Transcript Advancing Quality Pre-K in ALL States

Advancing Quality Pre-K
in All States
National School Boards Association
Sara Watson
The Pew Charitable Trusts
[email protected]
(202) 552-2134
Speaking of child outcomes… meet
Owen Hernandez
Owen is a loveable four year
old bursting with a drive to
learn.
Attending a dual language
pre-k in Texas was his first
school experience.
At the beginning of the year, Owen could not write his
name and his representational drawings were difficult
to identify. During circle time he talked to the teacher
as if he was the only child there. He stood up and
explored the classroom. While walking in a line to
the cafeteria, he wandered off into the yard.
A grocery store
Later, he could
use drawings to
represent places
and things.
Pre-k helped
improve his
English and
Spanish and
taught him how
to learn in a
school setting.
Post-Assessment: What did you see at the fire station?
Advancing
Quality Pre-K for All
 In 2001, Pew Charitable Trusts started its initiative
“Advancing Quality Pre-Kindergarten for All,” to
encourage quality early learning opportunities for all 3and 4-year-olds
 Public education campaigns in over half the states
 2004
2005
2006
14 states increased funding by $200 million
26 states
$600 million
31 states
$450 million
Among legislatures which increased funding for pre-k in 2006,
15 have Democratic majorities, 10 have Republican majorities
and 6 have split legislatures
Legislative Action on Pre-K Budgets
FY 2006-2007
WA
ME
MT
ND
OR
MN
ID
V
T
SD
N
H
NY
WI
MA
MI
WY
RI
CT
PA
IA
CA
NV
NJ
NE
UT
OH
IL
CO
MD
WV
MO
KS
AZ
DE
IN
KY
NC
TN
OK
NM
AR
SC
MS
TX
VA
AL
GA
LA
AK
FL
Increased Investment in Pre-K
Anticipated Increase in Pre-K
Flat Investment in Pre-K
HI
No State Pre-K Program
Source: Pre-K Now
Exciting Progress in 2006
 Tennessee - increased high quality pilot by 57%
 Texas – included children of military families
 California – no to ballot initiative but then $100 M new
money
 New York – 4 years ago, governor tried to eliminate
program. Now $50 M of increased funding
 Massachusetts – legislature passed pre-k for all 4’s
unanimously, but vetoed by governor. They’ll be back.
 Louisiana – yes Louisiana – increased funding by $1.5 M
Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Attending Pre-K 2004-2005
> 50%
20-49%
10-19%
1-9%
0%
Source: National Institute for Early Education Research
Pre-K for All
 In place: Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma
 As a goal: Illinois, New York, Tennessee, West Virginia
 Use school funding formula: Maine, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Vermont, District of
Columbia, West Virginia
Targeted Programs
 26 states have child-based eligibility requirements
 3 states have district-based eligibility requirements
 Most common requirement is income-based
 Other risk factors : low birth weight, English Language Learner, single parent, teen
parents, in state custody, disability
 Use school funding formula: Colorado, Michigan, Maryland, Nebraska (2007),
Texas
Source: Pre-K Now
Revenue Sources for State Pre-K Programs
2006
WA
ME
MT
ND
OR
MN
ID
V
T
SD
N
H
NY
WI
MA
MI
WY
RI
CT
PA
IA
CA
NV
NJ
NE
UT
OH
IL
CO
MD
WV
MO
KS
AZ
DE
IN
KY
NC
TN
OK
NM
AR
SC
MS
TX
VA
AL
GA
LA
AK
FL
HI
General Revenues
only
Tobacco Settlement +
General Revenues
Cigarette Tax +
General Revenues
Gaming Revenues
only
No State-Funded
Pre-K Program
Lottery +
General Revenues
Beer Tax +
General Revenues
Lottery Revenues
only
Source: Pre-K Now
Quality Standards (NIEER)
Standard
No. of states 2004-2005
(out of 38 with state prek)
Staff-child ratio 1:10
Max class size 20
Teacher has specialized training in pre-k
At least 15 hours/year in-service training
Site visits for monitoring
Comprehensive early learning standards
Vision, hearing and at least 1 support service
Teacher has BA
At least one meal
Asst teacher has CDA or equivalent
37
35
35
33
30
27
27
25
23
12
What we don’t mean by quality
pre-k for all
What we do mean
High pressure
Low quality/only care about access
Academic only
Prek for all = same size fits all
Prek for all = every single child right
now
Only 4’s
Only in schools
Ignore parents
Mandatory
Silver bullet
Fun – “can I go to pre-K?”
Improving quality AND access (TN)
Social/emotional development plus
wrap around
Core for all plus more for at-risk
Prek for all = Goal of all, reach most,
over time (Arkansas)
3’s and 4’s
Diverse settings, parent choice (NY)
Support parents too
Absolutely voluntary
Essential but not sufficient – children
need other supports as well (Illinois)
What the Trusts’ initiative offers to
states in the network

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Infrastructure of organizations
Technical assistance and financial support
Help with communications and messages
Peer network
Research including state data
Help in engaging key constituencies (business,
law enforcement, K-12, seniors, physicians, media)
National grantee partners
supporting the states
Committee for Economic Development (www.ced.org)
Education Law Center (www.startingat3.org)
Education Writers Association (www.ewa.org)
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids (www.fightcrime.org)
Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media
(www.tc.columbia.edu/hechinger)
National Association of Elementary School Principals
(www.naesp.org)
National Conference of State Legislatures (www.ncsl.org)
National Institute for Early Education Research (www.nieer.org)
National School Boards Association (www.nsba.org)
Pre-K Now (www.preknow.org)
Context for your work in the states
 Delighted you’re interested in pre-k
 School boards essential to convey importance of pre-k for
education AND to help ensure good implementation
 Each state has existing pre-k campaign and leaders to work with
each national grantee
 Strive for a unified message, collaborating sometimes in public,
sometimes behind the scenes
 Commitment to diverse delivery systems, but all must meet high
standards to ensure children get a quality education
 Not taking from one children’s system to support another
 Pew funds to NSBA support informing decision makers, not
direct advocacy
 Welcome aboard!