Obama Pre-K Plan Heads To Congress

Update: Read our first take on the legislation here.

On Wednesday House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) are expected to release a legislative version of the federal Pre-kindergarten plan proposed by President Obama in his State of the Union address last February. The Congressional proposals are expected to be similar to the President’s vision, offering a 10-year plan to provide federal grants to assist states in expanding access to and improving the quality of their publicly funded Pre-K programs. The House bill is also expected to be co-sponsored by at least one Republican, Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY).

Given the questions we have raised about the President’s plan here at New America, we will be watching for certain specifics of the new legislative proposals.

Will the Plans Require High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten Offerings, and How Will Quality be Defined?

President Obama’s proposal did specify that the federal dollars must fund high-quality programs. In his case, that meant, for example, states must have early learning standards; teachers must have a bachelor’s degree; states must commit to implementing assessments and data systems; and states must meet “common and consistent” quality metrics.

It’s unclear whether Congress will match these metrics or go further. Will Congress require states to measure the quality of teacher-child interactions, or specify that pre-K teachers must meet similar teacher training requirements as K-12 teachers or that they will receive comparable compensation?

How will Expanded Pre-K Access Build on States’ Existing Programs?

President Obama proposed to provide grants to states for expanding access in already-existent pre-K programs while helping other states to improve or create new pre-K offerings. The intention was to cover all 4-year-olds in families whose incomes fall below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (about $46,000 for a family of four). We’ll be watching to see whether Congress takes the same approach by authorizing funding for increases in state pre-K programs. We’ll also look at where Head Start fits.

Will Kindergarten get Its Turn in the Spotlight, too?

The President’s plan specified that, once states had guaranteed pre-K access for all eligible 4-year-olds, the Department of Education could provide incentives to states to offer full-day kindergarten. Children in half-day kindergarten have less time for learning in multiple subject and developmental areas and fewer opportunities for play, particularly with the increased demands of the Common Core State Standards, so a full-day kindergarten experience could make the difference for many children. Without a good follow-up to a high-quality pre-K program through kindergarten and the early grades of elementary school, the academic gains made in the pre-K year could well be lost.

Will School Districts be Responsible for Administering the New Federal Funds?

The President proposed that most of the funds through the state matches and his ‘Preschool for All’ proposal be funneled to PreK-12 school districts or community-based organizations that partner with school districts.

Will the House and Senate follow suit? Or will they permit the menagerie of community-based public and private organizations and child care centers that provide many of the pre-K programs already to apply directly to states for the dollars? That would lessen capacity issues at already-overwhelmed school districts and preserve the parental choice that exists already -- but school districts are already accustomed to receiving and reporting on federal funds, have existing relationships with the U.S. Department of Education, and link into statewide longitudinal data systems. If Congress allows for more flexibility of providers, will it require a connection between pre-K programs and local school districts?

How Will the Program be Paid for?

President Obama proposed a tobacco tax increase that would fund both the ‘Preschool for All’ program and an expansion of the federal home-visiting program. That means the program would function as an entitlement program, effectively untouchable by Congress, at least in the annual appropriations process. But given the uncertainty in the budget process and deeply held disputes over federal appropriations, will the House and Senate be able to find funds or raise revenues to pay for their pre-K program?

Visit Early.EdCentral.org tomorrow for a summary and analysis of the pre-K bills from Capitol Hill. The New America Foundation's early education team will be looking these and other questions after the bill’s release tomorrow."