Office of Early Learning

Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee Initiative

The legislation for the Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee Act of 2005 was passed by both the House and the Senate in May of 2005. This law provides for the use of $25 million in excess lottery dollars to establish quality pre-kindergarten classrooms through a competitive grant process. The Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee initiative is to provide for Tennessee’s four-year-old children, with the first priority to those four-year-olds who are at-risk, an opportunity to develop school readiness skills (pre-academic and social skills) in an environment that fosters the love and joy of learning and promotes success in kindergarten and throughout the child’s life. For more information about the benefits of early childhood education and the history of the Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee initiative, visit the Governor’s Pre-K Web page at http://www.tennessee.gov/governor/prek/.

In June and July of 2005, the Department of Education sponsored the first grant competition for Pre-K for Tennessee classrooms. If you have any questions about the program or the competitive awards, please contact one of the program staff members listed on our contact page.

   Enrollment Eligibility Requirements      

Scope of Services for 2007-2008 Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee Programs

Scope of Services for 2007-2008 Pilot Pre-K  Programs