All eyes were on State Representative Mike Peifer during his recent visit with the three- and four-year-old children enrolled in the new Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts classroom at Treasure House in Honesdale.

A father of three young children, Representative Peifer was right at home talking with the children, reading “Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse” and discussing the antics of the two furry creatures. Toward the end of the visit, children in the class presented Representative Peifer with a hand-made book of their drawings and stories — clear indication that the new Pre-K Counts is achieving its goal of getting children ready to start school, according officials.

As part of Governor Rendell's PA Promise for Children, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts provides free preschool classes for children who may be at risk for school failure. Family income, a child's special needs and English as a second language in the home are all factors that can affect a child's success in school. Currently 11,000 children in Pennsylvania are getting ready for kindergarten in Pre-K Counts classrooms across the state. In Wayne County, 17 children are being served at Honesdale Treasure House; 16 are being served at Hawley Treasure House.

For more information on enrolling a child in Pre-K Counts in Wayne County, please contact Mary Lee Salerno at Northeast Child Care Services at 800-252-0811 or 341-0811. For more information on Pennsylvania's Promise for Children, contact Michele Young, program director of the Wayne County Children's Coalition, at 253-9200, or visit the PA Promise web site at www.papromiseforchildren.com.