March 4, 2011 (Erie Times-News, Erie, PA)
Casey introduces bill to help states invest in early learning
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., introduced a bill Thursday aimed at helping states invest in early learning so that more low-income children have access to high-quality education.
March 2, 2011 (The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA)
Pre-K successes may go away if money not found
Students who enroll in prekindergarten classes will be better prepared for kindergarten and future school success, Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning officials will tell the Lafayette Parish School Board tonight. The prekindergarten report comes at a critical time. Eight school system prekindergarten classes will lose funding at the end of this school year as federal stimulus funding dries up.
March 2, 2011 (WFMZ TV, Allentown, PA)
Pa. lawmakers urge gov. to keep education funding in budget
The caucus said early education programs give students better reading, language, and social skills; enhance the workforce by attracting skilled workers who are more productive; and return $16 for each taxpayer dollar invested.
March 2, 2011 (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN)
All-day kindergarten nears 'tipping point'
Minnesota, which funds half-day kindergarten, is one of about a dozen states without extra funding for full-day programs. Early education advocates say this latest state push signals that Minnesota is a step closer to following states such as Wisconsin and North Dakota, where all-day, every-day kindergarten is state-supported.
March 1, 2011 (Juneau Empire)
Committee to begin hearing budget requests
Advocates of pre-kindergarten and other programs hope to win funding from the Alaska Legislature when the House Finance Committee begins to take testimony on the state budget today. A subcommittee of the committee last week cut a $2 million pre-kindergarten pilot project which helped fund pre-kindergarten programs in six school districts around the state.
March 1, 2011 (The Seattle Times)
Opinion: Invest now in early learning for better lives and a better workforce
Certainly, we need to make every effort to train and retrain our national workforce, and we must continue to improve our K-12 and postsecondary education systems. But investing in a more educated workforce requires quality early education experiences to lay the foundation for the skills businesses will need.
February 28, 2011 (Daily Record, Parsippany, NJ)
Opinion: The case for preserving Head Start
Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and the Head Start preschool program has a proven record of success over more than 45 years. That success now is endangered because of a "meat axe" approach to federal and state spending. No doubt we need to bring to a halt the uncontrolled growth of governmental spending, but also there is no doubt that we need to keep those programs that benefit society.
February 28, 2011 (The Connecticut Mirror)
Panel recommends expanding early education to address achievement gap
The co-chair of the state's budget-writing committee is proposing requiring the state's poorest school districts provide full-day kindergarten and pre-kindergarten for all low-income students by July 2013 -- with the state and communities sharing the bill.
February 27, 2011 (Rome News-Tribune, Rome, GA)
Ga. families faced with scaled-back pre-k
A plan to scale back Georgia's free, full-day pre-kindergarten program — the first of its kind in the U.S. — to a half-day has teachers fearing shrunken paychecks and working parents scrambling to find day care for their 4-year-olds.
February 27, 2011 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Editorial: Want prosperity? Invest in the youngest kids
There's a widely acknowledged domino effect: Kids who get a good start on school are more likely to stay out of trouble and graduate, enabling them to be more productive citizens who earn more money, pay more taxes and improve their families' economic situation. A 2006 report by the Bush School at Texas A&M University concluded that Texas would receive $3.50 in return for every dollar invested in "universally accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten."
February 26, 2011 (The Answer Sheet (Washington Post))
D.C. reaches pre-school milestone
Today in Washington D.C. there are enough preschool and Pre-K slots for every 3- and 4-year-old child seeking a spot. We now must work to ensure that all children not only have access to free preschool and Pre-K in their neighborhood, but that the early education they receive is of the highest quality.
February 22, 2011 (Times-Herald, Vallejo, CA)
Head Start program could face severe cuts
Faced with a 22.4 percent cut, Head Start programs could lose an estimated 48,000 staff members to layoffs across California, a California Head Start Association official in the agency's communications office said.
Casey introduces bill to help states invest in early learning
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., introduced a bill Thursday aimed at helping states invest in early learning so that more low-income children have access to high-quality education.
March 2, 2011 (The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA)
Pre-K successes may go away if money not found
Students who enroll in prekindergarten classes will be better prepared for kindergarten and future school success, Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning officials will tell the Lafayette Parish School Board tonight. The prekindergarten report comes at a critical time. Eight school system prekindergarten classes will lose funding at the end of this school year as federal stimulus funding dries up.
March 2, 2011 (WFMZ TV, Allentown, PA)
Pa. lawmakers urge gov. to keep education funding in budget
The caucus said early education programs give students better reading, language, and social skills; enhance the workforce by attracting skilled workers who are more productive; and return $16 for each taxpayer dollar invested.
March 2, 2011 (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN)
All-day kindergarten nears 'tipping point'
Minnesota, which funds half-day kindergarten, is one of about a dozen states without extra funding for full-day programs. Early education advocates say this latest state push signals that Minnesota is a step closer to following states such as Wisconsin and North Dakota, where all-day, every-day kindergarten is state-supported.
March 1, 2011 (Juneau Empire)
Committee to begin hearing budget requests
Advocates of pre-kindergarten and other programs hope to win funding from the Alaska Legislature when the House Finance Committee begins to take testimony on the state budget today. A subcommittee of the committee last week cut a $2 million pre-kindergarten pilot project which helped fund pre-kindergarten programs in six school districts around the state.
March 1, 2011 (The Seattle Times)
Opinion: Invest now in early learning for better lives and a better workforce
Certainly, we need to make every effort to train and retrain our national workforce, and we must continue to improve our K-12 and postsecondary education systems. But investing in a more educated workforce requires quality early education experiences to lay the foundation for the skills businesses will need.
February 28, 2011 (Daily Record, Parsippany, NJ)
Opinion: The case for preserving Head Start
Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and the Head Start preschool program has a proven record of success over more than 45 years. That success now is endangered because of a "meat axe" approach to federal and state spending. No doubt we need to bring to a halt the uncontrolled growth of governmental spending, but also there is no doubt that we need to keep those programs that benefit society.
February 28, 2011 (The Connecticut Mirror)
Panel recommends expanding early education to address achievement gap
The co-chair of the state's budget-writing committee is proposing requiring the state's poorest school districts provide full-day kindergarten and pre-kindergarten for all low-income students by July 2013 -- with the state and communities sharing the bill.
February 27, 2011 (Rome News-Tribune, Rome, GA)
Ga. families faced with scaled-back pre-k
A plan to scale back Georgia's free, full-day pre-kindergarten program — the first of its kind in the U.S. — to a half-day has teachers fearing shrunken paychecks and working parents scrambling to find day care for their 4-year-olds.
February 27, 2011 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Editorial: Want prosperity? Invest in the youngest kids
There's a widely acknowledged domino effect: Kids who get a good start on school are more likely to stay out of trouble and graduate, enabling them to be more productive citizens who earn more money, pay more taxes and improve their families' economic situation. A 2006 report by the Bush School at Texas A&M University concluded that Texas would receive $3.50 in return for every dollar invested in "universally accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten."
February 26, 2011 (The Answer Sheet (Washington Post))
D.C. reaches pre-school milestone
Today in Washington D.C. there are enough preschool and Pre-K slots for every 3- and 4-year-old child seeking a spot. We now must work to ensure that all children not only have access to free preschool and Pre-K in their neighborhood, but that the early education they receive is of the highest quality.
February 22, 2011 (Times-Herald, Vallejo, CA)
Head Start program could face severe cuts
Faced with a 22.4 percent cut, Head Start programs could lose an estimated 48,000 staff members to layoffs across California, a California Head Start Association official in the agency's communications office said.
