State Coalitions for School Readiness

Advancing Voluntary Pre K for All Children

MCEL has been an active partner in establishing state Coalitions for School Readiness in Kansas and Missouri. Coalitions of diverse partners including parents, early learning advocates and support agencies, and business and community leaders have helped to advance substantial state policy measures and increase state funding in support of quality pre K programs in many other states across the nation. In Kansas its coalition has successfully transformed and expanded the state voluntary Pre K program while increasing state funding for early learning. Missouri is seeking to replicate this model through its emerging coalition.

Kansas

Formed in 2006, the Kansas Coalition for School Readiness is a partnership of early learning advocates and practitioners, business leaders, parents, law enforcement, and other interested Kansans who have come together to support investment in early childhood education so that children are better prepared for success in school and beyond.? The coalition's mission is to make sure every child and parent in Kansas has the opportunity to participate in a voluntary, high-quality early childhood education program. The Coalition?s success has included expanded access to quality child care for infants and toddlers and increased funding for children to participate in quality programs, specifically Early Head Start and Pre-Kindergarten pilot sites. Private sector funds also were raised to complement the state's investment in the Pre-K pilot sites, thus creating a true public/private partnership.

The coalition?s goals for 2010 are to: 1) Maintain the state?s long-standing commitment to early childhood education by protecting the Children?s initiatives Fund (CIF) and the Early Childhood Block Grant. 2) Improve the safety and quality of the child care system in Kansas by implementing inspections for all child care facilities.
http://www.kansasschoolreadiness.org/

Missouri

Missouri advocacy partners are currently developing the Missouri Coalition for School Readiness similar to the Kansas coalition. This emerging coalition includes early learning advocates and practitioners, business leaders, parents, law enforcement, and other interested Missourians who want to come together to support investment in early childhood education so that children are better prepared for success in school.? The mission of the Coalition is to work to ensure that Missouri children under the age of five have access to high-quality early learning programs that prepare them for the best success in school and in life.

The long term goal of the Coalition is to create a statewide voluntary pre-k program as part of a comprehensive birth to five system that ensures all Missouri children, and especially those most at-risk, have access to high-quality early learning programs.? To accomplish this goal the Coalition will work to build grass-tops leadership, build legislative support for investments in pre-k during 2010 legislative session and? work to make pre-k a campaign priority for candidates and voters in the upcoming elections.? MCEL is currently working with coalition partners to secure a Pew Charitable Trusts Pre K Now grant to provide funding to support the initial work of the coalition and its agenda for 2010.