McKee Makes Case for Investing $7M for 800 Pre-K Seats, As Existing Federal Funding Expires
Thursday, January 26, 2023
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee on Thursday morning made a push for his proposed investments in Pre-K in his FY24 budget.
McKee spoke at the The Children’s Workshop, an early education child care facility in Central Falls, where he discussed how Rhode Island Pre-K "builds on the strength of the existing early learning landscape, while supporting small businesses and minimizing transitions for children and families."
After touring The Children’s Workshop, Governor McKee announced that the FY24 #RIReady budget he submitted to the General Assembly last week proposes investing $7 million to preserve 800 Pre-K seats that are currently funded with expiring federal funds, and otherwise would close after this school year without state investment.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Governor’s budget also invests $1.3 million to prepare additional classrooms to be ready to provide Pre-K in the 2024-25 school year, if future operational funding is available.
READ: Winners and Losers in McKee's FY24 Budget Proposal
“As I said during my State of the State address, and said again earlier this week, Rhode Island is ready. And part of being ready means we are ready to improve education outcomes for our students,” said McKee. “The investments we are making in our proposed budget will give children every opportunity to succeed, while at the same time meeting the needs of their families.”
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