Iowa Department of Education

A new Iowa education initiative launched in the 2007-08 school year:  the Statewide Voluntary Preschool for Four-Year-Olds. Staffed with licensed teachers and working in tandem with individual communities, the program is a springboard to a child’s early education success.

In this latest Iowa Department of Education podcast, we talk with Director Judy Jeffrey about the idea for the program, the research that supports it, and how funding is distributed. We also talk with Jennifer Burkhart, the director of a preschool program in Center Point-Urbana.

Please visit our podcast site (http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/category/27/639/1157/ ) each month to hear a variety of information on topics ranging from statewide education trends to the State Board of Education’s legislative priorities.