Georgia preschools get high grades

In a state that is accustomed to ranking near the bottom on several education measures, here’s some good news about Georgia schools: The state is No. 3 in the nation in access to quality preschool education, according to a recently released study.

The state received high marks for the reach of its pre-k program from the National Institute for Early Education Research’s annual report. The program, funded by the state lottery, serves about 79,000 students, or more than half of the state’s 4-year-olds.

Only Oklahoma and Florida boast a better record, according to “The State of Preschool 2008.”

Georgia, however, could move to the head of the class if it improved. The institute recommends that the state serve more children, require pre-k teachers to have bachelor’s degrees instead of associate degrees, and pay them more for their credentials, said research institute director Steve Barnett, a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

“We would like to see Georgia ensure that every teacher is highly qualified,” Barnett said. “We would like to see Georgia have enough money so that all of the kids who want to go to pre-k can and get rid of the wait.”

Even without a mandate in place, 80 percent of Georgia’s pre-k teachers carry bachelor’s degrees, which “is impressive by any state’s standards,” Holly Robinson, commissioner of Bright from the Start, Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, said in a statement. The state awards greater funding to programs that have well-educated teachers.

Funding per child, however, dropped from $4,354 in 2006-07 to $4,249 in 2007-08, ranking Georgia 15th on state spending for pre-k.

Georgia was among the first states to offer universal preschool for 4-year-olds.

The program is 14 years old, and statewide enrollment is expected to grow by 3,000 next year.

That is good news to parents at Discovery Point in Marietta, where 110 anxious moms competed in a lottery for 56 pre-k slots in March. Getting in can be like hitting the jackpot, said Jennifer Bailey, a co-owner of the center of 150 students. “We have some that couldn’t afford it otherwise.”