Walsh pledges Boston will fund high-quality pre-K for all in next 5 years
Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Tuesday that the city will fully fund pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds within five years, fulfilling a 2013 campaign promise to provide quality early education for some of the city’s youngest residents.
“This is a game-changer for the young people of our city,” Walsh said Tuesday, surrounded by school administrators and representatives from community groups set to partner with the city to fully implement pre-K programming.
Walsh said the city will direct $15 million from next year’s budget, which begins July 1, into a “Quality Pre-K Fund” that will be used over the next five years to fund high-quality seats for approximately 750 youngsters — the remaining gap to ensure quality pre-K programming for all of Boston’s 4-year-olds.
High-quality pre-K programming requires teachers have degrees in early childhood education and earn the same starting salary, whether they work for the public school system or community groups. The programming is accredited and follows national curriculum models, with appropriate teacher-to-student ratios.
Read more: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/04/02/walsh-announces-boston-will-fund-high-quality-pre-kindergarten-for-all-within-five-years/k88P6r3j74p3wjJQtwJmbN/story.html