State Funded Prek Definition:Separate state funding stream of additional money for: * PreK programs delivered in child care or schools or both * As a state supplement to federal Head Start dollars

State of the States 42 states (including the District of Columbia) invest in preK or state supplement to Head Start, or both 2 states by court order: New Jersey & North Carolina Universal access regardless of family income: Georgia Moving toward universal access: Oklahoma, New York

States Without PreK States without a preK program or state Head Start supplement Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

Funding Taken together, states spend only $2 Billion of their own money on preK Most of the funding is spent by 10 of the states

PreK and Working Families Most preK funding is for a 2-4 hour preK program Most states provide preK in multiple settings (school, child care, Head Start) Families that work full time must also get a child care subsidy for the remainder of the day

PreK Workforce Most state preK programs require a college degree and specialized education/training 30 states have no pre-service requirement for working in child care Average child care center teacher salary is $16,000 without benefits Turnover is roughly 1/3 a year

Learning from Other PreK States Preparing the teachers: Scholarships must cover tuition, materials, transportation Must provide funds for release time and substitutes Higher Education must recruit qualified faculty and provide coursework in nontraditional hours

Learning from Other Prek States Setting teacher standards does not work without workforce compensation increases at the same time When receive a college degree, staff move to a higher paying job, such as kindergarten Higher education must have articulation agreements to create career ladder of credentials and degrees

Learning from Other Prek States Set funding levels at sufficient levels to pay for quality programs Facilities funds for programs and schools to modernize and expand for full-day programming Sufficient staff qualified to work with English language learners and children with disabilities Transportation assistance for families State and local collaboration with Head Start, child care and schools