Nearly 2,500 more four-year-olds will have access to the state's First Class Pre-K program, thanks to a near $25 million increase in funding from the legislature.
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Nearly 2,500 more Alabama four-year-olds will have access to the state s renowned First Class Pre-K program after legislatures approved a $24.4 million increase to the program s funding.
The additional funding will allow the opening 135 new classrooms across the state, meaning 41% of the state s four-year-olds will be able to enroll in Pre-K this fall.
Jefferson County was awarded the most additional classrooms, with 21, followed by Montgomery with 15. This is a tremendous addition to our community, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said during Tuesday s City Council meeting.
This additional funding, combined with Montgomery s property tax increase and the influx of federal funding due to the coronavirus pandemic, puts the city in a great position to be successful in educating its children, Reed said.
Courtesy of Emily Rubin/Oakland Unified
Students in Emily Rubin s Transitional Kindergarten class at Glenview Elementary in Oakland rest on new nap time mats funded through DonorsChoose.org.
Courtesy of Emily Rubin/Oakland Unified
Students in Emily Rubin s Transitional Kindergarten class at Glenview Elementary in Oakland rest on new nap time mats funded through DonorsChoose.org.
May 13, 2021
Early childhood advocates, lawmakers and the governor are pushing to gradually expand transitional kindergarten (TK) to all the state’s 4-year-olds. But the moves are raising issues, such as the viability of the child care system and whether expanded TK might be too academic for younger 4-year-olds.
Biden Proposes Making Preschool Free for Children
May 11, 2021
FILE - Pre-kindergarten teacher Sarah McCarthy works with a student at Dawes Elementary in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, Pool)
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American President Joe Biden is making childcare and education a major concern of his administration.
In his first address to a joint session of Congress on April 29, Biden proposed a $1.8 trillion spending plan to expand government support for children, families and education. The plan, called American Families Plan, includes $200 billion for free pre-school for 3 and 4-year-olds.
The president said, “research shows when a young child goes to school not daycare they are far more likely to