WILMINGTON — Although a floppy-eared bunny hopped around the room, two preschool-aged girls diligently worked to line up and fit color-coded wooden cubes back into a special box.
At the Montessori Academy at Christina, the students were working with something called the “cube of the trinomial.” It is meant to help them learn algebraic concepts.
“When they encounter these abstract ideas later they will be familiar with it,” said teacher Sarah Williams.
In his State of the Union speech last month, President Barack Obama signaled that he wants to increase access to state-funded preschool programs for low-income 4-year-olds through a cost-sharing program with states. Key details of how that might work have not been announced, including where the money would come from.
Two years ago, Delaware increased spending on early childhood education by $22 million as part of an effort to boost the percentage of at-risk children in high-quality preschools from 20 percent to 80 percent.
“We have a lot of kids not getting services,” said Harriet Dichter, executive director of the state’s Office of Early Learning. “We have kids we still need to reach.”
Andrea Lanciault, the Red Clay school district’s director of elementary schools, said the attention is welcome. Her district increased the number of preschool seats by 120 in the last two years.
“If we can keep the momentum going, that’s very desirable,” she said.
Gov. Jack Markell signaled interest in the president’s proposal, with aides saying it lines up with work already under way in Delaware to increase the number of at-risk children in quality preschools. A spokeswoman for the governor said they are waiting for the details.
Delaware does not offer universal access to state-funded preschool for all 4-year-olds. Numbers from the National Institute of Early Education Research show that about 7 percent of the state’s children are enrolled in state-funded preschool programs, compared to a national average of about 28 percent.
The state’s approach to investing in early childhood education isn’t centered solely on building more state-funded preschools.
Instead, it supports private preschools with free technical assistance and incentives to take part in a state quality-rating program. This approach is meant to improve the quality – and not just quantity – of early education opportunities.
“We think that’s critical,” Dichter said.
The state estimates that about 30 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in the state are participating in early childhood education programs that have been rated as high-quality.
The focus on quality is important to educator Kathy Moore, who has worked for 20 years at Parent and Children Together at Tech, a preschool program run by United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware.
The program Moore directs is located at Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown, but it is run by a nonprofit. She has about 45 students and a yearlong waiting list. Moore said she’d welcome extra money to increase the quality of her program with a bigger classroom space rather than expanding with the sole purpose of boosting enrollment.
“A child’s work is play, and we learn though fun,” Moore said.
Many advocates of improving access to early education link it to economic development. Investing public money in preschool has a high rate of return, the report said. Children with academic support early in life are more likely to succeed in school and careers.
Part of the $22 million state investment in early learning includes rewards for providers that take part in a quality-rating program called Delaware Stars for Early Success. As preschool providers improve their ratings in the system by making changes such as improving curriculum or staff training, they are eligible for an increase in the amount the state pays for care of low-income students.
Although many of these preschool programs are private, at least one public school district hopes to join the Delaware Stars for Early Success program as a way to help pay for its preschool program.
At Red Clay, the recent expansion of preschool offerings was boosted by a federal grant. That money will run out, so the district has applied to take part in Stars for Early Success to help keep the program going, Lanciault said.
The state is moving in the right direction, Dichter said, citing programs at Red Clay and the Indian River School District that have found ways to support students who are most in need.
The Indian River program, called Project Village, focuses primarily on students who are English-language learners. Students who don’t qualify for special education preschool services, but who lack the language skills necessary for success in kindergarten, are offered the service.
“It grew out of the need for early intervention and attention,” said Belinda L. Waples, Indian River’s director of special services.
