Welcome to the new, Web-based "Leadership Matters" report, Pre-K Now's annual survey of governors’ funding and policy proposals for publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
This map illustrates the FY11 pre-k funding proposals of the 50 governors and the mayor of the District of Columbia -- all dollar figures in millions. In some states, legislatures have already acted on final budgets, which may be different from these proposals.
In spite of widespread fiscal distress, the nation's 50 governors and the mayor of the District of Columbia are proposing to essentially hold state investments for pre-kindergarten steady at $5.3 billion. These recommendations indicate that, even -- or perhaps especially -- in a tough economy, state leaders continue to value evidence-based early learning programs as vital for improving public education and generating returns on taxpayer investments. Should these budgets pass, total funding would grow by less than 0.2 percent in FY11. Individually, however, the gubernatorial proposals range widely, from substantial increases in to complete removal of state funding for early education, clearly demonstrating that, with respect to prioritizing pre-k, leadership really does matter.
Overview