Governor Kay Ivey visits pre-k classrooms at E.R. Dickson
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Governor Kay Ivey was in Mobile Wednesday morning reading to pre-k students at E.R. Dickson Elementary School.
Ivey read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to the school’s 36 pre-k students before heading to the classrooms to see Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program at work.
This was one of four stops Governor Ivey is making around the state promoting literacy and the pre-k program. The governor is expected to ask the legislature to provide more funding for public pre-k when the session gets underway in March.
“Currently in Mobile County we look at over 5,000 kindergarten students,” said Paula Reese, Director of Pre-K Programs for Mobile County Public Schools. “Within Mobile County Public School System, we’re only serving 1,098 four-year-olds. That lets you know we’re not serving half the students who need pre-k.”
Right now the legislature provides $96 million for Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program which reaches about 19,000 four-year-olds statewide.
Registration for Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program opens January 15. You can find the link for registration here.
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