Georgia Voluntary Prekindergarten Program

Description

In the early 1990s, Governor Zell Miller reviewed alarming statistics showing that students in Georgia had high rates of teen pregnancy and school dropout. Inspired by the knowledge that children with strong preschool experiences tend to be more successful in school and have higher self-esteem, he created the Georgia Voluntary Prekindergarten (Pre-K) Program. The Pre-K program provides young children with learning experiences that they need in order to succeed in future educational settings. All four-year-old children are eligible to participate in the free, statewide Pre-kindergarten program. In 1998, more than 60,000 children attended the voluntary Pre-K program at one of 1,600 sites in public and private settings.

Georgia’s Office of School Readiness administers the Prekindergarten Program, licenses private child care learning centers containing Pre-K Programs, manages the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Services Program, and is responsible for the Head Start Collaboration Project. Other program partners include:

• Georgia State University’s Applied Research Center, which is conducting the 12-year longitudinal study of the Pre-K program;
• public and private Pre-K providers, such as schools, hospitals, child care centers, and community organizations; and
• local coordinating councils that engage parents, public and private providers, health officials, educators, and members of the business community who share resources and information to support the local Pre-K programs.

In the early 1990s, Georgia Governor Zell Miller directed the Office of Planning and Budget, Department of Education, and Department of Human Resources to create a plan to provide Pre-K opportunities to at-risk four-year-olds. During the 1992-93 school year, a pilot program was established that served 750 at-risk four-year-olds at 20 public school sites. In 1993 the program added 167 new sites and served 8,700 children. In 1995, Governor Miller expanded eligibility to all four-year-old children regardless of income, tripling the number of children served from 15,500 in 1994 to 44,000.

In the 1997-98 school year, approximately 70 percent of all eligible four-year-old children participated in the program—60,000 supported by the Prekindergarten Program funds and 13,000 supported by Head Start funding (30,000 out of the total 60,000 are children in low-income families). The Pre-K program is offered at a variety of locations in order to expand service capacity and fulfill the state’s goal of providing choices for parents. Pre-K programs exist in private preschools; public/private elementary schools; public/private secondary schools; postsecondary vocational technical institutes; private and state colleges; private non-profit and private for-profit child care learning centers; Georgia Department of Family and Children’s Services offices; Head Start sites; hospitals; military bases; YMCA/YWCAs; and other organizations.

Building on the growth and success of the Pre-K program, Governor Miller created the Office of School Readiness (OSR) in 1996 to administer the program. The office is independent of any state agency and reports directly to the governor. This independence allows for more flexibility and creativity in fulfilling the goals of the Pre-K Program. In two years, OSR improved program quality, implemented learning goals and quality standards, simplified administrative requirements, and designed multiple training initiatives for Pre-K providers. Interested providers are required to apply annually for Pre-K program contracts. In 1994, OSR funded 1600 provider sites in the state, enabling 3,174 classrooms to provide Pre-K in the state.

The Pre-K Program’s mission is to "prepare children for school by providing an opportunity for them to develop school readiness skills in an environment that encourages children to have fun while learning." Programs must provide a minimum of six-and-a-half hours of instruction a day for 180 days each year, and classes usually operate on the public school calendar. To maintain high quality, the Office of School Readiness approves the curriculum of participating programs. Providers may choose a pre-approved curricula (Bank Street, Creative Curriculum, High Reach Framework, High/Scope, Montessori, Scholastic) or seek OSR approval for a locally developed curriculum. At-risk children, or those who are eligible for free or reduced-fee meals, may receive subsidized before- and after-school care, meals, in-depth resource coordination services, and transportation to and from the program.

Parent involvement is a high priority. Parents are encouraged to read to their children, reinforce learning at home, volunteer at the Pre-K program, attend parent/teacher conferences, and participate in parent education and life skills classes offered by a majority of Pre-K sites. To reinforce the importance of reading, each family receives a special edition of The Little Engine that Could, with a personal message from Governor Miller emphasizing the value of persistence.

Resource Coordinators are available at every Pre-K site to provide parents with services that promote stability and help the child prepare for kindergarten. Parents can seek health care for their child, attend informational seminars on child development, and receive employment and training counseling for their personal development. Resource coordinators also help parents with their child’s transition from Pre-K to kindergarten.

In 1997, the Pre-K programs received $210 million from the Georgia Lottery for Education. Lottery dollars pay for program equipment, materials, teacher salaries, and one-time start-up funds to equip new classrooms. Pre-K sites also benefit from other resources, for example:

• the Georgia Department of Human Resources provides before- and after-school wraparound services for children through a contractual arrangement with OSR;
• the U.S. Department of Agriculture subsidizes meals for low-income children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program; and
• 40 percent of Head Start programs receive lottery dollars to supplement federal funding in order to provide full-day, full-school-year prekindergarten for Head Start children.

In the fall of 1996, the Applied Research Center at Georgia State University began a 12-year longitudinal study to track 4,000 Pre-K program students, half of whom are at-risk, through their educational careers. The research team collects data through site visits, teacher/parent surveys, and student academic records. First-year evaluation results reveal that participants rated higher than the general student body in the five areas of development, promotion to first grade, attendance, first-grade academic development and achievement, and standardized test scores. Findings also indicate that parents were overwhelmingly pleased with the program, and a majority report spending more time with their children as a result of their participation in the Pre-K program.

"The Pre-K program is often described as [Governor] Miller’s ‘pet project.’ But it may well end up being called his legacy" (Atlanta Journal and Constitution, November 1997). Popular opinion in Georgia is that the Pre-K program will survive any changes in political leadership, despite its close association with Zell Miller. State Senator Richard Marble says, "It would be like taking a driver’s license away from a sixteen-year-old. Once you know what it’s like to have it, you can’t imagine life without it."

In 1998, Georgia voters passed a constitutional referendum that made the Pre-K Program the second-highest priority (after HOPE college scholarships) for lottery funds. This measure will ensure a consistent source of future funding for the preschool program.

The program was selected as a model for replication by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1997, winning the Innovations in American Government Award. Since then, other states interested in starting a similar program have been consulting Georgia on how to begin or expand their own prekindergarten program. Missouri, for example, is planning to use its state lottery as a funding mechanism for early childhood education and has contacted OSR for technical assistance.

Find a champion. Governor Zell Miller’s high level of personal involvement in the program was essential to its success. When critics threatened the future of the program, the Governor recalled how his mother read The Little Engine that Could to him and taught him about the importance of persistence. Governor Miller invoked the Little Engine as a symbol for the Pre-K program, and his persistence paid off.

Make services universally accessible. All children benefit from quality early education experiences, and universal programs attract a broader base of political support.

Keep it simple. OSR streamlines applications for parents and Pre-K providers, and provides a toll-free number for questions from providers and constituents. Automated enrollment lists also simplify application for other benefits, such as meals, transportation, and after-school care.

Make it a public-private partnership. Both private child care providers and public schools are necessary partners to meet the demand for universal Pre-Kindergarten. Make sure that both are engaged in the process.

Hold the line on quality. When pilot programs expand statewide, the quality of programs sometime suffers. Establish criteria for teacher credentials, curricula, student-teacher ratios, health, and safety, and maintain quality controls as your program grows.