Pre-K is sound investment
Knoxville News Sentinel
Editorial

May 21, 2007 - Finally — the South has good news about its education efforts.

A report by the Southern Education Foundation shows the South, which has lagged in most areas of education for decades, is leading the country not only in early childhood education enrollment but also in the quality of those services.

And Tennessee clearly is doing its part with Gov. Phil Bredesen's commitment to pre-kindergarten education.
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As reality takes kids out of home early, we can't neglect pre-K
The Tennessean
By Dwight Lewis

May 17, 2007 - NASHVILLE - "It's a fact of life,'' Steve Suitts, program coordinator for the Southern Education Foundation, told me over the telephone recently. "Seventy percent of 4-year-olds in Tennessee are being cared for outside the home during the daytime, according to the 2004 U.S. Census Report.

"So, the question becomes what kind of experience are they going to have? Is it one that's educational and helps them build basic learning skills that a 4-year-old should have and helps them and society, or is that one that doesn't do that?''
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Report: South leads the way in effective pre-K
Region is ahead on enrollment and quality of early childhood education
Associated Press
By Errin Haines

May 11, 2007 - ATLANTA - The South, which has lagged for decades in most areas of education, is leading the country in early childhood education enrollment and quality, according to a report released Thursday by the Southern Education Foundation.

According to the report, 19 percent of the region's 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in state-funded pre-kindergarten. That number compares to 12 percent in the Northeast, 9 percent in the Midwest and 5.6 percent in the West.
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Diane Neighbors To Receive Children's Champion Award
News Release
April 20, 2007

Nashville, Tenn. - The Nashville Area Association for the Education of Young Children (NAAEYC) will award its 2007 Children's Champion award to Dr. Diane Neighbors at a public event Saturday, April 21.

The NAAEYC awards the Children's Champion honor annually to an individual whose professional or volunteer activities have resulted in the enhancement of services and educational opportunities for young children in Davidson County. Former recipients include Janet Camp, Earline Kendall, Charlie Allen, Bill Purcell, and Rich Schofield.
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Rising in the ranks: Tennessee in top 8 with Pre-K program
The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
By Tosheena Robinson-Blair

April 1, 2007 - "I'm a little bunny, my name is Joe. I hop fast and I hop slow. Whenever I'm sleepy my ears droop low, but after my nap, up they go," sang 20 Walter Hill Elementary pre-kindergarten students Tuesday.

By the end of the little ditty — sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" — groggy eyes, which were a minute before heavy with sleep, spring back to life.

For these students, a part of Gov. Phil Bredesen's statewide Pre-K program, school is not just fun and games.

Naturally, there's singing, dancing and painting too.
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Join in to help build great young Tennesseans, from pre-K upwards
The Tennessean
Op-ed by Mary Graham, president of United Ways of Tennessee

March 20, 2007 - In response to a challenge by Gov. Phil Bredesen, the United Ways of Tennessee have provided matching funds for 47 pre-K classrooms across the state, bringing quality early education to more than 900 4-year-olds. This collaborative approach to early education, which is playing out across the state, is a hallmark of Tennessee's program and serves as a national model for quality pre-K programs.
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Tennessee's pre-K earns high marks again
Report commends class size, teachers, academic standards
The Tennessean
By Natalia Mielczarek, staff writer

March 14, 2007 - For the second consecutive year, Tennessee has been dubbed a national leader in offering and sustaining a high-quality pre-K program funded by state dollars, a federal study released today says.

The high marks also commend the state for spending about $570 more per student than the national average, upholding solid academic standards, hiring high-quality teachers and keeping the classes small.
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State's pre-K program draws more parents
The Tennessean, Nashville
Jaime Sarrio, staff writer

January 30, 2007 - ... "Gracie went to kindergarten without pre-K, and I've seen where she's struggled and other kids who've had pre-K are going through it well," she said. "It changed my mind."

Garrett is one of a growing number of Tennessee parents interested in pre-K, according to a study released by the Department of Education on Monday.

This time around, she'll enroll her twins in pre-kindergarten at College Grove Elementary School.
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Pre-K classes show focus on education
The Tennessean
Op-ed by Speaker Jimmy Naifeh

December 20, 2006 - ... I'm proud to report that Tennessee hit an education milestone in late September and early October. More 4-year-olds than ever are walking through their classroom doors to a quality education under Tennessee's voluntary Pre-K program. Thanks to a mostly bipartisan commitment by Governor Bredesen and the members of the 104th General Assembly, we've added 529 new Pre-K classrooms in 121 school systems statewide; many of those classrooms are in Middle Tennessee.
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Expanding state's pre-K program
would help children succeed in school
The Mountain Press, Sevier County
Editorial

December 13, 2006 - Tennessee's developing program of pre-kindergarten has helped many children get better prepared for elementary school. The program can catch problems early and focus on specific needs in children who are struggling to do the work. Read more

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Governor commends local pre-K, Head Start collaboration
The Cleveland Banner, Cleveland, TN
Larry C. Bowers, staff writer

December 11, 2006 - David Kelley, head of the Southeast Tennessee/North Georgia Head Start program and a member of the Bradley County Board of Education, attended a Head Start conference in Nashville this week. He returned with some challenging information about the future of pre-Kindergarten in the city and county school systems.

Gov. Phil Bredesen, who spoke at the conference, had words of praise for Head Start and its collaboration with the Cleveland and Bradley County pre-K programs. He also stressed prospects for the future of pre-K in Tennessee.
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Tennessee among top five states for business
Associated Press

October 2006 - A corporate real estate magazine ranks Tennessee among the top five best business locations in the country.
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Schools move pre-K classes closer to home
Off-campus sites reach children with biggest need, state says
The Tennessean, Nashville, TN
Clay Carey, staff writer

October 9, 2006 - Area parents are finding more options for pre-kindergarten classes closer to home as more school systems look outside their own buildings for space to educate Tennessee 's youngest learners.

At least 38 of the 230 new pre-K classrooms funded by $20 million in state expansion money this year are located off school campuses in Head Start facilities, children's homes and child-care centers — some of which are in or near public housing developments. Last year, the state program's first, 30 new pre-K classes opened outside schools.
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