Gazette opinion: Closing Montana’s preschool gap

It’s too early to assign a final grade to the STARS program, but research confirms the lifelong benefits of ensuring that youngsters start kindergarten ready to learn.

Dozens of four-year-olds in Billings, Lockwood and Shepherd are enrolled in high-quality preschools as part of Montana’s first effort to fund this early childhood education.

The state STARS program provided grants for pilot projects in a variety of settings. For example, there’s Kountry Kare, a private preschool in Shepherd that has 20 students. Lockwood Public Schools received state grants that allowed it to expand its preschool to more students and to offer them full-day sessions five days a week. Head Start in Billings received state funds to support two Explorers Academy classrooms.

http://billingsgazette.com/opinion/editorial/gazette-opinion-closing-montana-s-preschool-gap/article_37243dd8-3b87-5b77-ace7-0a733ce205c4.html

***

Lockwood, Montana, long a preschool proponent, beefs up its program with a state grant http://www.matr.net/article-82625.html

Ontario calls for investing $2.2 billion for free child care http://www.matr.net/article-82396.html

Montana partners with private providers in trial run of publicly funded preschool http://www.matr.net/article-82375.html

More articles: http://www.matr.net/news.phtml?cat_id=174&catlabel=Early+Edge+Montana