At what cost early education?

Florida has 31 early learning coalitions to oversee education for children through age 5, including voluntary pre-K. A newly released report raises the idea of changing the system to ensure that more money goes to kids and less into overhead.

The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability reviewed the coalitions' expenses and found that 9.5 percent of the $945-million spent locally on early education went into administration and program support costs. And that's just an average.

By coalition, the costs ranged from 5.26 percent for Hillsborough (the lowest) to 14.47 percent for Santa Rosa (the highest). Pinellas logged in at 13.07 percent, fourth from the top, while Pasco-Hernando's costs totaled  7.51 percent, or ninth of the 31.

The differences have to do with economies of scale, regional costs, market competition and more. Perhaps, OPPAGA suggests, a governance change might help bring the level of funding for overhead down. It offers four ideas:

• Option 1 – Maintain the current local-level governance.
• Option 2 – Eliminate coalitions and assign their responsibilities to other local entities.
• Option 3 – Eliminate coalition boards and assign their responsibilities to the Agency for Workforce Innovation.
• Option 4 – Change the number of Early Learning Coalitions.

Don't count on change, though. The Agency for Workforce Innovation responds to the report with this conclusion:

"Early learning coalitions operate as the state's local delivery systems of early learning programs, meeting the needs of the local community and providing comprehensive services for children and families. The coalitions serve as a lifeline allowing families to access much-needed services and guidance related to quality early learning programs. The services offered to families, including Child Care Resource and Referral, VPK, and School Readiness, are specifically coordinated at the local level so that families in each community have access to appropriate options for care without duplication, overlap, frustration or waste."

 

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Comments

[Janet]

I don't think Headstart really exists anymore. VPK came and took it over. Now, there are VPK classes in some public schools for special needs kids (ESOL, speech, autistic etc..) and I have no idea what the mandates are for that.

I do know that the VPK has a lot of standards. Even in the last 2 years from when my daughter did it, they have increased and made the curriculum harder. The school tells me that it is the state mandates.

I do think VPK is becoming a necessity. If you have had a child recently attend Kindergarten, you would realize how much expectation there is. It is very different from when we were kids. Just to send a child 3X a week for 3 hrs a day (total of 9 hrs) cost me $255 a month at the middle of the road cost (in terms of cost) preschool last year when my youngest was 3. So, no I don't see this as a "perk for the rich". Many of us can not afford that and given the expectations going into elementary, I think preK needs to be offered.

Maybe it's called Headstart? I'm not sure. I have a friend that worked in the program (in FL) at a Title I school and she was not allowed to teach the alphabet and other various ridiculousnesses!

[Janet]

12:09-Yes, working parents do take advantage of it.The around $2500 the state kicks in for VPK is credited to your bill. Whatever additional charges for after care etc... you pay.Working parents do get an advantage on this.

12:54-no idea what preschool you have seen. My son's preK is teaching a very advanced Kindergarten curriculum. Far beyond the alphabet. They are starting to do read, write and do beg math. Yes, it is a VPK funded program.

Are we talking about the same Pre-K programs where the teachers are not allowed to display the letters of the alphabet on the wall?

I don't see the option of funding the public school system to provide Pre-K education. Why not?

The public school system did provide Pre-K pre-Jeb Bush. Because tax payers can not afford to send all children to Pre-K, qualifications for publically funded included low to moderate income levels. Research shows children in lower income families are not prepared to start kindergarten, thus the Pre-K program.

Those funds were discontinued under Jeb Bush's leadership.

Now the tax money goes to ELC boards, private schools, churches and rich parents. The Pre-K programs are not full day, so working parents can't take advantage of them.

The Pre-K programs defy all sound educational research.

"...changing the system to ensure more money goes to kids and less into overhead."

The Early Learning Coalition, ELC is a Republican created education initiative that takes money from public schools to fund private schools. Appointments to 67 different county based boards are just a way to pay back political party hacks who worked hard to get their guy elected.

Ken Peluso, school board candidate is the Chair of the Pinellas ELC board.

With a leadership track record like this, I think we ought to pass on this particular school board candidate!

I don't think we need more spending at the top in Pinellas!