MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Tuesday the Alabama First Class Pre-K program will be expanding with 135 new classrooms across 41 counties this fall.
According to the Governor's Office, the funding for the classrooms comes from the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education. More classrooms are expected to be funded after further evaluation of high-needs areas.
The Governor's Office said the program will be extended to 24,714 children. They say this helps move Alabama closer to its goal of serving 70% of eligible four-year-old children.
“Alabama’s First Class Pre-K has been recognized as a national model for delivering high-quality early childhood education and gives our youngest citizens a strong start to their educational journey,” said Governor Ivey. “I am glad to see that even more students will have access to Pre-K next year and look forward to the day that all Alabama families who want Pre-K for their children have access.”
According to the Governor's Office, children who participate in the program are more likely to be proficient in math and reading in the long term.
“Alabama has committed to investing in our youngest learners through the pre-k program, and those investments continue to be recognized at the national level,” said Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education Secretary Barbara Cooper. “This was only made possible by continuous leadership from Governor Ivey and bipartisan legislative commitment to invest in quality early childhood education.”
For a full list of classrooms, visit the state of Alabama's website.