ALABAMA (WHNT) - 96 new classrooms across 35 counties will be joining Alabama's First Class Pre-K program in the fall.
Gov. Kay Ivey made the announcement Tuesday, saying the new classrooms will bring the state total to 26,658 children enrolled across more than 1,481 Alabama classrooms, moving the state closer to the goal of serving 70 percent of eligible children statewide.
“We are excited to serve an additional 1,728 students in our First Class Pre-K program in the coming year. We are thrilled that Governor Ivey and our state leaders continue to invest in early childhood education supporting Alabama First Class Pre-K in maintaining all 10 NIEER quality benchmarks for 16 years running.”
Dr. Barabara Cooper, Alabama Secretary of Early Childhood Education
Across North Alabama, new classrooms include:
Blount County
- Blountsville Elementary School
- Hayden Primary School
- Southeastern High School
Colbert County
- Howell Graves Preschool - 3 new classrooms
Cullman County
- Good Hope Primary School
- Parkside Elementary School
DeKalb County
- Geraldine High School
Franklin County
- New Freedom Christian Fellowship Daycare
- Kay and Nick's Playhouse
Jackson County
- Flat Rock Elementary School
- Macedonia Elementary School
Lauderdale County
- Kids Club Early Care & Education Academy
Lawrence County
- Hatton Elementary School in Town Creek (not to be confused with Hatton Elementary in Leighton)
- Hazelwood Elementary School
Limestone County
- Blue Springs Elementary School
- Sugar Creek Elementary School
Madison County
- A Better Choice Child Development Center
- A Perfect Start Learning Center
- Martin Luther King Elementary School
- Monrovia Elementary School
- Morris Elementary School
- Young World Christian Academy
Marshall County
- Asbury Elementary School
- Boaz Elementary School
- Douglas Elementary School
- Kingdom Kids at Connect Church
Morgan County
- Crestline Elementary School
- West Morgan Elementary School
In Tuesday's announcement, Ivey said the state-funded program also has been ranked highest in the nation for the 16th consecutive year by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The new classrooms come as part of a $22.5 million increase in Gov. Ivey's 2023 budget from the Department of Early Childhood Education's Office of School Readiness; Ivey said additional classrooms will be funded based on further evaluation of high-need areas prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year.
The Department of Early Childhood Education will also be giving Pre-K teachers the same raise public K-12 teachers will receive in the upcoming school year. For a full list of all 96 new classrooms and which schools or preschool centers will be participating for the first time, click here.
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