We need to work hard to help our
youngest children arrive on the first day of kindergarten
prepared to take advantage of what lies ahead. Across our
state, there's one thing educators agree on: Tennessee needs
a strong pre-K program.
--Governor Phil Bredesen
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Latest Pre-Kindergarten News
April 13, 2005
House panel OKs Bredesen’s pre-K plan (Associated Press)
NASHVILLE — The governor’s preschool initiative took another step forward Tuesday with the House Finance Committee unanimously approving legislation for the proposal. "The momentum has built, and it’s moving very well," said Rep. Leslie Winningham, D-Huntsville, and a sponsor of the "Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee Act of 2005." The pre-K proposal for at-risk 4-year-olds is one of the centerpieces of Gov. Phil Bredesen’s agenda for the year. He has proposed using $25 million in lottery money to start the program, with the hope of eventually making it universally available. The cost is expected to eventually be between $200 million to $300 million a year. The legislation would allow existing pilot pre-K programs to be expanded on a voluntary basis, and mandates the creation of an advisory council for educational agencies that apply for such programs. Critics contend the state shouldn’t be starting a new program while $650 million in TennCare costs hang in the balance. Others think it’s too early to start siphoning lottery money away from a fund they want to remain dedicated to college scholarships.
April 12, 2005
Governor to use local platform to pitch pre-K program (Tennessean)
BRENTWOOD — Gov. Phil Bredesen will be at Crockett Elementary at 6 p.m. Thursday for a town hall meeting to talk about his proposed pre-kindergarten program. Bredesen has been traveling the state both participating in and observing pilot pre-K classes to promote his plan for using excess lottery funds to start pre-kindergarten programs statewide. But the event here will be a little different, said Press Secretary Lydia Lenker. ''Where he has been observing (classrooms), this event is going to elevate the discussion to the broad community such as business folks, parents and teachers,'' Lenker said. The town hall discussion is open to anyone and the governor is looking for a ''whole cross section of the community'' to discuss the initiative with and answer questions about his plan. Williamson County Schools has a pre-kindergarten program in five schools: Bethesda, College Grove, Fairview, Heritage and Hillsboro elementary schools. State Department of Education spokeswoman Kim Karesh said that does not necessarily mean Williamson County would not get additional pre-K funding under the proposed plan.
April 7, 2005
House panel OKs funding for preschool program (Associated Press)
NASHVILLE - Despite funding concerns, the governor's plan to start a preschool program for at-risk 4-year-olds gained momentum Wednesday with the House Finance Budget Subcommittee approving legislation for the initiative. "This demonstrates there's support for the pre-K program," said Rep. Leslie Winningham, D-Huntsville, and one sponsor of the "Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee Act of 2005." "We know the funding is in place from the governor's budget and we're ready to move forward," he said. The pre-K proposal is one of the centerpieces of Gov. Phil Bredesen's agenda for the year. He has proposed using $25 million in lottery money to start the program, with the hope of eventually making it universally available. The cost is expected to eventually be between $200 million to $300 million a year. The governor said Wednesday he expects his proposal to make it through the Legislature largely unscathed. "I think it's going to go forward, in essentially the same form," he said. "I have no problem with amendments that tighten something up or make something clearer."
April 2, 2005
Bredesen: Investing in Pre-K “the right thing to do” (Mirror-Exchange)
Governor Phil Bredesen says investing in pre-kindergarten education for four year-old children is the “right thing to do.” The governor visited Milan Elementary School March 22 to promote his plan for Tennessee schools to voluntarily set up Pre-K classes with state and local funding. “Since we began talking about our statewide plan for a pre-K program four months ago I’ve visited pre-K classrooms across Tennessee and have spoken to dozens of teachers and principals,” said Bredesen in a media conference at Milan Elementary. “Each one literally to a person has told me one important thing. They say each of them can tell immediately in kindergarten which children have participated in a pre-K program and which ones have not. And the Journal of the American Medical Association backs up what the teachers know from their own experience. (The Journal) found that adults who participated in a high quality pre-K program are more likely to be enrolled in college, they are less likely to be in jail or in any sort of trouble. Pre-K obviously works. The results are proven.” Sen. Don McLeary of Humboldt also toured Milan Elementary with Gov. Bredesen. McLeary is the Senate sponsor for the Pre-K program.
Governor says education is state’s “fundamental priority” (Mirror-Exchange)
Bredesen comments on issues. Governor Phil Bredesen took time for a media conference and speech while visiting Milan Elementary School March 22 to promote the need for statewide pre-kindergarten classes. The governor, now in his third year, commented on a number of issues. On the importance of education – “An Old Testament proverb says ‘train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.’ One of the basic requirements of improving the lives of our citizens is assuring that they have access to a quality education, and I’m proud to say we continue to make education our state’s fundamental priority. It is the most important thing we do in state government.” On the value of Pre-K learning – “The Journal of the American Medical Association … found that adults who participated in a high quality pre-K program are more likely to be enrolled in college, and less likely to be in jail or in any sort of trouble. “Students who have completed the state’s pilot Pre-K program consistently perform better than the state average on student achievement tests.