California’s efforts to increase pre-kindergarten opportunity are part of a national movement that gains more momentum each day. Governors and policymakers in numerous states have shown great leadership to expand access to effective preschool programs for young children.
Visit our national partner Pre-K Now’s web site for up-to-date, in-depth profiles of preschool campaigns happening in a number of other states. See below for quick overviews of the leading efforts taking place in New Jersey, Illinois, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
New Jersey: As a result of the 1998 New Jersey Supreme Court decision in Abbott v. Burke, the state implemented a full-time, year-round pre-k program serving children in the lowest-income school districts. Under the recent leadership of Governor Jon Corzine and the state legislature, the Abbott Preschool Program has significant expanded to offer effective pre-k taught by teachers with BAs in small classes to 43,000 3 and 4 year olds. A recent study, conducted by National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), found kindergarteners who attended New Jersey's Abbott Preschool Program significantly closed the gaps between their literacy scores and the national average.
Illinois: Governor Rod Blagojevich made early childhood education a key issue in his gubernatorial campaign in 2002. He and the General Assembly passed a total of $90 million in Early Childhood Block Grant funding between 2003 and 2005. In his 2006 budget address, the governor announced a multi-year preschool-for-all plan that envisions additional funding in future years.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma offers free preschool to all of its 4 year olds. In 1998, Representative Joe Eddins propelled a bill through the legislature to expand an existing pre-kindergarten program to all 4 year olds. The program has expanded dramatically since then and 98 percent of school districts offer the program today.
North Carolina: The North Carolina More at Four pre-k program was established in 2001 as one of Governor Mike Easley's key education initiatives 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 only two pre-k programs nationwide that meets all 10 quality benchmarks outlined by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).
Georgia: In 1995, Georgia became the first state in the United States to offer free, voluntary preschool for all 4 year olds under the leadership of former Governor Zell Miller. The legislature established a lottery to fund the program and voters approved it in a ballot referendum in 1992. The program now serves 73,000 children a year in public schools, Head Start sites, and childcare centers.
Tennessee: In February 2005, Governor 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. In 2006, the governor and legislature added an additional $20 million to provide 250 new preschool classrooms beginning in the fall of 2006.
For more information on preschool leadership around the country, make sure to check out:
