E-network : PREK Alert

Attached: H.534 As Passed By Senate Education Committee

KIDS ARE PRIORITY ONE COALITION
Live the Promise

April 26, 2007
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URGENT - Contact your Senators!
Vote on Pre-K Bill Scheduled for Next Week
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The Senate Education Committee passed H. 534 yesterday (Thursday). The full Senate will mostly likely vote on the bill next Tuesday, May 1st.

Our Senators need to hear from us! Please call your Senators as soon as possible. (Calling is much better than email.) Call the Statehouse and leave a message at 1-800-322-5616 or 828-2228. (To find your Senators, go to http://www.leg. state.vt. us/legdir/ districts. cfm?Body= S.)

The message: Vote ?yes? on the pre-k bill (H. 534) as it was voted out of the Senate Education Committee.

Reasons to Support H.534
  • This bill is important for young children and their parents. It increases access to affordable, high-quality early education for preschool-aged children in communities throughout Vermont.
  • We need this bill because it will clarify current policy and create more consistency in how funds are used.
  • This bill does not create a new program. There are already many successful partnerships between community-based early education programs and school districts. This bill supports those collaborations.
  • The legislature' s PreK Education Study Committee unanimously approved recommendations upon which this bill is based.
  • The House of Representatives approved this bill with a large, bi-partisan majority (102-43).
If a Senator is reluctant to support the bill because of associated costs, you can point out that the bill includes a cap, which limits the potential number of children served.

See the attached document for the text of H. 534 as passed by the Senate Education Committee.

We are getting to the last phases of moving this legislation to become law. 
Keep up the great work!
For more information, contact:

Barbara Postman
Kids Are Priority One Legislative Director
Voices for Vermont?s Children
(802) 229-6377
bpostman@voicesforv tkids.org

 Kim Friedman
Organizing Director
Kids Are Priority One Coalition
(802) 348-9879
kfriedman@windhamch ildcare.org


Kids Are Priority One is Vermont?s early childhood coalition of individuals, organizations and businesses committed to ensuring a good start for all Vermont children.

www.kidsarepriority one.org