For years, parents and educators have increasingly recognized the importance of a child’s first years to promote his or her healthy physical, social, and intellectual development. A growing body of evidence validates the importance of sustaining high-quality learning environments for pre-K graduates and their peers inside Tennessee classrooms.
The state’s Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) program began in 2005 when legislators in Nashville allocated $25 million in lottery dollars to establish quality pre-kindergarten classrooms through a grant process. In the years that followed, subsequent budgets increased state funding to expand the VPK program classes and reach a growing number of at-risk pre-K kids. Today, $86 million from the state education budget is devoted to operate 935 classrooms in 95 counties, serving 18,700 4-year-olds across our state.
According to the findings of a report from Vanderbilt University and the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, pre-K students served by the VPK maintained their advances in math and reading through at least the third grade – as long as they continue to be served by effective teachers and high-quality schools.
The results of this new study stand in marked contrast to the often cited – but only now thoroughly understood – 2015 study from the same researchers that found the gains of children participating in pre-K were “fading out” by third grade. This original study regrettably failed to address the question of why these initial gains were diminished. Those opposed to investments in early childhood education often seized on the narrowest interpretation of the outdated report, eager to mischaracterize its observations as evidence that pre-K doesn’t work. While we’re pleased with the results of this new research, parents, educators and scores of VPK advocates led by organizations such as Save the Children Action Network never had any trouble illustrating the value of the VPK. For years, we have witnessed firsthand the tremendous impact it has had on children in our local communities.
In our community, Chattanooga Head Start/Early Head Start have partnered with Hamilton County’s Department of Education Voluntary Pre-K since the inaugural classrooms in 2005. In that time our collaboration has grown to nine of the 44 VPK classrooms across our community. In Hamilton County, VPK employs 88 teachers and assistants who serve 880 children. We could not be prouder of our collaboration and the work VPK does to prepare our county’s 4-year-olds for lifelong learning.
Further research shows these kinds of investments in early childhood education offer potential for long-term economic impact and growth for taxpayers and society in general. Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman released a report in December 2016 indicating that the annual rate of return on investments in high-quality early childhood development for children can be up to 13 percent, per year, due to improved outcomes in education, health, sociability, economic productivity and reduced crime.
High-quality early childhood education is an investment Tennessee must continue making through VPK in order to give kids the strongest possible start in life. Investing in our children will reduce poverty, change lives and strengthen our communities and our local economy. State leaders, regardless of which side of the aisle they may come from, must continue to invest in kids.
From highly qualified teachers to a research based curriculum and assessment, to the love and support each child needs to succeed, the Hamilton County school district’s pre-K is here for kids. This new research proves what we’ve known for over a decade. Pre-K works.
Ariel Ford serves as the deputy administrator in the city’s Office of Early Learning. Ashley Warrington is the state manager for Save the Children Action Network in Tennessee.