| "Tennessee leaders are to be commended for protecting investments for young children, but the work is not done. The more we invest in high-quality early-childhood programs today, the stronger Tennessee’s economic recovery will be."
– Robert Dugger, advisory board chairman for the Partnership for America’s Economic Success, July 2009, The Tennessean
Gov. Phil Bredesen, with strong bipartisan support from the Tennessee General Assembly, has provided $213 million new dollars for pre-K education in Tennessee over the past few years. The existing pilot program, which began in 1998, has developed into a strong, nationally recognized program with the highest quality program standards.
Since the 2005-2006 school year, Gov. Bredesen's pre-K initiative has brought 786 new pre-K classrooms to the state. To date, Tennessee has 934 state-funded pre-K classes – in 94 of 95 Tennessee counties and 133 of 135 eligible school systems – serving approximately 18,000 at-risk children. It is simply amazing what has been accomplished in the past few years for Tennessee's 4-year-olds. Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program
- Is 100 percent voluntary.
- Uses a state-approved list of research-based, reliable, age-appropriate curricula aligned with the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards.
- Is based on longitudinal research that has established the long-term effectiveness of early childhood education – fewer incarcerations, fewer referrals to special education services, and many skills that promote stable communities and active citizens.
- Has been recognized by the National Institute for Early Education Research for the past three years as a national model for states looking to provide a high-quality pre-K program for children.
Year Pre-K Classrooms Students Served
2008 934 18,000 +
2007 934 18,133
2006 677 13,000
2005 447 9,000
2004 148 3,000 (pilot)
Collaborative partnerships are an integral component of high-quality pre-K programs.
- In Tennessee, local school systems have developed a variety of partnerships: Head Start, Even Start, for-profit and not-for-profit child care providers, faith-based agencies, community-based agencies and higher education institutions.
- United Ways of Tennessee provides nearly $1 million for 46 Pre-K classrooms throughout the state.
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