High-quality pre-kindergarten is one of the most important experiences we can provide for our children. It can level the playing field for children from low-income families, helping them start their K-12 years ready to learn and succeed. It is a research-based strategy for narrowing the achievement gap. This legislative session, there are several proposals on the table to expand early learning opportunities to thousands more young children in our Gateway Cities and beyond.
On Wednesday, September 16, the Joint Committee on Education is holding a legislative hearing on bills related to early education and care including An Act Ensuring High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten Education (H.462 / S. 267). This bill provides a targeted, phased-in
plan for providing state funded pre-kindergarten to preschool aged children, through a mixed delivery system with prioritization based on school district accountability status and rates of third grade reading proficiency.
Despite leading the nation on many educational benchmarks, Massachusetts has struggled to provide high-quality preschool, particularly for our neediest children and families. An estimated 60% of 3- and 4- year-olds in Massachusetts are enrolled in a formal early education and care program. However, enrollment tends to be lower in Gateway Cities: 52% in Fall River, 44% in Pittsfield, 43% in Brockton, 40% in Holyoke. And quality varies greatly.
Programs are subsidized largely by parent fees, which can limit access for children from low-income families. State and federal funding for programs typically fall short of demand and result in waiting lists. While Massachusetts has made progress in building a high-quality system of early education and care in recent years, including making strategic state investments in program quality and winning competitive federal grants, far too many children still enter kindergarten without any preschool experience.
An Act Ensuring High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten Education
is modeled after New Jersey's successful Abbott Preschool Program. At full implementation, the legislation would impact children in 72 communities, including Boston and all 26 Gateway Cities. It would give high-quality preschool to more than 25,000 children, who would not otherwise have this formative educational opportunity.
In addition, quality improvement funding would improve learning at both private and public preschool programs serving more than 40,000 children by helping these schools hire
qualified, well compensated teaching staff, provide
additional professional development, and enhance their curriculums.
This quality improvement effort would resemble the federal Preschool Expansion Grant program, which Massachusetts has begun implementing for 800 children in five communities. Lessons learned from implementing this program can be used to inform the next phase of pre-kindergarten expansion.
Amy O'Leary, Campaign Director, Strategies for Children