Dallas, TX (September 30, 2014) – On Tuesday, September 30th, at Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, CHILDREN AT RISK released findings from “The State of Pre-K: Realities and Opportunities in Texas”, a report on the current state of public prekindergarten programs in Texas and policy recommendations for maximizing their return on investment.
Speakers Included:
Mayor Mike Rawlings, City of Dallas
Superintendent Mike Miles, Dallas ISD
Bruce Esterline, The Meadows Foundation
Mary Jalonick, The Dallas Foundation
Patricia Rangel, Ph.D., Fort Worth ISD
Dr. Robert Sanborn, CHILDREN AT RISK
Key stakeholders from across the community convened to discuss the importance of early education, and expanding prekindergarten access to the county’s most vulnerable young learners. With over 200 community stakeholders in attendance, the three part event included a press conference, the main program and presentation, and culminated with a luncheon that featured remarks by Charles Glover, Senior Program Officer at The Meadows Foundation, and Jason Sabo, statewide advocacy expert and founder of Frontera Strategy.
During his presentation, Dr. Robert Sanborn discussed several key findings that came out of the study, the details of which can be found in the full report:
- Many school districts are already going above and beyond minimum state mandates to ensure that students receive prekindergarten education.
- School districts want full-day prekindergarten, but adequate funding is a challenge.
- School districts are investing in smaller class sizes and optimal staff-to-student ratios without a state mandate or state funding.
Thank you to all who attended Go BIG for Pre-K and we hope to see you at one of our upcoming events! For additional information on our work in public education, visit our website at: CHILDREN AT RISK’s Public Education Efforts.
“The State of Pre-K: Realities and Opportunities in Texas” was funded by The Meadows Foundation in support of TEGAC initiatives. For the full report, please visit www.childrenatrisk.org.