WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Reps. Ron Kind (WI-03), Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Gwen Moore (WI-04) sent a letter today to Governor Scott Walker urging him to apply for the Preschool Development Expansion Grant.  Wisconsin is one of 36 states invited to apply for a share of $250 million in grants directed to help states develop and expand high-quality preschool programs for children from low- and moderate-income levels.

The Governor’s Office missed the September 11 deadline to notify the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services of Wisconsin’s intention to apply. With one week left until the application deadline, the Governor’s Office has still not indicated that it will apply for the grant – potentially leaving millions of dollars for pre-K education on the table.

They write, “We strongly urge your administration to apply for this grant funding opportunity and allow our state the chance to compete for funding which could strengthen preschool programs for millions of children across our state.”

Wisconsin is eligible for up to $15 million dollars a year in funding for a period of four years. The funding would allow some districts to expand 4-year-old kindergarten to full-day kindergarten and improve the quality of instruction for children across Wisconsin.  Currently, most districts have 4-year-old kindergarten, but the state funding only pays for an average of only 2.5 hours per day.

The letter continues, “In light of reports indicating that the achievement gap among students of color and their white peers is growing in Wisconsin, it is critical that our state exercise every option when it comes to accessing grant funding to support early education initiatives.”

The full text of the letter can be found here.