Friday, September 7, 2007
Gov. Minner Highlights Delaware’s Early Childhood Education Achievements as CSG Conference Keynote Speaker
Dover – Governor Ruth Ann Minner highlighted the successes of Delaware’s early childhood education programs as today’s keynote speaker at a Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference event at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Mass. The two-day national conference of early childhood education policy staff and leaders focuses on early childhood education and features nationally renowned educators and government leaders who have made strides in providing better access to quality education for our nation’s youngest students.
“In Delaware, we have made great improvements in our early childhood education system to ensure that our children receive everything they need to develop and learn during these very important first years,” said Gov. Minner. “During my tenure as Governor, I have renewed the state’s commitment to this issue by making sure our youngest students enter kindergarten and elementary school mentally, socially, and physically prepared to succeed, through new initiatives like full-day kindergarten, our Early Childhood Summit and the establishment of learning standards for children up to 5 years old.”
Gov. Minner’s speech focused on Delaware’s efforts to enhance early education and care. Some of the highlights included changes in curriculum and regulation enforcement that resulted from a 2002 investigation into the quality of Delaware’s child care centers, the implementation of Early Success: Delaware’s Early Childhood Plan, and programs the state has employed to enhance the quality of our early childhood educators, such as Delaware’s Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) program and the Early Childhood Apprenticeship program.
CSG/ERC is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that serves legislative, executive and judicial branch officials in the Northeast corridor of the U.S. and Canada. Their mission is to provide a forum for new ideas; promote successful state policy innovations; offer leadership training and technical assistance; serve as a catalyst for public/private dialog; and forecast policy trends affecting the region.
