In the News
Hurry up and wait
November 3, 2002
As lists of parents trying to enroll children in preschool swell, southwestern California county officials try to keep pace
Public pre-K most helps middle class
November 1, 2002 Access • State & Local • Universal and Targeted
Standards, funding details still unclear
Head Start rethinks threat to Orange County funds
October 31, 2002
An official says some needy kids might not be banned for a study's sake.
Low-income kids start school at disadvantage
October 30, 2002
Superintendent says low-income kindergartners rarely recover from not getting to attend preschool
Head Start plan raises ire
October 30, 2002
Organizers of a local Head Start program that serves nearly 400 children learned Tuesday that it may lose its $2 million federal grant for refusing to participate in a national study they say would close the doors on needy students. At issue is the first comprehensive evaluation of Head Start, a 37-year-old federally funded school-readiness…
Editorial: Pre-K is a good investment for Florida
October 30, 2002 Economics and Finance
Florida stands to save between $2 billion and $3 billion per each wave of 4-year-olds served — and that’s a conservative estimate. Steve Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, says the actual savings could be as high as $6 billion.
Vanderbilt University, Franklin County Schools Part of Landmark Study
October 29, 2002
Vanderbilt University researchers are working with three preschool classrooms in Franklin County as part of a landmark national study that will for the first time help determine which preschool programs work best for which children. The four-year research project is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s efforts to strengthen preschool education, and the study’s…
Color Them Enthusiastic: Politicians Embrace Pre-K
October 29, 2002 Access • State & Local • Universal and Targeted
On Election Day, Florida voters will decide whether to make free, “high-quality” pre-kindergarten classes available to all 4-year-old children in the state. It faces no organized opposition, and polls show a large majority of voters plan to vote for it.
Fisher, Rendell differ on how Pennsylvania can ace education
October 28, 2002
Candidates focus on class size, preschool.; Election 2002: The Race for Governor
Florida’s Call: Pre-K For All?
October 25, 2002 Access • State & Local • Universal and Targeted
On Nov. 5, Floridians can expand the tradition of kindergarten through grade 12, making prekindergarten for 4-year-olds a constitutional requirement. Pre-K would remain optional for families, but by the 2005 school year, the state would be required to offer it to every child who is 4 – an estimated 217,000 youngsters.