Universal Prekindergarten in Georgia: A Case Study of Georgia's Lottery-Funded Pre-K Program. Working Paper Series.

In 1995, Georgia became the first U.S. state to provide universal prekindergarten to 4 year olds. Although the lottery-funded program has received more attention from policymakers than any other program, there has been no systematic effort to chronicle the program's evolution or to draw lessons from its experience. This report illustrates the complex and often unpredictable processes involved in translating ideas into public policy and identifies lessons relevant to other state early education initiatives. Following an executive summary and chronology of program development, the report covers the following topics: (1) Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller's plan to fund a prekindergarten program for low-income 4 year olds with lottery funds; (2) designing and implementing the prekindergarten initiative; (3) resolving tensions with Head Start programs and integrating for-profit child care providers; (4) expanding the program to cover all 4 year olds; (5) political controversies and the creation of an Office of School Readiness; (6) shifts in the program; (7) program evaluation results; and (8) the program's future. Lessons for other states are discussed in the following areas: (1) tradeoffs in offering prekindergarten services to all families; (2) state lotteries as a funding mechanism; (3) the need for powerful, consistent leadership; (4) understanding and protecting the fragile ecology of early childhood programs; (5) challenges in integrating private providers; (6) the complexity of dynamics among federal, state, and local government; (7) the need for constant attention to program quality; and (8) challenges in creating a prekindergarten infrastructure. The report's three appendices include information on approved prekindergarten curriculum models and funding levels. (Contains 68 references.) (KB)