Email to a Friend
Stumble It!
BY AMY DOMINELLO
Media General News Service
WASHINGTON – With state governments pressed for money, many Southern governors drew praise Wednesday from an education advocacy organization for setting aside more money for pre-kindergarten programs.
The Washington-based group Pre-K Now said in a report that for the first time in four years, the number of governors recommending increases in state funding for pre-kindergarten declined due to budget deficits.
But in their annual state-by-state analysis, Pre-K Now said some states were still placing an emphasis on pre-kindergarten despite economic shortfalls.
Sixteen governors – including those in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia – and the mayor of Washington have proposed increases in pre-kindergarten funding for the upcoming fiscal year. South Carolina has proposed cuts to pre-kindergarten spending and funding in North Carolina remains flat, the report said.
The analysis said pre-kindergarten was thriving in the South with one exception – Mississippi. The state’s neediest children are served by Head Start, but Mississippi does not fund pre-kindergarten.
Libby Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now, said pre-kindergarten serves as an investment for communities and tight state budgets reveal a governor’s priorities.
“True leaders don’t wait for surpluses to think about pre-k,” she said. “They invest in early education consistently, knowing that’s one of the ways they can ensure their state’s economic future.”
The group cited two governors – Phil Bredesen, D, of Tennessee, and Bob Riley, R, of Alabama – for their work to develop pre-kindergarten programs in their states.
Both Bredesen and Riley said they often see their states ranked low in national reports on education. But both said their investment in pre-kindergarten is helping their state’s education systems improve.
Educators stress the value of pre-kindergarten to children, citing research that indicates the majority of brain development occurs before age 5.
“There’s a certain set of skills [children] take out of those very early days,” Bredesen said. “If they have them, they have a good trajectory and if they don’t, it’s just a much tougher road for them to hoe.”
Both governors are fighting off cuts to their budget proposals and said they hope to preserve the increases they’ve proposed for pre-kindergarten.
“Today we’re about to make a decision that is going to have a tremendous impact on education for the next generation,” Riley said. “I’m not ready to say that I’m going to accept anything less than what we requested in the budget.”
Governors across the country have proposed spending $5.2 billion for pre-kindergarten during the upcoming fiscal year, a 5.5 percent increase over the previous year, according to the report.
The analysis did not look at per capita spending but compares funding year-to-year. So states that may have done a better job historically of funding pre-kindergarten do not rank as well.
But Doggett said pre-kindergarten is not the type of program that should be subjected to inconsistent funding.
“This isn’t something that should be there when you have the money and not there when you don’t, because these kids can’t wait to learn,” she said.
Pre-K Now helps lead a movement to provide voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and four-year-olds. It is sponsored in part by the Pew Charitable Trust and a project of the Institute for Educational Leadership.
Contact Amy Dominello at 202-662-7671 or adominello@mediageneral.com
On the Web:
Report: www.preknow.org/embargo/leadershipmatters/LeadershipReport_Apr2008.pdf
A look at some of the states –
In Alabama, Gov. Bob Riley, R, was cited for his proposal to increase funding for pre-kindergarten this fiscal year by $20 million. Although it’s facing opposition on several fronts, the move would triple the state’s pre-kindergarten program by adding 5,200 four-year-olds.
In Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist, R, has proposed to increase pre-kindergarten funding by $32 million in the face of a $3.9 billion deficit. All but $8 million of the money restores previous budget cuts. Crist has also come out in favor of higher standards for pre-kindergarten teachers.
In Georgia, funding would be increased by $12.2 million for a total of $337 million
In Mississippi, Gov. Haley Barbour, R, has said the state needs to better utilize the existing early childhood programs that serve 80 percent of four-year-olds. Pre-K Now said Barbour “paints a false rosy picture.”
In North Carolina, funding for the More at Four program is proposed to remain at the same level as the previous year - $140.6 million.
In South Carolina, proposed funding would decrease by seven percent for early childhood programs.
In Tennessee, Gov. Phil Bredesen, D, is credited with supporting the growth of a pre-kindergarten program that now serves 17,000 four-year-olds. For the upcoming fiscal year, Bredesen is proposing a 31 percent funding increase to support another 250 additional pre-kindergarten classrooms.
In Virginia, Gov. Tim Kaine, D, was able to increase funding for this fiscal year by $10.5 million to $63.6 million in spite of a projected budget deficit of $1.2 billion.
