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Pre-kindergarten bill to expand early childhood education makes it through Maine House

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LD 1530, An Act To Establish a Process for the Implementation of Universal Voluntary Prekindergarten Education, was enacted unanimously “under the hammer” in the Maine House of Representatives’ Tuesday. Last week, it won initial approval with a veto-proof vote of 102-45.

“Smart investment in the earliest years of childhood is one of the best things we can do for young Mainers to boost their chances of success,” said House Majority Leader Seth Berry, a bill co-sponsor who was an award-winning public school teacher. “Educators and leaders in business and law enforcement recognize these efforts as important to children and the state as a whole.”

The measure makes casino revenues available as start-up funding to school districts that choose to offer voluntary pre-K programs. The bill also establishes a stakeholder group to develop quality standards, best practices and common assessments.

There are 172 school districts in Maine with elementary schools, but only 60 percent of them offer some kind of pre-K. Under the measure, the implementation of pre-K programs would be voluntary for school districts and participation would be voluntary for families.

“Early childhood education is a great opportunity that can do so much for a child. This measure gives more Maine families the chance to take advantage of such programs,” said Rep. Bruce MacDonald, House chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee and a retired teacher.

The bill has the support of law enforcement, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and educators.

Every $1 invested in early education in Maine generates $1.78 in economic activity, a greater rate of return than investments in farming, forestry, fishing and hunting, transportation, construction, retail trade, wholesale trade, manufacturing, and utilities, according to a 2011 report by America’s Edge.

In 2009 the American Recovery Act allocated funding to spearhead the EduCare Center in Waterville for pre-k early childhood education. The center has become a model for the state and the nation. President Barack Obama stated that he would like to see early childhood education a national norm.

Former Attorney General Steve Rowe worked tirelessly to bring awareness to people in the state about the necessity of early childhood education as a deterrent against crimes.At-risk youth not involved in a pre-K program were 70 percent more likely to commit violent crimes by the age of 18, according to the Fight Crime: Invest in Kids report. In a national survey of police chiefs, 80 percent ranked investment in early childhood as the “top strategy” for reducing crime, according to the report.

In an op-ed in support of the bill, Dana Connors, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s president, and Steve Rich, a board member, wrote, “Investment in early childhood is real economic development. It is not just a social and moral imperative; it is an economic imperative.”

The bill, whose lead sponsor is Sen. Eloise Vitelli, faces further action in the Senate.


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