Click here for research and reports regarding the benefits of pre-K.
Click here to download a report detailing Tennessee's pre-K collaboration model. The report was developed by
the Tennessee Alliance for Early Education, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education's Office of Early Learning. Read more about the report by clicking here.
Click here for pre-K eligibility and enrollment information from the Tennessee Department of Education Office of Early Learning Web site.
Click here to get involved and learn how you can show your support.
Click here to view photos from the April 23 news conference held at the Martha O'Bryan Center in Nashville.
The Tennessee Alliance for Early Education has released the results of its recent survey sent to all candidates for the Tennessee General Assembly to determine where they stand on the issue of state-funded, voluntary pre-kindergarten. We believe it is critical for voters to be informed about whether or not candidates support funding for the expansion of our state’s highly ranked pre-K program. Read more
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 24, 2008
UNITED WAYS OF TENNESSEE RECOGNIZES GOVERNOR FOR LEADERSHIP IN EARLY LEARNING
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – United Ways of Tennessee (UWTN) announced today that Governor Phil Bredesen will receive an award from UWTN, the association of 40 United Ways in the state, recognizing his leadership for promoting early childhood learning in Tennessee. Read more
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Pre-K in the News The War Against Preschool San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, Sept. 2, 2008
By David L. Kirp, W. Stephen Barnett
There's nothing controversial-sounding about Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign pledge to make a $10 billion federal investment in high-quality early education. After all, 38 states and the District of Columbia now underwrite pre-kindergarten. With GOP stalwarts such as Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds on board, and support coming from the likes of Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, as well as a host of big-city police chiefs, you'd think that the benefits of preschool are as generally accepted as the reality of global warming. Think again.
While the McCain campaign remains mum on the topic, the free-markets think-tank, the Reason Foundation, has rushed in to fill the void. In an Aug. 22 Wall Street Journal commentary piece that's getting wide circulation in the blogosphere, foundation staffers Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell take a rhetorical cudgel to preschool. Not only is pre-K a waste of money, they claim - it can even do "lasting damage. This op-ed comes dressed in the trappings of social science. That may make it sound impressive, but the argument is pure snake-oil. Read More
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Chattanooga: Efforts lay ‘important’ groundwork Chattanooga Times Free Press Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008
By Kelli Gauthier
Sitting down. Sharing. Forming lines. Listening. Recognizing letters. Counting.
These are the lessons Scott Graham ingrains in his students, building routine in a classroom where no two days are alike.
Except for one 3-year-old, Mr. Graham’s students are all 4.
“Oh, I like the way Denver is sitting,” Mr. Graham says, pointing to a boy sitting cross-legged on a brightly colored, fuzzy alphabet carpet.
At the front of the classroom, Mr. Graham settles into a navy cushioned rocking chair and pulls out a book for story time.
“Tyler, are we doing what we’re supposed to be doing?” he asks a student wandering around the room. “Are we making good choices?”
Mr. Graham said he never wonders whether what he’s doing is worthwhile. He needs only walk down the hall to the kindergarten classroom at Lakeside Academy to see some of his former pre-kindergarten students listening to their teacher and focusing on their schoolwork, and he knows his efforts laid some important groundwork. Read more
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Alliance Releases Statement in Response to Report on Pre-K
On Tuesday, Aug. 20, the Ohio-based Strategic Research Group released its second interim report assessing the short- and long-term effects of Tennessee’s high-quality voluntary pre-K program.
The Tennessee Alliance for Early Education does not believe the findings accurately reflect the benefits provided to thousands of students each year by the state’s top-ranked pre-K program.
This morning, the Alliance released the following statement:
"The incredible demand for pre-K across the state demonstrates the broad appeal of Tennessee’s high-quality, voluntary program. The thousands of parents and children who benefit from our state’s commitment to quality early education speak volumes about the success and effectiveness of this program.
From the start, we’ve had serious reservations about the way the SRG study was put together. Its conclusions do not match research conducted on the national level that demonstrates the lasting effects of pre-K in academics and quality of life.
This study is still looking at a group of children enrolled in the program from 1998 to 1999 and 2005 to 2006. It would be a mistake to draw overarching conclusions from this small sample so early in the program.”
It is critical that you e-mail your state legislators this week and let them know that you fully support Tennessee’s high-quality, voluntary pre-K program. To find your legislators, click here, then select Senate or House and click on the “Members” link.
We also encourage you to submit letters to the editor of your local newspaper. If you’re the parent of a pre-K student or are a preschool teacher, please write specifically about the benefits that children reap from this program.
Thank you again for your unwavering dedication to pre-K in Tennessee and the future of our children.
Read more...
Early Pre-K success should be expanded Jackson Sun Thursday, August 21, 2008
An independent study of Tennessee's Pre-Kindergarten program shows that it is working, but that more needs to be done. The study should reassure taxpayers that there is accountability for the expensive Pre-K effort. It also sets the stage for improvements.
