STATE OF ALABAMA

Office of the Governor


BOB RILEY
Governor
 

Press Office
 

March 21, 2008

Alabama Pre-K Rated Nation’s Best for Quality
Governor Riley hopes report generates support for expansion of First Class Pre-K

MONTGOMERY - Alabama and North Carolina share the nation’s top ranking for overall quality of their pre-kindergarten programs, according to a report released this week by the National Institute for Early Education Research. This is the second consecutive year the two states tied for having the nation’s highest quality pre-K programs by NIEER.

Governor Bob Riley, who has proposed a budget that expands access to Alabama’s top-rated pre-K program, said he hopes the report will help generate support in the Legislature.

“We have the highest quality pre-K in the entire country, but too few children benefit from it. Our proposal will maintain that quality and expand access so more of Alabama’s children will benefit from the nation’s best pre-K program,” said Governor Riley.

The Governor calls his proposal the First Class Voluntary Pre-K Initiative.

“Alabama truly has first class pre-K, but access is too restricted,” said Governor Riley. Only four percent of the state’s four-year-olds - about 2,400 children - have access to high-quality pre-K in Alabama. Governor Riley’s First Class proposal would triple that number in its first year and by 2011 would provide access for 21,000 children.

“We know that if you invest in a high quality pre-K plan, you make a world of difference in a child’s ability to learn and the opportunities they will have for the rest of their lives,” Governor Riley said. “As a state, we make investments in economic opportunities every day. Well, there is no investment that can give us a greater return than pre-K.”

The Governor’s proposal has received support from a broad alliance of education and child advocates, including the Alabama Head Start Association, the Alabama Partnership for Children, the A+ Education Foundation, VOICES for Alabama’s Children, the Business Council of Alabama, the Alabama Association of Licensed Early Care and Education, Alabama Giving, the Alabama School Readiness Alliance, the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and others.

The NIEER report on state pre-K programs can be found online at http://nieer.org/yearbook/.