Governor will visit preschool classroom at Westview Elementary School in Apple Valley on Friday
ST. PAUL, MN - Continuing his push to ensure every Minnesota four-year-old has access to high-quality preschool, Governor Mark Dayton will visit Westview Elementary in Apple Valley on Friday, May 22, 2015. During the stop, Governor Dayton will visit with students in a preschool classroom, before hosting a discussion with teachers, parents, administrators, and area legislators. A recent survey conducted by Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools found that 81 percent of district parents believe preK is essential, or very important, in determining a student's academic success.
WHO:
Governor Mark Dayton
Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius
Jane Berenz, Superintendent of Schools, ISD #196
Westview Principal Tami Staloch-Schultz
Parents and teachers
Area legislators
WHAT:
Governor Dayton will visit a preschool classroom and talk with teachers, parents, administrators, and area legislators about the benefits of preschool for all Minnesota students
WHEN:
Friday, May 22, 2015
1:15pm
WHERE:
Westview Elementary
225 Garden View Drive
Apple Valley, Minnesota 55124
More About Governor Dayton's PreK Proposal
Governor Dayton's visit to Apple Valley's Westview Elementary will occur following /governor/assets/2015_05_19_Speaker_Daudt_Veto_Letter_tcm1055-114784.pdfhis veto of House File 884, which failed to include funding for voluntary, half-day preK access for all Minnesota four-year-olds. Under the Governor's /governor/assets/universal_preK_fact_sheet_tcm1055-114727.pdfproposed $173 million proposal, Minnesota would be among the first states in the country to offer free, voluntary, half-day early learning programs for every four-year-old. In just the first year, an estimated 47,300 students would benefit from the program. Within just a few years, an estimated 57,000 four-year-olds statewide would benefit - giving every kid the great start they need to prepare for kindergarten, and succeed in school and life.
Participation in high-quality pre-kindergarten education programs can dramatically impact the lives of Minnesota children. But right now,
Minnesota ranks last out of the 41 states with preK programs for access for four-year-olds. For years, Minnesota has faced persistent achievement gaps affecting students of color and students who live in poverty. But a growing body of research shows that giving kids a great early start is the best strategy to close those gaps, and help all students achieve their greatest potential.
Studies have shown that early learning programs have impressive and long-lasting benefits for low-income students, including increased high school graduation and employment rates, and decreased incarceration rates. Leading researchers and economists have found that these outcomes yield long-term benefits of as much as $16 for every $1 invested in early learning programs. Most of those cost savings are in education, human services, and justice system savings, as well as increased tax revenues.
Minnesota is already on its way to narrowing achievement gaps, thanks to new investments made over the last four years in early learning and all-day kindergarten. In fact, early learning scholarships funded by Governor Dayton and Legislature have already provided more than 12,500 early learners access to preschool statewide. Those scholarships are helping students achieve their greatest potential. Continuing the state's investment in scholarships, while providing universal access for all four-year-olds, would help even more at-risk children access high-quality preschool opportunities even earlier.
/governor/assets/universal_preK_fact_sheet_tcm1055-114727.pdfFor more information about Governor Dayton's proposal to provide every four-year-old access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs, click here.
