Few issues in Pennsylvania have united Republicans and Democrats over the years like the prospect of ensuring that our youngest learners are ready to succeed through high-quality pre-kindergarten programs like Pre-K Counts and Head Start.

In fact, a September 2023 Susquehanna Polling and Research poll showed that 94% of the state’s voters believe that early learning is important, and 71% support increasing state funding to serve more eligible children in pre-k programs.

There is good reason for this support, research is clear that brain development from birth to age 5 sets the foundation for children’s future success. During these years, more than one million new neural connections form every second — more than any other time in life. This early foundation sets the stage for children’s cognitive ability, health and behavior throughout life. Quality pre-kindergarten programs have been proven to reduce grade repetition and special education placements while increasing graduation rates.

We offer this piece together, as former governors who championed state funding for pre-k programs during our time in office. We urge Gov. Shapiro and the General Assembly to find the political will to offer this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to all Pennsylvania children regardless of income and zip code. We know it makes a lifelong difference for children and families, we know other states are investing in universal access to attract families, and we know most Pennsylvanians support it.

It’s time that we Get this done for Pennsylvania.

States (15) across the political spectrum have embraced universal access to pre-k. More conservative states like Florida, Georgia and Alabama join states like Illinois, New Mexico and California in this distinction. Lawmakers in our neighboring states of New York, New Jersey and West Virginia have all pushed universal pre-k over the finish line for their youngest learners.

Research out of these states explains this move. A study published in 2021 analyzed the achievements of 458 Georgia students as they progressed through elementary and middle school while accounting for their participation in Georgia’s state-funded pre-k program at age 4. The study sought to examine the relationship between pre-k enrollment at age 4 and statewide mathematics test scores from grades 3 through 7, and then use the findings to predict student likelihood of achievement scores and performance levels.

It was found that participation in the Georgia Pre-K program significantly predicted students’ mathematics achievement scores and performance levels in first grade as well as third through seventh grade. Students who attended pre-k were twice as likely as their peers who did not attend pre-k to meet the state’s minimum level of proficiency in elementary and middle school standardized math scores.

In Oklahoma, a 2022 study found that students enrolled in public pre-k went on to have many more positive outcomes in high school than their peers who never attended pre-k. These outcomes include higher attendance levels, decreased likelihood of course failure, increased likelihood of enrollment in advanced courses (AP, honors, etc.), decreased likelihood of grade retention, and a slightly lower rate of absenteeism. These outcomes were strongest among students of color or students considered economically disadvantaged.

Pennsylvania has its own data. A study of our Pre-K Counts program by the University of North Carolina found children who participated in the program had higher levels of language and math skills and gained between 4 and 5 months of learning compared to children who did not participate. These are significant gains for this age cohort.

As an election year, 2024 will likely focus more on what divides our Commonwealth rather than what unites us. Focusing on our youngest learners and ensuring greater access to high-quality pre-k to the more than 87,000 children that are currently eligible but not served by Pre-K Counts and Head Start can serve as a bright spot of bipartisanship.

We can get this done.

(Ed Rendell, a Democrat, served as governor from 2003-2011; Mark Schweiker, a Republican, served as governor from 2001 to 2003.)