1. Advancing Quality Pre-K in All States National School Boards Association Sara Watson The Pew Charitable Trusts swatson@pewtrusts.org (202) 552-2134

2. 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.

3. A grocery store 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.

4. 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?

5. 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 3- and 4-year-olds  Public education campaigns in over half the states  2004 14 states increased funding by $200 million 2005 26 states $600 million 2006 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

6. Legislative Action on Pre-K Budgets FY 2006-2007 Increased Investment in Pre-K Anticipated Increase in Pre-K Flat Investment in Pre-K No State Pre-K Program Source: Pre-K Now

7. 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

8. Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Attending Pre-K 2004-2005 Source: National Institute for Early Education Research > 50% 20-49% 10-19% 1-9% 0%

9. Pre-K for All zIn place: Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma zAs a goal: Illinois, New York, Tennessee, West Virginia zUse school funding formula: Maine, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Vermont, District of Columbia, West Virginia Targeted Programs z26 states have child-based eligibility requirements z3 states have district-based eligibility requirements zMost common requirement is income-based zOther risk factors : low birth weight, English Language Learner, single parent, teen parents, in state custody, disability zUse school funding formula: Colorado, Michigan, Maryland, Nebraska (2007), Texas Source: Pre-K Now

10. Revenue Sources for State Pre-K Programs 2006 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

11. Quality Standards (NIEER) StandardNo. of states 2004-2005 (out of 38 with state prek) Staff-child ratio 1:1037 Max class size 2035 Teacher has specialized training in pre-k35 At least 15 hours/year in-service training33 Site visits for monitoring30 Comprehensive early learning standards27 Vision, hearing and at least 1 support service27 Teacher has BA25 At least one meal23 Asst teacher has CDA or equivalent12

12. What we don’t mean by quality pre-k for all 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 What we do mean 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)

13. What the Trusts’ initiative offers to states in the network  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)

14. 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)

15. 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!