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Mississippi is the only state in the South and one of twelve in the nation without a state-funded pre-k program, but at least one of the state's U.S. senators aims to remove that distinction. Last week, speaking with the Daily Journal, Republican Sen. Thad Cochran expressed his hopes for federal incentive funding to support the creation of state pre-k education in Mississippi. He announced his desire to work with Sen.

On our October 2008 call, we learned about opportunities and strategies to increase access to quality pre-k for Native American children and families. Our panel included: Elizabeth Burmaster, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Wisconsin; Dr. Tarajean Yazzie-Mintz of Indiana University-Bloomington; and President Anne Belleua and Senior Manager Antonia Dobrec of the National Indian Head Start Directors Association.

Our dramatic play center has turned into a restaurant for the month of December.  The table has a tablecloth, the waiters wear aprons and carry trays, and there is so much literacy development I can barely contain it!  

"I'm making the water!" exclaimed José, as he ran his water logged paintbrush along the brick wall outside our school.

“A circle’s like a ball, a circle’s like a ball…round and round, it never stops.  A circle’s like a ball.”  As you can imagine, I have this and all the other shape verses running through my head all of the time!  But you know what…they really work!  For the first time since I started teaching at the pre-kindergarten level, my students are interested and engaged in learning about shapes.  More importantly, they are retaining and transferring their knowledge.  When we see a ball in our large muscle room or on the playground, more than one student says,

In Clayton Christensen's book, "Disrupting Class: How Disruptive
Innovation Will Transform Education," I have finally come to the
dreaded chapter on early childhood. In chapter six, Christensen says
flat out that America shouldn't invest in voluntary preschool because
it won't work.

As a novice teacher, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my technique and expand my repertoire of ideas for the classroom.  I am enrolled in a Masters of Education degree program at George Mason University, read research articles about effective teaching, observe other teachers at my school, and – arguably most importantly – collaborate frequently with my colleagues. 
 

Pre-K Now is encouraged to see that Members of Congress are learning about the wealth of research that proves investments in high-quality early care and education yield benefits for our children, our families and ultimately, our country.... It is high time that helping America's parents put their children on a trajectory for success in school and in life becomes a national priority. High-quality pre-k is a proven solution that does just that.

Policymakers and advocates seeking evidence that pre-kindergarten is a sound investment will find it in Dollars and Sense: A Review of Economic Analyses of Pre-K. The report, released today by Pre-K Now, a public education and advocacy organization, provides a "one-stop shop" of the most current and relevant economic impact studies of pre-k to help stakeholders understand and articulate the benefits of investing in America's youngest learners.

A record-breaking 29 state executives are making pre-kindergarten a priority according to the annual state-by-state analysis of gubernatorial commitment to early childhood education released today by Pre-K Now. Leadership Matters: Governors' Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2008 concludes that if approved, the governors' collective budget proposals would direct more than 800 million new dollars to pre-k in FY08 and provide more than 100,000 additional three and four year olds across the country with access to pre-k programs.