FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2008

STATEWIDE SURVEY SHOWS STRONG SUPPORT FOR PRE-K INITIATIVES
69 Percent Favors Expanding Program Beyond At-Risk Students on Voluntary Basis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Expanding the state's pre-kindergarten program beyond at-risk children to make it available to all 4-year-olds has strong support in Tennessee , the results of a statewide survey show.

Of the 500 registered voters surveyed, 69 percent said they support expanding the pre-K program to all 4-year-olds in the state on a voluntary basis, while only 15 percent were opposed and 15 percent were undecided.

The survey was commissioned by the Tennessee Alliance for Early Education in partnership with Pre-K Now, a national education advocacy group. The margin of error is approximately plus or minus 4.4 percent.

“We hope this show of widespread support for bringing high-quality pre-K classes to more children in Tennessee compels policymakers to do the right thing,” said Dr. Libby Doggett, executive director of Washington-based Pre-K Now, which is working with the Tennessee Alliance for Early Education to expand the state's pre-K program.

“The findings are also in line with public opinion in other states that are working to improve their pre-K programs as a way of giving tens of thousands of children a better chance to succeed in school and in life,” she said.

The findings also match results from a poll conducted by students at Middle Tennessee State University , which were released last week. In that survey of 577 Tennesseans, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) favored opening pre-K to all students.

The TAEE survey shows that support for expanding pre-K to all 4-year-olds on a voluntary basis is strongest in East and Middle Tennessee, where 72 percent and 71 percent respectively said they would back such a program, compared to 62 percent in West Tennessee .

Eight of 10 Democrats said they would support expanding pre-K to all 4-year-olds, compared to 69 percent of independents and 60 percent of Republicans.

Respondents who said they were aware of the existing pre-K program had a high level of support for it, the results show. Seventy percent said they had heard about the pre-K program, and of that number, 73 percent said they support it.

Education was named as the most important single issue facing the state by 27 percent of respondents, followed by health care (16 percent), the economy (13 percent) and jobs (11 percent).

Survey participants were also asked if they agree that education should be Gov. Phil Bredesen's top priority, and 79 percent said they do.

The survey also gauged opinions on expanding the program to at-risk children. Almost three-fifths (59 percent) said they supported that approach, with 14 percent opposed and 27 percent undecided.

The telephone survey was conducted Feb. 18-20, 2008 , by The Parker Group of Birmingham , Ala. , for the Tennessee Alliance for Early Education. It surveyed 500 randomly selected registered voters across the state who identified themselves as likely to vote in the November elections. All percentages have been rounded for readability.

The Tennessee Alliance for Early Education is a bipartisan coalition of more than 650 individuals and groups who believe the expansion of pre-K opportunities across the state is critical to the future success of our children.

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