First-class pre K will help state’s children succeed

By Staff
Gov. Bib Riley
Imagine if there was a program out there that would allow our children to do measurably better in school and in life - to score higher on academic achievement tests, to go to college and graduate, to get better jobs with higher salaries, to stay out of prison and off welfare. We’d jump at the chance to have something like this, wouldn’t we?
Fortunately, it’s not something we have to imagine. It exists and it’s called pre-kindergarten, or pre-K. Educators and researchers agree that high quality pre-K makes a tremendous difference in the lives of children. Children who attend high quality pre-K develop better language skills, score higher in school-readiness tests and have fewer behavioral problems once they enter school. They are 40 percent less likely to need special education or be held back a grade. They are less likely to become high school dropouts and more likely to go on and graduate from college. As adults, they are less likely to become dependent on welfare or get arrested.
Even better, the quality of Alabama’s pre-K program is rated the best in the nation. According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, only Alabama and North Carolina meet all 10 of the institute’s benchmarks for pre-K quality. The quality of Alabama’s pre-K program isn’t the problem. The problem is that access to pre-K in our state is limited. Last year, Alabama’s pre-K program served little more than 1,000 of the 60,000 four-year-olds in the state. That number has increased to about 2,400 this year due to an increase in pre-K funding approved by the Legislature, but that is still only four percent of Alabama’s four-year-olds.
We can and should do more to help our children succeed. It doesn’t make sense to have the nation’s highest quality program, but offer it to only a few. That’s why I am proposing First Class: Alabama’s Voluntary Pre-K Initiative.
First Class builds on Alabama’s existing pre-K program that is nationally recognized for quality and expands it to serve more children. First Class not only brings pre-K to more children, it increases accountability so we maintain our existing program’s nationally recognized high standards.
Almost all states have some form of state-funded pre-K. Several have pushed towards “universal” pre-K programs for all four-year-olds and other states have opted for programs targeted only towards “at-risk” children. Universal approaches have been successful in some states, but they cost a tremendous amount of tax dollars due to the number of children being served. Targeted programs have a lower cost, but they leave the majority of children unserved and create the perception that pre-K is only for poor kids.
An ideal plan would blend both approaches, and that what we’ve done with First Class.
First Class is voluntary. There will be no state mandate forcing parents to enroll their four-year-olds in pre-K.
First Class is flexible and affordable, both for the state and families who enroll their children in it. Grants will be provided to public school systems, Head Start centers and private childcare centers to help them meet high standards. The grants are designed to meet the needs of each classroom.
One may need funds to hire a qualified teacher, while others may need funds to strengthen their curriculum or provide health screenings for children. First Class also provides varying levels of funding to classrooms based on the number of low- and middle-income children they serve. This model allows Alabama to build on its existing preschool infrastructure, while providing affordable access to voluntary pre-K for a much greater number of four-year-olds.
There are few investments the state can make that will pay off as well in the long run as voluntary pre-K. The seeds of success and failure are planted early. Study after study has documented the clear benefits a high quality pre-K program has on youngsters. In the short term, pre-K helps guarantee students enter school ready to learn. The long term results are endless: higher graduation rates, lower crime rates and reduce welfare rolls. That’s something all of us can support.
Bob Riley is governor of Alabama. He can be reached by email through the website www.governor.alabama.gov/.