Educators Help Keep Political Momentum Going for Expanded Pre-K
Until she appeared before the Seattle City Council in May, elementary school teacher Elizabeth Owen-Twombley had never publicly testified before any group of elected officials. But when the opportunity arose to champion pre-K education, Owen-Twombley wasn’t about to pass up the chance to speak directly to lawmakers.
Owen-Twombley teaches at Roxhill Elementary in West Seattle. With roughly 75 percent of the students eligible for free-or reduced lunch, she sees firsthand everyday the deficits between the students who have had previous school experience and those who have not. The importance of creating a more level playing field for all her students motivated her to speak publicly about early childhood education at the city council meeting, where she was joined by other colleagues, parents and Seattle Education Association Vice President Phyllis Campano.
“From where I teach, a lot of kids are coming to kindergarten without any prior schooling. This creates a huge discrepancy. It sets these kids up for a long game of catch-up,” Owen-Twombley explained.
It’s this disadvantage that the sweeping early childhood education proposal launched by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Seattle City Council President Tim Burgess earlier this year aims over time to eradicate. The plan has generated considerable excitement among educators and parents.
“This is so long overdue,” Owen-Twombley said. “The level of support for the proposal is impressive. People now really understand why we need to move forward.”
States Taking the Lead
Early childhood education, along with college affordability, has been a focal point of President Barack Obama’s education agenda in his second term. In his 2013 State of the Union address, Obama called for a national investment in universal preschool education. He repeated this call in 2014 but, despite a few hearings and some degree of bipartisan interest, movement on Capitol Hill has been slow.
“Last year, I asked this Congress to help states make high-quality pre-K available to every 4-year-old,” Obama said in this years State of the Union. “As a parent as well as a president, I repeat that request tonight. But in the meantime, 30 states have raised pre-K funding on their own. They know we can’t wait.”
It is on the state and local level, that early childhood education advocates are seeing momentum, as lawmakers, educators and parents are demanding renewed investment.
“Early childhood education is an issue that governors, mayors, federal and state candidates, business leaders and law enforcement officials are supporting – in red and blue states alike,” Kris Perry, President of the First Five Years Fund explains. “Just this year, we’ve seen gubernatorial candidates in Maryland, Arkansas and Texas championing early childhood education. Lawmakers in New York, Vermont and New Mexico made significant investments to expand access to preschool opportunities. Additionally, Hawaii and Indiana committed to funding public early childhood education programs for the first time this year.”
Still, as Perry points out, a federal-state partnership is essential.
“These states can’t do it alone. Federal investments in early childhood education are crucial for supporting improvement in quality, helping states expand access and providing care to all families and children – regardless of income.”
A Sense of Urgency
Even as members of Congress begin to markup bills in committee, many states aren’t standing still as Educators Help Keep Political Momentum Going for Expanded Pre-K | NEA Today:
