Longietti: More than $1.2 million awarded to boost Mercer County early education programs

Rep. Mark A. Longietti August 2, 2022 | 1:49 PM

HERMITAGE, Aug. 2 – Mercer County families will see expanded access to early education programs thanks to more than $1.2 million in new grant funding, state Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer, announced today.

Longietti, who is Democratic chairman of the PA House Education Committee, said the funding from the state Department of Education’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning will strengthen area Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance programs.

“When it comes to success in life, so much depends on the quality of a child’s early learning experiences,” Longietti said. “Attention span, independent thinking, confidence among peers – all of these skills and others start forming in young minds before a child ever steps through the kindergarten door. I’m thrilled by this new funding because it will increase the number of Pre-K Counts slots available to our community and ensure that local Head Start programs – which also provide critical nutritional and health benefits – have the resources they need to continue.”

Longietti said the funding includes the following grants:

Head Start