHLpreK programs from across the city. Students rode on the historic Dentzel Carousel, and received free admission to the Please Touch Museum.
Launched in January 2017, PHLpreK is the city’s free, quality pre-K program funded by the Philadelphia Beverage Tax. The initiative funded 2,000 opportunities for students to enroll in quality pre-K this spring. 769 students in PHLpreK completed pre-K this month and will advance to Kindergarten in the fall.
“When today’s graduates start Kindergarten, they will be better prepared academically, socially, and emotionally to embark on a lifetime of learning because of pre-K,” said Mayor Kenney. “Every child deserves these advantages. I applaud the parents, caregivers and educators who support our youngest learners, and the PHLpreK programs that are committed to providing quality early education.”
Please Touch Museum President and CEO Patricia Wellenbach congratulated graduates and their families on behalf of the museum. “Please Touch Museum believes that assuring children have the highest quality early childhood learning experiences is critical for success in the classroom and beyond,” she said. “We are delighted to join Mayor Kenney to celebrate this important first milestone as the children here today and around the city move up from pre-K and prepare to enter Kindergarten.”
The event also celebrated PHLpreK programs that have demonstrated measurable improvements in their quality since the start of the initiative. Chris Gale, administrator of pre-K program Casa Del Carmen, spoke about how PHLpreK investments helped his program dramatically improve staffing and equipment, moving the pre-K from a Keystone STARS 2 rating to 4 in just four months. Across the initiative, 13 programs have already moved from 1 or 2 in STARS to 3 or 4 (high quality). This accomplishment is in line with PHLpreK goals of expanding access to and improving pre-K options across the city.
The ceremony was sponsored by the City of Philadelphia, Please Touch Museum, and Fulton Bank.