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Claudette
Riley, Tennessean, May 22, 2005
Only time will tell now if pre-K is the way to improve Tennessee schools,
or just another bloated government program.
Gov. Phil Bredesen's plan to expand the publicly funded school readiness
program has been approved by the General Assembly, and it's expected to
become a reality this fall.
"In the end, it means more opportunity," the governor said. "What it means
is young people in Tennessee who, for a variety of reasons, may not be
ready to take full advantage of going into kindergarten — that many more
of them will be prepared to do that."
Supporters say a program designed to equip children, particularly those
from poor families, with the skills they need to succeed may have
wide-reaching implications for a state that has long lagged behind others
in school spending and student achievement.
"If Tennessee does this program, this will pay dividends for years to
come," said Steve Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early
Education Research, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank dedicated to
expanding preschool. "You're going to close that achievement gap right
from the beginning. It also positions Tennessee to be a leader in
education."
But critics worry that the program could suck needed resources such as
money and staff away from later grades, threaten the state's
lottery-funded scholarships or turn into an entitlement — typically a
program that sort of becomes a right and can't be pared back because it
guarantees certain benefits, such as access to pre-K, to a group of
people.
"It will put a lot of pressure on neighboring counties and schools to do
the same thing," said state Rep. Richard Montgomery, R-Sevierville, who
supports starting a smaller-scale pre-K program. "If this ever goes
mandatory, a tremendous amount of money will be needed."
States that have begun high-quality pre-K programs — such as Georgia,
Oklahoma and New Jersey — report that more students start school ready to
learn and do better overall in school. But even successful programs in
other states have been plagued by funding fluctuations and problems
working out logistics, which include finding enough space and teachers.
At this point, voices on both sides of the debate about whether pre-K is
right for Tennessee can only speculate, point to the volumes of mostly
positive studies about the effects of pre-K, and take a look at what has
happened in other states.
"You can't look at a couple years," said state Rep. Chris Newton, a
Republican from Cleveland. "You have to be able to look at it over 10-15
years."
Learning from Georgia
Tennessee is studying the successes and stumbles of Georgia's program —
and those in other states — as it flirts with bringing a strikingly
similar plan here. Bredesen has earmarked $25 million in his proposed
2005-06 budget as a sort of "down payment" to jumpstart a voluntary,
public pre-K program designed to eventually serve every 4-year-old.
Georgia pioneered a school readiness program that already does most of
what Tennessee wants to do. And that decade of pre-K there appears to be
paying off — which may spell good news for the program being proposed
here.
"It's an absolute transformation," said Lezah Stevenson, a veteran pre-K
teacher at the International Inclusion Center in Dalton, Ga. "I take
everybody from where they are and take them as far as they can go. I'm
always amazed at how far they go."
More students show up the first day of kindergarten knowing their letters,
shapes, colors and numbers. Many can already read and write at least a
little. They know their way around a school: how to line up, follow
directions, carry a lunch tray, work with other students and use class
supplies such as glue and scissors.
A series of studies by Georgia State University show that students who go
through pre-K are more likely to be reading at grade 3 than their peers.
It also shows significant improvement in school readiness among students
from poor families.
Yet getting there meant battling parent and community apprehension and the
nervousness of students, many of whom are entering a structured, school
environment for the first time — lessons Tennessee could benefit from.
As approved by legislators, Tennessee's pre-K would share many
characteristics of the Georgia plan. The biggest similarities include
trying to serve as many children as possible, keeping class sizes small,
and giving families the choice of sending their children to preschool in
public and private schools or child-care centers.
"I like that option," said Sidonnia Reece, who studied both options and
ultimately decided to enroll her preschool-age son, Bryce, in a private
pre-K center in Dalton, Ga., because it's where her son also went to day
care. "Either way is good for me."
Paying for pre-K
Tennessee started down the pre-K path, much like Georgia did in 1992, with
a home-grown pilot program designed to measure results and statewide
interest. The paths diverged in how and when the two states decided to
expand.
