California’s efforts to increase early learning opportunity are part of a national movement that gains momentum each day. On the federal level, President Obama has developed a comprehensive “Zero to Five” plan that includes working to ensure more children have access to early learning programs.
While budget difficulties at the state level have slowed efforts to increase preschool investments, many governors and legislatures have shown great leadership on expanding access to high-quality preschool for young children.
Georgia: In 1995 under the leadership of former Gov. Zell Miller, Georgia became the first state in the nation to offer free preschool for all 4 year olds. The program, funded through the state lottery, now serves 74,000 children in public schools, Head Start sites and both for-profit and non-profit private centers. Georgia’s pre-k program, which currently meets 8 out of 10 quality benchmarks outlined by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), is focusing on improving quality. According to research, children began preschool significantly behind peers of their age across the nation. But by the end of first grade, they exceeded national norms on their overall math skills, phonemic awareness, expressive language and letter and word recognition.
Illinois: Under the leadership of a bipartisan group of legislators, Illinois is one of five states phasing in voluntary preschool for all 4 year olds, and the only state in the nation also phasing in access for all 3 year olds. The program is of high quality, meeting nine NIEER quality benchmarks, including requirements that teachers have bachelor’s degrees and specialized training in early childhood. The state’s Early Childhood Block Grant also includes a set-aside for services for low-income infants and toddlers.
New Jersey: Under the leadership of Gov. Jon Corzine, New Jersey passed legislation in 2008 to make high-quality preschool available within five years to all 3 and 4 year olds in the state’s 185 lowest-income school districts, as well as low-income students in other districts. The legislation was the result of a 1998 New Jersey Supreme Court decision requiring the state implement preschool for children in the lowest-income school districts. A study by NIEER found that children in the state’s high-quality preschools made significant learning gains that were largely sustained during kindergarten. Children who attended preschool significantly outperformed those who did not. Gains were nearly double for language and 70 percent larger for math.
North Carolina: The North Carolina More at Four preschool program was established in 2001 as one of Gov. Mike Easley's education initiatives and later reinforced by a court ruling that the state should provide pre-k for all at-risk 4 year olds. More at Four is one of two programs nationwide that meets all 10 NIEER quality benchmarks. North Carolina has a model quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) that supports and rewards preschool and child care providers that offer high-quality programs. The More at Four program helped prepare disadvantaged children for school and enabled them to continue to progress in kindergarten, often at a greater than expected rate, according to assessments.
Oklahoma: Since 1998, Oklahoma has offered free, voluntary preschool to all 4 year olds. Ninety-eight percent of school districts offer preschool and more than 36,000 children participant in the program. Research shows that Oklahoma’s preschool program, which meets 9 out of 10 NIEER quality benchmarks, produces substantial academic benefits for all children in the program, particularly low-income, Latino and African American students. Children who attended the preschool program showed early reading and math gains of 52 percent in letter and word identification, 27 percent in spelling and 21 percent in applied problems.
Pennsylvania: Gov. Ed Rendell led the effort to create the Pre-K Counts program in 2007 and it served 11,000 3 and 4 year olds in the first year. Keystone STARS, Pennsylvania’s model quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), aims to recognize and enhance the quality of child care programs with a voluntary five-level rating based on staff qualifications, program and curriculum, and family involvement. A 2006 program evaluation found that the QRIS has been successful in improving quality in participating child care centers. After attending the program, about 70 percent of children showed age-appropriate social-emotional skills and early language and literacy skills.
Tennessee: In 2005, preschool champion Gov. Phil Bredesen announced a proposal to more than double the number of state-funded preschool classrooms. Two legislators introduced a bill that passed swiftly amid support from a broad array of business, labor, and education leaders. Preschool investments in the state have increased by 200 percent since 2006. Tennessee’s pre-k program currently meets 9 out of 10 NIEER quality benchmarks.
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