News Updates in Pre-K

1. Work began in January of 2007 to reauthorize the federal Head Start program. A key issue was to increase teacher training requirements so that 50% of the Head Start teachers had bachelor’s degrees. In fiscal 2006 it served about 6.6 million children under age 19. The 2008 budget would cut transportation costs, provide cheaper food, and eliminate education/training courses for parents.
   
   
2. “The State of Preschool 2006: State Preschool Yearbook” was published on March 14, 2007 by the National Institute for Early Education Research. 19 programs in 6 states made improved policy changes including providing comprehensive services, requiring teachers to have bachelor’s degrees, serving at least one meal, developing early learning standards, and adding vision, hearing and health screening requirements for teachers as well as in-service training. Problems included states spending less on each child.
   
   
3. Tulsa Educare is considered the best preschool system in the country due to the Oklahoma’s commitment to pre-k a decade ago. 70% of 4 year olds attend a public preschool, more than in any other state, with one teacher for every 10 children. All head teachers must have bachelor’s degrees. The state pays about $4,000 per 4-year old. After a year in preschool, 52% did better on letter recognition tests than those who didn’t. Gains were largest for low-income families.
   
   
4. Summer of 2006 was the first time Teach for America (TFA) specifically trained recruits to work in public pre-K classrooms. Their goal is to have 150 corps members working in pre-K by 2008 throughout the country, from Camden, N.J., to Houston to Indian reservations in South Dakota.
   
   
5. Partnership for America’s Economic Success, a group of business leaders, economists and philanthropists have announced a 10-year project to make early education a top U.S. economic priority. The $3.1 million project reflects corporate America’s growing interest in America’s failed education system and global competitiveness. Its five goals are:
   • Measuring the rates of return on early childhood development strategies;
   • The big-picture impact of early childhood investments for the nation and states;
   • Policy options for investing in early childhood;
   • The potential of economic sectors to help develop human capital through early-education;
   • Communication strategies to change public policy on early childhood education.
     
     
6. The federal special education budget for 2008 proposes cuts in special education of about $290 million less than in 2007, or a 2.8% cut.