Education Advocates Look To Expand The State's Pre-K Program
By: Jamiese Price
Updated: November 16, 2012
Alabama's Pre-K program is nationally ranked, but only six percent of Alabama's four year olds have access to it.
Education advocates, including Governor Robert Bentley want to expand it. Alabama School Readiness Pre -K Task Force is asking the state to set aside $12.5 million in funding for the next ten years.
Education advocate Jeff Coleman said the $12.5 million this year would give more students access to the program.
"The goal of School
Readiness Alliance is to actual try to fully fund education for four years old
in Alabama so we're going to start there. It's a gradual process we feel like
it can be fully funded at $125 million," said Coleman.
Alabama's First Class Pre-k Program is currently in 217 classrooms across the state --including two in Dothan.
