Chrisanne Gayl Director, Federal Programs National School Boards Association Exploring the federal role

Federal government has been slow to develop or encourage pre-k programming for 3 and 4 year-olds. One notable exception Head Start ($6.8 bil). However, only reaches families that are living at or below 100% poverty. Child Care and Development Block Grant – subsidizes care for low-income families through slot or voucher ($4.8 billion in 2005). Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) – can be used for a broad array of purposes ($3.6 billion in 2005). Federal investment

Preschool has emerged as an important strategy to increase school readiness and improve student achievement. NSBA supports proposals to develop universally available, high-quality early childhood education programs that offer community support to all families. Facilities & programs should be provided to serve the needs and talents of pre-K children. Time has come

Responses from Districts by Number of Students Enrolled* *Based on responses from 456 school board members (14 percent response rate)

Response by District Type

70% indicated that their school district does offer publicly funded preschool for 3 and/or 4 year olds. Large majority (66%) specified that the district preschool program is targeted to a specific population. 76% receive state funding, 14% do not and 10% are unsure Participation

Greatest benefit: accelerates children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development to become school ready (77%) Reduces the achievement gap between low-income children and their more affluent peers (71%) Reduces district expenses by decreasing remediation and special education costs (46%) Benefits

79% 26% 17% 16% Lack of resources Hiring qualified teachers/staff Coordinating/ collaborating with eligible providers Lack of clear expectations/standards for school readiness Survey findings

85% 58% 17% 11% Lack of funding Limited spaceLimited collaboration Lack of community interest Findings from Survey: Barriers

New federal grant program to fund portion of costs to develop and expand voluntary quality preschool programs in local school districts. Key caveats: –School district participation discretionary –Parent/student participation discretionary –Not at expense of K-12 funding –Doesn’t foster vouchers Federal policy recommendations

% of Four-Year-Olds Attending Pre-K Source: National Institute for Early Education Research > 50% 20-49% 10-19% 1-9% 0%

Programs adopt developmentally appropriate early ed standards aligned with state’s K-12 standards. Require outside pre-k providers to collaborate with local districts. Encourage states to upgrade teacher certification / licensure systems: –Bachelor’s degree –Early ed training Federal recommendations (con’t)

Devote resources to districts to develop / implement joint training and professional development programs for early ed instructors. Tools / incentives to replicate effective models and improve program quality. Federal recommendations (con’t)