Arecord-breaking 36 states increased funding for pre-kindergarten according to a report released in late September by Pre-K Now. “Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2008,” an annual state-by state analysis of legislative support for pre-K, shows that in fiscal year 2008, high-quality, voluntary, state-funded pre-kindergarten again received substantially increased financial and legislative support from lawmakers in the majority of states. New state pre-K funding exceeds $525 million, an increase of more than 12 percent over FY07 expenditures. It brings the total state investment in early education across the country to $4.8 billion and provides at least 88,000 more children access to pre-K.
“Investing in pre-K is increasingly recognized as smart public policy at both the state and federal level,” said Libby Doggett, executive director for Pre-K Now. “States play a vital role in preparing future generations for success in education and in life. By making pre-K a priority, state legislators help parents make the most of their children’s critical early learning years.
“Votes Count” also highlights the spirit of bipartisanship that characterizes legislative work on the issue. It examines the “trickle up” phenomenon playing out at the federal level as well, with key members of Congress recently introducing bills to provide federal support for state pre-K programs and quality improvement within them.
Here are some additional findings from the report.
• A total of $4.8 billion in state funds will be spent in fiscal year 2008 nationally, a $2 billion increase in just three years.
• Eight of the 36 increasing states anticipate enrolment-based pre-K budget growth.
• Just one state, Florida, decreased pre-K funding.
• Iowa and Pennsylvania had the highest increases
• Ten states still do not have pre-K programs, resulting in more than 500,000 children without access to quality, state-funded pre-K settings which have been proven to help all children.
“State lawmakers face the daunting task of determining the priorities that represent the wisest investment of taxpayer dollars,” said Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, a division of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “State leaders who have invested in high-quality pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds understand that it will yield significant returns for their state. States that choose not to invest may find that their children and their economies are not prepared to compete.”
Here are some specific state highlights.
Iowa stands out for becoming one of seven states that are now providing or phasing in pre-K for all children. According to studies, including one from Georgetown University, programs open to all children maximize the benefits known to result from high-quality pre-K.
The legislatures for Alabama, New York and Ohio raised the pre-K stakes in their states, passing substantial budget increases that signal a strong commitment to young children. In these states, significant gubernatorial proposals already promised to reinvigorate pre-K programs, then lawmakers opted to appropriate even more funds.
Arkansas, Louisiana and Oregon moved to fully fund pre-K for all eligible at-risk children. Even as they celebrate this important first step, early childhood leaders in these states are already looking to expand eligibility to even more children.
Over the past few years, Illinois and Pennsylvania have been strong leaders on higher-quality voluntary pre-K. For 2008, however, admirable and ambitious early education plans ran headlong into budgetary realities and political disagreements. The resulting battles led to differing solutions that reflect the many concerns facing these states, while also achieving continued growth in pre-K funding.
North Carolina and Texas state legislators, who had previously supported collaborating with governors to improve access to high-quality pre-K, bucked the trend and failed to seize excellent opportunities to partner with the executive branch on behalf of young children.
Florida, the only state with a voter mandate to provide pre-K to all 4-year-olds, was the lone state to decrease funding for pre-K. The decreased appropriation promises to undermine both the quality and availability of critical early education programs.
Pre-K Now is a public education and advocacy organization that advances high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds. Supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts and other funders and a project of the Institute for Educational Leadership, Pre-K Now:
• Supports state-based children’s advocates
• Educates policymakers about the need for pre-K
• Raises public awareness about the need for pre-K for all children.
For more information, or to read “Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2008” visit preknow.org.
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Further Reading
Pre-K is a common buzzword today among politicians, academics and economists, but the history of the pre-kindergarten movement has been decades in the making. To find out more about it, from the initial pre-K studies and programs of the 1960s to the current and emerging education policies that states are supporting with billions of their own dollars, Pre-K Now recommends reading The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kid-First Politics by David Kirp. |
