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Nearly 2,500 more Alabama four-year-olds will have access to the state s renowned First Class Pre-K program after legislatures approved a $24.4 million increase to the program s funding.
The additional funding will allow the opening 135 new classrooms across the state, meaning 41% of the state s four-year-olds will be able to enroll in Pre-K this fall.
Jefferson County was awarded the most additional classrooms, with 21, followed by Montgomery with 15. This is a tremendous addition to our community, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said during Tuesday s City Council meeting.
This additional funding, combined with Montgomery s property tax increase and the influx of federal funding due to the coronavirus pandemic, puts the city in a great position to be successful in educating its children, Reed said.
Early education is the focus of a film festival in Alabama this month.
The Invest Early Film Festival is featuring two documentaries about the importance of early education in the state. The project is being put on by the Alabama Association of School Boards, the Business Council of Alabama and the Alabama School Readiness Alliance. Allison Muhlendorf is the executive director of the Alliance. She said this is an opportunity to inform people about the needs of education before the next legislative session.
“We are encouraging state leaders to continue to expand Alabama’s Pre-K program by bumping up the level of funding each year. We’re also supporting investments in child care quality to help parents have more quality options and help strengthen the overall child care system,” she said.