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Guest Column
Kids deserve quality pre-K
Universal prekindergarten is underfunded. Here are five steps to get the Florida program on track.
By Bob Graham, Reubin Askew, Buddy MacKay and Rhea Chiles
Published October 4, 2006
When you make a promise you keep it. This was a mantra during our many years in public service. Now that we have achieved the most important title, that of grandparent, this is still the case. When you tell your grandchildren, “I’ll be at your Little League game,” you had better be there ready to cheer them on. Keeping your word sounds simple. But Florida has yet to meet the expectations of a quality pre-K program that voters were promised nearly four years ago.
A promise we recently made was to be honorary co-chairs of a campaign called Seniors4Kids (www.seniors4kids.org ) . This campaign consists of Floridians 50 and older who are frustrated that universal pre-K remains underfunded and lacking the characteristics of the quality program that the voters requested. Seniors4Kids asks the question, What will it take to fix pre-K? The answer is not as complicated as you might think. In fact, it’s as easy as counting to five.
First, we need to put the state on a path that will require every pre-K classroom to have a teacher with a college degree who is certified in early education. Research shows that teachers with a bachelor’s degree tend to be more sensitive, engaging and attentive and less negative toward students. As with all professions, quality begets quality.
Second, a quality pre-K program requires reimbursement rates of at least $3,899 per child, as opposed to the current rate of $2,560. This investment will pay for itself over time. Four-year-olds who participate in a quality pre-K program are less likely to drop out of school and less likely to commit crimes. These same kids have improved chances of going to college, getting higher-paying jobs and becoming more productive citizens overall.
Third, we need measurable quality standards.
Age-appropriate testing is needed when children enter pre-K and again when they enter kindergarten to measure the children’s progress and the program’s effectiveness.
Fourth, we need to provide our children and teachers with the tools necessary to succeed. Quality pre-K programs require curricula that meet the needs of every phase in a child’s development: cognitive, physical, social and emotional. To meet these needs, pre-K classroom curricula should meet the Florida School Readiness Performance Standards for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds.
Finally, one size does not fit all. Children need the right number of hours, and parents need the flexibility of all-day or part-day programs. For some families, a six-hour school day works best for both the child and for the working parent. For others a three-hour program is the right fit.
As part of the constitutional amendment passed in 2002, Florida voters were promised these requirements of a quality pre-K program would be in place within four years. We do not have the luxury of waiting any longer to fix Florida’s pre-K program or more children will be left behind.
We agreed to participate in Seniors4Kids, an initiative of Generations United and the Children’s Campaign of Florida, because the intergenerational approach to this issue is such a natural fit: Older adults have an economic interest in the productivity of current and future workers; quality pre-K promotes successful, healthy families for generations to come; seniors thrive when involved in meaningful relationships with children; and older adults are an untapped resource to help communities address issues like quality pre-K.
As former governors, as grandparents, and as voters, we care about children and the future of our state. The children have kept up their end of the bargain by eagerly wanting to learn, achieve their dreams, and grow up to be great citizens. The next governor of Florida has a chance to make good on the adult s’ promise to provide quality pre-K. Everyone’s future depends on it.
Bob Graham, Reubin Askew and Buddy MacKay are former governors of Florida. Rhea Chiles is the widow of Gov. Lawton Chiles.
[Last modified October 6, 2006, 12:34:18]
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