pre-K

Idaho receives first-ever federal grant for pre-K

The $3.3 million won’t expand Idaho’s spotty pre-K programs. But it will allow advocates to take stock of what is already available.

Boise pre-K program expands next week

Free pre-kindergarten classes will open Monday at Garfield and Whittier elementary schools, as the Boise School District expands early education in high-poverty neighborhoods.

As other states boost pre-K funding, Idaho misses out on share of federal grants

The State Department of Education could not pursue a share of $241 million in federal grants, because it cannot use state dollars as a funding match. Idaho is one of only four states that does not fund pre-K, according to a new study.

Advocates hope to open 10 pre-K model schools across Idaho

Much of the money will come from a two-year private grant. But early education programs will still need a stable source of state funding, a leading pre-K advocate says.

Middle-class families caught in a pre-K squeeze

While America’s low-income parents scramble for scarce public pre-K spots, middle-income parents scrounge to pay for increasingly costly private preschool.

Party platforms differ on pre-K funding

During their conventions last weekend, the parties also approved wording on tuition-free college and the Idaho Standards Achievement Test.

Idaho ranks dead last for access to pre-K

Only 32 percent of Idaho’s preschoolers have access to early education. Nationally, that number is 48 percent.

A global view of Idaho’s pre-K debate

Shanghai, China is investing heavily in universal pre-K for 4-year-olds. That should make pre-K opponents in the U.S. rethink their position, says W. Steven Barnett, an economist who has spent decades studying the issue.

Poll finds widespread support for state-funded pre-K

Idaho is one of only six states that does not fund preschool programs. And that is unlikely to change during the 2018 legislative session, despite the polling data released Wednesday.

BSU study hails success of Boise pre-K pilot program

Kindergartners who attending the pre-K pilot outscored their classmates on reading tests — although that achievement gap narrowed over the course of the school year.