“When it comes to the challenges facing rural communities, I’ve always reached across the aisle to find solutions,” said Rehberg a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the bi-partisan House Rural Education Caucus.  “The benefits of preschool education are well-established, and every child ought to have the same opportunities in this country regardless of where they live.  Montana’s biggest challenge in Washington, D.C. is making sure that our needs aren’t overlooked in the rush to take care of the problems affecting urban areas like San Francisco or Chicago.”

          In Montana 70 percent of students attend rural school districts, and in 2006 only 19 percent of all Montana 3- and 4-year-olds were served by a federally funded Head Start program.  A 2007 National Center of Education Statistics report on rural education found that children living in rural areas have the lowest level of enrollment in preschool programs.  Additionally, rural communities face significant obstacles in providing access to the high-quality pre-kindergarten programs, including limited financial resources, scarcity of qualified teachers, deficient training and professional development opportunities, inadequate facilities and a lack of transportation options.

          The Rural Early Education Access Act helps ensure that children living in rural areas have access to preschool programs by providing states with education funding through grants.  States would then fund awards to local schools and community-based providers based on a formula system.

          “For too long, access to preschool and other early childhood education programs have been few and far between for America’s rural students,” Congressman Hare said. “Our legislation would give states and local school districts the tools they need to help rural students get a head start.”