Georgia moved swiftly and poured a lot of money — lottery dollars, to be
specific — into expanding the program and reaching the most students in a
short period of time. To date, Georgia's Bright From The Start program
spends $270 million in lottery dollars a year and serves about 70,000
students statewide.
But like many state-funded preschool programs around the country, Georgia
struggled with how to manage its growing number of classrooms. In recent
years, it's begun monitoring them more intensively.
Tennessee actually may be able to sidestep some of those pitfalls by
starting slow and letting the number of pre-K programs grow with demand.
Bredesen's plan is to triple the number of students served this fall from
3,000 to 9,000 by adding $25 million in lottery funds to the $10 million
in state funds already earmarked for pre-K.
"We want to see if the dollars are really working," said Drew Kim,
Bredesen's policy chief. "The first couple of years, we'll know right away
if there's a huge demand."
While pre-K funding has flatlined in other states because of tight budgets
or lotteries that plateau over time, the growth of Tennessee's plan after
this first year will depend entirely on district interest and the
availability of state dollars from the general fund.
Financial fluctuations aren't uncommon in pre-K programs. For instance, in
New Jersey, where state-funded pre-K is about a decade old, the amount of
money has gone up and down slightly over the years.
What hasn't wavered, however, is public support.
"It has to be a true commitment. It's just a matter of public will
building over time," said Ellen Frede, New Jersey's assistant
commissioner, Office of Early Childhood Education. "As you get more
children served, you have a lot more people support it."
Like other states, New Jersey has seen school readiness improve.
"Children are entering kindergarten with much better skills — ready to
succeed," Frede said. "Very few people question whether we have to do it."
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Providing pre-K
If Tennessee opts to partner with other providers or use a mix of local,
state and federal funds to pay for preschool, it won't be alone. Here's
how some nearby states set up their programs:
In Alabama, the local program must provide matching funds totaling at
least 50% of the state money for each program. Programs, which are
widespread but only serve a small percentage of 4-year-olds, are operated
by schools, private child-care centers, Head Start agencies, universities
and housing authorities.
Arkansas mixes money from a dedicated sales tax — primarily a tax on
packaged beer — and requires local matching funds of 40% to pay for the
program. The majority of programs are in public schools, but the state
also provides direct funding to Head Start agencies, private child-care
centers, universities and other providers.
In 2002, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment to provide
voluntary public pre-K for every 4-year-old by this fall. The state-funded
preschool program can be delivered through public schools or private
providers.
Georgia started the nation's first preschool program open to every
4-year-old and paid for it with lottery dollars. Programs are in schools
anda wide variety of community-based settings.
In Kentucky, preschool is offered to every 4-year-old eligible for free or
reduced-pricelunch — a national measure of poverty. All school districts
receive state funding for preschool, and some contract with Head Start,
private child-care centers and special education facilities to provide
services.
The preschool program in Missouri is paid for with gambling revenues.
Since 1999, the money has been available to public schools, Head Start
centers, private child-care centers and family child-care homes through a
competitive grant process. All children are eligible to enroll, but
programs receive priority funding for serving low-income or special
education students.
North Carolina's main pre-K program targets 4-year-olds considered at risk
for future school failure. State money funds the bulk of the program, but
local districts are required to provide some funds to support the program
– which can operate in schools, child-care centers and Head Start
agencies. Another initiative supports local planning and collaboration
between groups to provide early childhood services, which can include
pre-K.
In Oklahoma, school districts that provide pre-K are reimbursed through
the state's school funding formula based on how many children they serve.
The state ranks first in the nation for the percentage of 4-year-olds
served in public pre-K. Most programs are in schools, although some
systems partner with community-based agencies.
Every school system in South Carolina is required to provide at least one
pre-K class. Most offer only half-day classes, but some use state, federal
or local funds to extend the day. Only schools can receive state funding,
but they're allowed to subcontract with other agencies.
Eleven states don't offer pre-K. They are Alaska, Idaho, Indiana,
Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South
Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
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