Holly Barnes Higgins
Office 202.862.9863
Mobile 202.834.6846
hhiggins@preknow.org

(Washington, D.C.) – While the D.C. metro area cannot yet claim a member on a new list of places where families have the best chance of enrolling their children in high-quality, state-funded pre-kindergarten, the District, Maryland and Virginia also didn’t land on the list of worst chance states, according to "Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2009.” Released today by Pre-K Now with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts, the report contrasts legislative victories in the District of Columbia and Virginia - and across the country - with a near miss in Maryland.

“It’s a testament to great bipartisan leadership in D.C. and Virginia that pre-k investments – during such a challenging fiscal and political year – remained a priority,” said Libby Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now. “While Maryland has historically been a leader on pre-k quality, this year’s legislative session was a disappointment, so we’re eager to see even more leaders make pre-k access a priority.”

Virginia Republicans and Democrats weathered a tough fiscal and political session to expand access to the Virginia Preschool Initiative for at-risk 4-year-olds with a 13% funding increase for FY09, while Washington, D.C. passed historic legislation to achieve pre-k access for all 3- and 4-year-olds by 2014, joining an elite group of states already providing or phasing-in pre-k for all children. Meanwhile, Maryland legislators disappointed the state’s military families by failing to pass legislation that would have allowed military children to be eligible for state-funded pre-k.

The report sheds new light on the impact of America’s economic downturn and the role of business leaders in legislative support for pre-k funding increases. Motivated by concerns about workforce development and dismal high school-graduation rates, business leaders - along with a growing number of parents, educators and school administrators - are helping Republicans and Democrats join forces to advance pre-k as a prudent, evidence-based economic and education reform strategy.

“Business leaders in Virginia and D.C and economists across the country are talking about investments in pre-k because they recognize it as one of the best ways to invest limited resources and help prevent future economic downturns,” Doggett said. “As this report makes clear, a poor economy is no excuse for failing to prioritize these critical programs.”

“Votes Count” also provides – from the perspective of parents – an analysis 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.

Additional report highlights:

• Net state investments in pre-k will increase by more than $309 million nationally, to $5.2 billion in the next fiscal year.
• Along with the District of Columbia, Louisiana now joins an elite group of seven states already providing or phasing in pre-k for all children: Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
• For the second year in a row, Iowa had the highest percent increase in pre-k support at 73%.
• Two of the dozen states in the “Pre-K Wilderness” (those without a state-funded pre-k program) took important first steps toward establishing quality programs: Hawaii and Rhode Island.

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Pre-K Now collaborates with state advocates and policymakers to lead a movement for high-quality voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds. The following funders contribute to making this important work possible: The Pew Charitable Trusts, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the McCormick Foundation, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Foundation for Child Development, RGK Foundation, CityBridge Foundation, and the Schumann Fund for New Jersey.

The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org) is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. We partner with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society.

• "Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2009"
• Fast facts on FY09 pre-k budgets in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia