March 05, 2016
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Mayor Jim Kenney unveils his recommended 6-year fiscal plan for 2017-2022 before City Council, Thursday, March 3, 2016 at City Hall.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has launched a new website with the hopes of garnering public support for his plan to bring universal pre-K programs to all the city's children.
The website, dubbed “Ready. Set. Pre-K,” attempts to appeal to both parents and pre-K providers, asking visitors to the site to fill out a form to show they're in favor of Kenney's plan.
“Our administration is committed to increasing access to affordable, quality pre-K, but we can’t do it alone," Kenney said in a press release Friday. "We need everyone’s help.”
Kenney unveiled the details behind his $256 billion pre-K expansion plan in his budget address Thursday.
The freshman mayor hopes the plan, which was a key tenant of his campaign, will serve 25,000 children.
In order to help pay for the program, as well as a number of other initiatives in his proposed budget, Kenney has called for a tax on soda which he believes will generate an additional $95 million in revenue for the city.
