Rep. Erin Murphy touring the state to build support for universal preschool

As the House sponsor of Gov. Mark Dayton's failed prekindergarten proposal, Murphy said the plan's future success hinges on providing clarity on the details. In addition, seeking ideas from parents and school district administrators on how to improve the proposal is key, she said. School districts, for instance, were cool to the universal prekindergarten plan over concerns about staffing and classroom space, particularly after the recent all-day expansion of kindergarten.

"In the wake of the session, there are a lot of questions about the proposal," Murphy said in an interview. "The best way for me to figure out our path forward is to listen to Minnesotans so we can better devise policy to meet our future goals."

A Chisholm woman, Murphy said, wondered if universal preschool would end Head Start, the federally funded preschool program for low-income children. Working families asked whether transportation would be provided. Others still wanted to know if the curriculum would be age-appropriate and if the program would be voluntary.

(Answers to the questions: No. Yes. Yes. And yes.)

Though the 2015 special session resulted in significant investments in early childhood education, advocates say more must be done to give all of Minnesota's youngest learners access to high-quality preschool. The recent legislative battle over early education divided legislators on how to deliver preschool instruction.

Republicans backed an expansion of early-learning scholarships that can be used at private day cares and schools already offering preschool. Senate Democrats boosted funding for school readiness, money that gives districts the flexibility to implement preschool programs.

Still, Murphy and Dayton say they plan to continue the push for universal preschool. They say having licensed teachers is important to ensuring quality, and they say it takes advantage of existing transportation infrastructure — a big selling point to working families.

"Anybody … in the Legislature who thinks we're going to give all this money back in tax cuts better understand that I will not sign a tax bill that does not have an equitable amount overall for early childhood," Dayton said recently.

Legislators criticized Dayton and his administration for not building support for his earlier plan, which would have cost $914 million once fully phased in.

Murphy said she hopes her efforts will pay off.