Winning Beginning NY

Contacts:

Pre-K Now: Holly Barnes Higgins, (202) 862-9863, hhiggins@preknow.org

Winning Beginning NY: Jenn O'Connor, (518) 463-1896 x 31, joconnor@scaany.org

Winning Beginning NY and Docs for Tots Receive
National Pre-K Advocacy Award
New York early care and education groups cited for
statewide prekindergarten gains

WASHINGTON (July 19, 2007)—Winning Beginning NY received a national “Pre-K Champion” award for successfully advocating expansion of New York State-funded prekindergarten programs. The award for state-level efforts from Pre-K Now was also presented to Docs for Tots, at a Capitol Hill ceremony today attended by several members of New York State’s Congressional delegation.

”Winning Beginning New York and Docs for Tots helped effectively engaged the public, media and elected officials about the importance of high-quality pre-K,” said Libby Doggett, Ph.D., executive director of Pre-K Now. “As a result of their efforts and great state and legislative leadership, more children have access to the enriching learning environments that give children the tools they need for a great start in school and a competitive edge in life.”

Pre-K Now presents annual Pre-K Champion awards to organizations “that have demonstrated outstanding advocacy, creative strategies, and large measures of success in the movement toward voluntary, high-quality pre-K for all three- and four-year-olds,” said Dr. Doggett. These New York groups’ outstanding record meets and exceeds all of our criteria,” she added.

Specifically cited were several recent accomplishments, including:

Successfully advocating this year for a $146 million increase in state pre-K funding to raise the overall annual commitment to $446 million, enabling provision of pre-K placements for close to 40% of children statewide.
Engaging hundreds of doctors in the pre-K movement by providing education, advocacy training, and opportunities to publicly speak out on behalf of young children.
Conducting a statewide grassroots campaign to educate policymakers and the public about the benefits of pre-K, along with a media campaign that netted coverage in news outlets throughout the state.
Publishing “Best in the Nation: A Plan for Early Care and Education,” a sweeping policy statement outlining the means and benefits of raising the quality, coordination, and investment into New York’s early childhood system (available here)

Winning Beginning NY was represented at the ceremony by co-convenors Nancy Kolben of Child Care, Inc., and Karen Schimke of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. Dr. Dina Lieser represented Docs for Tots.

“We’re honored to accept this award on behalf of the many thousands of people—parents, teachers, administrators, community advocates, and legislators—who’ve built pre-K in New York,” said Ms. Kolben. “New York’s approach to early education is uniquely flexible, creative, child-centric, and stresses a partnership between public schools and community-based organizations. It says a lot that our approach is achieving national notice.”

Noting that New York’s Legislature ratified “Universal Pre-K” 10 years ago, Ms. Schimke said, “We’ve gone from a ‘standing start’ to a robust program with the help of our partners, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids and Docs for Tots. And we now have a governor who has committed to fully fund pre-K in four years, as part of his birth-to-five agenda.

“It’s been a long push, and we will keep pushing because we remain committed to universality in New York—the belief that public pre-K should be available to every family that wants to participate.”

Dr. Lieser said she was gratified that Docs for Tots’ efforts were singled out in the award citation: “Doctors recognize that high-quality pre-K supports children’s cognitive and social development, as well as their physical health. Pre-K programs that include screening and referral services can identify and address potential problems in a child’s development early on, before they become serious challenges.”

About Winning Beginning NY Headquartered in Albany, Winning Beginning NY (www.winningbeginningny.org) is a statewide coalition representing more than 60 organizations advocating for investment in quality early care and education as a top public priority in New York State. Winning Beginning NY is co-convened by the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, Child Care, Inc., the New York State Child Care Coordinating Council, and the New York State Association for the Education of Young Children.

About Pre-K Now Pre-K Now collaborates with state advocates and policymakers to lead a movement for high-quality prekindergarten for all three and four year olds. The following funders contribute to making this important work possible: The Pew Charitable Trusts, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the McCormick Tribune Foundation, RGK Foundation, the Foundation for Child Development, CityBridge Foundation, and the Schumann Fund for New Jersey.

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