Gov. Mike Easley announced today the More at Four pre-kindergarten program was one of only two in the nation to meet all 10 quality standards developed by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The rankings were published in "The State of Preschool 2006: State Preschool Yearbook" released today by NIEER, a research institute based at Rutgers University.

"A strong pre-k program helps students grow in language, literacy, math and social skills," Easley said. "Although we began this program in 2001 during the worst deficit in state history, this study shows we are leading the nation in pre-kindergarten education and we should continue to invest in helping those most in need. If we give students more opportunity to succeed, we can expect more achievement."

For the first time, two states, North Carolina and Alabama, have met all 10 NIEER benchmarks for state standards, which means programs are designed to produce substantial gains in children's learning and school success

NIEER ranked states' preschool programs on early learning standards, teacher degrees, teacher specialized training, assistant teacher degrees, continuing professional development requirements, maximum class size, staff-child ratios, screening, referral and support services, meals and monitoring procedures.

More at Four programs are operated in all 100 counties through public school districts, child care centers and Head Start agencies. Nonpublic child care providers are also eligible for the program if they have a four- or five-star license, which are top quality ratings under North Carolina's child care licensing system All More at Four teachers in the state must have a bachelor's degree with a birth-K license within four years. The programs are evaluated annually on program quality and child developmental outcomes.

The report says North Carolina has "had notable increases in enrollment during the 2005-2006 school year. North Carolina, which established its initiative in 2001, illustrates how a strategy of sustained, incremental enrollment increases can produce substantial change over time. The number of children served in the state's More at Four program has increased in each of the past five years from 1,240 children in 2001-2002 to 15,227 children in 2005-2006."

In his 2007-2009 budget, Easley has proposed expanding More at Four by 10,000 more slots and increasing the amount-per-slot from proceeds of the N.C. Education Lottery.