Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s proposed 2021 budget included funding for year zero of a new department – the Department of Children Initiatives. The budget – including $440,000 in funding for Children Initiatives – passed Allegheny County Council on November 24th, 2020.

The new Department of Children Initiatives comes after the Allegheny County Children’s Fund Working Group’s public engagement process and final recommendations report, which was released in October 2019. The Working Group, which was convened by the County Executive, recommended the creation of a department dedicated to children as well as an annual investment of up to $20 million to support high-quality early learning and out-of-school-time programs.

In 2018, PUMP was a member of the Our kids. Our commitment. steering committee in support of a ballot initiative to create a children’s fund. That initiative narrowly failed, but it sparked ongoing conversations about equity, access, and quality in early learning and out-of-school time programs in Allegheny County. We commend the County Executive’s leadership in ensuring that Allegheny County kids get the support and investment that they need.