Forty-nine percent of Philadelphia’s households are families, and 47 percent of those families include children under 18, while 26 percent are living below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Over the past few years, the city has aimed to increase the availability of high-quality prekindergarten education. Census data show that 53 percent of Philadelphia’s 3- and 4-year-olds were enrolled in pre-K as of 2017, and PHLpreK—a program created by the Kenney administration—has introduced 2,500 city-funded seats. Affordable pre-K can help parents have higher earnings while saving on child care.
Meanwhile, local births to teenage mothers have declined by 64 percent over the past decade, although the birthrate remains higher than the national average on a per capita basis.