If state leaders truly want to reposition Michigan for success, they should not sacrifice on pre-k spending. If Michigan takes the short-sighted approach, the state’s youngest residents aren’t the only ones who will pay the cost for years to come.

An aggressive lobbying campaign by the nation’s biggest student lenders has now put one of the White House’s signature plans in peril, with lenders using sit-downs with lawmakers, town-hall-style meetings and petition drives to plead their case and stay in business.

Florida's voluntary pre-kindergarten program will be millions in the red by the end of year due to the numbers in enrollment.

More than a third of Berks County children younger than age 5 take part in a publicly funded early-education program. That's the good news. The bad news is that of the remaining roughly two-thirds, many are growing up in poverty with no opportunity to get preschool training.

The Maryland State Department of Education has expanded its state recommended list of early childhood curriculum for child care centers. This also includes Head Start Programs and nursery schools.

Officials say the best way to combat problems with child abuse, neglect, poverty and poor health is to funnel money into early childhood development resources so children can get off to a strong start in life.

What makes sense, and what 60 percent of voters will approve, are two different things entirely. I do not give this good odds of passing because of the emotional appeal of class size and the distrust of politicians who have long tried to undermine it.

The Sag Harbor School District has spoken about establishing a pre-kindergarten program since 1998 ... We cannot consider ourselves a leading academic district without offering universal pre-kindergarten; especially in light of the fact that our district is the only one in the immediate area without such a program.

This has been my soapbox for many years – many times when a child arrives in a pre-school setting and is simply exposed to a social environment and experiences different from those at home, you can start to see steady progress in all areas. A well-rounded experience is what is needed.

In a recent Get Schooled blog on the stress on lottery funding to keep up with HOPE and pre-k, many of you recommended dumping pre-k, deriding it as state-funded day care. A variety of studies suggest quality pre-k provides lasting academic gains for disadvantaged children.

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Pre-K Now, a campaign of the Pew Center on the States, collaborates with advocates and policymakers to lead a movement toward high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and four year olds.

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