In spite of worsening economic conditions across the country, the majority of states stood firm in their commitment to investing in pre-kindergarten programs, according to "Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2009," a state-by-state analysis of pre-k funding released by Pre-K Now with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts. This year's "Votes Count" also unveils a new list of the places families would have the best and worst chances of enrolling their children in a high-quality, state-funded pre-k program; ten states make the notable lists.
New Video: See and Share What Children Learn in Pre-K
Explaining the range of benefits children get from high-quality pre-kindergarten just got a little easier. After filming in a high-quality classroom for a full year, we've created a show-and-tell video about the school-readiness skills and love of learning gained by five real children.
At 10 minutes long, this video is a good tool for quickly sharing the impact and importance of pre-k education with parents, advocates, policymakers, and others. We even have a few tips for using the video with different audiences. So, the next time someone asks "What do children learn in pre-k?" we hope our video helps you give the answer. watch the video and learn more
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Today in Pre-K
Despite Budget Woes, California Governor Signs Two Early Ed Bills
After struggling to finalize California's FY09 budget—and making severe cuts to address a massive budget shortfall—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger worked with the state legislature to maintain level funding for the state’s investment in pre-k. In addition, the governor signed two early education bills into law last week. The first bill, SB 1629, establishes an Advisory Committee charged to develop an Early Learning Quality Improvement System. This will increase providers' capacity to reach higher program quality and help parents make more informed decisions about programs. The second bill, AB 2759, is designed to allow for more effective use of state funds by consolidating all the early childhood education programs in the state. "Pre-Kindergarten education is the first formal step a child takes toward academic success and California's children deserve the highest-quality programs that put them on track to a successful future," says Governor Schwarzenegger.
On Aug 22, the Wall Street Journal printed a large anti-preschool op-ed by the Reason Foundation, which misreported solid early education research and deemed preschool “damaging” to children. The early education community—including Pre-K Now and the Pew Center on the States—responded with letters to the Journal editorial board to set the record straight. A week later, the Journal printed a response signed by Libby Doggett and Susan Urahn, as well as a letter defending James Heckman’s support of pre-k penned by Illinois Action for Children. Lawrence Schweinhart and Heckman, himself, were among other supportive respondents calling attention to the Reason Foundation’s misquoted statistics.
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Video: Briefing on America's Pre-K Movement
Pre-K Now held a briefing for congressional staff, cosponsored by Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Kit Bond, on October 1. Hear what a governor, three superintendents, two directors of early childhood programs, and a national teacher of the year think Congress should do to increase families' access to quality, state-funded pre-k.
