Making investments in early childhood education proves beneficial for not only the child, but for the entire community as a whole, according to the first vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond at an education summit in Danville on Tuesday.

[The Rhode Island Department of Education] is recommending the state expand public pre-k programs in districts with low levels of student achievement at the elementary school level, and wants to increase its investment in early childhood programs by $750,000 to $1 million a year over a 10-year period, a $9.8-million investment.

The School Funding Reform Act of 2008 formula also requires the state to maintain full funding of New Jersey's nationally recognized preschool program in the 31 Abbott districts and to fund a five-year phase-in of that program to another 82 "high needs" districts and to low income children statewide.

A group of parents, teachers, and child advocates has come together to lobby for pre-k funding, as lawmakers begin to crunch budget numbers. Delegates have proposed cutting pre-k funding, as well as giving districts options on how to spend Pre-K cash, in their budget.

It may not sound like a major crime offensive, but for Chief Cooper, Dr. Seuss' Read Across America program is one more way to keep kids off the streets. Chief Cooper says, "Investing in kids helps us to fight crime."

For a fourth straight year, lawmakers have said no to a preliminary step toward state-funded, voluntary preschool programs ... The latest effort from Sen. Tom Dempster, R-Sioux Falls, would have established an early learning council appointed by the governor and standards for pre-kindergarten programs.

When Lt. Gov. Pat Judge visited [a local preschool], she got a lesson in the importance of the state providing the voluntary curriculum to 4-year-olds. Such evidence will come in handy as Judge and Gov. Chet Culver ask the Legislature to finish its four-year commitment to a voluntary preschool program.

Among parents with children in the state’s child-welfare system, a remarkable 60 percent had trouble meeting basic food needs during the past year. This is just one of many significant findings reported in the most comprehensive study to date of families involved in Washington’s child-welfare system.

Research has proven time and again that what occurs during the first five years of life will greatly determine successes or failures in school, work and life. Research has shown that for every dollar spent on early intervention and early education, savings from $7 to $17 will occur in future expenditures.

Some fascinating findings came out of a comprehensive survey of U.S. teachers ... The results of a questionnaire on American education sent to some 40,000 teachers found many teachers have doubts about the ability of their students to succeed after high school.

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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.

Quote of the Day

"The case we’re trying to make is that we have to continue this work if we want to prevent Virginia from being in an economic crisis down the road."

Scott Hippert, president of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, on the need for continued investment in pre-k

On the Inside Pre-K blog

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