The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Pennsylvania bill requires school districts to offer free full-day kindergarten for 3- to 5-year-olds by 2026-2027
Last action · March 10, 2025: Referred to EDUCATION, March 10, 2025Sponsors: Greg Scott and 15 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Pennsylvania House Bill 829 requires all school districts to establish and maintain free full-day kindergarten programs for children ages three through five, starting with the 2026-2027 school year. The measure directs the Department of Education and an advisory committee to develop a statewide implementation plan, establishes standards, and sets entry rules.
School districts across Pennsylvania must alter local facilities, staffing, and transportation networks to accommodate younger children, while parents gain tuition-free educational access for three- and four-year-olds beginning in the 2026-2027 academic term.
- House Bill 829 proposes amendments to the Public School Code of 1949 to restructure early learning requirements and establish universal full-day kindergarten for young children in Pennsylvania. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
school districts
School districts must establish, fund, or jointly operate free full-day kindergarten facilities for children ages three through five and arrange student transportation.
children between three and five years of age
Resident children ages three to five gain eligibility to attend tuition-free full-day kindergarten programs.
early childhood education teachers
Teachers and staff are subject to new professional development funding provisions, certification standards, and potential salary adjustments aimed at matching public school pay.
nonpublic school pupils
Pupils attending nonlocal or nonpublic kindergartens are entitled to identical free transportation provisions when public school districts provide transportation.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When must school districts make full-day kindergarten available?
What are the age limits for children attending full-day kindergarten under this bill?
Can school districts partner with outside entities to provide full-day kindergarten?
What class size and student-to-teacher ratios are required for approved providers?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Mar 10, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to EDUCATION, March 10, 2025
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 11 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Compulsory and Early Education Framework
The legislation shifts state educational policy from optional kindergarten for ages four to six toward a comprehensive universal requirement covering ages three to five.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.palegis.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy55Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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