Dive Brief:
- MinneMinds — a consortium of Minnesota foundations, nonprofits, and education institutions — plans to ask legislators to set aside $150 million for early-learning scholarship opportunities for low-income families in the state.
- The group claims Gov. Mark Dayton’s pledge for universal pre-K for the state's 3- and 4-year-olds by 2018 has inspired them to ask for more scholarship dollars.
- Minnesota is often praised for having a stellar early education program, but it's often criticized for poor access, as the state's early-learning scholarship program is currently used by only 10% of its qualified students.
Dive Insight:
During the 2013-14 school year, early education was a hot topic in the United States. First, there was New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's public push to provide universal pre-school. It was also a massive point of debate in the Texas gubernatorial elections, and political heavyweights like Hillary Clinton and Rahm Emanuel have also spoken on its importance.
On top of these pushes, a study out of Rutgers University found that, despite increased interest in early education, many states are not filling their pre-K slots. The premise of the study seems to be an inverse issue in Minnesota, where, according to research by the Wilder Foundation, 72,000 children were left unserved. In fact, 5,500 low-income children are reportedly on waiting lists due to reductions in Head Start funding.
A push for pre-K opportunities makes sense, if states are serious about education. According to Georgetown University professor and developmental psychologist Deborah Phillip, one of the ultimate benefits of a stellar pre-K program is that it mimics many of the relationship needs a child desires from its family. Phillips and her team spent seven months reviewing Tulsa, OK, pre-K programs and found quality early education must have four pillars in place: strong curriculum, ample funds, balanced teacher-student ratios, and highly qualified teachers. With these in place, Phillips says, pre-K programs can giving emotional and social support, allowing children to feel “safe, protected, loved, valued” — all necessities to make students love school and want to succeed.