Fuller Center’s Post

High-quality pre-K programs make a difference in children's lives. 🌟 Explore how we can diversify where pre-K is offered while maintaining quality: https://lnkd.in/diyZi5dY Erin Harmeyer GG Weisenfeld Ellen Frede 

A new report from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) highlights accomplishments in Massachusetts preschool access, but also showcases that there is still much work to be done.  As the State of Preschool Report notes, through our community collaborations between public school programs and private child care centers, we are working on solutions. Highlights:  📚 Gov. Maura Healey's Gateway to Pre-K initiative, which plans to distribute roughly $39 million between the state's 26 "Gateway" cities and towns to help expand free and low-cost preschool to 4-year-olds by the end of 2026. 📚 The state’s Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative, a preschool expansion grant program launched in 2020, is helping more communities stretch their free preschool programs to full 6-hour days. The NIEER State of Preschool Yearbook can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gtgBN2xA

Today's AZ Central article highlighting Pima County's efforts to make quality early childhood education a priority is spot-on. Full article: https://zurl.co/uW9Q Learn more about Pima County's investment in the PEEPs program: https://zurl.co/AR53

In the latest issue of National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)’s, State Education Standard, Allison Friedman-Krauss and Steve Barnett explore the thorny issues state boards and others must address to seize the opportunities and surmount the challenges for preschool education that will unfold over the next decade. Read more now. https://lnkd.in/efXAT5eY

With two years of free kinder, enrolments are soaring, surpassing national averages. This initiative has led to positive changes in early childhood education, making Victoria a leader in the field. Not-for-profits like Meli are thriving, enrolling 261 children in just nine months! The surge in demand signifies families recognizing the importance of kickstarting their child's learning journey. While there are challenges, the success of free kinder is evident in the increased accessibility and enthusiasm for early education. https://lnkd.in/geiSeGth

Good investigative reporting by Willamette Week's Sophie Peel featuring commentary from our own Gerard Mildner on the slow pace and underspending by Multnomah County as they try to roll out universal preschool. A worthy goal, but questions abound about implementation and follow-through. "The costs are extraordinary," says Dr. Mildner - on the high overhead of the program, particularly when the number of new classrooms appears to be so low. To quote Multco Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards: “We need to have a plan. We need to be taking urgent action. We need to be transparent and show results,” Brim-Edwards says. “That is what rebuilds trust.” After all, the cost and performance of the program are quite significant to the county taxpayers paying 1.5% and 3.0% annually to fund the program. https://lnkd.in/gd-MbeiE

Promising ECE approach being implemented in Louisville, Kentucky. Quote from article below: Thrive by 5, separate from the Louisville government, will work in these phases, Greenberg announced: Phase 1: During the first one to two years, which will “begin immediately,” Thrive by 5 will be staffed. It will then establish “pilot participation” with preschools, child care centers and family child care homes. During this phase, the nonprofit will also create an online resource hub for parents, which they can use to learn about eligibility. It will focus, Greenberg said, on getting “early learning professionals hired, trained, supported and compensated at a level that allows them to do the incredibly important work that we know we need them to do.”  Phase 2: During the third and fourth years, which should begin in about a year, Thrive by 5 will launch financial assistance for families who earn less than 300% of the federal poverty lLevel (FPL) so their 4-year-olds can attend preschool. This eligibility marker comes out to $93,600 for a family of four. “Using that threshold, there will be thousands of hard working families across our city in every metro council district who will have a much easier time accessing high quality preschool for their children,” Greenberg said. Phase 3: During the fifth years and beyond, Thrive by 5 will expand financial assistance eligibility “to more Louisville children.” 

It takes a village to raise a child and even in a classroom if often requires more than a lead teacher to offer high quality early childhood education to young children. Today we want to recognize the value of education support professionals. Making quality early education more accessible, affordable, and sustainable is a problem affecting our whole community, and we all have a stake in solving it. Check out DCTV’s documentary series Stronger Start on how we can build a better early childhood system.  https://lnkd.in/eNVifKE2

Exciting news for early childhood education! Total state spending for preschool programs reached $11.16 billion across 44 states and the District of Columbia in 2022-2023. However, six states are still not funding preschool. States also reported spending an additional $571 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding. More funding is still required for all young learners to access high-quality preschool programs.  Read the ‘23 State of Pre-K Yearbook and learn more about these findings and their implications here: https://lnkd.in/emqpFQxf. #EarlyChildhoodEducation #PreschoolFunding #EducationAdvocacy 

🆕 The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has released The #StateofPreschool 2023 annual report which tracks #preschool enrollment, funding, and policies state-by-state for the 2022-2023 school year. This year’s report focuses on states emerging from the pandemic, poised to make new progress toward more effective and equitable preschool policies. NIEER's report uplifts California's initiative to provide universal preschool for all 4-year-olds through #TransitionalKindergarten. Read the report: https://ow.ly/7Exu50Rk6I8 #StateofPreK "California remains fully committed to the expansion of Universal Transitional Kindergarten to give all families access to a free, high-quality preschool option. We're excited by the opportunity to give more 4-year-olds access to this program in the coming year and to work with partners across the state to ensure that teachers, parents, and children are supported through the process," said Patricia Lozano, executive director of Early Edge California in NIEER’s California press release. https://ow.ly/7m9150Rk6I5 #UTK