Preschool Expansion Gets Mixed Reviews

Report Finds Merits but Cost Concerns

Children in Virginia's state-funded preschool have made strong gains in literacy, and most show up ready for kindergarten, but there are concerns that plans to expand the program do not fully address a lack of classroom space, limited local funding and the rising costs of educating a child, according to a state report released yesterday.

The findings from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, an oversight arm of the General Assembly, bolster Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) as he prepares to ask state lawmakers for funds to make public preschool -- a centerpiece of his administration -- available to 17,000 more underprivileged 4-year-olds by 2012. But while the report found significant benefits for the 12,500 children already enrolled in the program, it cautioned that Kaine may be underestimating the cost of his proposal.

"It does appear that Virginia has a quality program. The literacy results were good," said Robert B. Rotz, project leader for the report. "We're just expressing concerns about how realistic it is to serve the number of additional children in the time frame he's talking about."

Kaine's expansion plan comes amid a nationwide movement to boost education for young children. Several Democratic presidential candidates also are proposing more federal funding for pre-kindergarten. About 950,000 children across the country are enrolled in state-funded preschool, according to experts who track the programs. This year, 36 states added $528 million in funding with the aim of serving at least 88,000 additional children, according to the District-based advocate Pre-K Now.

Danielle Gonzales, Pre-K Now's deputy state program director, said the Virginia report mirrors other research nationwide on high-quality preschool. "We have decades of research that can show us the benefits for at-risk children in preschool programs," she said. "We're seeing kids making gains in vocabulary, early literacy skills and math."

Kaine campaigned for governor in 2005 on a promise to offer all 4-year-olds free preschool. But faced with a tight budget, he scaled back his pledge this summer and said he would focus resources on the neediest.

Currently, 4-year-olds who qualify for free school lunches -- those in households with incomes of less than $27,000 for a family of four -- are eligible for the Virginia Preschool Initiative. The state pays about $50 million a year, but localities also pitch in. The report estimates last year's total cost at more than $89 million.

Kaine's plan would extend benefits to children in families with incomes up to $38,000. He has estimated that his initiative would cost about $125 million a year when fully implemented.

Rotz said a team has been working on the report since March, using classroom observations, surveys of teachers and principals and test data to draw conclusions. The report found that 17 percent of kindergarteners in 2006 fell short of a key benchmark on a literacy test; when 4-year-olds in state preschool took the same test, just 11 percent fell short. In addition, 70 percent of kindergarten teachers surveyed found that children from the state program were "very well prepared."

But the report concluded that maintaining the success would probably cost more than Kaine estimates. The governor anticipates spending $5,700 a year per child, but the report's authors said many school divisions believe additional funding is needed to offer a high-quality program, partly because of the costs of hiring qualified teachers. The report estimates per-pupil costs between $6,790 and $7,920, which would increase state expense by $10 million to $18 million a year.

The authors also expressed concern that more than 5,000 slots are unfilled, in part because of a lack of classrooms or local funding.

House Majority Whip M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights), a government teacher in Chesterfield County, predicted that the governor will have a difficult time securing funding for expansion. He said the state should first seek to enroll all children now eligible.

"It's going to be extremely costly," Cox said. "We have slots that aren't filled. Lets address the truly at-risk kids first."

Kaine's spokesman, Gordon Hickey, said the governor will "take into consideration" concerns about per-pupil cost estimates. He said that the governor's plan addresses space concerns by partnering with private and faith-based preschools and that the state is working to develop more flexibility in helping localities pay their share.

Hickey said Kaine will present a detailed proposal in December. "The report was very positive," Hickey said. "It says what we have been saying all along, which is pre-k works."