Tennessee Pre-K Community Unites to Enhance Program Quality
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 | 10:00am
Nashville, TN – Tennessee educators, childcare providers, Head Start staff and pre-K advocates will study components of an effective pre-K program at the 2008 Tennessee Early Childhood Summit June 26-27. The Summit, Building Early Learning Foundations Together, will focus on professional leadership, partnerships and public investment, as well as feature national pre-K experts.
“Pre-K classes are the single best investment we can make in preparing children to succeed,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “Even in difficult budget times, we have been able to maintain our support of these classes across Tennessee and provide school districts with full funding to run these top quality programs.”
More than 17,000 four-year-olds attended a state-funded pre-K classroom during the 2007-08 school year. Tennessee is one of eight states that meet nine of 10 national quality standards for pre-K, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.; two states meet all 10 benchmarks.
“Tennessee is fortunate to have in place a model pre-K program with a high national ranking for its design and quality,” Acting Education Commissioner Tim Webb said. “Governor Phil Bredesen has ensured thousands of children have access to pre-K. Now is the time to continue improving delivery of instruction and strengthen the partnerships that are so vital to the success of education.”
Speaking this year are national pre-K experts including:
Dr. Sam Meisels, President of Erikson Institute
Dr. David Kirp, author and Professor at UC Berkeley
Dr. Matthew Murray, Assoc. Director of Center for Economic and Business
Research at University of Tennessee
Dr. Mary Louise Hemmeter, Assoc. Professor at Vanderbilt University
“Tennessee has a vibrant pre-K support network committed to offering the best in early childhood education,” said Bobbi Lussier, Executive Director of the Office of Early Learning. “The extensive work to constantly improve pre-K continues year round. Everyone, from the pre-K advisory boards to teachers to community advocates, has a role in the ongoing success of the program.”
The Third Annual Early Childhood Summit is sponsored by the Tennessee Alliance for Early Education, the Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning, Pre-K Now and the Head Start State Collaboration Office.
For more information, contact Rachel Woods at (615) 253-1960 or Rachel.Woods@state.tn.us.