STARS Montana Early Education Program

"More Montana kids will now have even greater opportunities growing up here than the generations before them," said Governor Bullock. "This investment helps our families, it helps our kids get off to a bright start, and it helps our economy. We’re finally making this long-awaited investment, and by doing so, building a stronger future for Montana."

"Quality starts with creating a thriving village of adults who are prepared, supported and compensated to impact children and one another.

So we should all applaud Montana’s recent progress on expanding quality preschool programs. Hopefully, these first shaky steps will lead to more stable footing that will soon allow Montana’s preschools to be off and running.

Working with the 2017 Legislature and with bipartisan support, I am pleased to announce we secured the first-ever state investment in publicly funded preschool.

"Focusing on our youngest Montanans gives all families and their children the building blocks they need to succeed, prosper, and contribute to the state’s economy," said Governor Bullock. "This funding will expand access to preschool options that are affordable to families in both small and large communities who want to make sure their kids enter kindergarten ready to learn."

Across the country, nearly 1.5 million children participated in state-funded pre-kindergarten in 2016 — an all-time high — including 32 percent of all 4-year-olds nationwide, according to the report.

"It’s terrible that kids today know all about technology but nothing about the little bird outside their window."

In the often-divided world of education, the long-term benefit of early childhood education, particularly for low-income children, is one of the few things most experts agree on.

The researchers suggest that putting kids in pre-K simply creates more opportunities for their health problems to get noticed, since early-childhood teachers are often trained to spot them.

Vermont is pressing ahead on its preschool plans.