Education Week - February 27, 2013 - 21

EDUCATION WEEK

FEBRUARY 27, 2013

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States Weigh Potential Impact of Federal Pre-K Proposal
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

sioner of the Georgia Department
of Early Care and Learning.
Georgia has a universal, voluntary state-funded pre-K program
that enrolls about 60 percent of
the state’s 4-year-olds. Two days
after delivering his address to
Congress on Feb. 12, President
Obama visited a private preschool
in Decatur, Ga. to talk up his
early-childhood proposals.
The state, which uses lottery
money to pay for its preschool
program, had to cut it from 180 to
160 days and increase class sizes
in 2010-11, but there is a proposal
from Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, to go back to 180 days for the
2013-14 school year.
“We are open to a robust conversation about what standards the
government would like to have
met if they do move in a direction like this,” Mr. Cagle said. “We
could provide them with good information about what they really
should be looking at.”
Sherri Killins, Massachusetts’
commissioner of early education
and care, said she was not worried about federal requirements
accompanying the aid, should
the proposal pass. Her state won
a Race to the Top Early Learning
Challenge grant, and she would
expect such requirements to follow that same template.
“I haven’t met the dollar that
didn’t have strings attached,” Ms.
Killins said. “Massachusetts has
been quite successful in positioning itself to take advantage of federal opportunities.”

Tight-Lipped
All but 11 states finance some
kind of preschool program, though
the quality of those programs and
the percentage of children enrolled
in each state vary, according to the
National Institute on Early Education Research, or nieer, based at
Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
About 1.3 million 3- and 4-yearolds were enrolled in state-funded
prekindergarten during the 201011 school year, the latest statistics
available from the organization.
That number accounted for about
28 percent of the nation’s 4-yearolds that year, and 4 percent of the
3-year-olds.
The Obama administration has
been tight-lipped about major
components of its new early-education plan, including how much
money it would like to devote to
the effort.
However, it has released some
details of what it would like to
create, including a cost-sharing
arrangement with the states that
would extend federal dollars to
reach 4-year-olds in families with
incomes at or below 200 percent
of the federal poverty level, currently $23,550 a year for a family
of four.
The federal money, to be overseen by the U.S. Department of
Education, would flow to school
districts and other providers of
early-childhood education.

