(Radio Iowa) – The organization that presents Iowa superintendents and principals is recommending the 2024 Iowa legislature increase state funding for preschool programs for four year olds. The state currently finances 10 hours of preschool per student, per week. Lisa Remy, executive director of the School Administrators of Iowa, says expanded preschool funding and early literacy are tied together. “We really believe that to have students be able to read by third grade, it’s important to have full-day preschool programs funded fully,” Remy says.

Remy says preschool doesn’t replace kindergarten, but full-day preschool helps kids develop a good “word bank” by the time they enter kindergarten. “It’s still important for our preschool kiddos to have some play and how much they learn through play, but also that rich literacy environment,” Remy says, “so that they are prepared when they step into kindergarten.”

Estherville Lincoln Central superintendent Tara Paul says preschool is really important because there’s a ton of research showing a young child’s vocabulary is a predictor of how well they’ll be able to read. “A five year old going into kindergarten should have a 10,000 word vocabulary,” Paul says. “A majority of our students are coming with 3000 to 4000 words and so we want to make sure that we can build from that 3000 to 4000 at a preschool level to that 10,000 or as close to 10,000 as they enter kindergarten as possible.”

In November, Governor Kim Reynolds told reporters her 2024 legislative agenda will include a focus on early literacy efforts. The governor will present her priorities to lawmakers in the annual “Condition of the State” message on January 9th.