UWKY Advocacy Brief

May 7, 2010

Action Needed for Preschool Teachers

We need your help now to protect quality preschool in Kentucky. The requirement for all newly hired preschool teachers to be bachelor's level, early childhood certified went into effect in 2004. The Senate included a clause in the failed budget bill (2010 session) that would have allowed school districts to hire teachers without these qualifications (supposedly as an optional money-saving measure for the districts) and we are concerned that it might again be included in the budget bill in the anticipated special session later this month.

Read a recent op-ed from the Times Tribune.

Before the special session convenes, we need to let key legislators know this is a bad idea. Following are legislators who are likely to be involved in budget negotiations who need to hear from us and three reasons why changing the qualifications for preschool teachers is a step backward for Kentucky.

Sen. Robert Stivers -Clay County

Sen. Bob Leeper - Paducah, Chair, Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee
Sen. Ed Worley - Richmond
Rep. Greg Stumbo - E KY - Floyd County
Rep. Rick Rand - Bedford, Chair, House Education Committee
Rep. Rocky Adkins - Elliott County
Rep. Larry Clark - Louisville

E-mail them directly. Click here for their contact information.
OR call and leave a message: 1-800-928-2111

OR call to talk to them directly: 502-564-8100

If you know friends of early care and education in these counties, please share this message with them. It's always best for legislators to hear from the people in their own district.

This is the message:

Protect quality preschool by retaining the requirement for school districts to hire certified preschool teachers. Do not allow changes to this rule in the budget bill.

Kentucky's preschool program serves some of our most vulnerable children who enter preschool 12-18 months behind their peers. They need highly qualified teachers to give them a better start in school.
The research showing a strong return on investment for providing quality preschool programs has been conducted with programs using well-qualified teachers who know how to plan the environment and activities to help children develop the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in school. Kentucky will not get these good result without qualified teachers.
Because of the requirement to hire certified teachers, our community colleges and four-year institutions have developed early childhood education programs with articulation agreements allowing childcare and preschool providers to work their way through the certificate, associate's degree and bachelor's degree programs. It takes a long time for many of these students who have to work their way through school. Changing the rules now, allowing school districts to overlook those who have attained the bachelor's degree and early childhood certification for less qualified employees, is terribly unfair for those who have worked long and hard to attain certification and is a huge step backward for Kentucky.

Information extracted from a Strong Start Kentucky/Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence alert dated 5/6/2010.

The UWKY Advocacy Brief is a service of United Way of Kentucky. For more information on UWKY's public policy platform, visit uwky.org/policy.html.