Governor Bentley Announces Grants to Give More Children Access to First Class Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten

MONTGOMERY– Governor Robert Bentley on Tuesday announced over 200 new grants that will provide over 3,600 additional Alabama four-year-olds with access to high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten.

“The most important part of a child’s education is a good, solid foundation at a young age, and our First Class voluntary pre-k program provides that,” Governor Bentley said.  “All children, regardless of where they live, deserve the opportunity to excel.  A high-quality, voluntary pre-k program improves their chances of success in school long-term.  This is a wise investment that will benefit children and families throughout Alabama.”

The grants announced by Governor Bentley will expand Alabama’s First Class voluntary pre-k program to more schools, faith-based preschools, child care centers, Head Start locations, and other new and expanding pre-k sites across the state.  Grants were awarded based on several criteria including local needs, local demand and assurances of high quality standards at the new and expanding pre-k sites. Local match funding of 25% will be required.  Remaining grants will be allocated to additional sites based on various needs in the near future.

The additional 202 grants will benefit 51 counties across Alabama and positively impact an additional 3,636 students’ lives now and for years to come. In his Education Trust Fund budget recommendation, Governor Bentley recommended a $10 million increase for the voluntary pre-k program.  The Alabama Legislature approved the $10 million increase.

“Demand for these grants has far exceeded our supply,” Governor Bentley said. “Only 13 percent of Alabama’s four-year-olds are currently enrolled in the First Class program and that is the reason we need to continue expanding access to this program. It is my goal to give more families the option of enrolling their children in voluntary pre-k, and I will continue my efforts to expand access to First Class even more.”

Alabama’s First Class program is nationally-recognized for its quality.  Alabama is currently one of only four states in the country to meet all 10 quality benchmarks established by the National Institute for Early Education Research.  The benchmarks include teacher training, staff-child ratios, support services and more.  First Class has now met all of these benchmarks for nine years in a row.

First Class is managed by the Alabama Office of School Readiness.  The office is part of the Alabama Department of Children’s Affairs, which is overseen by Governor Bentley.

Jeana Ross, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Children’s Affairs, said the demand for expansion grants has been strong in communities throughout the state, and efforts will continue for additional expansion in the future.

“Alabama’s vision for First Class Pre-K is to provide the very best early childhood education program for all children and families. Research consistently shows that high-quality early childhood education programs produce positive and lasting effects for children; this is achieved by ensuring all programs meet the highest standards of excellence. The grant awards are an exciting expansion of this number-one, nationally ranked, high quality pre-k program that can help make the first years the best years for a child to grow and learn in Alabama.”

“While these grants will help us offer voluntary pre-k to many more families, there is still a long way to go before all children have access,” Governor Bentley said.  “That’s why it’s important to build on this progress and make sure we’re offering this high-quality program to even more families in the years to come.”

Click here to view a list of grants awarded on Tuesday.