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State Profiles
Virginia
Virginia is poised to make significant pre-k advances in the next few years and is quickly becoming one of the states to watch. The Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) supplements early childhood learning opportunities available through Head Start and special education programs. VPI targets at-risk children only, with risk factors determined autonomously on the local level. VPI fulfills seven out of 10 NIEER quality standards. In 2006, maximum class size was increased to 18 students, still within NIEER quality guidelines, but backsliding from the previous cap of 16.
Building on former governor Mark Warner and Governor George Allen's precedent of support for early childhood initiatives, Governor Tim Kaine has emerged as a passionate champion of high-quality, voluntary pre-k. Governor Kaine formed the Start Strong Council by executive order to recommend policies to expand access to quality pre-k, while his Working Group on Early Childhood coordinated the executive branch's 2007-2008 efforts on behalf of children. He has said, "I think in 25 years the paradigm for education will change from age 4 to 17 years old."
Key Milestones
| 1995 |
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The Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) is created to serve eligible children not served by Head Start and special education programs. The full-day program is targeted to at-risk four year olds, based on locally established risk factors. Funds are filtered through the public school system and require local contributions based on the financial ability of each community. |
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| 2004 |
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Programs are given the option of providing either half-day or full-day programs. Providers offering half-day programs receive 50 percent of the funding available to full-day program providers. |
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| 2005 |
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On the recommendation of the newly formed Early Learning Council, Governor Mark Warner launches the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation/Smart Beginnings , a public-private partnership charged with setting and executing an aggressive agenda to improve the lives of young children that includes early education initiatives. Governor Warner spearheads funding increases to provide public schools with enough money to fund pre-k for 100 percent of at-risk four year olds not enrolled in Head Start, up from funding for only 60 percent previously. |
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| 2006 |
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Governor Tim Kaine establishes the Start Strong Council, the members of which represent a wide range of community interests. The council is charged with developing goals and best practices for expanding programs for four year olds, creating quality and implementation guidelines for Start Strong programs, developing a grant-distribution process, and recommending funding strategies and increases. |
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| 2007 |
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Governor Kaine proposes $4.6 million for a new pilot pre-k program as part of VPI that promotes diverse delivery of pre-k. The legislature appropriates $3.5 million for the pilot. |
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| 2008 |
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In his FY09-FY10 budget, Gov. Kaine proposes a substantial expansion of the Virginia Preschool Initiative with a 20 percent funding increase during the first year of the biennium. The proposal would raises per-child investment from $5,700 to $6,790, and over two years would make pre-k available to 4,800 more low-income children.
In order to offer working families more high-quality options, 10 percent of the new slots would be guaranteed to community-based settings.
The General Assembly votes to increase the VPI budget by $8 million for FY09 and another $6 million for FY10. |
Pre-K Champions
Former governor Mark Warner worked to improve the Virginia Preschool Initiative during his term from 2002-2006. Among his achievements was the successful funding increase, amid the hostile fiscal environment of 2005, that provided pre-k access to more Virginia children than ever before. He passed this legacy on to Governor Kaine, along with a budget plan, which increased the actual expenditures for pre-k.
Governor Tim Kaine created the Start Strong Council, a body dedicated solely to promoting high-quality pre-k through policy recommendations aimed at increasing access and improving the quality of existing programs. The council is made up of legislators, representatives from the public school system, private providers of early childhood education, elected government officials, business leaders, and parents.
Established in 1994 under the name Action Alliance for Virginia's Children and Youth, Voices for Virginia's Children advocates on behalf of children through outreach, education, coalition building, and research. Voices for Virginia's Children currently spotlights early care and education, along with foster care and adoption, health and mental health, and family economic success.
Next steps for Virginia
As Governor Kaine continues to bring pre-k to the forefront of the political agenda, Virginians will look to him to improve the quality of existing early education programs and expand access to all children whose parents want them to attend.
In order to sustain momentum, the governor will reach out to a range of community stakeholders. Advocacy groups must be persistent in their efforts to educate lawmakers about the multiple educational and economic benefits of investing in high-quality pre-k.
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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.
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Follow Pre-K's Progress Across the Nation
Our maps track the availability and quality of pre-k and the political environment surrounding the issue in each state and Washington, D.C.
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Tour a Pre-K Classroom
Our virtual classroom tour will help you recognize the features of a high-quality pre-k and understand why they make a difference.
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