Governors and Pre-K
Tuesday, May 30, 2006; Page A06
More governors are making early childhood education a priority, according to a new survey. The advocacy group Pre-K Now, based in the District, reviewed 2006 State of the State addresses and budget proposals. It found:
· Twenty-four governors mentioned pre-kindergarten or early education as a priority, among them Virginia's Timothy M. Kaine (D) and Maryland's Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R). The total was up from 17 the year before. Governors proposed new funding of nearly $250 million.
· New Mexico had the largest proposed increase for pre-kindergarten (228 percent), followed by Iowa (133 percent), Tennessee (57 percent), Pennsylvania (50 percent) and Kentucky (45 percent).
· Ten states offer no funding for pre-kindergarten: Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Florida began a pre-kindergarten program this school year. Alaska supplements the federal Head Start program but has no state pre-kindergarten.
SOURCE: Pre-K Now
