Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn announced that 18,560 students in 928 classrooms across Tennessee will benefit from the Voluntary Pre-K program in the 2019-20 school year. 138 districts applied for and received VPK funding through the competitive grant designed to serve 4-year-old students who are at-risk and students in high-priority communities. Sixty-eight of these 138 districts are rural. Four of these classrooms will be in Cannon County.
Since the Pre-K Quality Act was passed in 2016, the department has implemented a number of quality improvement efforts designed to support districts and schools to provide high-quality early learning opportunities. Revisions to the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards aligned instructional expectations with Tennessee’s K-12 Academic Standards to ensure kindergarten readiness. This was further supported through the provision of new curriculum and instructional materials in all Voluntary Pre-K classrooms last year and ongoing professional development for district teams and pre-K teachers. The department also continues to improve enrollment processes to expand access and effectively serve eligible children.
Pursuant to the requirements outlined in the Pre-K Quality Act of 2016, Voluntary Pre-K funding was awarded on a competitive basis in order to provide consistently high-quality Voluntary Pre-K programs that prioritize serving students from low-income families.
Cannon County School District was approved for 4 classrooms this year and will be awarded 4 classrooms for school year 2019-2020.
