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Pre-K Now
Leadership Matters: Virginia
Virginia 1

Governor Tim Kane (D)
State of the State Mentions Pre-K or Early Education: Yes

Proposed Percent Change (Percent Change Rank4) Proposal Comments
+ 20% (9) FY09-FY10 biennial budget proposal increases the Virginia Preschool Initiative by $10.5 million from FY08 to FY09, for a total of $63.6 million in FY09. The two-year expansion would serve all children who are eligible for free lunch and 75 percent of those who are eligible for reduced-price lunch. The governor proposes using $14.9 million of TANF funds to further expand VPI in the second year of the biennium.

The proposal also includes $8.1 million over two years for a quality rating and improvement system, scholarships for early childhood teachers, and local early childhood initiatives.

Neighboring Governors' Proposals
State Proposed Percent Change
Washington, DC +29
Kentucky1 0%
Maryland Funding available for pre-k based on number of low-income K-12 students.
North Carolina2 0%
Tennessee +31%
West Virginia Funding based on enrollment

 

1 FY09 is the first year of the biennium.
2 FY09 is the second year of the biennium. Governor has not made a pre-k proposal in 2008.
3 No state-funded pre-k program according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.
4 Rank compares percent change proposed by the 26 executives who made FY09 pre-k proposals in 2008. "T" means tie.
 
Resource Center
Pre-K Advocates
Policymakers
Media
Business and Community Leaders
Educators
Families
Meeting the Challenge of Rural Pre-K
Families everywhere struggle to find high-quality pre-k programs for their children, but the problem is even more acute in rural areas. Pre-K Now has come out with recommendations for federal policymakers to help states meet the unique challenges of rural pre-k.
download the white paper (PDF)
see our other federal policy work
Video: Briefing on America's Pre-K Movement
Pre-K Now held a briefing for congressional staff, cosponsored by Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Kit Bond, on October 1. Hear what a governor, three superintendents, two directors of early childhood programs, and a national teacher of the year think Congress should do to increase families' access to quality, state-funded pre-k.
watch and learn more
How Do States
Pay for Pre-K?
To help policymakers and advocates answer that question, Pre-K Now offers "Funding the Future," a report examining the range of pre-k funding options.
learn about the answers
Providing voluntary, high-quality pre-k to all children is as much about economic development as it is a tool to improve educational outcomes.