Federal PreK Legislation
Senator Casey’s Prepare All Kids Act of 2007 (S. 1374)
Senator Clinton’s Ready to Learn Act of 2007 (S. 1823)
Representative Hirono’s Pre-K Act of 2007 (H. R. 3289)
Click here for a side-by-side comparison of the provisions of these bills. For other current federal policy information, click here.
Senator Casey’s Prepare All Kids Act of 2007 (S. 1374)
Senator Robert P. Casey (D-PA) introduced the “Prepare All Kids Act of 2007” in May 2007. The bill would assist States in making voluntary high quality full-day prekindergarten programs available and economically affordable for the families of all children for at least one year preceding kindergarten.
The bill also:
• Targets families earning up to 200 percent of Federal Poverty – states must assure grantees target this population and enroll children from these families without charge.
• Embraces diverse delivery and requires states to assure that at least 25% of providers receiving preK grants are community-based providers.
• Requires lead teachers to have a Baccalaureate degree within 6 years of employment.
• Sets aside 10% of funds for early childhood development programs for infants and toddlers.
• Sets aside 10% of funds for extending program hours to full-day, full year.
• Authorizes a $5 billion appropriation in the first year growing to $9 billion in the fourth year.
(For information on Senator Casey’s child care legislation, please click here)
S. 1374 includes both an infant/toddler set aside and an “extended day, extended year” set aside.
Senator Clinton’s Ready to Learn Act of 2007 (S. 1823)
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced a preK measure on July 19 with the intention of including its provisions in the No Child Left Behind reauthorization. Clinton’s proposal would also provide grants to states to establish voluntary prekindergarten programs for 4-year-olds.
The Clinton bill would:
• Require states to award a minimum of 25% of funds to community-based providers
• Requires each classroom to have a teacher with a Bachelor’s degree and specialized training in ECE within 2 years
• Prioritizes children age 4 from low-income families with incomes below 200% of Federal Poverty
• Sets aside 15% of funds for quality initiatives including professional development
S. 1823 includes no provision specifically relating to the needs of working families.
Representative Hirono’s Pre-K Act of 2007 (H. R. 3289)
Representative Mazie Hirono (D-HI) introduced the “Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2007” on August 1 with the co-sponsorship of Rep. George Miller, Chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and quickly won the endorsement of PreK Now.
Provisions of the bill include:
• Establishes a non-competitive grant for “qualified” state that carries out a defined preK program, and a competitive grant for a “selected” state, which anticipates developing a preK program as defined in the bill within 2 years
• Requires all preK teachers to hold Associate degrees and phases-in over 5 years a requirement that all teachers hold Bachelor degrees
• Requires research-based curricula aligned to state early learning standards and addressing 8 specific domains
On June 26, 2008, this bill was passed by the House Committee on Education and Labor by a vote of 31-11. We applaud the focus on quality in this legislation and the use of grants to help and also reward programs that achieve higher levels of quality. This bill recognizes that States have taken the lead in funding prekindergarten classrooms and, rather than create another federal program, seeks to support existing work and capacity in states and communities. However, the legislation does not include a requirement to partner with community-based early childhood program providers. Such partnerships have been very effective in states to ensure that children can participate and the community is served.
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