UGI Supports Possibilities Through Partnership with KenCrest

Supporting early learning is critical to the success of our future communities. Science shows us that the first five years of life are critical in a child’s brain development. According to Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s State of Early Care and Education 2023 report, children who have access to high quality early learning experience improved health outcomes, are less likely to exhibit criminal behavior, learn positive social skills and critical problem-solving skills, and have stronger family units.

Providing access to high-quality early learning for all children can help reduce the achievement gap often recognized between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. UGI Utilities is proud to support meaningful community partners, such as KenCrest, to help set our most vulnerable children up for future success. KenCrest operates seven early learning centers in Philadelphia neighborhoods with high poverty rates. Children who come from economically challenged homes are more likely to have experienced trauma, less likely to have books in the home, and may start kindergarten without the readiness skills they need to be successful in school and life.

KenCrest has earned the highest rating of quality in the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s Keystone STARS program and provides a trauma-informed curriculum focused on developing the whole child. In addition to their high-quality early learning team, they offer an extended team of professionals consisting of special instructors, therapists, and nutritionists to help foster developmental and emotional growth among all children attending their programs.

UGI provides support to KenCrest through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC). The funds support scholarships for struggling families to cover tuition costs for children who otherwise may not have the opportunity to attend KenCrest. Thanks to the EITC program, as well as the generosity of business and individual donors, during the 2020-2021 school year, KenCrest awarded nearly $300,000 in needs-based scholarships, enabling young learners from low- to moderate-income families to attend a KenCrest Early Learning Center. UGI is invested in partnering to set future generations up for success. We are proud to walk alongside KenCrest to “Fuel Our Future.”

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