Alabama’s Pre-K program maintains position as the best in the nation

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May 13, 2015

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — For the ninth year in a row, Alabama’s Pre-Kindergarten program has been named the best in the nation by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).

Governor Robert Bentley celebrated the achievement, and called on the state to expand the program to include more Alabamians in a press release Tuesday.

“A strong economic future is grounded in high quality education, and Alabama’s First Class Pre-K Program provides a great foundation for students to prepare for success in life,” the governor said. “Our emphasis on quality is paying off in Alabama, and my goal is to continue to expand our pre-k program because it makes a real difference in the lives of Alabama’s children.”

The Alabama program was one of only four in the nation to meet the NIEER’s 10 quality benchmarks. The quality benchmarks include teacher training, staff-child ratios, support services and more.

Alabama’s Pre-K program has long been one of the governor’s pet projects, referring to it in several of his State of the State speeches during the last five years.

In 2014, the program received a $17.5 million federal grant to expand the program, and the education budget adopted by the Alabama Senate earlier this session includes a further $13.5 million increase for the program.

The governor said he is hopeful the state can boost enrollment in the public Pre-K program, citing the benefits shown in students who are able to participate.

“Last year, children who attended our First Class Pre-K program were less likely to fail a grade in school, and across all grades, consistently scored higher in reading and in math than those who did not attend,” he said. “Yet only 13% of 4-year-olds in Alabama have access to First Class voluntary Pre-K, and that is why once again, we must continue to increase funding in order to expand this opportunity.”

If the Senate’s budget becomes law, an estimated 145 more classrooms could be funded, providing Pre-K to an additional 2,600 young students.

The Alabama School Readiness Alliance, a non-profit coalition which advocates for high-quality Pre-K, would like to see 100 percent of Alabama’s Pre-K children be given the opportunity to participate in the voluntary program. Working with its group of businesses, the Alliance is currently three years into a 10-year program toward that end.