Project: Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Expansion 

Applicant: Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning

Pennsylvania’s history of supporting high quality early education provides a strong foundation 

upon which this Preschool Expansion funding will build. Already, Pennsylvania’s state-funded preschool 

program, Pre-K Counts, is serving 13,819 children. This represents a significant number of Eligible 

Children, but the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is prepared to do more. 

OCDEL will utilize a two pronged strategy of enhancing all Pre-K Counts programs and 

expanding the number of slots for existing Pre-K Counts programs in High-Need Communities. 

Therefore, an additional 2,314 children be served and OCDEL will ensure that all Pre-K Counts 

programs, serving a total of 16,113 Eligible Children, meet the definition of High-Quality programs and 

are serving Pennsylvania’s children who are most in need. By expanding and enhancing the existing 

infrastructure of Pre-K Counts programs and the monitoring and professional development system, 

OCDEL will be able to successfully reach full enrollment within a matter of months.

OCDEL will rely heavily on existing partnerships in order to accomplish these ambitious, but 

achievable, goals. First, OCDEL will convene a group of stakeholders to identify areas in the existing 

Pre-K Counts guidelines that will need to be reworked in order to ensure all programs are meeting the 

definition of High-Quality programs. Then, these changes and additional funding for classrooms will be 

communicated to programs and all programs will be required to implement those enhancements to Pre-K 

Counts classrooms. All 161 current Pre-K Counts programs will be subgrantees for the enhancement of 

Comprehensive Services. Concurrently, Pre-K Counts programs in High-Needs areas will expand their

programs to serve additional children. For the expansion of slots, the following Pre-K Counts providers 

were identified as serving High-Need areas and will receive additional slots based on capacity and need:

Pre-K Counts Programs to Receive Additional Slots

Big Beaver Falls Area 

School District

Delaware Co. Intermediate Unit 

#25

Chester County Intermediate 

Unit #19

Erie City School District Bradford Tioga Head Start ARIN Intermediate Unit #28

School District of Lancaster Allegheny Intermediate Unit #3 Seton Hill Child Services, Inc

School District of Berks Community Action Community Action Program of 
Pre-K Counts Programs to Receive Additional Slots

Philadelphia Program Mercer County

Greater Nanticoke Area 

School District

STEP, Inc. aka Lycoming-Clinton 

Head Start

PIC of Fayette & Westmoreland 

Counties

Community Services for 

Children

Erie City School District Pocono 

Service for Families and Children

Allegheny Lutheran Social 

Ministries

Pittsburgh Board of 

Education

School District of the City of 

York

Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate 

Unit #13

Child Development Inc. McKeesport Area School District Chester-Upland School District

Cen-Clear, Inc. Kings College Pathone Inc.

Pottstown Area School 

District

Wilkinsburg Borough School 

District

Scranton Lackawanna Human 

Development

Child Development Inc.

Keystone Human Service, 

aka Capital Area Head Start

* West Philadelphia is a Federally designated Promise Zone and 

included in the subgrant.

The monitoring and professional development for these programs is currently provided through a 

partnership with the Pennsylvania Key (PA Key) and the Regional Keys. The PA Key and the Regional 

Keys will provide state and regional leadership in the development of an integrated and coordinated 

system of program quality improvements and professional development supports for early childhood 

education. Both the PA Key and Regional Keys will be expanded to ensure adequate support and 

monitoring of Pre-K Counts programs under this Preschool Expansion.

As a result of this Preschool Expansion funding, OCDEL will:

 Expand the number of children served in Pre-K Counts programs from 13,819 to 16,133;

 Ensure that every new Preschool Expansion classroom serving Eligible Children will meet the 

definition of High-Quality;

 Improve state funded Pre-K Counts by requiring Comprehensive services; 

 Expand the monitoring and support capacity of the PA Key and Regional Keys; and

 Increase the number of Eligible Children ready for Kindergarten.

Nearly all of this funding will go directly to preschool programs and it will be matched at least 

92% by other funding sources. This is possible because Pennsylvania’s strategy builds upon an existing, 

successful state-funded preschool program and will join a statewide array of successful programs and 

initiatives dedicated to increasing the availability of and access to High Quality early childhood services.