For the twelfth year in a row, Alabama's voluntary First Class Pre-K program was named as providing the highest quality state-funded pre-kindergarten program in America during the 2016-2017 school year.

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released those findings in their 2017 State of Preschool Yearbook, an annual report on the quality of state-funded early childhood education programs across the country. According to the report, more than 1.5 million three- and four-year-olds attend state-sponsored pre-K programs in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

"NIEER's endorsement of the state's voluntary First Class Pre-K program is another sign that the investments state leaders have made in early childhood education will have a strong return," said Allison Muhlendorf, the executive director of the Alabama School Readiness Alliance.

Nearly 14,700 four-year-olds were enrolled in a First Class Pre-K classroom according to the report. The program, overseen by the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, currently serves nearly 17,000 students, or 29 percent of all eligible four-year-olds, in 941 classrooms. The map below shows the location of those classrooms across Alabama.

The number indicates how many First Class Pre-K classrooms are located in each Alabama county.

Alabama, Michigan and Rhode Island were the only three states who met or exceeded all ten benchmarks used to determine program quality. Those benchmarks are a minimum standard and include criteria such as having a class size of 20 or fewer students, having a teacher with a four-year college degree who also has specialized training in pre-K, holding appropriate training for teachers and staff, and having a ratio of not more than 10 children to every staff member.

Click here for NIEER's Alabama profile, which includes a list of all 10 benchmarks.

"Quality early education is the most critical social justice issue out there," said Mark Shriver, CEO of Save the Children Action Network and Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs and Advocacy at Save the Children. "Quality early learning programs are among the most effective ways to break the cycle of poverty and ensure equal opportunity for all children."

Alabama lawmakers allocated an additional $18.5 million for next year that, combined with the federal Preschool Development Grant, will allow the program to add at least 100 classrooms and 1,400 students across the state.

According to the report, Alabama spent $4,594 per preschool student for the 2016-2017 school year. Spending on students in K-12 averaged around $5,800 per student that year.

Alabama was also featured in the report as one of six states to watch due to the program's ability to maintain quality while expanding.

NIEER's Senior Co-Director Steve Barnett, speaking with reporters, said, "Alabama has its priorities right. Quality is what is going to not only help kids the most but ensures that the Alabama program continues to grow."

Barnett added they would like to see a date set for when the state's preschool program will serve all eligible four-year-olds, but said the actual date is less important than the action of setting it.

The program has been popular with lawmakers, expanding slowly year over year from its inception in 2005 with $4.3 million in funding. Since 2013, it has more than tripled the percentage of eligible four-year-olds served, from 9 percent to 29 percent in the current school year.

"The most important force has been the state political leadership's consistent commitment to both high quality and expansion to reach all children and families," the report states. "Alabama demonstrates what can be accomplished when leadership maintains high-quality preschool as a priority over the long-term."

In addition to NIEER's findings, a recent study of Alabama third graders found that students who participated in the state's First Class Pre-K program are more likely to be proficient in reading and math than their peers. The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama in conjunction with the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Researchers found that First Class Pre-K:

Narrowed the gap in reading proficiency by 28 percent for all children in poverty; 32 percent for white children in poverty; 31 percent for Hispanic children in poverty; and, 26 percent for black children in poverty.

Narrowed the gap in math proficiency by 57 percent for all children in poverty; 71 percent for Hispanic children in poverty; and, 37 percent for black children in poverty.

Increased reading proficiency for children in poverty by 12 percent overall; 25 percent for Hispanic children in poverty; 23 percent for black children in poverty; and, 3 percent for white children in poverty.

Increased math proficiency for children in poverty by 13 percent overall; 17 percent for Hispanic children in poverty; 16 percent for black children in poverty; and, 10 percent for white children in poverty.

A complete breakdown of the research on Alabama First Class Pre-K outcomes is located at this link.