skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

National Report: FL Ranks First in Pre-K Access to Children

play audio
Play

Monday, April 16, 2012   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida ranks number one among the states when it comes to access to Pre-K, as surveyed across the country. However, the Sunshine State is slipping when it comes to per-student spending, according to a report released this month by the National Institute for Early Education Research.

The study noted that the state does not require a college education for its teachers and has a higher student-to-teacher ratio than is recommended.

Jim Squires, a Senior Research Fellow at NIEER who helped write the report, says the nation's children aren't coming out on top.

"They're losing ground. They are the ones who are not having access to these early-learning programs, early-education programs, that are quality, that are going to make a difference."

More than 160,000 children are enrolled in Pre-K in Florida, in large part thanks to a state constitutional amendment passed in 2002 requiring Pre-K access for all.

The annual money spent on each child in the program dropped by about $75.

Nationwide, the NIEER study found that state funding for pre-K has decreased by $60 million in the last year. This is the second year of total decline in spending.

Squires says early childhood education is imperative for preparation for kindergarten and beyond.

"And many children simply don't have the opportunity before they enter kindergarten to be in environments where they are able to get the prerequisite skills."

Although Florida gets high marks for access to Pre-K, the state program only meets three of the ten quality standards set by NIEER.

View Florida information at www.nieer.org.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021