NSBA Issue Brief: Voluntary Preschool
BACKGROUND Numerous studies have shown that quality preschool programs help to improve children’s school readiness and address some of the achievement gaps that exist among children even before they enter school. Research has also documented that children who participate in high-quality preschool programs demonstrate greater interest in learning, are less likely to repeat a grade or require special education classes, and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. Many of these effects are compelling incentives for districts to invest in preschool programs.
National opinion data suggests emerging public support for voluntary preschool for 3 and 4 year-olds, and a widespread belief that children who attend preschool gain an advantage for their K-12 schooling. With the onset of No Child Left Behind, state and local leaders have begun to recognize the value of preschool as an important strategy to improve student achievement in elementary school and beyond.
Despite the importance of early childhood education on the continuum of learning , the federal government has been slow to encourage pre-kindergarten programming for 3 and 4 year-olds. With the exception of Head Start, which was created in 1965 as an anti-poverty program, Congress has not devoted many resources to early education efforts. In fact, only a small amount of federal education dollars are spent on these services each year.
RECENT LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS In recent years, states have led the way in the creation and/or expansion of preschool programs. Currently, thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia operate some type of publicly-funded pre-kindergarten program. Approximately 20 percent of the nation’s 4-year-olds and 3 percent of all 3-year-olds, are enrolled in state-funded pre-K initiatives.
But while states have been active in promoting preschool, the scope and quality of these programs has been uneven. Some states have targeted services toward specific students (low-income, disabled, English language learners) as a way to address a particular deficiency with a subset of the population, while others such as Oklahoma and Georgia have adopted a universal approach. Still others do not offer any publicly funded pre-kindergarten at all. Many children are placed in mediocre child care settings without the tools and instruction necessary to achieve their full potential. In addition, regulations governing class size, teacher-child ratios, and teacher qualifications in preschool programs vary from state to state or even within states.
Until this year, legislators at the federal level had done little to focus on the importance of this issue. With the onset of the 110th Congress, there has been a much more robust conversation about the importance of voluntary universal preschool. A number of bills have been introduced that would expand federal investments in preschool programs. These bills focus on a range of priorities including expanding program access for three- and four-year-olds, improving state capacity to develop quality systems, and enhancing program and teacher quality. In addition, Congress approved reauthorization of the Head Start program to include a stronger focus on early education skills such as pre-reading, pre-math, and science.
Over the summer, the Joint House-Senate Economic Committee held a hearing that examined the economic benefits of pre-k in which a number of witnesses testified as to the importance of federal investment in this area. In addition, many of the Presidential candidates have been vocal proponents of federal support for pre-k on the campaign trail.
Pre-k education has also been discussed within the context of No Child Left Behind reauthorization. Legislators in both the House and Senate are angling to incorporate early education programs and language within the broader NCLB bill. The topic is also likely to be debated in Congress as a stand alone issue as well.
NSBA POSITION NSBA believes publicly funded preschool programs can help raise student achievement by providing a solid foundation on which many children can build. By giving children a quality education up front, many can have a tremendous opportunity for future education success. Yet, not all children are enrolled in programs and their quality is often uneven.
A 2006 NSBA survey revealed that 70 percent of the 660 school board members responding said that their district offered publicly funded preschool for some students. Among districts without a preschool program, 81 percent thought their district should offer voluntary preschool. Lack of funding was cited as the primary impediment to doing so.
NSBA urges the 110th Congress to create a new federal grant program that will increase funding over the next five years to develop, expand, and enhance the quality of voluntary preschool programs for three- and four-year olds. NSBA believes that Congress should focus its attention on establishing a new, separate funding stream that is dedicated to assisting school districts who seek to run programs and other qualified providers in these efforts. Just as such programs would not be compulsory for school districts to operate, they would be available only to those children ages 3-4 whose parents wish to enroll them. Also, they should not be designed to create or set the stage for an education voucher system.
NSBA believes preschool programs should increase their emphasis on developmentally appropriate pre-reading, pre-mathematics, and language skills that are part of an overall coordinated system of learning that supports student achievement and allows students a smooth transition from preschool to kindergarten. As a result, NSBA proposes that federal legislation require federally-funded preschool programs to adopt developmentally appropriate early education standards that are aligned with state K-12 academic content standards and to require outside pre-k providers to collaborate with local school districts that seek to be involved to ensure that their programs are reflective of the expectations of local schools.
In addition, NSBA urges Congress to devote specific resources to help school districts develop and implement joint training and coordinated professional development programs for early education instructors as well as provide tools and incentives for them to replicate effective program models.
In September 2007, NSBA created an issue-focused Pre-k Legislative Committee to more personally engage local school board members in federal advocacy on this issue. Committee members will play a pivotal role in helping to advance NSBA’s federal pre-k agenda to increase the national investment in voluntary pre-k programs across states.
For additional information, please contact Chrisanne Gayl, director of federal programs at the National School Boards Association at 703-838-6763, or by e-mail,
cgayl@nsba.org.
February 2008