Pre-K programs... not just in schools

As I referenced in my post about the Growth & Justice education summit late last week, reported rates coming from the summit of Minnesota 4 year olds in Pre-K programs don't tell the entire story. The summit reported that Minnesota ranks 36th when it comes to 4 year olds accessing Pre-K. Ann Kaner-Roth, executive director of Child Care WORKS, wrote a letter to the editor printed in the StarTribune today. Child Care WORKS is a close partner and ally with Ready 4 K.

Parents of preschoolers might have been surprised by recent articles indicating that fewer than 2 percent of 4-year-olds in Minnesota access pre-kindergarten programs. This statistic is confusing in that it refers specifically to publicly sponsored school-based pre-kindergarten programs.

In fact, according to Wilder Research, 69 percent of preschool-age children in Minnesota are enrolled in licensed early care and education settings, although a tiny portion of those are publicly sponsored school-based programs. Read more...

It is true that Minnesota needs to do more to invest in early education. Ready 4 K believes the investment needs to be done in a way where parents can choose the right setting for their child, including community-based settings and family home care. To say that access Pre-K only happens in publicly funded school settings is limiting.