Culver touts preschool progress

DES MOINES – Gov. Chet Culver said today the state is getting closer to meeting a goal of providing access to preschool for all 4-year-olds living in Iowa.

Culver said another 4,500 Iowa children will be able to attend a quality preschool in the coming year thanks to legislative approval of the fourth-year of a preschool initiative that eventually will total more than $60 million.

The fiscal 2011 funding will assist an additional 150 school districts and school district collaborations under the statewide voluntary preschool program, he said. It is projected that during the 2010-2011 school year about 21,354 children aged 4 years will be served by the preschool program in 326 school districts across the state.

“Four years ago when I was elected, I promised Iowa's families a voluntary preschool program. In partnership with the Legislature we funded the last installment of my four-year, $60 million commitment to preschool,” Culver said. “And we are not going to stop there.  By the 2011-2012 school year every 4-year-old whose family chooses to enroll them in this program will have access to a quality preschool in their community.”

The governor and his wife, Mari, highlighted the preschool program during a visit to the Bidwell Riverside Center, where they read a book to the schoolchildren and heard them sing a song.

Under the program, school districts are required to collaborate with parents, families, community organizations, business representatives, and other partners in developing their application or implementing the program, the governor said. In addition, program standards outline what is meant by quality, including having a certified teacher in the classroom.

The state Department of Education received 146 applications representing 150 districts across Iowa that plan to offer at least 10 hours a week of quality preschool instruction. All the districts that applied this year for the program grant and met required qualifications received funding, DOE officials said.

For a full list of Iowa school districts that participate in the statewide voluntary preschool program for 4-Year-Old Children and for more information about the program, please visit http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=940&Itemid=1279.

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