Pre-K gets $25M boost – County now has 7 classes

Gov. Phil Bredesen has allocated an additional $25 million in the state budget for expanding pre-kindergarten classes, one of the priority initiatives in his plan to bolster education.

The appropriation will result in several important milestones in Tennessee’s pre-K programs, including:

‘ The opening of 257 new pre-K classrooms this fall.

‘ Nine additional school systems will provide state-supported pre-K education for the first time in their districts.

‘ Tennessee state-supported pre-K programs will be located in 94 of 95 Tennessee counties, and 133 of 136 Tennessee school systems.

‘ Over 4,000 additional 4-year-olds will be served in pre-K classes this fall, bringing the number of students enrolled in state-funded pre-K to over 17,000.

‘ Tennessee has been recognized by National Institute for Early Education Research for the past two years as one of only six states with the highest quality pre-K standards.

Warren County School System director of instruction Bobby Cox says locally the money will fund three more pre-K classes in Warren County, bringing the total to seven.

The system started out with two classes in 2005, and added two more in 2006, with this year’s addition leaving only one public elementary school, Morrison, without a program.

‘We had a plan in place to try to put at least one pre-K in every elementary school over time,’ Cox said. ‘The only elementary that doesn’t have one right now is Morrison. They’re kind of hemmed in with their space right now, but the plan is next year to get one there, and then we’ll have one in every school.’

Students must be 4 years old by Sept. 30 and qualify for the Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program to be eligible for pre-K.

Though some might question the validity of formal schooling for children so young, Cox says research has shown these programs are very effective.

‘One of the big things when these programs started was the idea of getting a good start early,’ Cox said. ‘If you look at the research on pre-K you can see that getting students started early, and on the right track, especially with at-risk kids, students that are ELL or special education. The quicker they can get in school the more stable they get and that carries on.’

Cox says research shows there are other advantages with pre-K programs, including some tangible financial benefits.

‘One of the things I thought was really interesting is that for every $1 you put into pre-K, you’re going to get a return of $7 to $10 on the back end,’ Cox said. ‘It increases the likelihood the student will graduate. It increases the likelihood they’ll earn more money when they get out of school. All of the risk factors that go into that really point toward starting school early. So that’s the reason Bredesen started the program.’

Classes are limited to 20 students, meaning Warren County can have 140 students in pre-K. The programs are voluntary, but the state is providing some major funding to encourage counties to start and maintain the classes, but counties do have to put in some effort to get those funds.

‘There is a lot of money available,’ Cox said. ‘We have to apply for a grant each year. The first two classes were funded through the excess lottery money. The last five that we’ve gotten has been through what’s called an expansion grant. That money has to actually be put into the state budget. In 2006, Bredesen put in $20 million into the budget, and this year $25 million state-wide.’