Governor: Vernon Getting 15 Additional Pre-School Slots as Part of Education Reform

Vernon is getting 15 new pre-school slots paid for as part of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's education reform initiatives.

Malloy on Tuesday, with Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman and Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor, announced that 1,000 new "school readiness slots" have been "identified and awarded to providers" throughout Connecticut as a part of the education reforms the Governor unveiled earlier this year.
 
Public Act 12-116, An Act Concerning Education Reform, targets $6.775 million in new funding for increased access to high-quality early childhood education. The slots will be administered through the Connecticut School Readiness program, a state Department of Education initiative designed to provide for, and increase access to, high-quality preschool for children ages 3 and 4.
 
“Early education provides the foundation for the future success of our children, and the assignment of the 1,000 new school readiness slots marks yet another important step toward improving the overall quality of education throughout the State of Connecticut,” the governor said.  “By focusing the new slots in high-needs areas, we are affirming our commitment to turning around struggling school districts.  It won’t happen overnight, but the steps we are taking today will make sure that we close the nation’s largest achievement gap.”

As outlined in the new education reform law, 750 of the 1,000 new pre-K slots will be apportioned within 19 existing priority school readiness districts, Malloy said. Of the 750, 500 slots will be created in Connecticut’s 10  reform school districts, a subset of the lowest-performing school districts in Connecticut.

Vernon is 26th from the bottom in terms of a  Connecticut Mastery Test and Connecticut Academic Performance Test performance index, according to Malloy's formula.  

The remaining 250 new slots were awarded among competitive school readiness communities, defined as districts with two or more priority schools.
 
Earlier this spring, school readiness councils distributed request for proposals to school readiness providers and other interested programs announcing the competition for additional spaces.  Allocations were prioritized according to a community’s capacity to add slots for the coming school year in facilities that hold, or will soon attain, either National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation or approval as a federally-designated Head Start facility.

No breakdown of what schools would be getting what slots was outlined bin the announcement.

“We’re pleased this process was completed so quickly, allowing school districts benefitting from the added preschool slots the time necessary to prepare for the upcoming school year," said Maggie Adair, the executive director of the Connecrticut Early Childhood Alliance. "The increased slots will allow more children, particularly children living in high-need areas, the opportunity to have a high-quality early learning experience.  We are fortunate that Governor Malloy and the legislature acknowledge that investing in the earliest years of a child’s life will help close Connecticut’s achievement gap. ”