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State cuts back on pre-K funding
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Originally posted April 13, 2012
BY GINNIE GRAHAM Tulsa World Staff Writer
(Reprinted with Permission. This is not an endorsement.)
Read the full State of Preschool report. See download link at top of this article.
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After years of leading the nation in access to prekindergarten programs for 4-year-olds, Oklahoma has fallen to second and rolled back its funding levels to what it was a decade ago, according to a national report.
In spite of the setbacks, Oklahoma is only one of three states enrolling more than 70 percent of 4-year-olds in an education program, according to the State Preschool Yearbook compiled by the National Institute of Early Education Research, based at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
The report contains state-by-date data on early education programs beginning in 2001.
"For the second year in a row, nationally we're seeing declines in real spending and per-child spending that strip resources from pre-K classrooms, many of which are already funded at levels below what it takes to deliver high-quality programs," said Steve Barnett, director of the institute.
"Looking at the data, my concern is that Oklahoma, which has the most-studied and arguably the most successful program in the nation, could face financial hurdles that could ultimately lead to less effective programs."
Florida now leads the country in access with 76 percent of all 4-year-olds enrolled in a program. That ranking is tempered by its last-place finish in spending per child and inability to meet quality benchmarks.
Oklahoma remains a leader in state-funded pre-K, but the spending has fallen from decade high of $4,567 in 2010 to $3,461 in 2011, which researchers say causes a concern for maintaining quality programs.
The state ranks 27th in state-funded early education spending.
"That brings Oklahoma's level of investment in pre-K to virtually the same level as 2002," the report states.
The report used 10 benchmarks for measuring quality programs. Oklahoma met nine of those, including monitoring, learning standards, teacher qualifications and training, class sizes, screenings and support resources.
The only benchmark not met was requiring assistant teachers to obtain a Child Development Associate credential or its equivalent.
Five states met all quality benchmarks.
Nationally, state funding for pre-K programs fell by nearly $60 million from the previous year to the 2010-11 school year. During the past decade, real spending has declined by about 15 percent, or $700 per child, the report states.
"A decline of this magnitude should serve as a wake-up call for parents and policy leaders about how well we are preparing today's preschoolers to succeed in school and later find good jobs in a competitive market," Barnett said.
About 28 percent of all U.S. 4-year-olds are served in a state-funded pre-K, or about 1.3 million total, the report states.
Researchers warn against states opting to expand enrollment before implementing and maintaining quality.
"If ignored, states run the risk of substituting inexpensive child care for preschool education," Barnett said.
"States need to plan for future growth in pre-K just as they would for major projects, such as infrastructure, and avoid viewing pre-K as a year-to-year funding decision."
Barnett praised the federal $500 million Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge that is providing grants to nine states for improving quality but said more needs to be done. President Barack Obama has called on Congress to increase the federal commitment to states for early childhood education.
Oklahoma applied for the grant but was rejected. Winning states were California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington.
State Superintendent Janet Barresi has previously stated that the grant application was designed to bolster existing programs, keeping in mind the new state law requiring students read at grade level by the third grade. She said the elements proposed centered around improving accountability and performance.
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Oklahoma early education facts
- Second state to offer voluntary prekindergarten to all children, beginning in 1998.
- 98 percent of school districts offer a pre-K program.
- Of the children in state-funded programs, 74 percent are in pre-K, 15 percent are in federal Head Start programs and 11 percent are in special education programs.
- 74 percent of all 4-year-olds attend a pre-K program - a historic high enrollment.
- For more than a decade, at least 55 percent of 4-year-olds are enrolled in pre-K.
- About 4,000 pre-K students attend classrooms offered in collaboration with a school district and another program, such as a child-care center or Head Start.
Source: State of Preschool 2011
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