A wide range of organizations, from the business and medical communities to policymaker organizations, are working to make effective pre-kindergarten programs available to children nationwide.
For a sample of some of these pre-k supporters, see the list below.
Individuals include:
- Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Board of Governors, United States Federal Reserve
- Libby Doggett, Executive Director, Pre-K Now
- Steven Barnett, Director, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)
- Berry Brazelton, M.D., Author and Professor Emeritus, Harvard Medical School
- James Heckman, 2000 Nobel Laureate and Economist, University of Chicago
- David Lawrence, President, The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation and Former Publisher, Miami Herald.
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
The Minneapolis Fed has published influential reports on the wisdom of investing in quality preschool as economic development. Read the article, Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return, from FedGazette (Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis: March 2003).
The National Business Roundtable
The Business Roundtable is an association of 150 chief executive officers of leading corporations committed to advocating public policies that foster vigorous economic growth and a dynamic global economy. Read their statement on the need for high quality early childhood education for 3 and 4 year-olds: Early Childhood Education: A Call to Action from the Business Community.
National Conference of State Legislators
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is a bipartisan organization that provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for state legislators and staffers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. In January 2007, NCSL’s magazine State Legislatures featured Preschool Rocks, a report on state legislative efforts to expand access to preschool.
National Council of La Raza
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) – the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States – works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. NCLR has been a champion of expanding access to quality pre-k programs to the children who need it most, particularly to Latino children that have been shown to receive significant benefits from effective pre-k. Read NCLR’s report on early childhood education: Buenos Principios: Latino Children in the Earliest Years of Life (pdf).
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation's governors and a respected public policy organization. The NGA Center for Best Practices supports the work of Governors and their policy advisors in developing and implementing strategies to increase opportunities for early child literacy, learning, and development. View its report, Building the Foundation for Bright Futures: Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a nonpartisan organization of the nation's 1183 mayors in cities with populations of 30,000 or more. In 2004, the conference adopted a resolution supporting preschool opportunity for all and urging federal and state governments to "establish policies and to assist in the funding of quality preschool education." It also encourages states to fund programs to help educate, train and retain staff including opportunities to obtain a college degree and better compensation.
The Committee for Economic Development
The Committee for Economic Development (CED) is an independent, nonpartisan organization of business and education leaders dedicated to policy research on the major economic and social issues of our time and the implementation of its recommendations by the public and private sectors. Read its 2002 report making the case for universal, free access to preschool: Preschool for All: Investing In a Productive and Just Society.
Docs for Tots
Docs for Tots is a nonpartisan advocacy organization whose mission is to develop, support and grow a nationwide network of doctors able to respond to the requests of advocacy organizations and others who seek doctor involvement in promoting policies and practices that will improve the health and development of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Read their two page document on the effects quality preschool has on good health and school readiness.
Pew Charitable Trusts
The Pew Charitable Trusts serves the public interest by providing organizations and citizens with fact-based research and practical solutions for challenging issues. Through their State Policy Initiatives program, Pew funds rigorous, policy-focused research that demonstrates the value of high-quality preschool for all 3 and 4 year olds. Pew has a policy solutions web page dedicated to pre-k education.
Pre-K Now
Pre-K Now works with state advocates and policymakers to advance high-quality pre-k opportunity for all 3 and 4 year olds in the U.S. Pre-K Now provides financial and technical assistance in order to create and fund new public preschool programs or to improve the quality of and access to existing programs. It works to strengthen the capacity of early childhood advocates and state leaders to secure policy changes and funding as well as campaigns to educate and mobilize key sectors of the public and policymakers at the state and national level about the importance of high-quality preschool and its significant impact on K-12 education.
