Section 4: GovernanceTypically, multiple state agencies focus on the education and care of three- and four-year-old children, from their physical and mental health to their education to their care in a regulated facility. Even when one agency has sole authority for the state-funded public prekindergarten program, coordination among diverse government offices and personnel is essential for the effective governance of the program. Such coordination allows for increased efficiency and maximum use of resources, which can lead to more children served and better program services. Most states recognize the need for collaboration among programs that serve young children. In 2002, three out of four states with such programs also had laws requiring coordination among early childhood agencies.1 For instance, Ohio makes collaboration part of the governance of its prekindergarten program. The Ohio Department of Education, through the Office of Early Childhood Education, administers the state’s two prekindergarten programs – Public School Preschool and Ohio Head Start – as well as both the IDEA Part B programs for children with disabilities and Even Start. To ensure coordinated planning among agencies, the Office of Early Childhood Education works in conjunction with the state Bureau of Child Care (Department of Jobs and Family Services), the federal Head Start Bureau, and the Ohio Head Start-State Collaboration Director to achieve unified policies among the different programs.2 The issue of governance and coordination is prominent in current discussions related to federal Head Start reauthorization. The U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 2210 authorizing the federal government to shift operation of Head Start to state governments on a trial basis for a few states. It is unlikely that the U.S. Senate version of this bill will include this provision. Both the House and the Senate are likely to require Head Start-State Collaboration Directors to develop a school readiness plan that includes better coordination between Head Start and the state-funded prekindergarten program, Even Start, Title I preschool, and Early Reading First programs. Who is in Charge?In the majority of the states, the State Education Agency (SEA) administers the prekindergarten program. In a smaller number of states, the program is governed by a collaboration among multiple agencies (usually education and human services) or by a special office created just to administer the prekindergarten program. Even when a state agency governs the program, many states allow local units of government authority over decisions such as who provides the prekindergarten program and who manages the day-to-day operations of the program. Governance by the state education agency. In 2000, thirty-two states assigned responsibility for their public prekindergarten programs to their SEA.3 Some state agencies work with the local school districts to deliver services, but many run programs completely separate from the K-12 system. The following two examples illustrate the variation in how state education agencies run prekindergarten programs.
Governance by the state human services agency. Although state human services agencies generally manage services for young children, including child care, no state designates the human services agency as the sole governing body for the prekindergarten program as defined by this framework. Hawaii’s program comes the closest, with the state child care administrator managing the Preschool Open Doors program. Although this program is restricted to three- and four-year-old children, the standards and licensing are the same as the child care program. Parents of eligible children receive certificates worth a set amount of money to enroll their children in private or public programs licensed by the state child care offices. Governance by multiple agencies. In some states, two or more government agencies or departments share the governance of the prekindergarten program as a way of promoting collaboration among the various agencies that serve children and families. The Connecticut State Legislature mandated that the state departments of education and social services jointly govern the School Readiness and Child Care Initiative. The two agencies monitor the program through site visits and reports submitted by the local School Readiness Councils. The local school superintendent and mayor appoint the local councils.6 Governance by the governor’s office. A small number of states locate the administration of the prekindergarten program in the governor’s office (e.g., North Carolina), or the governor created a special office that reports directly to him/her (e.g., Alabama and Georgia). This arrangement exacts an up-front cost of establishing a new office or agency, but can streamline the administration of the program and prevent turf battles between programs in existing state agencies. In 1996, Georgia Governor Zell Miller overcame the Georgia State Department of Education’s opposition to preschool by removing the prekindergarten program and creating a new Office of School Readiness (now the Department of Early Care and Learning).7 For More InformationSchumacher, R., M. Greenberg, and J. Lombardi. State Initiatives to Promote Early Learning: Next Steps in Coordinating Subsidized Child Care, Head Start, and State Prekindergarten. Washington, D.C.: Center for Law and Social Policy, 2001. Available at:
Groginsky, S., S. Christian, and L. McConnell. “Early Childhood Initiatives in the States: Translating Research into Policy,” State Legislative Report 23, no. 14. Denver, Colo.: National Conference of State Legislatures, 1998. Available at:
Web ResourcesDescriptions of programs with different governance structures Joint governance: Connecticut School Readiness Initiative
New department created by the governor: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Governor oversees the program: North Carolina “More at Four” Pre-Kindergarten Program
State Department of Education: Office of Early Learning and School Readiness, Ohio Department of Education
1
S. Groginsky, Child Care and Early Education Coordination in the States: A Statutory Overview (Denver, Colo.: National Conference of State Legislatures, 2002). Available at: 2
R. Schumacher, M. Greenberg, and J. Lombardi, State Initiatives to Promote Early Learning: Next Steps in Coordinating Subsidized Child Care, Head Start, and State Prekindergarten (Washington, D.C.: Center for Law and Social Policy, 2001). Available at: 3
D. Bryant, R.M. Clifford, G. Saluja, R. Pianta, D. Early, O. Barbarin, et al. Diversity and Directions in State Pre-kindergarten Programs (forthcoming). 4
K. Schulman, H. Blank, and D. Ewen, Seeds of Success: State Prekindergarten Initiatives 1998-99 (Washington, D.C.: Children’s Defense Fund, 1999). 7
J.J. Gallagher, J.R. Clayton, and S.E. Heinemeier. Education for Four-Year-Olds: State Initiatives (Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina, FPG Child Development Center, National Center for Early Development & Learning, 2001). Available at: 8
Schumacher, State Initiatives. [ Return
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