Photo: Alyssa Haywoode for Strategies for Children

What are the nation’s governors saying about early childhood education? The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) has put together a collection of quotes “on the importance of high-quality early education from recent speeches by a wide range of governors.”

FYFF notes, “According to the Education Commission of the States, for the 2014-15 fiscal year, state funding for pre-K increased by $672 million to a total of $6.3 billion. This was the third year in a row that both Republican and Democratic policymakers made significant investments in state-funded pre-K programs.”

One caveat: “While numerous governors used their state of the state addresses and budget announcements to highlight existing and future investments in early learning, the reality is that states cannot do it alone. Increasing federal investments in early childhood education must be a national priority.”

Here’s a sampling (in alphabetical order by state) of some of the governors’ quotes:

“We’ve built better schools, raised test scores, made college more affordable, and put Connecticut on a path toward universal pre-kindergarten.” 

– Connecticut’s Governor Dannel P. Malloy (D), State of the State Address, Jan. 7, 2015

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“We’ve increased support for schools, approved the first-ever state funding for quality pre-K… Graduation rates are up. Test scores are up, the doors of our pre-K program are already open to disadvantaged kids… building on the historic first step we took last session, we will invest $10 million a year to fund scholarships for our new pre-K pilot, because every Hoosier child deserves to start school ready to learn.”

– Indiana’s Governor Mike Pence (R), State of the State Address, Jan. 13, 2015

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“How can it be that a child is already set to become a success or a statistic by the time he or she is five years old?… We know that children in high-quality early childhood programs are more likely to read at grade level and more likely to earn a high school diploma. They are less likely to repeat a grade or require specialized education; less likely to become teenage parents, require public assistance, abuse drugs or end up in jail. The results are in, researchers and scientists across the country agree. This works. Not only that, but for every dollar spent on early childhood, communities get at least a $7 return on investment. That’s why some of the biggest backers of preschool programs are business leaders who see the significant economic benefit. While an investment in our earliest learners makes solid economic sense, this isn’t about the $7 return. This is about children and this is about families.”

– Montana’s Governor Steve Bullock (D), State of the State Address, Jan. 28, 2015

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“On my watch, we’ve more than doubled pre-K funding, and I’m proposing more this year.”

– New Mexico’s Governor Susana Martinez (R), State of the State Address, Jan. 20, 2015

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 “We’ll invest another $365 million this year in pre-K for four year olds but we also want to take the next step and start designing programs – not for four year olds – but for three year olds. All of the studies say that the earlier you get them in, the better. Let New York be ahead of the curve by enrolling three year olds who are now making some of the largest cognitive and behavioral gains. We are going to start this with a $25 million offering for pre-K for three year olds.”

– New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), State of the State Address, Jan. 21, 2015

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“To improve our schools we must begin by building a strong foundation at the very beginning. Our goal should be to ensure all Texas students are performing at grade level in reading and math by the time they finish the 3rd grade… To begin the process of building a better education system in Texas, we must improve early education. This is why I’m declaring early education as my first emergency item as governor. Our children and their future have no time for delay.”

– Texas’ Governor Gov. Greg Abbott (R), State of the State Address, Feb. 17, 2015

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To read more, go to the First Five Year’s website, or check out these links for a list of 2015 Governors’ State of the State Speeches (as of February 25, 2015).