The administration would also
Federal money would be welSTATE-LEVEL ATTENTION
like to see the creation of statecome if it came with autonomy, he
level standards for early learning,
said.
Proposals to expand early-childhood-education programs
qualified teachers, and assess“I think there’s a conscious efare bubbling in a number of states—including from
ment systems for early-learning
fort to make some fundamental,
governors on both sides of the political aisle. Among the
providers. And it would also exstructural changes in how we do
more specific initiatives currently on the table:
pand Early Head Start, a federal
education in the state,” Mr. Barker
program administered by the
said. But, he added, “I’m cautious
any time the federal government
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services that currently
says they’re going to create some
ALABAMA:
supports infants and toddlers.
kind of new spending program.
Gov. Robert Bentley,
W. Steven Barnett, the
What would be helpful to the states
a Republican, has proposed
would be more autonomy over
director of nieer, said the
GEORGIA:
a $12.5 million increase in
White House proposal was
those dollars that do come from
Gov. Nathan Deal, a
funding in fiscal 2014 that
particularly appealing bethe federal government. Each state
Republican, has proposed
would add 2,200 seats to the
cause it would support what
knows its own landscape best.”
increasing state pre-K to 180
state’s voluntary pre-K
states already are trying to
Theresa Lock, the coordinator
days, restoring it to its original
program.
do.
of Hawaii’s newly created Execustatus after lottery shortfalls
“The federal government is
tive Office on Early Learning, is
forced reductions for two
not going to foot the whole bill.
enthusiastic about the potential
years.
But it will make it vastly easier
expansion of a federal role.
for them to accomplish what they
Lawmakers in her state
HAWAII:
already say they want to accomare considering several
INDIANA: Gov. Mike
Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a
plish,” Mr. Barnett said.
bills that would create a
Pence, a Republican,
Democrat, wants to spend $28.9
He pointed to the Education
state-funded preschool
has said he supports a plan
million on preschool for about
program.
Department’s Race to the Top
from the legislature to create a
Early Learning Challenge grants,
Gov. Neil Abercrom3,500 4-year-olds, starting in the
preschool pilot voucher program
which provided more than $600
bie, a Democrat, is
2014-15 school year, with plans
that would serve 1,000 children.
million to states to improve their
pushing for the proto expand the program.
preschool programs. Thirty-five
gram to start in the
states, the District of Colum2014-15 school year, with
bia and Puerto Rico applied
an enrollment of 3,500
MASSACHUSETTS:
for those grants, showing that
children. The program would
Gov. Deval Patrick,
there’s already a strong desire
be free for families with incomes
a Democrat, proposes
nationwide to improve early
at or below 200 percent of the povchanging the tax structure in
learning, Mr. Barnett said.
erty line, mirroring the federal prothe state to pay for a preschool
posal. A sliding-fee scale would be
MICHIGAN:
expansion that would
used for better-off families.
Gov. Rick Snyder,
‘Beautiful Opportunity’
eliminate a 30,000-child
“The majority of our lawmakers
a Republican, wants
waiting list by 2017.
“The states that have been crewould like to support young chilto increase the number of
ating programs have been going
dren, but because of other comat-risk 4-year-olds served by
for quality first,” he said. “But the
peting priorities, it’s definitely an
the state’s voluntary pre-K
struggle they have is, if you go for
uphill battle,” Ms. Lock said. When
MINNESOTA:
program by providing
quality first, it’s more expensive,
the economy was not doing well,
Gov. Mark Dayton, a
$130 million over the
you can take fewer kids, and it
there were a lot of cuts to critical
Democrat, has proposed
next two years.
takes a longer time” to expand.
programs that are now seeking
increasing enrollment
“For the states that have high
more money, she said.
in preschool by 10,000
standards and are willing to go
“The governor’s position is that we
students, at a cost of
need to invest now. We cannot keep
for excellence, the president’s
$44 million.
pushing off children’s needs and
plan is a beautiful opportunity,”
MISSISSIPPI:
Mr. Barnett said.
their development,” she added.
Gov. Phil Bryant, a
MISSOURI:
Mr. Cagle, the early-education
Ms. Lock said she liked the
Republican, is seeking a $3
leader for Georgia, noted that
federal attention to quality,
Gov. Jay Nixon, a
million increase in funds for the
funding cuts in its program have
because her state is at the
Democrat, is proposing
Mississippi Building Blocks preschool
led the state to drop some of the
very beginning of developing
adding $17 million to the state’s
program, but the legislature has
wraparound services that used to
its early-learning infrastrucfiscal 2014 budget for earlyapproved bills expanding on his
be a part of the program. He said
ture. “We hope that states
childhood education, which
proposal that could lead to the
that federal funding, if it were
like Hawaii aren’t left out of
would be split between the
state’s first publicly funded
to come, would likely be used to
the loop” for funding, she said.
state’s preschool program
pre-K program.
revive those efforts to steer famiand Early Head Start.
lies to needed services.
Building Block
“That’s one of the things we
Ms. Killins, the early-education
know is needed in the state—a
good family-support component,”
chief for Massachusetts, said her
VERMONT:
he said.
state would like to use additional
SOURCE: Education Week
Gov. Peter Shumlin, a
State Rep. Robert Behning, a
federal aid to knit together proDemocrat, proposes to shift
grams already operating around
Republican member of the In$17 million from the earned
diana House of Representatives
the state’s early-childhood sysincome tax credit to help fund
and the chairman of its educa- society of haves and have-nots.
tem so that families can access a
high-quality child care in the state
tion committee, said he sees the Very few people will be able to
seamless continuum of care.
and to use state funds to help
urgency behind early-childhood cross from the lower class to the
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patsupport preschool startup
programs.
class above them.”
rick, a Democrat, has made a
efforts.
A bill before the legislature
At the same time, he’s wary of
major increase in preschool and
would create a two-year pilot federal involvement in early childearly learning a key part of his
budget proposal for fiscal 2014.
preschool voucher program to hood, even when it comes with the
“One of the things I was most
educate 1,000 children, ages 3 promise of more money.
and 4, from low-income families.
“Unfortunately, some of the fed- greater way other than to incen- proud of in my governor’s preIf the $7 million proposal passes, eral dollars come with so many tivize states to do the right thing,” sentation and in the president’s
it will be the first state-funded strings attached to them it’s hard Mr. Behning said.
presentation: It isn’t just about
preschool program in Indiana.
to figure out if it’s a benefit or a
State Rep. Toby Barker, a Mis- preschool,” Ms. Killins said. “They
“The reality is that children in curse,” he said. Of particular con- sissippi Republican and the spon- care just as much about home vispoverty face challenges well be- cern is that the government may sor of an early-childhood bill that iting and infants and toddlers.
yond being impoverished,” Mr. inject money into programs early would create his state’s first pre“Those things give me a lot of
Behning said. “If we don’t change on, then leave the states to foot school program funded with state hope,” she said, “that we are rethe trajectory this country is on the entire bill at a later date.
dollars, said that after years of lip ally looking at families and lookin terms of K-12 delivery, we’re
“I’m personally not an advocate service, signs are strong an early- ing at children, and we’re looking
going to have a very class-based of the feds getting involved in a learning measure will pass.
for shared benefits.”

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Education Week - February 27, 2013

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