Children playing in classroom

Guv Taps Ervin

Gov. Ed Rendell has appointed Jane Ervin, CEO/President of Community Services for Children, to join the Pennsylvania Early Learning Council. The Council will plan for expanding effective early learning and development services for young children and their families and make recommendations to the Governor to ensure the plans are implemented successfully. The Council will be responsible for coordinating the delivery of federal and state programs designed to serve young children from birth through their entry into school and to ensure a smooth transition for those children into K-12 education and other programs serving older children.
The Council will, among other duties,

  • conduct periodic needs assessments,
  • identify barriers to collaboration and coordination among federally-funded and state-funded early childhood programs and services,
  • recommend policies and procedures to assure integration of the early intervention system,
  • assure the development of a sound continuum from and between early childhood programs and traditional public education,
  • engage parents to provide input to strengthen the state’s early learning programs, and
  • assure an integrated approach to the design and delivery of early childhood mental health services across the state.

The Council will work closely with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), headed by Deputy Secretary Harriet Dichter. OCDEL directs Early Intervention, Keystone STARS, Nurse-Family Partnership, Pre-K Counts preschool, and the Child Care Works Subsidized Child Care program, among other programs.
Community Services for Children, headquartered in Allentown, administers Head Start of the Lehigh Valley (1100 children enrolled from Lehigh and Northampton Counties); Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Key, responsible for the Keystone STARS quality improvement initiative; PreK Counts classrooms in Allentown and Easton (7 total); and Child Care Information Services of Lehigh County, the childcare subsidy program for low-income families.