Tennessee Pre-K Community Unites to Enhance Program Quality

Posted by Press Releases on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

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. 

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