Early Ed Roundup: Week of April 28 – May 2

Increased Funding for Early Ed in Michigan

Lawmakers in Michigan are planning to direct $5 million in additional funding to Head Start Programs in the state. Though the funds are meant to increase enrollment in the program, some of the money will go to reopen Head Start centers that closed this year because of a decrease in funding last year. Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm’s budget for FY 2009 also proposes to increase funding for the state pre-k program, the Michigan Great Start Readiness Program, by 26 percent.

Pushing for Full-Day K in Ohio

Ohio has been one of the more active political and legal testing grounds when it comes to full day kindergarten, and now newspaper editorial pages are heating up in support of full-day K. Currently, Ohio funds full-day programs in districts with large percentages of low-income children. Other school districts offer half-day programs, pay with pre-k out of local revenues, or charge parents fees for full-day K. In October, the state Attorney General issued an opinion that charging parents for kindergarten is unconstitutional, but the legislature passed a bill in December allowing some districts to go on with their fee-paying programs. Now, kindergarten boosters are lobbying the legislature to fund full-day kindergarten for all students, saying the current policy leaves out middle income families that may not be able to pay for high-quality programs.

Preschool on Page One

Kudos to the Chicago Tribune, which featured the often-ignored debate over early education on the front page of its Sunday edition. The article outlined the science that underlies early education, as well as differences between policymakers’ views (including those of the presidential candidates) on how to best target early education investments to get the most impact. Senator Clinton supports universal pre-kindergarten for four-year olds, with additional money for Early Head Start, a program aimed at children under 3. Senator Obama’s “zero to five” plan would focus on the entire birth through five spectrum, including pre-kindergarten.

Midwest Neighbors Differ on Pre-K

Lawmakers in Kansas are considering a proposal by Gov. Kathleen Sibelius to boost the state pre-k program with a 17 percent increase in funding and higher standards when it comes to child-teacher ratios and professional development. Across the border, however, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt failed to increase funding for the state pre-k program, despite saying in his state of the state address that it is was a “number one priority.” Blunt’s failure to follow through on that statement earned him was criticism in a recent Pre-K Now report. Though Missouri’s population is more than double that of Kansas, its annual budget for pre-k– $14.8 million a year–doesn’t keep pace with Kansas’ $20 million pre-k budget.

An Early Civics Lesson

Dozens of four-year olds in Alabama got a taste of political life when they lobbied the state legislature on behalf of governor Bob Riley’s plan to expand the state pre-k program by $20 million. Advocates hopes that bringing the kids to the statehouse will provide a visual reminder of what this is all about and encourage lawmakers and the public to strengthen their commitment to early education.