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Pre-K Now
Leadership Matters: Florida
Florida

Governor Charlie Crist (R)
State of the State Mentions Pre-K or Early Education: No

Proposed Percent Change (Percent Change Rank4) Proposal Comments
+ 9% (T-12) Increases the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education (VPK) proogram by $32.1 million for a total of $384.4 million. The FY08 appropriation for VPK was reduced to $352.3 million to reflect a lower-than-anticipated enrollment rate.

The FY09 proposal would increase per-child spending by $43 to $2,720.

Even with the FY09 increase, total VPK funding would be nearly $6 million below the program’s FY07 appropriation.

Neighboring Governors' Proposals
State Proposed Percent Change
Alabama +174%
Georgia +4%

 

1 FY09 is the first year of the biennium.
2 FY09 is the second year of the biennium. Governor has not made a pre-k proposal in 2008.
3 No state-funded pre-k program according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.
4 Rank compares percent change proposed by the 26 executives who made FY09 pre-k proposals in 2008. "T" means tie.
 
Resource Center
Pre-K Advocates
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Families
Meeting the Challenge of Rural Pre-K
Families everywhere struggle to find high-quality pre-k programs for their children, but the problem is even more acute in rural areas. Pre-K Now has come out with recommendations for federal policymakers to help states meet the unique challenges of rural pre-k.
download the white paper (PDF)
see our other federal policy work
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.
watch and learn more
How Do States
Pay for Pre-K?
To help policymakers and advocates answer that question, Pre-K Now offers "Funding the Future," a report examining the range of pre-k funding options.
learn about the answers
The movement to establish high-quality pre-k for every child who needs it will be America's statement about its children in the 21st Century.