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Ohio may join early education grant contest
Ohio is one of at least 37 states expected to apply for the newest piece of President Obama’s multi-billion dollar Race to the Top program with the latest contest focusing on early childhood education.
U.S. Department of Education officials said Tuesday Ohio signaled its intention to compete for $500 million in grants to transform the state’s early childhood education systems. Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia also plan to compete for the program, education department officials said.
Rob Nichols, aide to Gov. John Kasich, said they were watching the proposal “closely” as it develops. “The governor was a big fan of the original Race to the Top program. He thinks very highly of Secretary (Arne) Duncan’s vision for it,” Nichols said. “We look forward to reviewing this proposal more closely to see how it aligns with his ideas.”
Ohio now spends $38 million, a fraction of the Ohio Department of Education’s $10 billion budget, for early learning, according to the biennium budget approved by state lawmakers.
Kasich has pushed for various reforms in the way schools are funded and teachers are evaluated and paid. Preschool is no different, Nichols said. “Obviously, the governor spotted significant areas for reform including early education. It is profoundly important.”
There is no longer has a state-funded Head Start preschool program to serve low-income students. Ohio relies solely on federal grants to fund service to 50,000 preschoolers annually - roughly half the number of students who meet the poverty eligibility requirements, said Barbara Haxton, executive director of the Ohio Head Start Association, headquartered in Dayton.
Dayton Public Schools recently eliminated its Head Start programs and re-organized the district’s early learning offerings so each building now has two preschool classrooms, said Jill Moberly, district spokeswoman.
Before Ohio lost state funding for Head Start in 2004 the state had one of the best funded head start programs in the nation, Haxton said. That ranking has fallen to near the bottom of the list of 40 states that offer Head Start, she said. Some districts and communities have managed to continue programs using federal money.
Advocates for early learning come from every part of the community including law enforcement and business leaders who tout data that shows preschool reduces crime and increase productivity. “For kids, high quality early learning programs mean they will enter school better prepared with a greater chance of finishing high school and college,” said Vice President Joe Biden, in a news release announcing the newest Race to the Top program.
The initial Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge $500 million grant will be used to devise new ways to implement preschool programs around the country.
Haxton said Ohio’s program could be improved, but what’s really needed is funding for services. “We need political support and moral support and with it we could turn the world around,” Haxton said.
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