Each fall, Pre-K Now reports the final pre-kindergarten funding figures, and the stories behind them, from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. On the pages in this section you can quickly view what is said about your state in 
"Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2008."
In fiscal year 2008, high-quality, voluntary, state-funded pre-kindergarten again received substantially increased financial and legislative support from lawmakers in the majority of states. New state pre-k funding exceeds $525 million, an increase of more than 12 percent over FY07 expenditures, bringing total state investments in early education across the country to $4.8 billion.
One of the most important aspects of this strong pre-k momentum is the spirit of bipartisanship that characterizes legislative work on the issue. In 2007, nearly half of increasing states did so by cooperating across party lines within the legislature, between the legislature and governor, or both. This collaboration, so unusual in today's contentious political environment, is fueling a movement the Wall Street Journal recently called "one of the most significant expansions in public education in the 90 years since World War I."
Pre-K for All: Achieving the Goal
According to studies, including one from Georgetown University, programs open to all children maximize the benefits known to result from high-quality pre-k. In a growing number of states, this powerful evidence has led policymakers to support pre-k-for-all programs. Iowa joins as the newest member of an elite group of states - Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York,
Oklahoma, and West Virginia - that are providing or phasing in pre-k for all children in the next five years.
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Iowa
Upping the Ante
For FY08, three legislatures raised the pre-k stakes in their states, passing substantial budget increases that signal a strong commitment to young children. In Alabama, New York, and Ohio, where significant gubernatorial proposals already promised to reinvigorate pre-k programs, lawmakers opted to appropriate even more funds. These new dollars will make pre-k a reality for thousands more children.
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Alabama
New York
Ohio
Targeting Success: Fully Funding Pre-K for At-Risk Children
Targeted pre-k programs provide early education services to children most at risk of school failure. Frequently, however, inadequate funding leaves these programs languishing with poor quality and unable to meet the needs of all eligible children. For FY08, legislators in three states - Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oregon - acted decisively to commit significant new dollars and ensure that these critical programs are available to all eligible children in their states. Even as they celebrate this important first step, early childhood leaders in these states are already looking to expand eligibility to more children.
Read more about:
Arkansas
Louisiana
Oregon
The Good Fight
Over the past few years, Illinois and Pennsylvania have been strong leaders on high-quality, voluntary pre-k. For FY08, however, admirable and ambitious early education plans ran headlong into budgetary realities and political disagreements. The resulting battles were heated and led to differing solutions that reflect myriad concerns facing these states while also achieving continued growth in pre-k funding.
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Illinois
Pennsylvania
Mixed Signals
In an era when an unprecedented number of legislatures and governors are collaborating to improve access to high-quality pre-k, in North Carolina and Texas legislators who had previously supported such efforts bucked the trend, rebuffing historic gubernatorial proposals on critical early education programs. In these two states, legislators failed to seize excellent opportunities to partner with the executive branch on behalf of young children.
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North Carolina
Texas
Dubious Distinction
In FY08, Florida's legislature chose to undercut educational opportunities for young children by decreasing pre-k funding, becoming the only state to do so since FY06. The decreased appropriation promises to undermine both the quality and availability of critical early education programs. Legislators in Florida have damaged the prospects for their state's future fiscal health and economic competitiveness as well as the foundation for success for tens of thousands of young children. This is especially troubling as Florida is the only state operating under a voter mandate to provide high-quality pre-k to all four year olds.
Read more about:
Florida
Related Materials
Research Reports
Highlights from "Votes Count"