Source: Pre-K Now
Media General News Service
WASHINGTON – With state governments pressed for money, many Southern governors drew praise Wednesday from an education advocacy organization for setting aside more money for pre-kindergarten programs.
The Washington-based group Pre-K Now said in a report that for the first time in four years, the number of governors recommending increases in state funding for pre-kindergarten declined due to budget deficits.
But in their annual state-by-state analysis, Pre-K Now said some states were still placing an emphasis on pre-kindergarten despite economic shortfalls.
Sixteen governors – including those in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia – and the mayor of Washington have proposed increases in pre-kindergarten funding for the upcoming fiscal year. South Carolina has proposed cuts to pre-kindergarten spending and funding in North Carolina remains flat, the report said.
The analysis said pre-kindergarten was thriving in the South with one exception – Mississippi. The state’s neediest children are served by Head Start, but Mississippi does not fund pre-kindergarten.
Libby Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now, said pre-kindergarten serves as an investment for communities and tight state budgets reveal a governor’s priorities.
“True leaders don’t wait for surpluses to think about pre-k,” she said. “They invest in early education consistently, knowing that’s one of the ways they can ensure their state’s economic future.”
The group cited two governors – Phil Bredesen, D, of Tennessee, and Bob Riley, R, of Alabama – for their work to develop pre-kindergarten programs in their states.
Both Bredesen and Riley said they often see their states ranked low in national reports on education. But both said their investment in pre-kindergarten is helping their state’s education systems improve.
Educators stress the value of pre-kindergarten to children, citing research that indicates the majority of brain development occurs before age 5.
“There’s a certain set of skills [children] take out of those very early days,” Bredesen said. “If they have them, they have a good trajectory and if they don’t, it’s just a much tougher road for them to hoe.”
Both governors are fighting off cuts to their budget proposals and said they hope to preserve the increases they’ve proposed for pre-kindergarten.
“Today we’re about to make a decision that is going to have a tremendous impact on education for the next generation,” Riley said. “I’m not ready to say that I’m going to accept anything less than what we requested in the budget.”
Governors across the country have proposed spending $5.2 billion for pre-kindergarten during the upcoming fiscal year, a 5.5 percent increase over the previous year, according to the report.
The analysis did not look at per capita spending but compares funding year-to-year. So states that may have done a better job historically of funding pre-kindergarten do not rank as well.
But Doggett said pre-kindergarten is not the type of program that should be subjected to inconsistent funding.
“This isn’t something that should be there when you have the money and not there when you don’t, because these kids can’t wait to learn,” she said.
Pre-K Now helps lead a movement to provide voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and four-year-olds. It is sponsored in part by the Pew Charitable Trust and a project of the Institute for Educational Leadership.
Contact Amy Dominello at 202-662-7671 or adominello@mediageneral.com
On the Web:
Report: www.preknow.org/embargo/leadershipmatters/LeadershipReport_Apr2008.pdf
A look at some of the states –
In Alabama, Gov. Bob Riley, R, was cited for his proposal to increase funding for pre-kindergarten this fiscal year by $20 million. Although it’s facing opposition on several fronts, the move would triple the state’s pre-kindergarten program by adding 5,200 four-year-olds.
In Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist, R, has proposed to increase pre-kindergarten funding by $32 million in the face of a $3.9 billion deficit. All but $8 million of the money restores previous budget cuts. Crist has also come out in favor of higher standards for pre-kindergarten teachers.
In Georgia, funding would be increased by $12.2 million for a total of $337 million
In Mississippi, Gov. Haley Barbour, R, has said the state needs to better utilize the existing early childhood programs that serve 80 percent of four-year-olds. Pre-K Now said Barbour “paints a false rosy picture.”
In North Carolina, funding for the More at Four program is proposed to remain at the same level as the previous year - $140.6 million.
In South Carolina, proposed funding would decrease by seven percent for early childhood programs.
In Tennessee, Gov. Phil Bredesen, D, is credited with supporting the growth of a pre-kindergarten program that now serves 17,000 four-year-olds. For the upcoming fiscal year, Bredesen is proposing a 31 percent funding increase to support another 250 additional pre-kindergarten classrooms.
In Virginia, Gov. Tim Kaine, D, was able to increase funding for this fiscal year by $10.5 million to $63.6 million in spite of a projected budget deficit of $1.2 billion.
Source: Pre-K Now