Report examines state's pre-K collaboration model, gives advice to communities

October 8, 2007 – The Tennessee Alliance for Early Education, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education's Office of Early Learning, today released a report aimed at educating communities about how to successfully deliver high-quality pre-kindergarten to more of the state's 4-year-olds. Download the report by clicking here.

“Voluntary Pre-K in Tennessee: Understanding the Collaboration Model” examines how the collaborative structure of Tennessee's program encourages partnerships between local school systems and private child care providers, Head Start programs, community organizations and local businesses. Under the 2005 law that permitted the state to expand Tennessee's existing pilot pre-K program, the collaboration model formed the central component of the state's early education delivery method.

“Our program has been incredibly successful, but it is important that we evaluate our progress and look for opportunities where we can do even more to make it a program that meets the needs of every community,” said Diane Neighbors, Ed.D., Tennessee Alliance for Early Education chairwoman. “This report aims to facilitate such a discussion.”

Tennessee's collaborative approach fosters community involvement and investment in early learning and is finding success across the state. For the 2006-2007 school year, 145 of the state's 529 voluntary pre-K classrooms were the result of collaborative partnerships. This total represents a two-year growth of 120 percent in the number of collaborative classrooms in Tennessee.

The report includes:

• An overview of Tennessee's pre-K program and structure;
• An overview of past research on the benefits of pre-K;
• An explanation of what the Tennessee Star-Quality Child Care Program means for pre-K;
• An explanation of the role of Community Pre-K Advisory Councils;
• Profiles of communities and child care providers that have successfully implemented the collaboration model; and
• Next steps for private child care providers, school systems, community organizations and businesses that are interested in getting involved.

“We are encouraged by the increase in collaborative partnerships over the past few years,” said Bobbi Lussier, executive director of Tennessee's Office of Early Learning. “Our office has been working directly with communities that want to bring pre-K to more children, and this report will certainly help support the efforts of these communities.”

The Alliance will distribute the report to its 163 organizational and 290 individual members, state legislators, local school systems, private child care providers, community organizations and businesses. The report will also be available on the Alliance's Web site, www.prekfortn.com.

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, and continues to work to expand the high-quality program. More than 450 individuals and organizations are members of the Alliance. Visit the Alliance at www.prekfortn.com.

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