Aurelia, Iowa — The incoming chairman of the Iowa Senate Education Committee says he supports anything that expands access to preschool. Republican Senator Lynn Evans is a retired superintendent from Aurelia.
Most children, by the age of five, recognize about 10-thousand words, but research indicates children who come from low-income households tend to have a smaller vocabulary. Some school districts are offering full-day preschool, but charging tuition to cover the hours not financed with state tax dollars.
Last year, Evans proposed that the state cover the costs of full-day preschool for children from households with an annual income at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty rate. Evans says he’s been tweaking that proposal and is waiting to see what Governor Reynolds proposes. The governor will reveal her 2025 legislative agenda on January 14th.
The state’s voluntary preschool program for four year olds provides state funding for 10 hours of instruction per week. A coalition of public and private school organizations recently formed to urge lawmakers to take the step of making a full day of preschool available to children from low income households.
Evans represents all of O’Brien, Osceola, and Buena Vista counties and portions of Clay and Cherokee counties.