The state hired Ohio-based Strategic Research Group to evaluate results of the three-year-old program. Gov. Phil Bredesen has made Pre-K efforts one of the hallmarks of his administration. He helped the program grow from 3,000 students to 17,000 students. The program is paid for by Tennessee Lottery proceeds. Bredesen hopes eventually to make Pre-K universal in Tennessee and available to all who want it for their children. Read more
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2008
Tennessee Alliance for Early Education
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. READ MORE
You can read more about the results of the Alliance's statewide survey on The Nashville Business Journal Web site by clicking here.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2008
Tennessee Alliance for Early Education
PRE-K ADVOCATES CONVENE ON CAPITOL HILL TO VOICE SUPPORT Tennessee Alliance for Early Education, United Way Partner for Event
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – More than 50 pre-K advocates from across Tennessee convened Wednesday on Capitol Hill to voice support for a $25 million expansion of the state’s voluntary high-quality pre-K program.
“The Alliance supports the move toward pre-K that is voluntary and open to all families who wish their children to be enrolled,” Alliance chairwoman Diane Neighbors said. “Alliance and United Way members spent the day meeting with their legislators to discuss the need for an expanded program, and to ask for their support. It was a very successful Day on the Hill.”
The Tennessee Alliance for Early Education hosted the 2008 Pre-K Day on the Hill in partnership with United Ways of Tennessee, which provides the matching funds for 46 pre-K classrooms in Tennessee. The goal of the event is to unite proponents of Gov. Phil Bredesen’s statewide pre-kindergarten initiative and demonstrate broad support for his proposal to expand early education in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Alliance 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. Visit www.prekfortn.com for more information.
Pre-K in the News__________________________ ___ _____ Back to top
The War Against Preschool San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, Sept. 2, 2008
By David L. Kirp, W. Stephen Barnett
2008 Tennessee Early Childhood Summit:
Building Early Learning Foundations Together
PRE-K STAKEHOLDERS MEET FOR THIRD ANNUAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- More than 700 stakeholders in the state’s pre-K initiative convened at the Sheraton Music City this week to discuss advancements in early childhood education in Tennessee.
The two-day conference, 2008 Tennessee Early Childhood Summit: Building Early Learning Foundations Together, which concluded Friday, was hosted by the Tennessee Alliance for Early Education, in conjunction with the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning, Washington, D.C.-based Pre-K Now and the Tennessee Head Start State Collaboration Office. It focused on professional leadership, community partnerships and public investment which build on the foundations for the successful delivery of high-quality pre-K to Tennessee's 4-year-olds. In addition, educators had an opportunity to view curricula aligned with the Tennessee Early Learning Development Standards at a curriculum fair.
“Each year we are able to increase our awareness of advancements in Pre-K by bringing in a variety of presenters with a vast amount of experience,” said Diane Neighbors, Ed.D., chair of Tennessee Alliance for Early Education. “In its third year, the conference has given stakeholders the chance to network and learn about different ways we can enhance learning opportunities within the classroom.”
Administrators, supervisors and teachers from the various areas of early childhood education – including public schools, Head Start, Even Start and child care – were invited to attend, as were other stakeholders in the pre-K initiative.
The conference offered activities in a variety of workshops, focusing on topics such as parent and community involvement in the classroom, behavior management, classroom environments, early reading skills, social and emotional development, providing educational play and special education.
Keynote speakers for the 2008 Tennessee Early Childhood Summit were Dr. Sam Meisels, president of the Erikson Institute, Graduate School in Child Development; David Kirp, professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley, and author of Sand Box Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics; Dr. Matthew Murray, professor of economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and Dr. Mary Louise Hemmeter, associate professor of special education at Vanderbilt University.
Meisels addressed the complexity and importance of assessing early childhood readiness. Kirp spoke about the spread of the universal preschool movement in recent years and Dr. Murray described the many impacts of education on individuals, families, the economy, government and society at large. Dr. Hemmeter provided information about the research supporting the strategies, practices and resource materials developed and disseminated by the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) since 2001. She also discussed the recently launched three-year partnership between CSEFEL and Team Tennessee.
Click here to view the conference agenda and session descriptions.
View photos from the 2008 Early Childhood Summit here.
About the Alliance___ __ _______________________________
The Tennessee Alliance for Early Education was established in 2005 to support Gov. Phil Bredesen's proposal to expand the state's existing pre-kindergarten education program. The Alliance is a broad coalition of individuals and groups who believe the expansion of pre-kindergarten opportunities across the state is critical to the future success of our children.
We are proud to have been a part of the successful legislative campaigns in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The Alliance is now working to support Gov. Bredesen in the 2008 legislative session as he aims to again raise the bar for early education in Tennessee.
There is strength in numbers, and it is vital that our membership list reflect the support we have across the state. Please verify that you are an Alliance member by clicking here. If you do not see your name on this list, you can fill out a membership form by clicking here.
You can help us build membership by e-mailing two people you think would be interested in joining the Alliance. Membership is free, and it only takes a minute to sign up.
Produced by the Tennessee Alliance for Early Education and Tennessee Association for the Education of Young Children with funding support from Pre-K Now, which collaborates with state advocates and policymakers to lead a movement for high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-olds. The following funders contributed to making this important work possible: The Pew Charitable Trusts, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, RGK Foundation, CityBridge Foundation and the Schumann Fund for New Jersey.
