Pre-K Now
Pre-K Champion Awards
2007 Pre-K Champions

Each year, Pre-K Now recognizes and celebrates the incredible work of state early learning advocates with its Pre-K Champion awards. Organizations and individuals chosen to receive an award have demonstrated outstanding advocacy, creative strategies, and large measures of success in the movement toward voluntary, high-quality pre-k for all three and four year olds. Members of Congress are invited to present Pre-K Champion awards to recipients from their home states during a Capitol HIll ceremony.

The following advocates were honored with Pre-K Champion awards on July 19, 2007:

Iowa

The Child and Family Policy Center, represented by Charlie Bruner and Sheila Hansen, received a Pre-K Champion award from Representative Dave Loebsack (D-IA). Thanks to the CFPC's amazing advocacy, the Iowa legislature passed Governor Chet Culver's Preschool for All proposal, which will expand pre-k access incrementally with the goal of serving 90% of Iowa four year olds and making Iowa a national pre-k leader.
learn more from our Iowa profile

New York

The Winning Beginning NY campaign, represented by Karen Schimke and Nancy Kolben, and Docs for Tots, represented by Dina Lieser, received Pre-K Champion awards from Representatives Steve Israel (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Gregory Meeks (D-NY). Because Winning Beginning NY and Docs for Tots led the way, the New York legislature passed a bill signed by Governor Eliot Spitzer to provide $146 million in increased funding for New York's pre-k program, bringing the state even closer to the goal of pre-k for all.
learn more from our New York profile

Vermont

Pre-k advocate Mary Barrosse Schwartz and Lisa Ventriss of the Vermont Business Roundtable received Pre-K Champion awards from Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT). Thanks to Mary and Lisa's leadership, the Vermont legislature passed a bill signed by Governor Jim Douglas to provide pre-k for all children, regardless of income, through the school funding formula.
learn more from our Vermont profile
 
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Meeting the Challenge of Rural Pre-K
Families everywhere stuggle to find high-quality pre-k programs for their children, but the problem is even more acute in rural areas. Pre-K Now has come out with recommendations for federal policymakers to help states meet the unique challenges of rural pre-k.
download the white paper (PDF)
see our other federal policy work
Pre-k is not about 'those' children, it's about 'all' children.