State Lawmakers Celebrate New First Class Pre-K Grants in Houston County

Matt Boster

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Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Aug 17 2017 6:19 PM

NEWTON: More Houston County four-year-olds are participating in Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program thanks to a $13 million expansion of the state’s high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten program approved by the state legislature this year.

 

Today, Houston County state lawmakers Senator Harri Anne Smith (SD-29) and Representative Donnie Chesteen (HD-87) joined community leaders, parents and pre-k advocates from the Alabama School Readiness Alliance for a ribbon cutting ceremony welcoming pre-k students to their new classroom at Wicksburg High School. In May, Wicksburg High School received a $150,000 First Class Pre-K grant to add a new classroom, support lead and assistant teacher salaries, and purchase developmentally appropriate materials. Following today’s ribbon cutting ceremony, the state lawmakers toured the new classroom.

 

“The legislature is responsible for making sound investments in education, and one of the wisest investments we can make is to ensure a strong foundation for students in high-quality pre-k,” said State Senator Harri Anne Smith (SD-29). "Investing in Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program today will provide new opportunities for our students and schools tomorrow.”

 

“The additional $13 million that the state legislature added this year only increases access to First Class Pre-K to 28 percent of four-year-olds across the state,” said State Representative Donnie Chesteen (HD-87). “With all the great outcomes that we are seeing for those who are able to attend, it is important that we continue funding the First Class Pre-K program until all four-year-olds can attend.”

 

Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program is managed by the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education. For 11-years in a row, it has been ranked the number one state-funded pre-kindergarten program in the country for quality by the National Institute for Early Childhood Education.

 

The new classroom at Wicksburg High School is one of six new Alabama First Class Pre-K classrooms welcoming students in Houston County this fall. Additional classrooms were added at Cloverdale Elementary, Girard Elementary Kelly Springs Elementary, Eastside Childcare Learning Center and Pal-a-Roos Daycare in Dothan. The new classrooms were made possible due to increased appropriations in the FY 2018 Education Trust Fund Budget along with funding from year three of Alabama's four-year federal Preschool Development Grant.

This fall, there will be 938 First Class classrooms across the state, however that is only enough classrooms to enroll approximately 16,884 four-year-olds, or 28 percent of all four-year-olds in Alabama.

 

Thursday’s ribbon cutting and tour was organized by advocates from the Alabama School Readiness Alliance.

 

In 2012, the Alabama School Readiness Alliance’s business-led Pre-K Task Force launched a ten-year campaign, now in its fifth year, to advoacate for incremental increases in First Class Pre-K until the program is fully funded in the 2022-2023 school year. ASRA has estimated that the state would need to appropriate a total level of funding of $144 million to give every Alabama family the opportunity to voluntarily enroll their four-year-old in a First Class Pre-K program.

 

“Students who participate in Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program outperform their peers in reading and math in every grade,” said Allison Muhlendorf, the excutive director of the Alabama School Readinesss Alliance. “Unfortunately, only 28 percent of four-year-olds in the state, and 19 percent of four-year-olds in Houston County, can enroll in a classroom due to limited state funding. State lawmakers have made it clear that giving more families an opportunity to participate in the Alabama First Class Pre-k program is a priority. It is crucial that leaders continue to increase First Class Pre-K investments until every family in Houston County and across Alabama has access to this proven program.”

 

The Alabama School Readiness Alliance advocates for the expansion of high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten. ASRA works to ensure that pre-k is a continuing priority for Alabama’s children, parents, community leaders, legislators and governing officials. ASRA is a collaborative effort of A+ Education Partnership, Alabama Giving, Alabama Partnership and VOICES for Alabama’s Children. Visit www.alabamaschoolreadiness.org to learn more.

 

 

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