The Pre-K Coalition, representing leading education organizations and teachers unions, is calling on Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) with a strong early education component. That includes an emphasis on aligning pre-K with the primary grades, a step we believe is crucial to ensuring children read well by the end of third grade.

At a Capitol Hill briefing on Tuesday, the coalition released its new report, Ensuring America’s Future, Policy Statements and Recommendations from National Education Organizations recommending how federal policy can better support states and communities around early education.

Specifically the report recommends that the federal government should:

• Ensure equitable access to pre-K programs by dedicating resources and providing states flexibility in spending federal money.
• Encourage quality programs by providing incentives to states that develop early learning standards and quality rating and improvement systems.
• Develop a professional workforce by providing incentives and support for states that want to increase credential requirements and training for early childcare workers.
• Coordinate early care and education programs by reducing regulatory hurdles and blending federal and state systems.
• Support the alignment of  pre-K with the primary grades by making it a policy and funding priority and by encouraging collaborative efforts.

The Pre-K Coalition includes the American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Council of Chief State School Officers, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Education Association, and the National School Boards Association to develop consensus on pre-kindergarten policy goals.