Pew Report: Without a Secure Funding Source, Louisiana's Pre-K for All Is Side-Tracked Reuters:
"WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Just a year after they
committed to making voluntary pre-kindergarten available to all children,
Louisiana lawmakers cut pre-k funding by $5.5 million, according to a
state-by-state analysis by Pre-K Now, a campaign of the Pew Center on the
States. The decrease demonstrates an inherent risk in relying on annual
appropriations to expand children's access to early learning programs.
'Louisiana lawmakers have side-tracked state progress,' said Marci Young,
project director for Pre-K Now. 'This setback will affect the state's ability
to prepare young children to enter school ready to succeed. These decisions
will prevent the state from realizing the proven economic benefits associated
with high-quality early education programs.'
The non-partisan annual report, 'Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K
Fiscal Year 2010,' evaluates state budgets to determine which legislatures
count voluntary, high-quality pre-k among their top education reform
strategies. Using this information, Americans can determine whether their
elected leaders are committing the resources necessary to develop the
successful students and workers central to economic recovery."
"WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Just a year after they
committed to making voluntary pre-kindergarten available to all children,
Louisiana lawmakers cut pre-k funding by $5.5 million, according to a
state-by-state analysis by Pre-K Now, a campaign of the Pew Center on the
States. The decrease demonstrates an inherent risk in relying on annual
appropriations to expand children's access to early learning programs.
'Louisiana lawmakers have side-tracked state progress,' said Marci Young,
project director for Pre-K Now. 'This setback will affect the state's ability
to prepare young children to enter school ready to succeed. These decisions
will prevent the state from realizing the proven economic benefits associated
with high-quality early education programs.'
The non-partisan annual report, 'Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K
Fiscal Year 2010,' evaluates state budgets to determine which legislatures
count voluntary, high-quality pre-k among their top education reform
strategies. Using this information, Americans can determine whether their
elected leaders are committing the resources necessary to develop the
successful students and workers central to economic recovery."